Tell me about Esprits...

[Rich H]

Ta

[H8OAG]

Rich
Please buy this as I will be looking for an interesting thread once Alan has finished Colin's 340R.

I would also suggest that you contact Scotty's pal Steve at SW Lotus as that is where it last saw a "Specialist Spanner"
The seller seems to be a bit lof a fettler like yourself with a long ebay history of Corvette /Porsche/Ducati/bits bought and sold

Looks strong money compared to some of the other specimens out there?
It's a wonder that the metal bits haven't vapourised given that he lives on the coast

[Rich H]

Need to shift the Elise first!
I want to be sure that I can work on it and it's not an engine out job for everything basically.
From what I've seen so far it doesn't look that daunting, mechanically it's pretty basic and replacable bits are mostly generic parts from other cars.
Only the special bits (Engine, body and chassis parts) are looking scary but they are mostly repairable and I'd need to learn about carbs for the early cars (Or convert to to EFI again!)

Going to make a more concerted effort to advertise the Elise over the next week regardless as it is not being appreciated here

[s29ttc]

I know Ali has one at the moment with engine out for a broken stud on the manifold

[hardrockjock]

Wheeler Dealers rebuilt one in less than an hour - check it out on YouTube

[Rich H]

Someone has jsut sent me the youtube link of that I'll watch it later.

[Rich H]

OK been offered a semi serious swap for the Elise+cash: 308gt4
Should I be looking harder at it or running away screaming?
I know nothing about Fezzas....

[StiflerMR2]

depends how much cash?

308GT4's were down at about 12K a year ago, now they are all heading northwards of 18-20K for the poorer ones.

[Rich H]

Don't know... but a bottom end Fezza sounds a lot like a bottom end Esprit - bottomless money pit
Besides I'd have to get a Ferrari hat, coat, shoes and handbag to match it...

Also the Fezza will be full of hard to find Fiat rather than bits of BL's finest (and French things)

I think I'm going with plan E and keep researching Esprits.
And chest wigs.

[Corranga]

I'm no expert (really, not even remotely), but I reckon the 308gt4 is basically a 308gtb/s engine and chassis with a 4 seat Bertone body on it. I reckon they are some of the more reliable Ferrari's, and being that they didn't have crazy performance or tuning I think they are fairly reliable too.
I'd imagine rust would be a concern and some parts might be difficult to get, but (maybe i'm 100% wrong) I wouldn't imagine it to be as bad as an Esprit.
Heard a number of horror stories about removing the engine for silly things, and indeed having to put a different engine back in!

I did read a 308 buyers guide at 1 point, but that was a few years ago and cant remember much. I think you need to pull off in 2nd gear until the oil warms up. I'm near certain the overall conclusion was that they aren't as bad as you'd think...

I love the 308gt4

Chris

[Shug]

At least the Esprit is largely made of canoes with a galvy chassis, so you won't have the horror of Italian tin-worm to deal with. Everything else, but not the tin worm.

Plus I saw a Wheeler Dealers recently where they did one and it looks like the engine bay is the size of the Liz one with a V8 shoehorned in sideways. If ever a car needed a lift to do anything, that is one.

[Rich H]

I'm going to forget the Fezza and keep on the Esprit plan -for the moment!
Mind you it would be priceless to wander into a fezzer garage in my normal fixing attire (ie utterly utterly filthy) and see how they respond.
Porsche have always been very very good at not looking down on us van engined 924 lot, I wonder if the Fezza lot would be the same...

OT: Porsche UK recently offered a free fuel tank to one of the 924 club members - if he gets it fitted by the Porsche dealer! The list price is over £700!!
all because he e-mailed them to moan about the price! Fitting would cost more than the car is worth but it's still nice that they bothered!

[renmure]

My first Lotus was an S3 Turbo Esprit.
Looking back, it was really rash since I could (just) afford to buy it but would have been absolutely goosed if anything had gone wrong with it. Thankfully in the 2 years or so that I owned it there wasn't really a single problem with it. I saw it about 3 years later at a Lotus display at the Glamis Castle Show with the same guy who I had sold it to. He also said it hadn't given him any issues either. Probably a lot of good luck involved there tho.



Ahhhh.... memories!!!

[delands]

http://www.lotusespritworld.com/EOwners/del.html

It's not a Turbo but it does detail the costings at the bottom for 3yrs.

[Rich H]

Nice one, I don't see anything that scary there. OK he's spent a lot of cash but there is a lot of labour - which is the bit I'll be doing
As long as it runs more than it doesn't I'll be happy.

Jsut watched Wheeler Dealers - bunch of cowboys IMHO! Tarted up the inside, cleaned it and repalced the exhaust
Fitted the xhaust with bolts stright into the head and no mention of the huge cloud of blue smoke following it!
Also why pretend you are test driving while power sliding around a car park - you have clearly paid for it at that point!

But nothing he did was that hard...