This Lotus Esprit Is A Light Rider Reborn
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- Опубліковано 1 лют 2016
- “The Esprit is not a well-known car,” says Spencer Canon. “Car guys know what it is, but they don’t know much about it-it’s a mystery.”
Canon’s profession as the founder and creative director of Ritte Bicycles may not be your first guess, but when you consider that performance cycling is all about doing more with less, well-a Lotus Esprit is the perfect sports car to have.
Designed as one of the first examples of Giorgetto Giugiaro’s revolutionary wedge shape, Canon’s Esprit was from the generation updated by Peter Stevens (who also did the McLaren F1). It looked stunning…when new.
“When I got the car, it just looked absolutely terrible,” he says. Faced with the prospect of fixing a trashed Esprit, Canon realized something liberating: “I had a car that was probably never going to be in a truly original state again, and that gave me permission-in my mind-to do a few things to it that the original designer wouldn’t be upset with…hopefully.”
“If I can save a car from going to the dump or being parted out, then it’s excusable if it’s not painted the original color or has wheels from five years later…” he adds.
Now tastefully updated, painted in striking light blue, and lightened beyond its stock form, this Esprit is finally the light canyon rider that Canon dreamed of creating.
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Drive Tastefully® - Авто та транспорт
That colour is fucking dope
+MrTurkishBacon Yea reminds me a lot of the Gulf racing colors
agreed
+MrTurkishBacon I've watched all of the petro videos, and this car is one of my favorites. This car is just so right. The higher ride height, I think, adds to it. And yeah, that color is dope.
***** What's wrong with the color?
***** you guys have very nice primer, lol. It looks to be the same color as the blue used on Gulf cars.
The lights, the setting, contrast, colors..... Whoever was in charge of photography, absolutely, beautifully captured the 80s feeling... The car itself is beautiful, as well. Great restoration work.
The nailed it didn't they. I wonder where the locations are
Cinematography 😉. It is very good.
That guys moustache captures the 80s too
That final shot is perfect
That guy saved that Car from the scrap yard in my eyes he is a petrol head Hero
R33C3 lmfao
Yes indeed!
This might be one of the most beautiful cars I have seen. Very tastefully done.
I was thinking the same. Absolutely fabulous.
Agreed Oamar. I'm always impressed with vehicles that minimize weight for improved performance, rather than simply putting a huge or high performance motor in to compensate.
S
It’s just perfect.
When a modified car looks more harmonic than stock, you know it's been done well.
I think it's a shame that we as a car community are so ignorant that a great guy like Spencer has to apologize for his tasteful modifications in a video like this.
Would you keep a house like it was build 20 years ago?
Stef Otten or when i nice positive car enthusiast still has the doubts of "a British sports car gotta be a mechanical nightmare". A lot of snobbery by car critics gets decent people thinking negatively about cars which they probably only dream of..
Most people are probably, usually, like they are on jay Lenos garage. And we all fell in love with a car or brand or countries car as a kid. We all like cars. End of.
honestly i would have put a touchscreen in it ...idc lol i would of made it futuristic looking af
@@KhalilEats slow down sport
KINGKHALIL Now now, calm down...
That aftermarket radio is the furthest thing from tasteful.
I ran into Spencer at Costco a few weeks ago. He's a really nice guy and his car is really well done. You can tell that he's passionate about his car and he put in a lot of love and time to make it what it is. Hats off to you man!
Lmfao
One of the nicest Esprits I've seen. Well done that man.
It's kinda peculiar that most of the cars featured on this channel match their owners so well.
this is why I think it's funny when people tell me you can't judge someone by their car. yes, yes you can lol
+civicsr2cool yes civic are dank and awesome and too cool
+Just a guy lol civics are a joke
+civicsr2cool wow....ok what a pleb
+Just a guy the car like the owner total hipster
Tron-like music. 80s pornstar moustache. Great cinematography = Another fantastic story. Thumbs up.
Beautiful car and excellent interpretation of a modern classic. You don't need to make excuses for it, its fantastic. Nicely done.
looks like a pis-off-cht in bay-sic-bray
I speak on behalf of England when I say we approve this restoration. This is a quintessential British sports car and the job you have done is absolutely beautiful.
That guy is Soooo 80´s...
+Chrstian “Driver” mrclep Livin' the dream of the 80's.
+Chrstian ‘Driver’ mrclep He looks like a thin Ron Jeremy!
+Chrstian “Driver” mrclep a real human bean
+RedneckDarian but better looking ;)
+Chrstian “Driver” mrclep Freddy Mercury comes to mind for a few reasons. :)
Wow, wow , just wow! The car looks amazing. Finally someone who doesn't lower the ride until the tires rub the bodywork or something like that. There greeen interior lighting looks 80s as hell, very cool. And taking off weight of a Lotus is a great achievement, too.
Perfect for a night ride in a neon-lit city while listening to 90's aesthetic lofi
80s J-Pop≥>>
80s J-Pop≥>>
80s J-Pop≥>>
Arxa Rox why?
true
Nice to see someone looking after one of these Iconic cars so well.
Beautiful colour
@joecugo Fruitcakes are known for great style, like Chinese for business and jews for diamonds. So excellent compliment!
Yes, I love it on this particular car.
That's RAF blue (Royal Air Force in Britain), and the detail on the side is RAF insignia. Totally cool.
Cars with Luke LOL fuck wat?!?!
OH MY GOD THAT SHOT IS AMAZING!!!!!! 05:39
+jippalippa Yeah, looks like right outta a movie
The one before is amazing as well
+MrBr0wnstOne1 it is a movie, just a short one :-)
+jippalippa 01:55 was my favorite, this film has some nice photography.
+jippalippa so is eh- the music / sound helps create such a perfect mood for the shot too huh
I've been a big fan of Ritte Cycles for a long time. I'm so glad to see a small manufacturer of high performance wheeled vehicles, driving a under appreciated performance car.
It's odd how time works. I'm old enough where everyone my generation or older knows the Esprit and knows lots about it. Because Pretty Woman and countless magazine covers.
It's a beautiful restoration. Well done saving it from the junk yard.
The best Petrolicious video I have ever seen. The lights, the sunset, everything has a great view. The story too.
Who is in charge of the camera? Goddamn he is good
Big props to the owner. All necessary restorations/modifications from the original, very tastefully done. That car is a beauty.
Any man who would devote so much of their time and love to save a Lotus is a man I respect.
The Esprit was one of my dream cars when I was a kid... It is still now...
The people that don't know what kind of car this Lotus is are the same people who populate Chevy TV ads thinking a Malibu is a Lexus.
That has to be one of the most beautiful Esprits I’ve ever seen
Only just seen this: great work saving this car. No airbags/ bolt on arches or ‘fashionable’ crap. Looks fantastic, sympathetic mods and it gets used. Wonderful
Damn, these Petrolicious videos keep getting better. Those driving scenes, that ending scene driving off into the night. Top quality for sure.
Great car. Let the purist tub-thumpers say what they like - it's your car, not theirs. OK if it was an irreplaceable rarity, but it's not.
A friend of mine had two Esprits and said they were the most reliable cars he ever owned.
+Noel Adams But it is pure, tho. Simplify, then add lightness
Yep, Colin Chapman changed the way we all think about cars. The Lotus 7 still survives as the Caterham after all these years.
+Noel Adams I was in the shop when my frends one was being serviced. It was down a little due to valve not seating well. The problem is when the head comes off the liners drop, so the its a full rebuild. Dont get me wrong its a very good car but if your are used to mondern cars this can be a shock.
+Si Mullane The liners do not "drop" when the head comes off. There are well known liner retention clamps available for the Lotus 907/910 motors that work quite well. I have pulled cylinder heads before on these motors to do valve work before without having to touch the bottom end.
+Noel Adams did your friend ever own any other cars?
Who knew Freddie Mercury had a Lotus Esprit?
AHAHAHAHA
Looks nothing like him
Ben Stiller 😂
Not even 5% close to Freddy Mercury. I've seen dipshits like you before that somehow have zero recognition abilities trying to make jokes like that in public and it's so embarassing that I cringe on their behalf as the joke falls flat. If you wanted to be funny or clever I would have at least accepted him being the test tube progeny of Tom Selleck and Owen Wilson , (see my example here: imgur.com/a/8VG0ds6 )
@@jaygio I cringed at your tryhard response.
It's his car. He can do whatever he wants to it, as long as he is the one paying for the bills of the work. I think it looks great!
I'm not a big fan of the Esprit originally ; but I'm in love with the look you gave to this one. Kudos, sir.
And Petrolicious : I still have to see a video anything short from perfect from you guys. Beautiful video once again.
so understated. Driving an unknown wedge shaped midengined lightweight true european sportscar -that is NOT a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche is the epitahmy of cool.
Unknown? Lotus are arguably the most important team im the history of f1 and they've been gone 24 years.
If you think you're into cars and don't know about most lotus then you're mistaken.
@@theant9821 r/gatekeeping
Not everyone likes the same cars
@@ExplizitDuester you don't have to like them, its like a motorbike rider who hasn't heard of norton or the isle of man TT is nothing more than a rider, not an enthusiast.
Everyone who cares about snooker knows who the rocket is, get the point?
@@theant9821 he literally said a lot of people didn't know what it was.
@@LarsAgerbk if you care much about cars you know of the lotus esprit, it was even a James bond car twice.
One of the prettiest cars ever made, I always figured this car was regarded as a classic.
Its in tune with the lotus philosophy.
And one crazy German on a forum disagrees.
dont care about haters, do whatever you have fun with :)
..said the german ;)
+nuddekutsch So....es ist alles klar!! lol
Beautiful car! Can't help but notice the headlights bouncing up and down with each bump at 5:53 though
Beautifully restored, looks gorgeous, love the colour! I was lucky enough to drive one a few years ago, but this is the best looking one I have ever seen.
HOW HAVE I MISSED THIS VIDEO FOR SO LONG?!
This renovation of an Esprit was absolutely amazing. I love the colour scheme, love the wheels, love that the owner sanded that shyte paint job down himself. Kudo's, brother.
7:21 - Fiero guy here.
I can see the resemblance, but they are different as cars. But as enthusiasts, we are very similar. Not a lot of people know what my car is, and is also misunderstood.
You my friend, have got a beautiful car here. I can say that even tho we have different cars, we both are part of the same group. Enthusiasts that enjoy something different, and are willing to not compare and get in arguments.
But instead, look into the cars and appreciate them.
As a Lotus enthousiast and driver myself I think you did a great and respectfull job with this Peter Stevens designed Esprit, You overholed thids sports car as Colin Chapman would have appreciated too. Great coulors you used for your car. Enjoy your rides with this beautiful Esprit.
You're living the dream, Spencer. Southern California, designing road bikes, going to the store in a Lotus (after *restoring* the Lotus). Thanks Petrolicious!
This car is wonderful in every aspect and what matters most is that it's owner put his heart and soul into restoring it. That's worthy of respect.
The design that time forgot. This thing will look cool even in a thousand years.
1989 Lotus Esprit 2.2 Turbo: 215hp, 0-60 5.3s, Q-mile 13.7s, 152 mph... 1989 Chevy Corvette C4 5.7 V8: 245hp, 0-60 5.8s, Q-mile 14.2s, 157 mph. Of course GM hired Lotus to engineer what would become the LT-5 powerplant for the Corvette ZR-1, pushing out 375hp.
What a great effort to rebuild this legend. This is definitely the most stylish car in the history of automobile.
Ever since "The Spy Who Loved Me" this has been my absolute favorite Bond car and all around favorite 70's car. Great job, Mr. Canon. You've made something wonderful!
If you're my age and live in the UK and are into cars at all, you know this is an Esprit. I'm 45 btw.
Also, I like the colour and restoration done here, cool video.
in my mind no reason to excuse yourself for what colour you paint your car in! love the colour and the light blue stripe
The esprit twin turbo was one of the greatest previous generation exotics... ..and this story restores my faith in both humanity and "carmanity" alike! ...nicely done!
Dude....Thank u very much for giving me this opportunity to witness this🙏🏽
I LOVE Lotus Esprit's. Wish i get to own one one day.
Good marketing/integration, I immediately thought of your Ritte bikes only by the colour.
Independently from what people might think or even judge about the mods, in my humble opinion the colour scheme is low profile and makes it really special when paired with your bicycle (both lightweight & both minimalist).
Nothing was done beyond good taste or trying too much.
Congratulations for the project!
James Bond,was driving a Lotus Esprit in 2 movies,enough said.
a submarine lotus.
I was so impressed by not only beautiful silhouette of the car but also beautiful scenery.
very cool car.... the first car poster I ever had was of an Esprit. I couldn't get over how clean and minimalist the design was compared to flamboyant Ferraris (Testarossa) and over-the-top Lamborghinis (Countach LP400s) of the era. I remember my dad, who paid for the poster, asking me what kind of car it was, and my 8 year old self having to explain it to him.
Great job on preserving (and frankly, saving) a classic. *high five
Anyone who has watched season 22 of Top Gear will tell you the Espirit is built like a tank
haha, it can shrug off almost anything, except for stones...
Top gear was extremely biased toward British cars
In the wrong way though.
It was a British show,for british people? Drive a moostang\cumarrow etc in Europe it'll be 30% think you made a good choice,70% laugh at you.they simply don't work here.
Great video! Love the production values, the photography, the build itself and the owner, and most of all those SoCal backroads! So jealous you guys have those awesome driving roads out there.
Great
tribute to the Esprit. Nice transformation. I have an 84 and 88. Love them.
VERY INTERESTED IN HOW TO DO THE WINDOW STRAPS.
My 86' Toyota has killed numerous scissor lift mechanisms
My 69 Bug slowly breaks the winding knobs (which are pot metal)
I also think there could be a market for this super simple aftermarket design
i second this. my 73 corolla scissor lifts suck, as much as i hate to say it.
+Michael Peretto I am on my 3rd driver's window lift and 2nd passenger side
+Evan Moon As i understand the mechanism works like this.
You duct tape the window at the top so it doesn't fall on you.
You gut the entire window lift mechanism (patience and care is essential here, you don't want to shatter the glass).
You clean the rails on which the glass rides, both inside the door and on the frame above.
Then you find a very sturdy strap, preferably something that's rot proof like a parachute strap (eBay).
You then attach the strap to the glass in the points (all of them, obligatory) where the lifting mechanism used to be, usually two plastic bushings that hold the scissor lift.
The strap then has to be passed on top, over the panel with the glass (you might need to bend the area and if your window has metal there, you need to make some kind of plastic ride to protect the strap).
The locking system is, in his case two snap caps, but i'd probably go with something more robust and thief proof like a latch mechanism with D rings sown in to the strap.
SO if say you want to put the window down, only half way, you latch it on the half way position.
Operation should be simple. You have to hold the strap with one hand at the top, unhook the D ring at the bottom, lift the end up and then lower the window down. Personally, i'd add some kind of rubber end stops at the bottom of the window ride so in case you slam it down harder it won't shatter (glass shatters at the edges, especially that kind of glass).
+Evan Moon There are aftermarket power window conversions for old cars. Pretty common in the hot rod and restoration circles. You can probably do a little research into them as they usually drive the window from the center rather than using a scissor mechanism. They're a bit of a pain to fit really well, and since are made to fit a wide number of windows, they need customization, but I bet that would be the end of the broken stock drive mechanisms, of which I've replaced dozens in cars over the years.
+Evan Moon I recommend cleaning then greasing the tracks. That's usually the issue.
Thanks, Petrolicious. I'm going to take Mulholland home instead of the 101 and get home late because of you.
This has to be the BEST video there is currently on UA-cam about the Lotus Esprit. 😁❤️👍🏻
First video I've ever seen from you, I love the way this is shot and edited. The video has a great atmosphere and you have a very calm and warm way of conveying your opinions - you've gained a new fan!
What a beautiful car, and great work on the last shot! I must congratulate the Petrolicious team for providing excellent quality stories and photography as always, and also great music choice! Please, keep doing this!
That is some pretty damn good footage after 7:17 .
hanks for teaching it. It has been 23 years without getting it. It is the car of my life. It has to be a joy to drive it
Gorgeous, wow! One of my favorite car ever made. Great job on ur rendition!
Epic closing shot! Well done. A few points in the video I felt like I was transported to the 80's. Keep up the good work!
Bit soft spot for these growing up playing Lotus Turbo Challenge on the 16bit systems. Would love one of the V8 turbo ones! Like the colour.
Same here, Lotus Turbo Challenge sealed my fate!
Fantastic work- & I’m a Brit who’s grown up around Esprit’s... well done sir and that’s another car saved
Fantastic! Congratulations! Hands down one of the best videos on a Lotus Esprit ever done by an owner.. I’m a Porsche and Lotus guy forever. The video is beautifully executed. You can sense that the car so much appreciates this guy saving it from the scrapyard and that it is loving its new life. Only thing missing (or not) is the rear wing. Phenomenal.
The Lotus Esprit was my very first dream car. Your car is amazing! Respect. And new sub.
The only thing I would add to this beautiful vehicle, as an homage to the 80's, would paint, or apply a vynil, on the side of the car, near the side skirs, the word "ESPRIT", in all caps, from near the front wheel to the back wheel, much like many cars did (imagine Carrera Gt). But with a slightly darker tone of blue, something subtle. But that is just my taste, and would be cool to see.
But as is it is one beautiful car. Great job.
thats a pretty cool idea
The 87s and earlier actually did have "turbo esprit" (lower case) just behind the doors. 88s and above had "ESPRIT" On the lower edge of the rear glass sections behind the door windows. 70s versions S1 and S2 had decals on the hood on occasion.
I've loved Lotus since I was a teenager in the late 60s, when I began following Colin Chapman, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, and, later Jochen Rindt and Mario Andretti. This car is a lovely, tasteful example of the marque. Thanks to all involved!
Beautifully redone. I love what you've done with the car. Inspiring.
Best looking Esprit I've ever seen
I personally think that the modifications are really tasteful and that the car looks sublime in light blue. There's also an interesting story behind. Ignore that "german guy" is all I can say.
What's the beautiful! Perhaps the most beautiful Esprit of all that I have seen.
It's so clean and I like the fact that it looks aggresive in my opinion. You change the look just enough to make it timeless..thanks
I love it, two thumbs up from me!
You can be a millionaire and buy the most expensive exotics but they will never know the feeling, the pleasure of working hard on your machine and turn the scratch into a pice of art...
The thing is if I would be a millionaire Id own more classics and drive them than modern cars.
If I were a millionaire I would have a mix of built and bought
I'm in love! The sound of that engine is beautiful.
+Petrolicious, amazing editing and production quality-from the engine notes to 80's music sampling. The Esprit has been honored, keep it up!
Gorgeous paintjob design, it's unique and clean. Wonderfully tasteful.
And now I'm looking for Esprits for sale. Thanks Petrolicous.
Oh man I'm super proud of you! I'm an Esprit fanatic, owned 3, and I think what you did and how you customized that car was not bastardizing but brilliant. Brings out a curious luster that I like allot!
Gorgeous restoration! The colour is stunning.
Car is perfect in every way. Also, Southern CA-- wow.
WOW. What a gorgeous machine you have there. Hats off to you, you really made me salivate over this.
The interior, the colour and those big, black tires make it so beautiful
Probably the best looking esprit I've ever seen. Very well done
this car looks stunning :o
Nicely Don Spencer. Any fan of Roger Moore era James Bond knows the Esprit. You did great work here!
damned straight! Earlier Esprit though but still loved those angles!
That shot in 7:05 is beautiful! Just him and his car. Lovely
Such a beautifully shot video. So proud of it.
Great color! Good work. Greatings from Germany ;-)
the car looks amazing, and an awesome video ☺
Thanks for sharing that beautiful rebuild car. No harm done to the car with those subtle changes - and the light blue suits it really well.
I love this channel because its not just the typical car reviews, its a lesson about every detail on the car and it's great.
^