Tag Archives: Esprit

Nice Door Handles – Morris Marina ADO 28

With the merger of Jaguar with British Motor Corporation in 1966 the new merger was renamed British Motor Holdings and after a further merger with Leyland commercial vehicles the corporation became known as British Leyland Motor Corporation in 1968. British Leyland as it was known decided that the Austin and Morris brands should be differentiated in the early 1970’s with Austin vehicles being based around the front wheel drive (FWD) concept pioneered by Ales Issignosis with models like the Mini, 1100 and 1800 series vehicles while Morris vehicles would be more traditional with front engines driving rear axles (RWD) as they had on the Morris Minor and Morris Oxford models.

Morris Marina, Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

The design of the Marina coded ADO 28 was started by Roy Haynes who’s CV included the design of the popular Mk II Ford Cortina, however a disagreement over a common floor pan to share between models as espoused by Roy led to him quitting and Triumph Designer Harry Webster finishing the job by which time the intended Macpherson strut front suspension had been abandoned in favour of Morris Minor style tortion bars and a new gearbox design was abandoned in favour of an existing item from the Triumph parts bin.

Morris Marina, Atwell Wilson Museum, Calne

All in all the development costs of the conservative RWD concept Marina ended up exceeding those of the more radical FWD Allegro which was developed to be Austin’s competitor in the small family car market. Production facilities at Cowley had to be upgraded which included some comedy as an overpass was built so that the motors could be sent from a plant on the opposite side of a municipal road to the assembly plant, no sooner had the overpass been completed than the municipality offered to sell the road which British Leyland did not think twice to accept.

Morris Marina, Qwara, Malta

On a positive note the AMC Ambassador inspired vertical hinged door handles were a huge hit with Lotus founder Colin Chapman who specified them for use on the Lotus Elite, Eclat and Esprit models, Marina door handles were also adopted by Scimitar for the GTE shooting break while British Leyland used the same handles on the Triumph TR7/TR8, Austin Allegro and they eventually even found their way, finished in matt black, onto the Land Rover Discovery Series I.

Morris Marina, Cotswolds Classic Car Club, Frogsmill, Andoversford

Marina cars were powered by a variety of motors most common of which for the UK market was a 57 hp 4 cylinder A series which did not do much for performance but kept the handling within safer limits than the heavier more powerful motors which promoted lane changing understeer / push which induced the odd brown trousers moment for some Marina pilots.

Morris Marina, Cotswolds Classic Car Club, Frogsmill, Andoversford

The Marinas seen here are in order top to bottom a ’72 Coupé at the Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet, ’74 Twin Carburettor saloon sedan at the Atwell Wilson Museum, a Maltese 1500 saloon / sedan with after market alloy wheels and waist trim in Qwara, a ’79 Estate and ’72 Coupé both at the Cotswolds Classic Car Club meeting held at Frogsmill, Andoversford and below a saloon / sedan with an unusually straight rear bumper seen at last years Classics at the Castle, Sherborne.

Morris Marina, Classics at the Castle, Sherborne

Although much derided for almost every detail apart from the door handles the undemanding early 70’s British public lapped up Marina’s painted in tepid colours like Russet Brown, Harvest Gold, and Limeflower Green for the car to peak at second in the sales charts behind the Ford Cortina in 1973 and remain in the top 3 or 4 until 1980. Eventually over 897,000 Marina’s were sold in the UK of which 745 are thought to remain on British roads.

Thanks for joining me on this “Nice Door Handles” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Project Sport 500 – Lotus Esprit Sport 350 No.26

When the Lotus Type 82 Esprit Turbo was introduced in April 1981 it had a new chassis which was built to accommodate a V8 or the hitherto ubiquitous 4 cylinder type 907/910 motors. It was not until two complete body restyles later that the V8 type 918 would finally see the light of day in the back of a Julian Thompson styled Esprit in 1996.

Lotus Esprit, Sport 350, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

The Julian Thompson styled Esprit replaced the Peter Stevenson styled Esprit in 1993 alongside the new body came a redesigned interior and for the first time on an Esprit power steering.

Lotus Esprit, Sport 350, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

The twin turbocharged all aluminium 918 V8 Esprits were restricted to 350 hp which was deemed the most that the Renault derived transmission and drive train could handle. In 1998 V8 Esprits were built to either luxury SE or sporty GT specification.

Lotus Esprit, Sport 350, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

The ultimate incarnation of the Esprit was the Sport 350, such as the one seen here during last years Classic and Sports Car Action Day at Castle Combe. These models were built with AP racing brakes, stiffer suspension, revised electronic control unit (ECU) for the motor and a carbon fibre rear wing mounted on aluminium uprights. With 350 hp these cars can reach 100 mph from rest in just under 10 seconds.

Lotus Esprit, Sport 350, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

Only 55 of an intended production run of 50 Esprit Sport 350’s were built between 1999 and 2001, all bar 48 of them were painted silver, four were black, two white and one ice blue.
Lotus Esprit, Sport 350, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

Rob the owner of Sport 350 No.26, also known as Project Sport 500, has upgraded this particular vehicle to produce 500 hp and “run right past 60 mph in (the) first of it’s six gears”. You can see some of the work Rob has undertaken to achieve this performance on this linked page.

Only 15 Sport 350’s remain in the UK according to Rob one of them is a right off in a salvage yard.

My thanks to Rob for his help with today’s post.

Thanks for joining me on this “Project Sport 500” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Which Type ? – Lotus Esprit X180R

In 1990 Lotus built 2 racing cars based on the Peter Stevens designed Esprit Turbo SE X180 which became known as the X180R and everyone appears to agree that the car was given the Lotus Type 105 number. These cars were built to be raced in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Escort World Challenge by Doc Bundy and Scott Lagasse and won 4 times in 8 races.

Lotus  Esprit X180R, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Flush with success Lotus then built three new 300hp versions of the X180R’s the following season for the IMSA Bridgestone Super Car Championship in 1991 which Doc Bundy duly won in 1992.

There is some disagreement amongst internet sources about the type numbers of the 3 cars built in 1991 which some sources suggest were given the Type 106 number while others have it that all five race cars built in 1990 and 1991 are Type 105’s and that 20 road going versions of the X180R racer were given the Lotus Type 106 type number. Other sources suggest the 20 road going versions of the X180R are actually Type 105’s.

To confuse the identification issue further it would appear the 2 1990 race cars were updated to 1991 spec so technically these might be Type 105/106’s.

If you are a Lotus historian and can definitively put the record straight on the type 105’s and 106’s please do not hesitate to chime in below. I’d be most grateful.

The car seen above driven by Doc Bundy at Goodwood Festival of Speed carries the later 1991 spec body work differentiated by the splitter (green) that runs into extended lower front wheel arches (also green)

Thanks for joining me on this “Which Type ?’ edition of “Getting a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now.

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Basic Instinct Pretty Woman – Lotus X180 Esprit Turbo

Having been taken over by General Motors in 1986 the future of Lotus Cars was more secure than at almost anytime in the manufacturers history. Prior to the take over Peter Stevens had been employed to revamp the sharp edged Giugiaro styled Lotus Esprit, which had been in production since since 1975, around the chassis of the existing Series 3 Esprit under the project name X180.

Lotus Esprit Turbo, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

Despite the new body not varying by more than an inch in any dimension from the old one Stevens managed to transform the look of the Esprit by using rounded lines. Ironically despite the smoother shape the new X180 is has a marginally higher aerodynamic co efficient than it’s straight edged predecessor.

Lotus Esprit Turbo, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

15 months after Stevens started work on the X180 it was ready to be launched in October 1987 with the new body work being manufactured with the Lotus patended vacuum-assisted resin-injection (VARI) process.

Lotus Esprit Turbo, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

Despite the similarity of the old and new bodies they could be easily distinguished by the new alloy wheels cast to a Lotus design by OZ. Esprit aficionados will notice that the front bumper / spoiler on this particular 1988 Esprit Turbo seen at last years Classic and Sports Car Action Day at Castle Combe dates from the final S4 Esprit incarnation which was restyled by Julian Thompson in 1993.

Lotus Esprit Turbo, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

The X180 Esprit was powered by the same type 910 normally aspirated or turbocharged motors as it’s Esprit predecessors, with the 215 hp turbo motor the zero to 60 mph time was marginally reduced to 5.4 seconds from the previous 5.6 seconds and top speed was over 150 mph. The X180’s handling benefited from the improved torsional rigidity of the new body.

Lotus Esprit Turbo, Classic and Sports Car Action Day, Castle Combe

Record Esprit sales of 1058 units in 1988 would not be bettered despite the cars appearance in high profile films that included Pretty Woman 1990 and Basic Instinct 1992, and a sting of lesser films including The Rookie 1990, Taking Care Of Business 1990 and the Bond spoof If Looks Could Kill / Teen Agent 1991.

Thanks for joining me on this “Basic Instinct Pretty Woman” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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The Spy Who Loved Me – Wet Nellie

The Spy Who Loved Me is a 1977 action thriller staring Roger Moore as British Agent James Bond alias 007 and Barbra Bach as Anya Amasova, alias Agent Triple X from the KGB, who investigate the disappearance of British and Russian nuclear armed submarines.

Lotus Esprit 007 Wet Nellie

James and Anya find themselves pursuing the reclusive megalomaniac Karl Stromberg played by Curd Jürgens in a film that was shot on location in Egypt, Italy and the Bahamas.

Lotus Esprit 007 Wet Nellie

For this film Q the man with the unenviable of task of supplying toys to help 007 keep an edge on his dastardly rivals kits out a Lotus Esprit Series I, without the ears, with a myriad of gadgets and capabilities that include missiles, cement dispensers and submersible capabilities as required by the plot.

Lotus Esprit 007 Wet Nellie

The submersible Esprit seen in The Spy Who Loved Me was known as Wet Nellie and was built by midget sub specialist Perry Submarines in Florida. It was capable of 15 knots but for some reason the motors were not reversible which made controlling the vehicle somewhat precarious.

Thanks for joining me on this “The Spy Who Loved Me” edition of “Getting’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Not A Bolt On – Lotus Turbo Esprit Type 82

In 1979 Monaco based oil traders Essex Petrolium joined Martini as sponsors of the Team Lotus Formula One team, something that Martini were not too thrilled with as they decided not to pursue there sponsorship for a second year. For 1980 Essex became the teams primary sponsor which carried over into Lotus production car operations with the launch, at the Royal Albert Hall, of the Lotus Turbo Esprit as a limited edition Lotus Essex Turbo Esprit of which just 100 were built in 1980 and 1981.

Lotus Turbo Esprit, Classic and Sports Car Action Day , Castle Combe

Unlike the single carburetor bolt on turbo that Lotus dealers Bell & Colvill had been offering customers since 1978 the official Lotus Turbo Esprit was a substantial upgrade of the normally aspirated Lotus Esprit Type 79, which included a new chassis with a wider engine bay, new front suspension derived from the latest Lotus Elite, new rear suspension and a new 210 hp type 910 development of the 4 cylinder Type 907 motor with twin carburetors and Garrett T3 Turbocharger.

Lotus Turbo Esprit, Silverstone Classic

After the production run of 100 Lotus Essex Turbo Esprit’s had been completed a variation of the originals blue red and silver colour scheme was offered with red leather interior like the one seen above in the Paddock at Silverstone which features rare three piece Compomotive wheels as used by James Bond in the 1981 film “For Your Eyes Only“.

Lotus Turbo Esprit, Classic and Sports Car Action Day , Castle Combe

Most Turbo Esprit’s were supplied with one piece BBS wheels. The Turbo Esprit body work is differentiated from earlier Giorgetto Giugiaro designed Esprit body by the addition of a front below the bumper spoiler and side “skirts” with NACA air ducts for the engine bay.

Lotus Turbo Esprit, Bristol

The significance of the wider engine bay of the Turbo Esprit’s new chassis would not become clear until the launch of the V8 Esprit which although initially developed alongside it’s turbo sibling did not come to market until 1996 having been delayed by numerous other projects including Colin Chapman’s involvement with De Lorean.

Lotus Turbo Esprit, Silverstone Classic

Although well received by the press the Turbo Esprit failed to gain a substantial foot hold anticipated in the USA and the 846 examples built between 1980 and 1984 marked the beginning of a steady decline in the fortunes of Lotus Cars.

Thanks for joining me on this “Not A Bolt On” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Wheels & Ears – Lotus Esprit S2 Type 79

The pace of innovation and development at Lotus was far too high for organised record keeping to be a strong point and some how the Lotus Type 79 number ended up being given to both the 1978 World Championship winning Formula One car and the otherwise unrelated Lotus Esprit S1 & S2 variations.

Lotus Esprit S2, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The second iteration of the Giugiaro designed Esprit, launched in 1978, featured a wrap around bumper which brought down the aerodynamic measure to Cd 0.355 and improved the handling in cross winds.

Lotus Esprit S2, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The Gotti alloy wheels of the original Elite were replaced by Lotus designed alloy wheels manufactured by Speedline. Inside wider seats were fitted along side new instrumentation and switch gear illuminated by fibre optics, the external rear view mirrors became remotely operated too.

Lotus Esprit S2, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

Ears behind the rear 3/4 window were used to feed air into the carburetor on the left and into the engine bay on the right.

Lotus Esprit S2, The Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham

The Rover SD1 sourced rear lights now incorporated high intensity fog lamps. 1061 Esprit S2’s were built with the original Type 907 2 litre / 122 cui motor that gave the car a top speed of 124 mph. A further 88 S2.2’s were built with the an identical body, galvanised chassis and Type 912 motors of 2.2 litre / 134 cui with the same 160 hp but much improved torque which made the Esprit much easier to drive around town.

Thanks for joining me on this “Wheels & Ears” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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