Beautiful car! You can tell this is owned by an enthusiast you really loves this car! Battery drains are pretty common on lotus cars. If I don’t drive my Elise for a week and don’t put the battery tender on it will be dead (the battery is only about a year old too). I talked to a guy at a car show with an Espirt V8 and he has the same problem and put in a battery disconnect switch for when it’s parked in the garage. He said that worked well
Yes I’ve heard that the cobra immobilizer (used in both the Elise and the Esprit of this period) is the main cause of the battery drain too. Really not that big of a deal. They use a small battery for weight savings. You just have to remember to plug in a battery tender when not using the car a lot or battery disconnect switch (and obviously park it somewhere safe)
UK based retired sparks. You're right about the battery size, Cobra is a leading Euro alarm supplier to OEM and retail, I've installed loads of the Cobra of that generation, the LED alone draws more than the alarm, about 20 milliamps, about the same as a contemporary Clifford (the best US product back then.@@johnwight6041
As others have said it may be some aftermarket BS. My jag had a poorly-installed cobra system and the previous owner just put it on a tender. After I ripped that POS out the battery drain stopped entirely.
The Lotus Espirit and Delorean are related. Interesting that they are both in the shop on lifts across from each other. To Mrs Wizard, the transmission uses cables so the hump in the center is the structural backbone of the car as opposed to a transmission tunnel. 6:04
3:43 color code is on the vin sticker behind the brake booster... there are several shades of black, lol. 5:22 that is the original Alpine head unit 6:00 no transaxle under there, ma'am - it is slung out back behind the engine 6:46 the ashtrays are an homage to Colin Chapman, who loved to smoke while he drove 7:54 the Cobra 6422 alarm/immobilizer puts a significant draw on the battery - needs to be on a tender if it will sit idle for more than 10-12 days in warmer weather.
Back when they were new, a friend of mine drove for horseless carriage. He came and grabbed me and told me you got to see what I have in the back. We walked up to the truck and he had two Lotus GTS 350s. Twin turbo LT5 powered. They were also consecutive serial number cars. Going to a collector in Canada. The GTS 350s were made for some sort of circuit race that never came to fruition.
just picked up an 89 turbo in los angeles, love driving it. If you know how to work on cars it's really a simple car and there are a few parts distributors if you are patient!
@@AMM8D0DGER Mine, although absolutely gorgeous, had quite a few nickel and dime issues when I bought it. Both window regulators were worn out, all four rotors were warped (horribly), the catalytic converters were spent, the paint was cracking (a little bit) at the base of the wing mounts where it attached to the deck, and the tires were ten years old. Other than that it was in great shape with only 32,000 miles. I sold it in 2001.
the heater is not working due to an "Additional" control valve sitting above the pedals. If you pull the wiring diagram you will see how it's connected. I've been thru soo many common repairs with my v8 Esprit.
Those OZ Nova wheels are worth $7k-10k by themselves and are VERY desirable! I absolutely LOVE a V8 Twin Esprit. These last of the run 03-04 are usually Final Editions and are the best of the V8 and are the most desirable and are worth the most. And parts are NOT that hard. JAE Lotus Parts in California are VERY GOOD as are some shops in the UK.
@@jct903 Because a bunch of them are Final Editions. Scope out BaT and you'll see that 2003 and 2004 bring the most money. Though the 2002s, some of them are Anniversary cars and those are worth some $$$ in their own right. 👍
I loved my '88 Lotus Turbo Esprit. Red over Tan Saddle int. Sold it and bought a Porsche 911 Carrera. I'm 6'3" and was very cramped in the Lotus. But it was so much fun to drive. Very comfy now in my 911.
I remember going to our local Mitsubishi dealer in the 90s to look at these. At the time I couldn't believe how low the prices were compared to other exotics. Of course I was just a teen and could have never been able to afford one but it was a nice dream.
@5:50 mrs wizard the armrest is not above the transmission/ transaxle . It would actually be the shift linkage below that armrest. The Transaxle is between the rear wheels
My absolute dream car. Here's my take away: A guy from the land of exotic and expensive supercars where there are shops galore sends his car to Kansas........That my friend is one hell of a testimonial to you and by extension your shop...........👍👍
I have had a few mechanics complain that I detail the engine on my cars to keep them looking like new and other mechanics Loving it that its so clean under the hood !
I had a Lotus Esprit Turbo back in the 90's. It was the first 'special' car that I owned and I used to love the sound of the waste gates releasing the pressure in the turbo system. What a joy. On a cautionary note a friend of mine had two Esprits and both caught fire on his drive! RIP.
It's crazy that Lotus went to the trouble of developing their own V8. Apparently the engine easily made 500-550bhp but they were still using a Renault gearbox so 350bhp is about all it could handle.
@@robertpatrick3350 Or the unwillingness/inability to commission a custom gearbox. Lotus was notoriously teetering on the edge of bankruptcy almost all the time, also notorious for interesting interpretations of the tax laws. They never had money to develop most of their own parts.
Only in racing form did it make that kind of power. Naturally Aspirated: 280bhp @ 6800rpm Turbocharged: 350bhp @ 6500rpm Intercooled: 420bhp @ 6400rpm Motorsport: 536bhp @ 5400rpm
350 horsepower was more than enough for the car. It's simply internet bullshit about this having to detune the engine because of the gearbox. This is the UN1-27 high torque box, unique to the V8 and not something you will find in any Renault 25.
@6:00 or so Mrs. Wizard said the transmission was under the armrest?!? Thats where the coolant & AC lines run to the front… Transmission is in the back.
I just sold my black 03. Was the most exotic looking car I’ve owned. Most fragile. Spent over 30k in 6 months sourcing a UN1-027 trans, tons of upgrades from PNM in England, JAE in California. Was very special, but equally as stressful to maintain and drive. The PNM decat pipes and race mufflers are a must, I also added HKS blow-off valves.
@@jct903 I've had my 99 V8 for 5 years and barely even spent 10% of that. Do dread it ever needing something major but that's just part of owning a car like this.
That center console is not "the transmission". It's where the shift cables and oil cooler lines go from the front/middle of the car to the back where the transmission is mounted just above the muffler/collector.
There all all kinds of different shades of black. I had an '89 Bonneville with the 3.8 you love. It also had the wonderful cracking clear coat. We got Pontiac to repaint it. They originally painted the top half of the car and it was a much blacker black, so they had to paint the rest of it. The engine between the front and rear wheels is literally the definition of mid engine. Our G35 Coupes are also technically mid engine because the engine is behind the front wheels. That's why they call it the FM platform. Front Midship.
The Esprit V8 is such a cool car! This channel never fails to surprise and delight. Dashboard switches are straight out of a Peugeot 106! Switchgear aside I’ve always fancied owning one despite the challenges with maintenance
Mrs Wizard, the “padded armrest” is not covering the transmission, the gearbox is behind the engine and between the rear wheels. There’s a cable shift system to operate the box from the gear lever. The older cars had a small tray with hinged door in that place, but they removed it by the V8’s which is a shame as it was useful for wallet/keys/phone. Anyway, cool watching the video and I’ll be commuting in my 2000 V8 Esprit later today.
Being a Lotus, it was probably hard to get parts for it when it was brand new. The steering wheel and it's air bag came out of a 1993 Pontiac Firebird. It just has a Lotus emblem molded into the air bag cover instead of Pontiac.
Thanks to the owner for taking it to Kansas (for a fluid service?) so we can all get a little look, those late Esprits look amazing in real life and one of the nicest sports cars I can think of 😀
I really do like these and I've been lucky enough to see a couple of them. I think they are so much better looking than the Ferrari 360. Lotus improved their reliability on these vs. the early Esprits. Those early Esprits had big time electrical problems that's weren't easy to diagnose or fix.
Amazing the amount of brand shares on this. Peugeot dash buttons, calibra interior door handles and indicator/wiper stalks, ford electric window switches. I do love these cars tho.
I learned 3 main things from watching this video. 1. Mrs. Wizard is a stickler for accurate mileage. 2. There aren't 50 shades of black. 3. Drugs are bad!!!
The engine coolant bleed screw to get the air out of the system is up near the fire wall on the left side, on top of the engine/upper coolant pipe. Be careful loosening it because it will likely be corroded and you will strip it if you don't soak it with lubricant before bleeding the system.
I like the Lotus better than any other car you have featured to date. I can just imagine what it would be like to drive at the track, where this car really belongs.
That one dates back to the early kit car Lotus models and is still said today by people who have never owned one. Properly maintained, and with some sensible upgrades, even an older Lotus is a reasonably reliable car.
Yeah I think that’s not true at all. I’ve had my 2005 Elise for 2 years and the worst thing it has needed is a battery and a ball joint. Starts up and runs great every time
I don't think many americans realise what it means for those on the otherside of the pond to criticise lotus' reliability. Because the rest of the british car industry is world renoun for its reliability ;)
I drove my Elsie round the alps, Italy to Gloucesters in a day, thrashed the living shit out of it round most of the UK race tracks, won Hillclimb championship in it, stuck it into a tyre wall once and ripped the wing off with a come. Owned it 23 years and it’s worth more than I paid for it.
This car was actually designed for a V8 but only got a four for the longest time. That is how they eventually shoehorned that sucker in there. It is a work of Giorgetto Giugiaro art. Beautiful car and sounds great too.
This generation of Esprit was designed by Julian Thompson, an evolution of the previous Peter Stevens designed car. Giugiaro did the original wedge in the 70s.
Well he didn't revolutionize the wedge, let's put it that way. I'll say inspired by the original. But you are right Peter Stevens and Russell Carr both are listed as having worked on the post 2002 design, at least that's what wiki says. Point taken: Credit where credit due.@@Jabber-ig3iw
Black is the absence of color, or light depending on how technical you want to get. There is however multiple blacks- carbon black, ivory black which are both true black and chromatic black which is a mixture of 2 complementary colors usually usually ultramarine blue with burnt umber (brown). In painting I generally use a chromatic black as it doesn’t mute the colors, although ivory blackis used in the more limited Zorn pallete that was used traditionally when there were not as many pigments in the first place, let alone being widely commercially available.
Were I to ever be in a position of having an exotic car, I would budget the cost of shipping from Florida to Kansas as part of the maintenance and only ever have the Wizard work on it. I’m amazed at the technical prowess AND common sense that’s under his roof.
Mos t of us British petrol heads are quite proud of Lotus, & have great respect for them. I had an Evora & loved it, & they`re still making great drivers cars now, its such a shame they get so overlooked, & people go for the usual, "safe", boring alternatives, like 911`s, instead.
The alternator on the V8 models was a standard GM unit also found in the V6 Opel Omega B and the earlier Lotus Carlton/Omega, which also provided interior plastic fittings such as door handles and steering column covering. The clutch master and slave cylinders on 1998 and newer models were Girling parts shared with the series 2A Land Rover. The S1 and S2 shared some front suspension components with the Opel Ascona. The GT3's Brembo front brake pads were the same as on a Fiat Coupé Turbo or a Peugeot 406 3.0 V6. The SE's fuel pump was from the Renault Fuego, V8 pistons are from the Renault Clio Williams' 16-valve, 2-litre F7P engine.
not exactly. the transmission is based on an Renault 25. this only true for the inline four variant. the v8 version has an special renault race transmission that is more or less unobtanium ...
gearbox is a variant made by RenaultSport for Lotus. From 1988 there were four Renault gearboxes used by Lotus until 2003, each version was an improvement over the previous one. Lotus could do this as the gearboxes were exclusive to them. You can put a R25 gearbox into an Esprit but only for the normally aspirated 2.2-4cyl.
The steering wheel is from 1998-2001 Camaro. Always loved the looks of those 90’s thru 00’s Lotus Esprit models. Just a very simple car with very good body lines.
My first exotic car was a black Esprit Turbo that I bought 19 years ago that looked a lot like this one. One of my favorite cars to this day and I’d love to own another one.
Pentagraph wipers lol ,Colin Chappman said his race cars should fall to bits after crossing the line ,if they didn't then the parts were to heavy ,trouble was his cars fell apart before the end of many races lol 😂
Back when 007 drove a Lotus we had a car show in town that had one you could sit in. I was a6th grader and I never felt so bad ass kicked back in that reclined M F. It further established my fixation to this day w/cars. Wish I’d of had a camera phone that day, 007 had a shoe phone with no camera.. Or was it Maxwell Smart w/the shoe? How far we have come?!
Fun fact; Before Lotus went with the V-8 twin turbo, the previous model S4S was a 4 cylinder twin turbo. It was also faster and of course being lighter, a way better car. Yes the v-8's were a lower production number, but the 4 cylinder version still killed it on the track, and all 0-60-100MPH and quarter mile times, and almost the same top speed.
It was impressive what Lotus did with the V4 and the numbers they got out of it. But they don't touch the V8's.... Imagine if Lotus did not have to detune the V8.....
I sold my MY99 Esprit V8 GT last year… fantastic looking and a great evolution of the original design but it was showing its age and it sat mostly in my garage collecting dust sadly. I have McLaren 570 spider, which to me is the “continuation” of what Lotus could have done if it had any money…
Yep... Except "shades of black" are actually grey. The only real variation in black paint is the type finish resulting in variations of gloss level. Then you have the levels of added glitter, which again makes it not really black.
@@gregedmand9939 Not true. Ive been painting cars for 35 years. There are various colors orange, yellow, blue, green, violet, or small amounts of white and pearl added to virtually every automotive black. They still look black to anyones eyes. Not gray.
@edjackson4389 we are debating the realm of semantics aren't we? The reality of true black is the absence of colour. Of course there are paint blends with every fanciful name and blend that chemists can invent. As soon as there is anything added to pure black, it becomes a blended colour. I'll stand by my comment that real black can only be varied by gloss. In the end it's like any art.
Yes I know this from Kalashnikov rifles specifically their magazines and the various dyes and plastics used. On which there is many variations of and while there is the variants that are commonly referred to as true black matte and true black glossy. There is no true black in reality. Just to the human eye when really it's a shade of blue when it comes down to it... Finland also experimented extensively trying to develop the best magazine suited to their needs. And interestingly enough, out of very many prototypes of all colors you can think of including neons as well. They eventually settled on, green, gray, and black for their final prototypes to go through final testing with " black" being the chosen for poss production... The sky looks black at night in reality its blue and only visible as such during the day. Thanks for sharing that little info and explaining it in the way you did. I was told this from a highly respected collector in the AK community and Author/Book writer in which I will never forget it and the knowledge he shared. Also interestingly, from what I have heard. Women supposedly can see slightly more shades of colors then men. Not sure how true it is or not and if so, if it's just average vs all females.
If the original brake fluid is that dark and you suspect it hasn't been changed since 2003 then I'd recommend changing all 6 rubber brake lines with braided stainless steel. The old rubber from the old brake lines is likely some of that dark color in the fluid. Also, start hunting a master cylinder and/or seal kit as that is likely the next thing to go out on this car after a full fluid change.
Beautiful, beautiful car. I used to drive one of these in...... Need For Speed 2 SE 😂😂😂. Love the Peugeot/Citroen dash buttons and the Opel door ashtrays...
The V8 Esprit is one of the best looking cars ever created. Beautiful.
This and the Ferrari 355
Also the Detomaso Pantera was a good looking car,ill take either!
The Espirit has always been one of my favorite cars of all time. Iconic.
Timeless.
@@Dytopjewa7631Owned both. Esprit V8 had more grip and faster, even with -30bhp.
Love the shape of the Lotus Esprit. It stood the test of time, unlike some other 80s supercars ❤
So did the diablo,and countach,as well as ferrari,and porshe.
Had a 2000 Esprit V8 over 20 years ago (fulfilled a childhood dream). Tremendously fun car!
I’ll be experiencing this brother .
I know this could be the dream car
Yep, 20 years since I sold mine, still miss it….great fun….
Beautiful car! You can tell this is owned by an enthusiast you really loves this car! Battery drains are pretty common on lotus cars. If I don’t drive my Elise for a week and don’t put the battery tender on it will be dead (the battery is only about a year old too). I talked to a guy at a car show with an Espirt V8 and he has the same problem and put in a battery disconnect switch for when it’s parked in the garage. He said that worked well
Another commenter said that it was the draw of the immobilizer system and the aftermarket alarm...?
Immobilizer and alarm were made by Cobra and that could very well be the cause.
Yes I’ve heard that the cobra immobilizer (used in both the Elise and the Esprit of this period) is the main cause of the battery drain too. Really not that big of a deal. They use a small battery for weight savings. You just have to remember to plug in a battery tender when not using the car a lot or battery disconnect switch (and obviously park it somewhere safe)
UK based retired sparks. You're right about the battery size, Cobra is a leading Euro alarm supplier to OEM and retail, I've installed loads of the Cobra of that generation, the LED alone draws more than the alarm, about 20 milliamps, about the same as a contemporary Clifford (the best US product back then.@@johnwight6041
As others have said it may be some aftermarket BS. My jag had a poorly-installed cobra system and the previous owner just put it on a tender.
After I ripped that POS out the battery drain stopped entirely.
The Lotus Espirit and Delorean are related. Interesting that they are both in the shop on lifts across from each other. To Mrs Wizard, the transmission uses cables so the hump in the center is the structural backbone of the car as opposed to a transmission tunnel. 6:04
3:43 color code is on the vin sticker behind the brake booster... there are several shades of black, lol. 5:22 that is the original Alpine head unit 6:00 no transaxle under there, ma'am - it is slung out back behind the engine 6:46 the ashtrays are an homage to Colin Chapman, who loved to smoke while he drove 7:54 the Cobra 6422 alarm/immobilizer puts a significant draw on the battery - needs to be on a tender if it will sit idle for more than 10-12 days in warmer weather.
Lol yes, was wondering why she thought the tranny was between the seats.
i guess mrs wizard wants to act like she knows everything about colors lol even though i guess technically black and white are values, not colors
I'm thinking that the shift linkages run through the centre under the arm rest.
@@andyossie Exactly, & those linkages are part of the transmission system, so is is part of it.
@@andyossie linkage, a/c lines, oil cooler lines, coolant lines, clutch/brake lines, etc etc
Back when they were new, a friend of mine drove for horseless carriage. He came and grabbed me and told me you got to see what I have in the back. We walked up to the truck and he had two Lotus GTS 350s. Twin turbo LT5 powered. They were also consecutive serial number cars. Going to a collector in Canada. The GTS 350s were made for some sort of circuit race that never came to fruition.
I had an '89 Lotus Esprit Turbo 2.2 back in the late 1990s. Absolutely LOVED it, despite it's foibles.
just picked up an 89 turbo in los angeles, love driving it. If you know how to work on cars it's really a simple car and there are a few parts distributors if you are patient!
@@AMM8D0DGER Mine, although absolutely gorgeous, had quite a few nickel and dime issues when I bought it. Both window regulators were worn out, all four rotors were warped (horribly), the catalytic converters were spent, the paint was cracking (a little bit) at the base of the wing mounts where it attached to the deck, and the tires were ten years old. Other than that it was in great shape with only 32,000 miles. I sold it in 2001.
the heater is not working due to an "Additional" control valve sitting above the pedals. If you pull the wiring diagram you will see how it's connected. I've been thru soo many common repairs with my v8 Esprit.
Interesting. I’ll check that out
Those OZ Nova wheels are worth $7k-10k by themselves and are VERY desirable! I absolutely LOVE a V8 Twin Esprit. These last of the run 03-04 are usually Final Editions and are the best of the V8 and are the most desirable and are worth the most.
And parts are NOT that hard. JAE Lotus Parts in California are VERY GOOD as are some shops in the UK.
Why are the 03-04's more desirable than the 02's?
@@jct903 Because a bunch of them are Final Editions. Scope out BaT and you'll see that 2003 and 2004 bring the most money. Though the 2002s, some of them are Anniversary cars and those are worth some $$$ in their own right. 👍
I like the redesigned rear and exhaust of the final years.@@jct903
@@06VistaBlueGT1 - All of the 2002s in the US are anniversary editions. I own #71 / 100.
@@eclecticautos - Same. Thats why I bought a 2002 over earlier models.
Couldn't find an 03 or 04 for sale at the time.
I loved my '88 Lotus Turbo Esprit. Red over Tan Saddle int. Sold it and bought a Porsche 911 Carrera. I'm 6'3" and was very cramped in the Lotus. But it was so much fun to drive. Very comfy now in my 911.
The Lotus Esprit TT V8 has been my all-time favorite car since 1999
I remember going to our local Mitsubishi dealer in the 90s to look at these. At the time I couldn't believe how low the prices were compared to other exotics. Of course I was just a teen and could have never been able to afford one but it was a nice dream.
(Wizard's "Miami Vice" smuggling flashback)....What a beautiful piece of automotive art. PS: "PEAK GRIMES!!1!".
Thanks Wizard.
@5:50 mrs wizard the armrest is not above the transmission/ transaxle . It would actually be the shift linkage below that armrest. The Transaxle is between the rear wheels
My absolute dream car. Here's my take away: A guy from the land of exotic and expensive supercars where there are shops galore sends his car to Kansas........That my friend is one hell of a testimonial to you and by extension your shop...........👍👍
can't imagine putting such a valuable car on a LDH trailer for 2,000 miles.
The car James May chose for the Top Gear Patagonia special where they were attacked in Argentina.
It was remarkably capable off-road, too!
Man... that thing is GORGEOUS. One of my dream cars!
Lotus fanboy here. Excellent vid. Thanks for not adding in the lift up/down music too.
Owned a 2002! Lotus finally got it right between 2002 to 2004! Had it for years! Never one problem!!
One of the most beautiful cars ever made!!! 😍
I have had a few mechanics complain that I detail the engine on my cars to keep them looking like new and other mechanics Loving it that its so clean under the hood !
I had a Lotus Esprit Turbo back in the 90's. It was the first 'special' car that I owned and I used to love the sound of the waste gates releasing the pressure in the turbo system. What a joy. On a cautionary note a friend of mine had two Esprits and both caught fire on his drive! RIP.
Alpine head units came stock in lotus & Lambo’s of that era
It's crazy that Lotus went to the trouble of developing their own V8. Apparently the engine easily made 500-550bhp but they were still using a Renault gearbox so 350bhp is about all it could handle.
The availability of gearboxes that could handle the potential power output was the main constraint on the Esprit and many other Lotuses
@@robertpatrick3350 Or the unwillingness/inability to commission a custom gearbox. Lotus was notoriously teetering on the edge of bankruptcy almost all the time, also notorious for interesting interpretations of the tax laws. They never had money to develop most of their own parts.
Only in racing form did it make that kind of power.
Naturally Aspirated: 280bhp @ 6800rpm
Turbocharged: 350bhp @ 6500rpm
Intercooled: 420bhp @ 6400rpm
Motorsport: 536bhp @ 5400rpm
350 horsepower was more than enough for the car. It's simply internet bullshit about this having to detune the engine because of the gearbox. This is the UN1-27 high torque box, unique to the V8 and not something you will find in any Renault 25.
Mid-engine is in front of rears and behind front wheels.
Yeah, I was confused my that remark. Weird.
@@MarkoVukovic0 Seems like car wizard got confused between rear engined and mid engined.
I came to say the same
@6:00 or so Mrs. Wizard said the transmission was under the armrest?!?
Thats where the coolant & AC lines run to the front…
Transmission is in the back.
That’s the definition of mid engine… in front of the rear wheels but behind the front wheels. Cars beautiful
The lotus brand had given some very visually appealing vehicles. They are interesting vehicles for sure.
Even better to drive than to look at.
I just sold my black 03. Was the most exotic looking car I’ve owned. Most fragile. Spent over 30k in 6 months sourcing a UN1-027 trans, tons of upgrades from PNM in England, JAE in California. Was very special, but equally as stressful to maintain and drive. The PNM decat pipes and race mufflers are a must, I also added HKS blow-off valves.
I’ve had my 2002 for 6 years, and I haven’t spent anywhere near that!
@@jct903thanks.
@@jct903 I've had my 99 V8 for 5 years and barely even spent 10% of that. Do dread it ever needing something major but that's just part of owning a car like this.
This was one of my favorites in Gran Turismo 4. Modded up to 1000+ hp, 240mph beast. 😂
That center console is not "the transmission". It's where the shift cables and oil cooler lines go from the front/middle of the car to the back where the transmission is mounted just above the muffler/collector.
Big congrats to you for almost reaching 1 million subs!! By far my favorite channel! Keep up the great work!
There all all kinds of different shades of black. I had an '89 Bonneville with the 3.8 you love. It also had the wonderful cracking clear coat. We got Pontiac to repaint it. They originally painted the top half of the car and it was a much blacker black, so they had to paint the rest of it.
The engine between the front and rear wheels is literally the definition of mid engine. Our G35 Coupes are also technically mid engine because the engine is behind the front wheels. That's why they call it the FM platform. Front Midship.
S2000 and some corvettes were also front midship
The Esprit V8 is such a cool car! This channel never fails to surprise and delight. Dashboard switches are straight out of a Peugeot 106! Switchgear aside I’ve always fancied owning one despite the challenges with maintenance
Mrs Wizard, the “padded armrest” is not covering the transmission, the gearbox is behind the engine and between the rear wheels. There’s a cable shift system to operate the box from the gear lever. The older cars had a small tray with hinged door in that place, but they removed it by the V8’s which is a shame as it was useful for wallet/keys/phone. Anyway, cool watching the video and I’ll be commuting in my 2000 V8 Esprit later today.
Yeah the 'padded armrest' is actually the backbone-style frame.
One of the most beautiful cars ever made
Being a Lotus, it was probably hard to get parts for it when it was brand new. The steering wheel and it's air bag came out of a 1993 Pontiac Firebird. It just has a Lotus emblem molded into the air bag cover instead of Pontiac.
Actually from the 90 to 92 third gen Firebird. The fourth gen F bodies had a more refined steering wheel design
Most Esprit owners who have this steering wheel replace them with either an Elise or an Evora wheel. Perfect fit. 👍
Exotics usually source minor bits from more mainstream brands.
@@petrosaguilar8916 exactly. I am pretty certain that there is some AC Delco or Bosch stuff in it, with Lotus being owned by GM from '86 to '93.
The push-push buttons on the dash which Mrs. Wizzard liked are Peugeot items.
Thanks to the owner for taking it to Kansas (for a fluid service?) so we can all get a little look, those late Esprits look amazing in real life and one of the nicest sports cars I can think of 😀
I really do like these and I've been lucky enough to see a couple of them. I think they are so much better looking than the Ferrari 360. Lotus improved their reliability on these vs. the early Esprits. Those early Esprits had big time electrical problems that's weren't easy to diagnose or fix.
Amazing the amount of brand shares on this. Peugeot dash buttons, calibra interior door handles and indicator/wiper stalks, ford electric window switches. I do love these cars tho.
LOL... That Alpine headunit is the original, not an upgrade.
But I'm glad to hear the whole cars interior is as well kept as the stereo.
Peugeot buttons and Ford switchgear 😂👍 I love Esprits ❤️
I learned 3 main things from watching this video.
1. Mrs. Wizard is a stickler for accurate mileage.
2. There aren't 50 shades of black.
3. Drugs are bad!!!
They're really not. Some people just can't use them appropriately or in moderation.
There not bad if you are the Jardiance lady.
"WIZZARRDDDDD!!!" Made me laugh.
@@joshuagibson2520don't do legal drugs, children!??
I had this on my wall in 2000 in Yellow!
The engine coolant bleed screw to get the air out of the system is up near the fire wall on the left side, on top of the engine/upper coolant pipe. Be careful loosening it because it will likely be corroded and you will strip it if you don't soak it with lubricant before bleeding the system.
I like the Lotus better than any other car you have featured to date. I can just imagine what it would be like to drive at the track, where this car really belongs.
Has always been such a beautiful car. That particular year and spec looks even better.
Another great video. Grimes deserves a raise.
In England we called Lotus "Lots of Trouble usually Serious" many a true word.
That one dates back to the early kit car Lotus models and is still said today by people who have never owned one. Properly maintained, and with some sensible upgrades, even an older Lotus is a reasonably reliable car.
Yeah I think that’s not true at all. I’ve had my 2005 Elise for 2 years and the worst thing it has needed is a battery and a ball joint. Starts up and runs great every time
I don't think many americans realise what it means for those on the otherside of the pond to criticise lotus' reliability. Because the rest of the british car industry is world renoun for its reliability ;)
I drove my Elsie round the alps, Italy to Gloucesters in a day, thrashed the living shit out of it round most of the UK race tracks, won Hillclimb championship in it, stuck it into a tyre wall once and ripped the wing off with a come. Owned it 23 years and it’s worth more than I paid for it.
I'd bet on Lotus reliability over a C4 Corvette any day. Especially the early mid 80s ones.
This car was actually designed for a V8 but only got a four for the longest time. That is how they eventually shoehorned that sucker in there. It is a work of Giorgetto Giugiaro art. Beautiful car and sounds great too.
This generation of Esprit was designed by Julian Thompson, an evolution of the previous Peter Stevens designed car. Giugiaro did the original wedge in the 70s.
Well he didn't revolutionize the wedge, let's put it that way. I'll say inspired by the original. But you are right Peter Stevens and Russell Carr both are listed as having worked on the post 2002 design, at least that's what wiki says. Point taken: Credit where credit due.@@Jabber-ig3iw
Thank you Mr & Mrs Wizard for showing us the GEM of a car!
Loved the discussion of black! :D
Black is the absence of color, or light depending on how technical you want to get. There is however multiple blacks- carbon black, ivory black which are both true black and chromatic black which is a mixture of 2 complementary colors usually usually ultramarine blue with burnt umber (brown). In painting I generally use a chromatic black as it doesn’t mute the colors, although ivory blackis used in the more limited Zorn pallete that was used traditionally when there were not as many pigments in the first place, let alone being widely commercially available.
The Esprit is a beautiful car man
Proper thoroughbred...looks fabulous and not too bad to work on, apart from the engine front.
I loved the “couple kilos” remark 😂
Drugs are bad...!
It was the "Wizzarrddd!!" response for me 😂
@@Ej6daniel you know he's getting chewed out for that after filming 🤣
It was funny. And appropriate. People are way too serious these days.
" A momentary lapse of reason " 😵💫
Switchgear is from Peugeot, side mirrors from citroën.
Alpine stereo was a factory option.
Ye gods. That is by far the sweetest Lotus Esprit I've ever seen. It's beautiful. It's definitely black. Very black.
Say what you want about the reliability, but then it's all working it's quicker than most comparable vehicles of it's generation
Were I to ever be in a position of having an exotic car, I would budget the cost of shipping from Florida to Kansas as part of the maintenance and only ever have the Wizard work on it. I’m amazed at the technical prowess AND common sense that’s under his roof.
Dream car material man
I love this thing in GTA V, one of the best cars
The coolest Lotus ever
Mos t of us British petrol heads are quite proud of Lotus, & have great respect for them. I had an Evora & loved it, & they`re still making great drivers cars now, its such a shame they get so overlooked, & people go for the usual, "safe", boring alternatives, like 911`s, instead.
100% agree. You should be proud of both Lotus and TVR.
Agreed. I see 911's weekly. Never see another Esprit.
Timeless design. Lotus got about twenty five years out of that one body design and I bet they could have kept right on going
One of the few wedge designs that stood the rest of time along with the Diablo.
BEAUTIFUL vehicle.. quality channel. tnank you.
GORGEOUS car!
Those are beautiful
That Lotus interior makes the DeLorean feel spacious. Seeing the similarity of the Lotus and DeLorean swing arm rear suspension.
love the AP lockheed brakes just like current F1 cars of the time..
My dream car full stop. Always will be
The alternator on the V8 models was a standard GM unit also found in the V6 Opel Omega B and the earlier Lotus Carlton/Omega, which also provided interior plastic fittings such as door handles and steering column covering. The clutch master and slave cylinders on 1998 and newer models were Girling parts shared with the series 2A Land Rover. The S1 and S2 shared some front suspension components with the Opel Ascona.
The GT3's Brembo front brake pads were the same as on a Fiat Coupé Turbo or a Peugeot 406 3.0 V6. The SE's fuel pump was from the Renault Fuego, V8 pistons are from the Renault Clio Williams' 16-valve, 2-litre F7P engine.
The mirrors are from Citroen CX second series cars, the gearbox is from a FWD Renault 25.
not exactly. the transmission is based on an Renault 25. this only true for the inline four variant. the v8 version has an special renault race transmission that is more or less unobtanium ...
gearbox is a variant made by RenaultSport for Lotus. From 1988 there were four Renault gearboxes used by Lotus until 2003, each version was an improvement over the previous one. Lotus could do this as the gearboxes were exclusive to them. You can put a R25 gearbox into an Esprit but only for the normally aspirated 2.2-4cyl.
The earlier guigaro esprits had Citroen gearboxes I think
@@alexanderstefanov6474 yes, up until '88 they had Citroen C35 gearbox.
What a special automobile. ❤😊
Such a beautiful car! Love that body style
That black is called Starlight Black by Lotus
I consider myself sort of a "car guy", and I had No Idea there was a V8 Esprit. Wow. Nice.
The steering wheel is from 1998-2001 Camaro. Always loved the looks of those 90’s thru 00’s Lotus Esprit models. Just a very simple car with very good body lines.
Stunning car, and what a soundtrack for when you are driving!
My first exotic car was a black Esprit Turbo that I bought 19 years ago that looked a lot like this one. One of my favorite cars to this day and I’d love to own another one.
Pentagraph wipers lol ,Colin Chappman said his race cars should fall to bits after crossing the line ,if they didn't then the parts were to heavy ,trouble was his cars fell apart before the end of many races lol 😂
I think those buttons in the dash are from 80s Peugeot cars. I had similar in Peugeot 205.
This Lotus is a great car
PLEASE SHOW THE ENTIRE UNDERBODY OF A LOTUS, thank you.
Back when 007 drove a Lotus we had a car show in town that had one you could sit in. I was a6th grader and I never felt so bad ass kicked back in that reclined M F. It further established my fixation to this day w/cars. Wish I’d of had a camera phone that day, 007 had a shoe phone with no camera.. Or was it Maxwell Smart w/the shoe? How far we have come?!
Fun fact; Before Lotus went with the V-8 twin turbo, the previous model S4S was a 4 cylinder twin turbo. It was also faster and of course being lighter, a way better car. Yes the v-8's were a lower production number, but the 4 cylinder version still killed it on the track, and all 0-60-100MPH and quarter mile times, and almost the same top speed.
There was never a 4 cylinder "twin turbo". Several other inaccuracies in your 3 sentences, but let's start with that one.
@@jct903 🤣🤣🤣
It was impressive what Lotus did with the V4 and the numbers they got out of it. But they don't touch the V8's.... Imagine if Lotus did not have to detune the V8.....
I used to play this game Sega GT 2002 and i fell in love with the esprit V8. Used to pop hige flames out of the dual exhaust too lol
I sold my MY99 Esprit V8 GT last year… fantastic looking and a great evolution of the original design but it was showing its age and it sat mostly in my garage collecting dust sadly.
I have McLaren 570 spider, which to me is the “continuation” of what Lotus could have done if it had any money…
Many ex-Lotus engineers at McLaren.
I owned an s3turbo drysump. Still one of the best cars I've ever driven.
Sick car , fantastic wheels as well.
Replace brake hoses. They are at the age where they start to pop.
Yep! Mine did over the summer. Ruined the paint on one of the wheels. Hoses are cheap and easy to replace. They come out of a jaguar.
My friend has one of these, just amazing. The dash buttons are out of an 80s Peugeot 205 and the vents from a Rover 200 lol. Still an amazing car
Green dodge Dakota at 4:22 😊
Such a beautiful car!
I recall Rolls Royce offering something like 13 shades af black in their paint palette.
Yep... Except "shades of black" are actually grey. The only real variation in black paint is the type finish resulting in variations of gloss level. Then you have the levels of added glitter, which again makes it not really black.
@@gregedmand9939 Not true. Ive been painting cars for 35 years. There are various colors orange, yellow, blue, green, violet, or small amounts of white and pearl added to virtually every automotive black. They still look black to anyones eyes. Not gray.
@edjackson4389 we are debating the realm of semantics aren't we? The reality of true black is the absence of colour. Of course there are paint blends with every fanciful name and blend that chemists can invent. As soon as there is anything added to pure black, it becomes a blended colour. I'll stand by my comment that real black can only be varied by gloss. In the end it's like any art.
Yes I know this from Kalashnikov rifles specifically their magazines and the various dyes and plastics used. On which there is many variations of and while there is the variants that are commonly referred to as true black matte and true black glossy. There is no true black in reality. Just to the human eye when really it's a shade of blue when it comes down to it... Finland also experimented extensively trying to develop the best magazine suited to their needs. And interestingly enough, out of very many prototypes of all colors you can think of including neons as well. They eventually settled on, green, gray, and black for their final prototypes to go through final testing with " black" being the chosen for poss production...
The sky looks black at night in reality its blue and only visible as such during the day.
Thanks for sharing that little info and explaining it in the way you did. I was told this from a highly respected collector in the AK community and Author/Book writer in which I will never forget it and the knowledge he shared.
Also interestingly, from what I have heard. Women supposedly can see slightly more shades of colors then men. Not sure how true it is or not and if so, if it's just average vs all females.
If the original brake fluid is that dark and you suspect it hasn't been changed since 2003 then I'd recommend changing all 6 rubber brake lines with braided stainless steel. The old rubber from the old brake lines is likely some of that dark color in the fluid. Also, start hunting a master cylinder and/or seal kit as that is likely the next thing to go out on this car after a full fluid change.
This is the last and possibly best esprit, and yes it is most definitely a mid engined car
4:04 he has the Lotus confused with a DeLorean. 😂
Beautiful, beautiful car. I used to drive one of these in...... Need For Speed 2 SE 😂😂😂.
Love the Peugeot/Citroen dash buttons and the Opel door ashtrays...
I never realized these cars were quite so rare. I just saw a yellow one pass opposite me last weekend in New England. Beautiful car.
Define rare. Over 10,000 Lotus Esprits made over 4 decades. About 1,300 were V8’s I believe.
I think the number in the title info was for this particular model year. @@eclecticautos
@@eclecticautos I should've specified the v8
I think even the full 10,000 makes its rare and who knows how many are left.
One of my all time favorite cars! I'd prefer it in blue though :).
It’s looking like a car show in the shop today! The 454 SS and the RT Dakota are pretty interesting.