Lotus Esprit

[Khajjathefang]

Anyone owned, driven, riden, or know someone who has one? this prices on this exotic just keep tumbling down and im beginning to have impure thoughts regarding the space in the 4 banger's engine bay. bigger plenum here, bigger air/water ic there, wideband, boost controller, bov, custom 3-4 inch exhaust, and maybe a disco potato and you are lookin at a BEAST

[yogurtslinger]

THAT is one sweet car but, something tells me that parts might be a problem just like the lotus TIII head... You can find the parts but, damn, do you really wanna pay that much... They are getting cheaper, I just wish I could go the the boneyard to get spares for it..

[Garret]

Hope you don't like your clutch or gear box, they don't take to well to high powered launches

[Andre Parker]

Very beautiful cars. If I ever bought an exotic, it would be that. But, what about building a mid engine Daytona and use a built to the hilt SRT4 motor?? It would be a good handling and fast car. Since I can't afford a Lotus, this is going to be my route after I get my hybrid motor done for my 87 Daytona and have a fast fwd, then buy a 93 daytona make a mid engine beast. (Poor mans Lotus.)

[daytonaer]

Is that the lotus that looks kinda like a mini-pickup, or the lotus that james bond drove?

if the former, my friends dad had one when we were in gradeschool, it was light and fast and reminded me alot of porche 914's. it wasn't blazingly fast but I bet it handled well. he couldn't get crap for it when he sold it. it sat on a used car lot for like 6 months. its probably just our area, happens when surgen's live in poor areas, no one can afford to buy their used cars..

If your talking about the one james bond drove, I would go with the turbo-4 as opposed to the v-8 or twin turbo v-8, as the last model yr, the turbo-4 put out like 320hp, the twin turbo v-8..... 350 hp...

[Khajjathefang]

mike i think you are talking about the europa. and andre, i think the fab work behind a mid engine Daytona would exceed the 20K that a late 80s to 95 or so Esprit sells for these days. parts are gonna be bad but i'd be willing to bet they are nowhere near as bad as say a ferrari...

i dug out my copy of car and driver's yearbook 92 and the esprit se was the second fastest car in the supercar comparo. loosing by only a tenth to the Corvette ZR1

[powermaxx]

I work with a guy who has one (87? Vulcan grey 2.2 turbo). Got a ride in it too, pretty cool. He's done a lot of work on it and has become well known in some Lotus circles. Nice guy but has a "Lotus is the World" syndrome ( we kid him all the time )

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khajjathefang Anyone owned, driven, riden, or know someone who has one? this prices on this exotic just keep tumbling down and im beginning to have impure thoughts regarding the space in the 4 banger's engine bay. bigger plenum here, bigger air/water ic there, wideband, boost controller, bov, custom 3-4 inch exhaust, and maybe a disco potato and you are lookin at a BEAST

[Andre Parker]

I am pretty sure when I do mine it will be alot less that 20K. But than again I have a machine shop at my disposal so that makes it unfair in my favor. But the Lotus IS a fantastic car. I think the last model had 264hp or more. Not too shabby for a light car like that. I like those better than the new elise.

[derek502]

you could go this route, aluminum V8 in a Fiero
http://thefierofactory.com/cad.htm