PRACTICAL CLASSICS RESTORATION SHOW BRITAIN’S BEST RESTOS
When this Esprit was snapped up during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic list the to-do list quickly turned into a complete overhaul. After its transformation it earned its place at the show – we get behind the wheel to find out why it was well worth the effort
The Classic Car and Restoration Show is no stranger to stunning revivals of motoring history – and the inspiring story of the owners who’ve worked tirelessly to nurse them back to health.
The whole space is a hive of activity dedicated to our hobby and celebrating the incredible work that owners and clubs put in to keeping their cars on the road. The Lotus Drivers’ Club stand stood in the midst of all of the hubbub this year and perched on top of it was a gleaming example of Lotus’ ’70s halo car, the Esprit – and this one’s been turned from a pandemic problem child with a mounting list of woes to sort into a fully restored resto show star. It’s a shining example of care, dedication and passion, is a triumphant symbol of what makes our pastime so great.
Naturally we just had to have a go in it…
GETTING THAT POSTER PERFECT LOOK
Mark’s passion for mid-engined ’70s wedges runs deep – he used to own a Lamborghini Countach but set his heart on on another of his childhood poster cars after selling it.
‘I bought the car in August 2020 early on in the first wave of the pandemic. I really wanted a Turbo Esprit, especially one of the later ones. The HC with the increased reliability that came with it, plus the James Bond aesthetic and the black bumpers is now my perfect spec.’
He paid his money after scouting out a good-looking example but all was not as it seemed and problems were lurking under that composite skin.
‘The problems began as soon as we got the Esprit home and had a look around underneath. We should really have had it inspected before handing over the money but I just jumped at it and hoped. The car had a fuel leak and would not start from cold – it’d turn over and over and eventually I burned out the starter motor. So we sent it off for an inspection at Haywards Classics and got word that the car needed overhauling. The deeper the mechanic dug, the more that was wrong. The turbo had gone, the wastegate was failing, the timing was miles out and the chassis was rotten. So that was repaired, and we had it dipped and galvanised for good measure.
‘The digging progressed, the problems mounted and a list grew. Eventually we reached a tipping point where the list was significantly big enough that it was no longer a case of making a few things right, but a complete restoration. I’d already made
