Lotus Esprit S2 (1979), Monaco White

Hi. I'm selling my beautiful Lotus Esprit S2. It's a 1979 model. and has very recently been completely overhauled with a full exterior respray and interior recolour.
The story of the car has some gaps but it originally rolled off the production line a very nice 70's gold with brown interior (have Lotus certificate to prove this). Over the years it had two colour changes from gold to blue and then to yellow. which is when I bought it (October 2011).
After owning the car for a short period of time it was obvious the paintwork was in need of a lot of work as it was looking very tired. Having some time thinking about it. there's no way I could really return the car to gold as it's not that desirable any longer. There was only one option and that was to go fully James Bond and have it turned Monaco White.
The paintwork is immaculate. absolutely superbly done by Riviera Autobody in Reading. who knew the Esprits very well. The whole job was finished November 2012 so it's not even a year old.
Equally the interior needed looking at. It has the more comfortable and adjustable S4 seats fitted but when I bought it. the whole lot were beige. White exterior and a Beige interior was never going to work so I colour matched the latest Lotus leather colours and chose Venom Red which really suits the car.
This Esprit drives very well. steering very accurate at speed. despite a lack of power steering. Pulls hard and stops very well. better than my wife's Ford Ka!It'll keep up with the best of them. and get you looks where ever you go.
To summarise:Engine was rebuilt April 2011 by PNM and is fitted with twin Weber carbs. which is non-standard. Most Esprit's are fitted with Dell'ortos. Exterior finished in James Bond Monaco White - bar a couple of tiny modifications with the S2 model. this is an exact replica of the car featured heavily in 'The Spy Who Loved Me'. Interior. full leather finished in Venom Red. from the range of leather colours for the latest Lotus cars. Speedline rims completely refurbished. including new logo inserts. Front windscreen replaced as part of the exterior respray. All seals & exterior trims replaced. Lights. ignition barrel. keys. interior leather sundries. vin plate. guidance/safety stickers. switches. stalks - you name it. if I've need to replace it I have!Two months tax (started 1st April 2013). Three months+ MOT (expires 17th October 2013). Plenty of recent paperwork. Lotus certificate of provenance. owners handbook. workshop manual. parts manual and various original sales brochures and magazines.
Notes:Electrics - for reasons unknown to me the headlamp pods no longer lift and drop when the headlamps are used. The motors work absolutely fine but were never in sync. Anyone with an ounce of electrical knowledge should be able to fix this with the supplied wiring diagram and some time. Currently the headlamps are in the up position so the car can be used day or night.
Sunroof - at some point. someone added a sunroof. I have no particular feelings towards it. but it does add a nice lot of light to the interior.
Speedo - I'm guessing at some point the speedometer was replaced. possibly as part of the engine rebuild. I doubt very much that this car has only done 11k.
Engine - the belts were replaced when the engine was rebuilt after April 2011. The have barely seen any use at all. myself having only covered less than 2000 miles since then. On particular long runs. occasionally the engine revs will drop for a brief period (less than a second). I suspect this to be either a timing issue or the carburettors need tuning. I've adjusted the previous price to reflect this as it may need some input from an experienced mechanic.

Although I'm open to offers. this car has had a great deal of expense spent on it and isn't like others you'll find out there.
It was most recently on show November 2012 at the NEC as part of the Classic and Sports Car Show and it is a show worth car. The Esprit in general will never be a concours winner as they were never finished to that standard in the first place but this car will have people looking. waving and smiling from the moment you buy it.
There's also plenty of opportunity to hire this car out to various events around the country and even abroad. A white Lotus Esprit of this age is extremely rare. especially a running one. Talk to me more about this if you want examples. I also have a domain and website which I'll happily transfer to the buyer if the asking price is paid.

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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