To quote Alanis Morissette: Isn’t it ironic? I’m finally buying a house with a garage but in order to pay for it, my 1982 Lotus Esprit will need to find a new home.
Adding to the irony is that the car is now at the best it has ever been. I recently splurged on refurbishing the BBS alloy wheels, which gleam in their diamond-cut glory. It’s just had its annual service and MOT inspection (even though it’s not a legal requirement due to the car’s age) during which the tailgate was finally realigned. Ever since I had the Esprit resprayed in 2022, it’s always been a little out on the passenger side, but with some skilful shimming by Dave at Rapid Mechanical Services, it’s now spot on. Dave also replaced the indicator stalk, which has caused intermittent issues. The list of work I’ve done since I bought the car on eBay includes brakes and suspension bushings, tires, rocker cover gaskets, and much more.
For four years, I’ve made do with the soundtrack of the 2.2-liter four-cylinder but have just fitted a Pioneer stereo which has Bluetooth, USB, and a phone holder built in, without looking too out of place in the classic cabin. Getting the head unit in was easy enough, but fitting speakers was more of a challenge. The original oval door speakers, which sit behind the door cards, are available from specialists, but at a whopping £200 ($270), so instead I mounted a pair of modern four-inch units in plywood. My carpentry skills aren’t the best, but it all works and is hidden from sight anyway.
Part of the reason for not fitting an audio system before was paranoia. I believed I had to listen out for every noise that might give advance warning of automotive doom. The reality, though, is that when the Esprit has let me down, it’s always turned out to be something minor, something that with hindsight I could have repaired at the roadside.
That certainly turned out to be the case when, on an early-morning drive to Shelsley Walsh for the Hagerty Hill Climb, I saw steam in the rear-view mirror. I pulled over as soon as it was safe and tried to work out where it was coming from.
When a matching yellow van from the AA arrived, the patrolman and I figured out that there was a significant coolant leak, and that was enough for him to load it up on his trailer and tow me home again. Actually, he towed the car to my favored garage in Essex, where the problem was subsequently diagnosed to the sensor for the electric fan which had worked loose. If I’d spotted it at the time, a couple of zip ties could have kept me on the road.
The only other failures to proceed in four years of ownership have been similarly simple fixes—a sticky carb float and a loose distributor cap. If I knew then what I know, neither of those journeys would have ended with a tow, either.
My confidence in the Esprit has grown, such that, after my electric daily driver was stolen, it was called in to regular services for several weeks, but ever since then, it has only had the occasional outing.
That’s a contributing factor to the sale as well. I just don’t get to use the Esprit as much as I should. I didn’t buy it as a garage queen to only be wheeled out for shows or sunny weekends. While I did make it as far as the Pyrenees and into Scotland on some cracking road trips, I’ve probably spent more time looking lovingly at its Giugiaro-penned angles than driving it. That’s partly because my budget racing exploits have taken time and resources and also require a more practical vehicle to carry me and my kit to the U.K.’s circuits.
The Esprit marks its 50th anniversary this year, so now should be as good a time as any to sell. I’ll be checking in with some specialists and auctioneers, and contemplating the classifieds before putting it on the market.
Or you could always make me an offer in the comments!
Noooooooooooooooo……. Don’t sell it! You’ve just got it sorted! Proper English motor, that.
Well done sorting it out! Enjoy your new house with a garage!
Keep it & sell the Electric P.O.S..
