I watched a ton of racing when I was a kid. Between watching Formula 1 early in the morning with my father or family camping trips a few hours’ drive away at Mosport Park, within a few years I’d memorized the shapes of dozens of vehicles, liveries, helmets—you know the drill—it was cars, cars, cars.
But seeing an exotic car: that didn’t really happen in my hometown. So it was incredible one morning at Mosport Park when it looked like one of the race cars had erroneously parked near the washrooms. A Lotus Esprit. It was no race car, however, it was just some guy’s road-going Esprit.
It smashed my young brain. “How is this possible? How is it so low? How fast is it? Maybe someday, I could drive this to school,” I no doubt thought at the time. The owner must have seen the steam coming from my ears and suggested to my dad that he give me a lift back to our campsite a few hundred feet away.
Even traveling at a walking pace, that early-’90s Esprit was unforgettable. I’ve had a soft spot for them ever since—you might, too, after seeing tomorrow’s film.
What what your first unforgettable ride?
Photos via Jonathan WC Mills, diariomotor.com, lotusespritturbo.com
