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This probably doesn't count as "rare", but Also a couple of ST185s.
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May 24, 2014 14:29
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| # ¿ Apr 19, 2024 14:45 |
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Yup, a 2000. Made shortly before they replaced the taillights with the round "Elise-style" ones that are the wrongest possible thing they could ever have done to the car stylistically. Round does not go on an Esprit, fuuuuck. Stop even trying to pretend those two cars were designed by the same people. How do I like it? It's been temperamental, but good to me nonetheless. Stock, it desperately needs more cooling capacity than the weak-rear end radiator it comes with provides; it overheated like a mother for a long time before the headers cracked right off the core (lovely epoxy is the other good reason to replace it). Also a coil-on-plug conversion is a must because the plug wires are routed right between the heads and they get all toasty and cracked and you have to explain to the people at the meetup that you're driving one of the ultra-rare twin-turbo V7 models. One of these days it's getting a transmission swap too, because the stock Renault-sourced one won't tolerate much more than the 400 hp you can comfortably tune it up to via chip mods. But other than that, geeez it's been a fun car. I drove it cross-country back in '07 and it didn't complain a bit whether I was climbing Lincoln Summit west of Cheyenne or crossing the Bonneville Salt Flats at 160+ (  ). I was pretty pleased with myself for having the most interesting car in Nebraska, but then just west of North Platte a loving Veyron went past in the opposite direction 
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May 24, 2014 22:44
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Yup. Now the only trick is to budget for it before they run out and tell me they're never making more.
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Jun 7, 2014 12:10
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Looks like I'm gonna have to; guy wrote back and said they're all long gone.  Oh well, he was just licensing a Derek Bell design, and his only advantage was being domestic, so there's still options.
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Jun 8, 2014 01:25
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