Esprit V8 thoughts and questions?

[AshVX220]

Hi everyone in the Esprit section.

I have considered the Esprit for quite some time and since hearing the sound a gorgeous V8 makes, particularly the turbo with a nice BOV fitted, I've become smitten.

Two questions I have though, are the newer ones anymore reliable, eg, could I use it every day without issue?

Also, are all V8's turbo'd?

I have discovered some nice ones for sale on here and would definitely opt for a '99 plate onward (only because I prefer the more modern interior).

If I were to go for this, I do think it would be a car that I would probably never sell.

Any thoughts would be appreciated, there are only two cars I'd really change the VX for, an Esprit or Nobel M12, so knowledgable comparisons would also be appreciated. And for the cost it would go from being a wekend toy (like the VX) to an every day car, thoughts?

Cheers
Ash

[B33 ENN]

AshVX220 said:

I have considered the Esprit for quite some time and since hearing the sound a gorgeous V8 makes, particularly the turbo with a nice BOV fitted, I've become smitten. ...Also, are all V8's turbo'd?

All the V8 Esprits from MY1996 were 3.5ltr twin turbo cars. There were no naturally aspirated or supercharged versions ever produced for sale.

AshVX220 said:

Two questions I have though, are the newer ones anymore reliable, eg, could I use it every day without issue?

This can depend on the particular car. A well looked after, regularly run and maintained one can work fine in daily use. In fact, regular use is usually beneficial with the 4-cylinder cars and the V8.

AshVX220 said:

I have discovered some nice ones for sale on here and would definitely opt for a '99 plate onward (only because I prefer the more modern interior).

Cars from MY1998 had the newer interior. You want to make sure that any earlier V8 you are interested in buying had the cylinder liner sealant issue resolved. The initial Loctite sealant tended to fail in high engine heat exposure. Lotus recommended cars to be updated with a new sealant by Hylomar that solved the problem for the most part. The last run of cars from 2002 should be fine in this respect.

[AshVX220]

Thanks very much for such a prompt and knowledgeable reply.

[B33 ENN]

No problem. If you haven't already, consider reading up LEW's guides on owning and running an Esprit:

http://www.lotusespritworld.com/buying.html

[BIRMA]

Not sure about the wonderful sound as the cars have a flat plane crank which does not give the car that sound you usually associate with a V8. If you go over to the Lotus Forum you can gather a lot of information and ask questions and get answers from owners who run these cars on a daily basis. The V8 Esprit is a really nice car and has the rare combination of looks and performance I still can't get over the fact that wherever you go people engage you in conversation about them (mostly 100% positive) and go past a group of any school boys and you always get that 'corr look at that pointing' which never ceases to amuse me. They do have to be bought with great care and if the last owner was a 'cheap skate' you could be in for a whole world of pain before the pleasure. I bought a late 2001 which has the AP brakes and the more modern dash binnacle, one day I love it the next day I want to sell it, it does that to you. You just have to bear in mind that they were a very expensive British supercar in their day and as such do require being looked after properly.

Edited by BIRMA on Thursday 23 February 18:54

[AshVX220]

BIRMA said:

Not sure about the wonderful sound as the cars have a flat plane crank which does not give the car that sound you usually associate with a V8. If you go over to the Lotus Forum you can gather a lot of information and ask questions and get answers from owners who run these cars on a daily basis. The V8 Esprit is a really nice car and has the rare combination of looks and performance I still can't get over the fact that wherever you go people engage you in conversation about them (mostly 100% positive) and go past a group of any school boys and you always get that 'corr look at that pointing' which never ceases to amuse me. They do have to be bought with great care and if the last owner was a 'cheap skate' you could be in for a whole world of pain before the pleasure. I bought a late 2001 which has the AP brakes and the more modern dash binnacle, one day I love it the next day I want to sell it, it does that to you. You just have to bear in mind that they were a very expensive British supercar in their day and as such do require being looked after properly.

Edited by BIRMA on Thursday 23 February 18:54

Hi BIRMA,
thanks for a great post and info, I notice you're in Hampshire (and you've tracked your Esprit), would you mind if we got in touch so I could have a good drool look at yours sometime. It looks gorgeous. For info the two I'd consider are the yellow one in Cardiff and the 9 of 44 Sport 350, I know it's had a prang, but if it's been sorted properly, then that's a massive saving on a very rare motor.
Again, thanks guys, just going to read that buyers guide now.

[B33 ENN]

BIRMA said:

Not sure about the wonderful sound as the cars have a flat plane crank which does not give the car that sound you usually associate with a V8.

I purposely didn't bring that up but to me it was a major let down when I had one. It's no Ferrari F355, that's for sure, although that car has a flat-plane too. It's more the unnecessary turbos and the untuned exhaust that are an issue in the Lotus.

BIRMA said:

You just have to bear in mind that they were a very expensive British supercar in their day and as such do require being looked after properly.

Quite right. I see too many people buy a Lotus and think it should be as cheap to run as their family car. It's a supercar, and needs a similar budget when looking after it no different from the Italian counterparts. However, like any car, if you can do a lot of small jobs yourself, and know where to get the less specific parts at reasonable cost, it can be very efficient to own.

Edited by B33 ENN on Thursday 23 February 20:22

[BIRMA]

AshVX220 said:

Hi BIRMA,
thanks for a great post and info, I notice you're in Hampshire (and you've tracked your Esprit), would you mind if we got in touch so I could have a good drool look at yours sometime. It looks gorgeous. For info the two I'd consider are the yellow one in Cardiff and the 9 of 44 Sport 350, I know it's had a prang, but if it's been sorted properly, then that's a massive saving on a very rare motor.
Again, thanks guys, just going to read that buyers guide now.

I've sent you an e-mail.

[Hedgerley]

I can pretty much second what's already been said. My first, a 1998 V8-GT was a bargain at £15k in 2005 but in the 3 years I had it I spent as much again keeping it on the road. It was an absolute money pit. My current one is a 2001 V8-GT for which I paid £21k in 2008 (after I binned the first one on black ice) and has cost me about a third of the previous one in the 4 years I have had it. Its a gem and I have no intention of ever parting with it.

As well as LEW (download the buyers guide - I found in invaluable first time round) I strongly suggest registering on www.thelotusforums.com. There are dozens of extremely knowledgeable Esprit owners on there (including me, he said modestly) who will be more than happy to offer advice and guidance and will probably turn up to help you inspect anything you are interested in. Any excuse for a drive out....

My car is here by the way - http://www.lotusespritworld.com/EOwners/MarkRigby....

[Le TVR]

Can't help in comparing with the Noble. I wasn't looking to buy an Esprit at the time rather a F355. I just happened across a dealer that both a 355 and a Sport 350. Tried both and dropped the idea of the Ferrari immediately.

There are many items on a late V8 that are going to be expensive, not F355 expensive but it's better to know what to expect. Rule #1 get it inspected. Ask on TLF where the 'local' expert can be found.
What you want to know is the condition of the following:
- Turbo oil and coolant lines
- Recent clutch?
- Recent cambelts and tensioners?
- Petrol tanks
- Radiator
- Front AP discs

Each of these are 4 figure jobs and you want the minimum possible...
Also buy the service manual. It's not a rocket science car and there is a lot you can do yourself.

Oh and I can't imagine selling mine either;

[AshVX220]

Thanks very much guys, your cars look fantastic. I think I need to do some serious thinking and calculations over the coming month or so and some serious investigation through the ofrums mentioned.

Again, thanks for the responses, very much appreciated.

[BIRMA]

Le TVR said:

Can't help in comparing with the Noble. I wasn't looking to buy an Esprit at the time rather a F355. I just happened across a dealer that both a 355 and a Sport 350. Tried both and dropped the idea of the Ferrari immediately.

There are many items on a late V8 that are going to be expensive, not F355 expensive but it's better to know what to expect. Rule #1 get it inspected. Ask on TLF where the 'local' expert can be found.
What you want to know is the condition of the following:
- Turbo oil and coolant lines
- Recent clutch?
- Recent cambelts and tensioners?
- Petrol tanks
- Radiator
- Front AP discs

Each of these are 4 figure jobs and you want the minimum possible...
Also buy the service manual. It's not a rocket science car and there is a lot you can do yourself.

Oh and I can't imagine selling mine either;

I've had all that done on mine in the last year and have the hole in my finances to prove it, but at least thats all the big things out of the way, Discs are going to be sorted next month and guess what I've decided to put it up for sale here on Pistonheads

[snuffy]

I've owned both a Sport 350 and now have a Noble M12.

This is what I wrote in 2007 on the LEF site:

http://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/topic/12312-e...

Having just re-read it, I think everything I said then is still correct. I noticed I said the turbos are sequential, that's not correct.

[AshVX220]

snuffy said:

I've owned both a Sport 350 and now have a Noble M12.

This is what I wrote in 2007 on the LEF site:

http://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/topic/12312-e...

Having just re-read it, I think everything I said then is still correct. I noticed I said the turbos are sequential, that's not correct.

Brilliant, thanks very much.