Discussion
Allowing for the short description and without reviewing the service record I'd say that's about as good a V8 you will find these days. C service including belts and replacing the bits that generally corrode away, as described, is extremely worthwhile. Both my V-GTs had their turbos replaced, ditto oil and water lines twice as often. And the suspension is way past its best so is on my to do list. Getting these done is a big plus. The C service is usually an engine out job (read expensive), so I assume lots of other minor niggles would have been addressed at the same time.The upgraded input shaft is very good mod as well - mine did snap on the first Esprit I had and cost me a new gearbox at £5k IIRC
It also has some provenance (subjective I know.....) and a low mileage but that is not necessarily a good thing. Esprits need to be used but the bits that usually seize and cause problems with low usage have been taken care of. A drive and a good inspection, preferably with someone familiar with V8s, is a must - difficult in the current circumstances I know.
Allowing for the above, I'd still say the price is on the high side. You are getting in to the lower end of Sport 350 territory at £60k. Something nearer to or at £50k, to include a warranty, is probably more reasonable and I'd only say that given the amount of work and new bits Hoffmans have fitted.
You'll find loads of help on The Lotus Forums and probably someone who is familiar with the car - there aren't many of us out there!
Hope this helps. Let us know whether you take the plunge or not. If you do, and look after it, you will not regret it. Every drive is an event. I've had mine 12 years (2 for the previous one) and can't see myself ever getting rid of it. I still get a buzz just looking at it!
It also has some provenance (subjective I know.....) and a low mileage but that is not necessarily a good thing. Esprits need to be used but the bits that usually seize and cause problems with low usage have been taken care of. A drive and a good inspection, preferably with someone familiar with V8s, is a must - difficult in the current circumstances I know.
Allowing for the above, I'd still say the price is on the high side. You are getting in to the lower end of Sport 350 territory at £60k. Something nearer to or at £50k, to include a warranty, is probably more reasonable and I'd only say that given the amount of work and new bits Hoffmans have fitted.
You'll find loads of help on The Lotus Forums and probably someone who is familiar with the car - there aren't many of us out there!
Hope this helps. Let us know whether you take the plunge or not. If you do, and look after it, you will not regret it. Every drive is an event. I've had mine 12 years (2 for the previous one) and can't see myself ever getting rid of it. I still get a buzz just looking at it!
Edited by Hedgerley on Thursday 16th April 17:12
Hedgerley said:
Allowing for the short description and without reviewing the service record I'd say that's about as good a V8 you will find these days. C service including belts and replacing the bits that generally corrode away, as described, is extremely worthwhile. Both my V-GTs had their turbos replaced, ditto oil and water lines twice as often. And the suspension is way past its best so is on my to do list. Getting these done is a big plus. The C service is usually an engine out job (read expensive), so I assume lots of other minor niggles would have been addressed at the same time.The upgraded input shaft is very good mod as well - mine did snap on the first Esprit I had and cost me a new gearbox at £5k IIRC
It also has some provenance (subjective I know.....) and a low mileage but that is not necessarily a good thing. Esprits need to be used but the bits that usually seize and cause problems with low usage have been taken care of. A drive and a good inspection, preferably with someone familiar with V8s, is a must - difficult in the current circumstances I know.
Allowing for the above, I'd still say the price is on the high side. You are getting in to the lower end of Sport 350 territory at £60k. Something nearer to or at £50k, to include a warranty, is probably more reasonable and I'd only say that given the amount of work and new bits Hoffmans have fitted.
You'll find loads of help on The Lotus Forums and probably someone who is familiar with the car - there aren't many of us out there!
Hope this helps. Let us know whether you take the plunge or not. If you do, and look after it, you will not regret it. Every drive is an event. I've had mine 12 years (2 for the previous one) and can't see myself ever getting rid of it. I still get a buzz just looking at it!
Mark,It also has some provenance (subjective I know.....) and a low mileage but that is not necessarily a good thing. Esprits need to be used but the bits that usually seize and cause problems with low usage have been taken care of. A drive and a good inspection, preferably with someone familiar with V8s, is a must - difficult in the current circumstances I know.
Allowing for the above, I'd still say the price is on the high side. You are getting in to the lower end of Sport 350 territory at £60k. Something nearer to or at £50k, to include a warranty, is probably more reasonable and I'd only say that given the amount of work and new bits Hoffmans have fitted.
You'll find loads of help on The Lotus Forums and probably someone who is familiar with the car - there aren't many of us out there!
Hope this helps. Let us know whether you take the plunge or not. If you do, and look after it, you will not regret it. Every drive is an event. I've had mine 12 years (2 for the previous one) and can't see myself ever getting rid of it. I still get a buzz just looking at it!
Edited by Hedgerley on Thursday 16th April 17:12
Thanks for the detailed feedback, really appreciate it.
The Esprit was one of the cars I had stuck to my bedroom wall with bluetac when I was growing up, it would be a dream (albeit belated) to have one in the garage - I’d probably end up looking at it more than driving it.
Your post has given me one problem... I looked at your profile and your black Esprit is absolutely stunning, other then the JPS cars I’d never looked at one in black before.. it looks great and maybe puts the yellow in the shade... any more pics?
Many thanks again.
Mark (fellow Jock)
Can do. More here, as well as my previous 98 V8-GT which I wrote off on black ice in early 2008 -
http://www.lotusespritworld.com/EOwners/MarkRigby....
But I do like this one, taken at the Rest and Be Thankful a few years ago (in between the landslide closures.......)
http://www.lotusespritworld.com/EOwners/MarkRigby....
But I do like this one, taken at the Rest and Be Thankful a few years ago (in between the landslide closures.......)
GTRene said:
when I look at that engine bay I start thinking, how can you do some repairs on such engine in that 'space', say plugs change etc, is it easier then it looks or does it means pain in the bones and lots of wounds on your hands etc?
Yes, it is as bad as it looks. Plug change is probably the easiest, just remove the covers off the top. Anything else is a b
h to be frank unless you have hands the size of a 6 year old and have rubber joints. The stuff you can easily reach i.e. the undercarriage and bits hanging off the bottom of the engine/gearbox, will be so corroded they will be just as hard to fix/remove/refit!As that one has a blue coloured engine it would be worth finding out when and why it was changed (or possibly removed and re-coloured during a rebuild).
It's also worth noting that it has a handful of minor modifications too. The rear wing is from a 97my car, the numberplate surround and rear lower valance have been painted and the wheels are from a V8 but not a V8 GT. The exhaust is non-standard and it's had the desirable AP Brake upgrade. All very normal things to have been done to personalise the car by a previous owner.
With the sports seats and colour combo it's a good spec and Hofmanns are well known dealership. However, I do note that they are also selling a Sport 350 with slightly more miles but slightly less money...
It's also worth noting that it has a handful of minor modifications too. The rear wing is from a 97my car, the numberplate surround and rear lower valance have been painted and the wheels are from a V8 but not a V8 GT. The exhaust is non-standard and it's had the desirable AP Brake upgrade. All very normal things to have been done to personalise the car by a previous owner.
With the sports seats and colour combo it's a good spec and Hofmanns are well known dealership. However, I do note that they are also selling a Sport 350 with slightly more miles but slightly less money...
Cold said:
As that one has a blue coloured engine it would be worth finding out when and why it was changed (or possibly removed and re-coloured during a rebuild).
It's also worth noting that it has a handful of minor modifications too. The rear wing is from a 97my car, the numberplate surround and rear lower valance have been painted and the wheels are from a V8 but not a V8 GT. The exhaust is non-standard and it's had the desirable AP Brake upgrade. All very normal things to have been done to personalise the car by a previous owner.
With the sports seats and colour combo it's a good spec and Hofmanns are well known dealership. However, I do note that they are also selling a Sport 350 with slightly more miles but slightly less money...
They said it had the changes (including the blue engine cover) due it being a director of Lotus’s car and they upgraded with appropriate components..It's also worth noting that it has a handful of minor modifications too. The rear wing is from a 97my car, the numberplate surround and rear lower valance have been painted and the wheels are from a V8 but not a V8 GT. The exhaust is non-standard and it's had the desirable AP Brake upgrade. All very normal things to have been done to personalise the car by a previous owner.
With the sports seats and colour combo it's a good spec and Hofmanns are well known dealership. However, I do note that they are also selling a Sport 350 with slightly more miles but slightly less money...
Hedgerley said:
Can do. More here, as well as my previous 98 V8-GT which I wrote off on black ice in early 2008 -
http://www.lotusespritworld.com/EOwners/MarkRigby....
But I do like this one, taken at the Rest and Be Thankful a few years ago (in between the landslide closures.......)
http://www.lotusespritworld.com/EOwners/MarkRigby....
But I do like this one, taken at the Rest and Be Thankful a few years ago (in between the landslide closures.......)
Really nice car - like the rear of yours, make it standout.
My old V8 Esprit, i only owned it for about 18 months as someone made me an offer i just couldnt refuse. The issues i had was that the turbo blew a gasket between its self and the exhaust manifold and the other was a diode went in the alternator so wouldnt charge, that was it. Was a great car to drive.
phumy said:
My old V8 Esprit, i only owned it for about 18 months as someone made me an offer i just couldnt refuse. The issues i had was that the turbo blew a gasket between its self and the exhaust manifold and the other was a diode went in the alternator so wouldnt charge, that was it. Was a great car to drive.
Looks v nice - you’ve also got an impressive current garage.Hope you have bought it and enjoying it. Just a bit of additional info that I experienced from my ownership of a 2001 V8 Esprit.
Wheel balancing.
Because modern machines do not accept the pattern of the OZ wheels you will have to get the wheels balanced on the car, there is a chap near Silverstone who is a real expert at this, I'll try and find his details.
Tyres.
Mine had the truly dreadful Dunlop tyres on it, I managed to spin mine on a slow/wet parade lap at Castle Combe, okay I was being silly but I changed the very old tyres for a more modern replacement and never had a problem thereafter.
Exhaust cover plates.
Because these are exposed to the elements (under the rear mesh grills) they corrode and rattle, I threw mine away.
Air-con issues.
Because Lotus seem to mix metal unions if you have a problem with the front air-con radiator normally Lotus dealers strip the whole lot out at great expense to the owner. I found a couple of real experts here in Hampshire who can sort this out for a lot less.
This may come across as a bit of a negative summary of Esprit V8 ownership but it's more a 'warts an all' that perhaps some Lotus fan-boys may be in denial about. But, when it's running right you will love it to bits. I have never had a more love/hate relationship with any car ever.
I would also add that I have run a lotus in one form or another since 1972 so I'm not a 'Johnny come lately' like a few. I'm sure when it's running well it will be fantastic, when's it's not like me you may be tempted to do a Basil Fawlty to it.
Wheel balancing.
Because modern machines do not accept the pattern of the OZ wheels you will have to get the wheels balanced on the car, there is a chap near Silverstone who is a real expert at this, I'll try and find his details.
Tyres.
Mine had the truly dreadful Dunlop tyres on it, I managed to spin mine on a slow/wet parade lap at Castle Combe, okay I was being silly but I changed the very old tyres for a more modern replacement and never had a problem thereafter.
Exhaust cover plates.
Because these are exposed to the elements (under the rear mesh grills) they corrode and rattle, I threw mine away.
Air-con issues.
Because Lotus seem to mix metal unions if you have a problem with the front air-con radiator normally Lotus dealers strip the whole lot out at great expense to the owner. I found a couple of real experts here in Hampshire who can sort this out for a lot less.
This may come across as a bit of a negative summary of Esprit V8 ownership but it's more a 'warts an all' that perhaps some Lotus fan-boys may be in denial about. But, when it's running right you will love it to bits. I have never had a more love/hate relationship with any car ever.
I would also add that I have run a lotus in one form or another since 1972 so I'm not a 'Johnny come lately' like a few. I'm sure when it's running well it will be fantastic, when's it's not like me you may be tempted to do a Basil Fawlty to it.
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