1980 Lotus Esprit Series S2

1980 Lotus Esprit Additional Info:

I have owned this 1980 Lotus Esprit for 14 years. I have driven her to Savannah, GA and Aspen, CO. with no issues. The car is a driver, and its original paint shows the chips and scratches of a 46-year-old car. Significant work has been done during my ownership, however, that does not mean the project is complete. Are they ever? A partial sample of the work performed is below:

· The bumpers have been changed out for European style with the correct front signal/driving lighting.

· Custom wheels and new fully adjustable shock absorbers.

· The complete brake system from master cylinder to all 4 wheels, including calipers and discs has been upgraded.

· The engine has been upgraded to a 2.2L HC unit and rebuilt by Lotus Prepared by Claudius. The original 2.0 engine is included in the sale.

· Cooling system has been completely rebuilt with new radiator and fans.

· Clutch system has been completely rebuilt from the master cylinder to the clutch itself. The clutch is a performance style so the spring is stiffer than stock.

· All bushings in the shift linkage have been replaced.

· 5-speed overdrive transaxle was rebuilt by Lotus Bits. The original transaxle with a bad 3rd gear synchro is included with the sale.

WHEELS & TIRES

The wheels on the car were sourced from Japan. They are WORK wheels in 16”. Original wheels on these cars were 14”. Sourcing good tires for the original wheels in the different front/rear sizes is basically impossible. You cannot find the original front tire size anymore. No one makes them and it is next to impossible to find front and rear tires from the same manufacturer. I chose to go to 16” wheels because tire availability for 15” wheels was not much better than the 14”. The wheel backspacing is the same as stock on the front, slightly different on the rear due to the fact I chose 8” rims for the rear. ½” wider than the stock 7 ½” so I could go a bit wider on the tires. The tires presently on the car are Continental Extreme Performance All Season. The front tire size is 195/50R16 and the rear tires are 225/55R16.

BRAKE SYSTEM

As stated earlier, the brake system is completely rebuilt. The original brake master cylinder and brake servo (power assist) failed during my ownership. These parts are not

available new from any sources. You can find used or rebuilt but both those options tend to fail at the worst time so I sourced a Willwood 7/8” master cylinder (stock diameter) with a single diaphragm servo from Summit Racing. A Willwood 4 pot caliper kit and uprated rear calipers and discs were purchased from PMP. Braking is smooth and the feel at the pedal is good. These are power assist brakes so you don’t need to stand on them as you would for other vintage sports cars. The one drawback to the uprated rear calipers is that the hand brake cables mount in slightly different positions than stock. The original brake cables, which were already a bit stiff, did not take to the re-routing very well. The result is they tend to stick even after the brake has been released. The car comes with a set of mew brake cables that have not been installed. Installation is simple enough through an access panel in the driver side tunnel.

AIR CONDITIONING

This Esprit was sold originally with A/C. It did not function when I purchased the car. Presently installed is a system purchased through VintageAir in San Antonio, TX. It includes a new Sanden compressor, a condenser with automatic fan and a heat/cool evaporator unit with servo operated controls and all new hoses. This system cools and heats very well.

GAUGES & WIRING

The car has all new VDO gauges. The speedometer is a GPS unit. This avoids the long cable drive from the rear of the transaxle to the dash. The car has been completely re-wired with all connectors soldered to the wiring. A fuse box and fan control unit were also installed at the front of the firewall underneath the removeable cover for ease of access. The fan control is adjustable. All stock gauges and dash pod panels are included with the sale except the oil pressure gauge.

ORIGINAL ENGINE & TRANSAXLE

As stated on the first page, the original engine and transaxle come with the sale of the car. The original engine is a 2.0L low compression Federal Spec engine with 104 cams installed by the owner before me. It also comes with a dual Dellorto manifold but no carburetors. The original transaxle has a 3rd gear synchro that is starting to fail. It was actually more expensive, at the time I originally rebuilt the car, to rebuild the existing transaxle vs. source a rebuilt unit from England so I did that. The price for the car is not negotiable if you decide you don’t want the original engine and transaxle. I prefer they leave with the car.

FUEL TANKS

The fuel tanks were changed out to aluminum type when the engine was originally replaced. The Lucas points type fuel pump was also changed out to a more reliable Facet cube that is also accessible without crawling under the car.

ENGINE COVER

The original engine cover is included with the car. It is the later hinged style.

EXHAUST SYSTEM & ENGINE MOUNTS

Two exhaust systems are provided with the car; a custom, balanced tubular header system from Lotus Bits and the stock cast header with stainless system. The car was originally supplied with a catalytic converter but that is not necessary as the car is presently registered in Texas. The stock cast header is presently mounted to the engine. The engine cover and the whole interior have Dyno mat installed for sound and heat.

WHAT THE BUYER WILL NEED TO ADDRESS

1. Engine and Exhaust – The engine is presently mounted with uprated mounts purchased from Lotus Prepared by Claudius. I have tried the mounts two ways. One way, the engine either sits too low or forward because the alternator drive pulley hits one of the frame cage tubes. The other way, the way the engine is mounted now, sits higher but the engine cover does not fit and the exhaust had to be altered to clear underneath. The alteration was done by me with flexible sections just to get it to work for now. Something is wrong with the way I have set the engine in this time. To correct this, the exhaust needs to be removed for good access to the underside of the engine mounts and transmission mounts. I believe the lower installation is correct but needs to be adjusted slightly backward to clear the frame tube.

The car runs fine in its present condition but barks from the exhaust on deceleration due to the cobbled together exhaust system. I would also recommend installing the performance exhaust system. After installing the stock system, the performance gains from the header system are real. The downside is it does add heat to the engine compartment. This heat kept melting the aftermarket silicon bushed engine mounts I was using. That is why I switched to the stock system and the hard mounts.

2. Interior – As stated and shown in a picture, I have done a lot of work on the interior of the car. The driver side door and the A pillar cover still need to be recovered along with the center radio/AC control console. I was planning to upgrade my gauge and switch installation along with other interior bits, but other projects continue to dominate my time. Hence, why I am offering this great car for sale.

Both the above items can be handled by someone with good mechanical skills and patience. Or, you can have a shop do the work for you.

VIEWING& TITLE

The car has a clean Texas Title. I will be fully transparent in discussion being that I want this beautiful classic to go to a good home. The car is presently stored in an air conditioned facility in Austin. Viewing is available by appointment.