flirting with the idea of an Esprit

[David Hansen]

Greetings 

I have caught myself looking at Lotus Esprit cars for a bit now and yet I have never been in one.  

I recently sat in a Europa at the "British Invasion" show over in Brush Prairie and while I am not very large in any direction I realized pretty quickly that this car was not for me as it felt very claustrophobic.

This leads me toward the Esprit and especially the early Esprit before the rounded out all the edges.   

Does anyone have first hand experience here?  Ever owned or driven one?  

I am not expecting supercar type performance but I would greatly welcome any feedback any of you might have.

If you have one and can share your experiences I would find that very beneficial.

thanks

David

[PAUL HIMMELMAN]

Looks like you are on the edge of a purchase.  Keep us posted.

Paul

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[Jim Rose]

I'm in the same boat and have been wondering the same kinds of questions, especially about reach since I'm 5'5"

I've been lurking here for a while and am finally getting closer to buying my dream car. 

Thanks for letting me lurk and for any information you might have. 

Jim 

[Alan Burt]

Hi Jim and Dave, I have owned a couple Stevens era Esprits for the last few years (a couple as the first one I got was stolen) and driving them is exhilarating!  I'm up in Seattle, and if you want to set up a time to come up and check it out let me know.  I would say that while I'm a fan of the look of the older wedge Giugiaro Esprits (since I first saw it in the Spy Who Loved Me), the Stevens era cars have better engine management and are fuel injected, and as such I think are more reliable, so if you're in the market I would suggest considering the newer models.  But if you have the time and resources to wrench on them (which I don't), then of course that opens up a lot more options.  The only real issues I have experienced are the electronics and dwindling parts availability, which is unfortunate but not surprising considering the era of the cars.  Also when driving, the proximity of the engine and gas tanks results in a somewhat fumy cabin, so it's best to keep the fan running and windows cracked.  In the newer models I've been in this not as much of an issue.  Also regrading fitting in the car, I'm 5'-8" and it feels like there's plenty of room, so if you're a bit taller you should be comfortable, but if you're approaching 6'-6" that might start to feel a bit more cramped.  Hope these help in your considerations! 

Cheers,

Alan Burt             

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