I got to drive an Esprit today. How cool is that?
Given that they only made about 1500 of these cars (V-8’s) I am well aware how lucky I happen to be.
I couldn’t take it any more. The weather is just good enough to require this sort of action, so I made the call. My State Farm agent agreed with the decision. It was sudden, random, and kind of exciting.
We drove it to a local steakhouse, and the valet left it in front of the restaurant. That was pretty cool. It was a short trip, and I don’t think the engine ever made boost, but that will come.
Bringing a car to life for the season is something I have been doing almost as long as I have been driving. It started with a Mustang GT (there’s still a soft spot for those), progressed to a Corvette (ditto) and then came Lotuses. The tires always start off some that square, and the brakes are grabby. This goes away. I was encouraged that I didn’t have to spend a lot of time remembering functionally how to drive the Esprit, but I can pretty much say with certainty I have no idea how to drive it well, after years in the sublime Exige I used to own. I’m going with smooth at the moment. Spirited will come later.
It’s a bit leaky. I suppose it ought to be. Very little has been done to it as its not been driven much. I will change both of those things. It astonishes me to consider a car of its capabilities earning only about 1000 miles of use per year in its life.
We also went to get some fuel.
You do that a lot…
Conversations with my Esprit 