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From the Mille Miglia to America, how one tiny racer ended up in the perfect hands
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Films:
This Lotus Esprit Is A Light Rider Reborn
I have to watch this once a month. everything is on the spot. Only a designer can achieve this sophisticated Rebel Look ! You are years ahead. Shame on the German Colleague who destroyed this awsome design. Foregt about the philistines who never drew a stroke in their lives nore have the mind to mix rules.
NOT my cup of tea, but you have to respect a bloke who took that NIGHTMARE that the rest of us would have turned into razor blades, and restores it. Obviously, it’s in the hands of someone who loves it. Great film. Not so sure about the bumpersticker though. (And there is an RAF joke in there about the German guy who didn’t like it 🙂
Put simply I adore these cars, and completely respect that you’ve applied what is clearly a passion, successful business and your own individuality also. Completely reborn, in a truly unique way. Many would have simply restored her to original form. Would love to see an aero dynamic, removable bike rack on the roof in matching colours. Maybe a crazy idea but for me it would further compliment your passions and the cars every day practically whilst still keeping its sporting appeal – blinding the two even further together.
Your story has inspired me at a time where I find myself at a crossroad. I have owned a black, 1988 Lotus Esprit Turbo for the last 23 years. It has been wonderful, yet aggravating experience at times. I have labored to keep it original at the cost of enjoyment. Most of the aggravation has been at the hands of mechanics who claim to be able to work on the car but were woefully in over their heads in a commercial shop environment. I know my car pretty well. I have a modicum of mechanical aptitude including two antique aircraft restorations. My trust in garages, as it pertains to this car has all but disappeared. While I own a “very good” example, the market value at this time is, well, pretty bad. It is a beautiful car and a surprisingly good cruiser. A bitch in the city though.
The inspiration? It’s OK to mod if it means I’ll drive it more. Thank you…
P.S. I get the same innocent stuff;
Is it a DeLorean? Is it a kit? Is it a Maserati? The James Bond car! (No, the “Pretty Woman” car). 4 cylinder?! I thought it was faster. Jeez, horrible mileage (Sorry, I get “only” 33 mpg).
Great car and as a fellow Esprit owner, who also ignored the general advise to buy the best car I could find, I purchased a project as well and can truly appreciate the hours you put in to make this the stunner it is today. While my 83 turbo esprit is closer to stock in appearance, I did upgrade to later mechanicals where ever I could, so I see no problem making it your own and modifying it to your taste. To those who ever considered owning one – they are great and it brings a smile to my face every time I drive it! Thanks for sharing your story!
I never thought of the Esprit as an uknown supercar – probably because I saw 007 🙂 still, I never saw one running around in Lisbon or on Auto shows…
Thanks for sharing the car and your story – I love bikes (specially old school BMXs) and the color! I have a single speed that I also paited the same color (Hellblau) as my 68 opel .
All the best to you and Ritte!
I remember meeting Spencer Canon one afternoon at Pasadena’s Rosebowl park, which has a favorite circuit for road bikers. As I think back on it, it had to be Canon. After all how many people show up in a Lotus, and take a bike frame and bicycle wheels out of the passenger seat, assemble their bike and prepare to ride off? We talked for a while about the car, and I remember him as being as intense about it as he was in this film. His restoration includes some original choices. For instance the diffuser in the rear cuts straight through the lower sculpted rail of the original bumper skirt, which has been removed. This is done in a way which aligns with current thinking on the most effective way to dissipate the air emerging from under the car, but probably upsets purists. Similarly the riveted Neoprene air dam in the front is a good compromise for a street car which occasionally sees some track time, but Giugiaro would have done something else. Keeping these kinds of low volume production cars highly original is obscenely expensive. I find that you hesitate to touch a switch, or adjust a mirror, lest some phenomenally rare piece of plastic gives way. Parking a historically correct, restored car at the supermarket is out of the question. An intelligent answer which leaves you with a car that you can enjoy without worrying about every little ding, are restorations of this general type which are done in the spirit of the original, and free of any tedious adherence to the specifics of the car the way you might have found it on the day it was first commissioned for sale. To my eye, the way that the car was on that first day, was only a state of the vehicle at a point in time. And there will always be other states and other points in time.
The ride height is a compromise that many people make in order to drive in the San Gabriel mountains where a lot of this video was filmed. The rock fall out from the canyon walls is more or less continuous. This is so much the case that the Country maintains a small fleet of snow ploughs which they use to clear away the rocks to the side of the road. So if you come around around a blind corner, and cannot leave your lane, because of the double yellow and also because you do not know what is further around the corner, and find a rock the size of an Easter ham, you are going to take a hit. And having a little ground clearance helps a lot in these moments.
A) Everybody knows what the Esprit is and was . Its an automotive and cultural icon . Not to mention the press over the decades has covered the entire Esprit line up in infinite detail over the decades … not to mention the many books etc . So from GearHead … to movie buff and right on down to celebrity hounds … everybody knows all about the Esprits … or at least … everyone over the age of 50 does
B) Its an Esprit … better yet … its a rest-mod Esprit [ hopefully correcting the many ills the car has as well as modifying it for more up to date performance ] … so whats not to love . Heck …. Im even digging the color .. and normally I hate that shade of blue on most cars
C) It is though incomprehensible how Mr Canon can hope to have a truly successful bicycle manufacturing company when they have absolutely zero presence here in the US Capitol of bicycling [ not to mention the #1 market for high end and hand crafted bikes . I’m speaking of course of my beloved Colorado .
Seriously Mr Canon … get yer bikes out here … and fast .. if success is your ultimate goal . Cause when it comes to high end bikes … if’n y’all can make it here … y’all can make it … anywhere
Finally … Kudos for using the Esprit [ with the matching bicycle ] on your website Mr Canon . Tasty indeed ! And errr … if’n y’alls in need of some suggestions about the former … suffice it to say … my connections into the high end bicycle realm run long and deep … and I do mean …. high end !
Lovely restoration; I didn’t see anything done that I would’nt’ve done myself, had I the mean$ to acquire such an important piece of Lotus history, and hardware. The Esprit is, has been, and likely will always BE my favorite ‘go to’ sports-car, whenever the subject of favorite-rides comes up in conversation among car-buffs. Someday I hope to earn the privilege of being invited to take one for a spin through the mountains of Wyoming. It is a dream I have…
I think the car is really well done, and a well saved car. Bravo! The engine sounds great and seems to run great, which is commendable considering the previous state. What I think is polarizing are the over-sized V8 wheels and tires, the really high up ride height, and the riveted-style makeshift front air dam. IMO, the V8 wheels just don’t flow well on this body style without the V8 fender flares, especially when the car is so high up. The wheel offset is the problem, and that can’t be changed. If you went with a regular 93 1/2 SE rubber lip, original wheels with more meat on the sidewalls, and lowered the ride height, I think you would find the haters completely disappear.
Oh man. I’ve seen the teases of this car on Instagram and am so glad I saw the final product here first. It’s fantastic. The color is lovely, the story is wonderful, and the overall effect just makes me smile. Bravo for making it what you wanted it to be and for doing it with careful consideration.
You can pretty much tell whether or not you like how a car looks after the first second of looking at it. And with this car, what that crucial first second said to me was “ricer”. Granted, it does make up some points with its story and the dedication of the owner but for me, it’s still a thumbs down.
There is no one standard for the true car enthusiast, as one can’t complain when they see a well documented and cared for ‘survivor’, similarly when one sees a perfect concours restoration, and I would argue as seen in this film, when one sees an interpretive or personal build. I think you did a brilliant job of saving a treasure in this Lotus Esprit, your devotion to the project is undeniable, and the outcome fantastic. Bravo.
