New and remanufactured Lotus Excel parts, Lotus Esprit parts and Lotus spares from Lotusbits

Lotusbits Lotus Sunbeam, first outing, Longmoor Loco Rally 30th December 2011

2012-01-08T11:29:00.003Z

We put the car on the trailer as planned at 5pm on Thursday night and headed down to a local pub in Hampshire where we had booked rooms. Up at an ungodly 5.30am Friday morning and off to Longmoor!

The day did not start well as the car would not start - the battery was flat. We tried to push start the car on a gravelly surface but the wheels slid every time the clutch was engaged, on the occasions it caught the little Sunbeam refused to start.

A tow start from the Lotusbits van eventually worked . We trotted off to scrutineering where the new car passed with no issues, although the scrutineer had never seen a Cat 2 MSA logbook before!

The van went back to service as we tried to go off to the noise test, unfortunately the car would not start again.

quick pull behind the van and the Sunbeam barked into life – the noise test was passed with a very satisfactory 96dB.

Time to head to service and find out why the car would not start and charge:

The service crew discovered a loose nut on the master switch which was subsequently tightened. We made up a charging lead from the Lotusbits service van to charge the battery.

We decided to fill the tank at the start and run throughout the day without refueling until we detected any fuel surge issues.

As it was the first time at this venue in a new car we chose to start on worn wets – cut X22s. It was dry to start but still very, very slippery.

As the Sunbeam left the start line on its first stage the service crew wandered to the burger van for their own personal re-fuelling exercise.

Off the line we discovered a total lack of traction, the car was sliding everywhere. We definitely needed to change the rear suspension settings when we got back to service.

When we got to the finish of the first stage we had two major issues – the oil temp was very, very high - 106 degrees and the alternator wasn’t charging – time for the service crew to work some magic.

They softened off the rear suspension to the minimum and ducted air into the oil cooler. With the alternator, we could not find any issues as it started charging again. The service crew found blue paint on one of the rear arches and suitably chastised the driver – it was time for Stage 2.

From the start line, it was a little better following the set-up change but still not much traction.

We clouted the other (very expensive) works rear arch properly this time on a chicane – oops, this Sunbeam is a lot wider than the Lotus Micra!

The oil temperature was even worse – 110 degrees at the finish and alternator had given up the ghost again.

During service we found the alternator had thrown a belt so we left it off and simply charged the battery from the Lotusbits van for the rest of the event. The crew fitted an Anderson plug to the car so we could plug it into the van on arrival.

Why was the oil too hot? We had already wired the oil cooler fan to run continuously – no difference. We raised the rear of the bonnet, still no difference. Eventually it clicked – the air filter was in front of the oil cooler sucking hot air through the oil cooler.

We relocated the air filter with a roll of duct tape and the oil temp at the end of stage five dropped to a satisfactory 92 degrees – a 28 deg reduction!

On stage 4 there was some grip to be had as we were on X22 slicks and car 21, our class leader , a yellow Mk2 Escort came out behind us on the merge and we lost them! The little Lotusbits Sunbeam was starting to shine. The co-driver of car 21 came over to see us in service and was very surprised to see we had a standard H pattern gearbox and a home built engine – he went back to wind up his driver…

After lunch it rained, the surface became even slippier – so even less traction.

The only activity for the service crew in the afternoon was to hit the burger van and watch the event as we did not even change tyres or add fuel.

At the end of stage 7 we were sitting 2^nd in class a second ahead of car 19 who was 3^rd in class.

Off to the last stage – it now start to rain continuously and we were on slicks. The stage was comparatively uneventful despite car 21 spinning through a chicane in front of us.

Unfortunately we lost 5 seconds to car 19 and dropped to third in class. Time to put the car on the trailer and collect a trophy.

Not bad for a first test – hats off to the Lotusbits service crew, Ben, Brent, Sam and Dave, who built the car and kept it running all day! Apologies for the lack of event images, the venue is an active military establishment and photographers are shot!

A few more "pre paint" build images:

The beam shines a little brighter - Lotusbits Lotus Sunbeam build

2012-01-06T17:42:00.010Z

The bare unpainted shell returned from JR Fabrication having had the exhaust system, fuel tank and radiators fabricated and dry fitted. This was the start of our work.

First on the list was to strip the bodyshell completely and deliver it to Ben at Finishline for paintwork.

The painted shell was due November 2011, so we ordered the necessary parts for the build. We stripped down and prepared all the suspension parts and brakes ready for the freshly painted new bodyshell to return.

Next was the engine and transmission which was removed from the Lotusbits RWD Micra rally car, we fitted our new bespoke exhaust manifold and modified oil return pipes to clear the manifold.

As Cathy was competing in her first ever stage Rally as a driver - the Carfax stages, we had to quickly find another engine and box to fit into the Micra. This would be the final outing for the successful little car before its ban (12/2011). (Thanks MSA, another substantial unnecessary cost).

Whilst we waited for the shell we repaired the Micra after Cathy bent all the front suspension and also removed a few kilos of grass and gravel from the underside.

We had to cancel our entry for Rockingham as a few parts hadn't arrived - so we decided to enter the Longmoor Loco on the 30^th December 2011 - this was our new deadline.

On Friday lunchtime the bodyshell arrived with it’s gleaming new coat of white paint! All hands on deck and by the evening it was a rolling shell with the suspension and steering fitted.

Assuming we work 7 days a week, we only have 22 days before Longmoor, as Christmas sits in the middle – a lot of work to complete.

The first deadline was getting the car inspected for its MSA Logbook. The MSA require 14 days to process a CAT 2 logbook, so this meant our last possible date for inspection was the 13^th Dec – unlucky for some – this left us a meager 10 days to completely build the car and get it liveried . That’s all panels fitted, wired throughout, seats harnesses and fire extinguishers plumbed in - a few late nights required!

We have a hard deadline now – Log-booking now set for 8-30am on the 13^th December as Chris Mount the MSA Technical Commissioner is booked to arrive.

Time to prepare the action whiteboards.

Several lists:

List 1 – Requirements for log-booking

List 2 – Requirements for Rolling Road

List 3 – Requirements for MOT

List 4 – Requirements for the Rally

List 5 – Optional requirements - Hmm - need more whiteboards or much smaller writing…

Complete brake lines and fuel lines were fitted before we could fit the differential and propshaft. The differential including mounts was offered up but did not line up (thanks Pambos), so we had to remove and spend precious hours fettling to ensure correct fitment.

We test fitted the engine next – a major panic as the power steering pump fouled on the exhaust manifold , never mind the high pressure pipe that exited from the rear. A quick trip to Five-Pen Engineering to manufacture a custom banjo fitting to give the necessary clearance, then we let Ben loose with the Oxy Acetylene and a big hammer to marginally adjust the manifold after the engine was fitted - we could not lose any time waiting to fit the engine – good job it was not a stainless manifold.

Talking of manifolds – we need an inlet manifold machined from solid to allow us to fit the throttle bodies upside down, so we can slide the engine further backwards into the tunnel a foot or so. We had a new one being fabricated but it wouldn't be ready in time, so we went spoke to Chris at Tolman Motorsport. He expertly cut and shut a mock up manifold so we could mount the induction system for the logbook engine bay photograph.

Going through the checklist we needed the identification plate for the roll cage – so we contacted Roll Centre.

Right what’s missing ?
The MSA Technical Commissioner is turning up in 12 hours time tomorrow morning – we have to drive over to Brackley to get the bumper and work through the night to get it fitted as well as the rest of the finishing off, the lists are getting longer and longer – who needs sleep at Christmas!

The MSA Technical Commissioner is due at 8.30am – we turned up at 7am after a couple of hours sleep to find Chris Mount already waiting outside for us – Oh sh*t.

By 12.30pm Chris had inspected and photographed everything and given the car a clean bill of health and signed the Cat 2 logbook papers – just time to email them to the MSA.

Time to take the team out for a celebration down to the local Chinese restaurant – The Water Margin – good food and a few glasses – just what was needed.

Northampton Motorsport Rolling Road next:

We booked the last day prior to their Christmas break – Thursday 22^ndDecember. We needed to get the inlet manifold from Ultimate Performance, so we drive over to collect it on Sunday morning.

We then commissioned the bespoke fuel tank and system to discover a major leak from the tank where a weld had fractured, we gratefully accepted Willie Poole Motorsports’ help to weld up the tank as long as we washed it out for at least four hours with water so it was safe to weld. As we had had no tank and needed to run the engine we rigged up a jerry can to drop the fuel pipes in – finally the car runs…

Dave, Lotusbits fibreglass expert was working on the airbox to modify it to fit under the bulkhead but was struggling to get the fibreglass to cure as the temperatures were so low. We had to mock this up with gaffer tape instead!

We were working into the night again to get the car ready when one of our racing customers turned up to help us throughout the evening with remaining fiddly bits such as throttle cables and linkages.

When we fired up the car the engine map was wildly out as we had changed the injectors to PICO ones as they are smaller and better fitment. We then found fuel flooding into cylinder one – and diagnosed a leaking injector – luckily we had a spare.

We had to jury rig up the power steering tank to run the engine up as bespoke power steering and catch tanks were being fabricated by Tolman Motorsport. The power steering tank arrived a few hours before we left for Northampton Motorsport but the catch tank arrived after the car was on the trailer so we ran the car on the rollers without it..

The new induction and exhaust system worked well increasing the power to over 270bhp. No leaks and no failures whilst running on the dyno – very pleasing!

Video footage of the dyno run below - sounds good!

Off for an MOT tomorrow, more little niggly items remaining - need to fabricate a brake light switch and fit some horns and washer nozzles!

Passed OK – now nip to the post office to tax it and back to the workshop for the rally preparation.

Roll cage padding on, footrest in with horn switch, sump guard fabricated and fitted, gearstick modified.

Now the fun part – off for a gentle(!) test drive and set the brake bias.

Good job there were no issues on the test drive, as there was little time remaining - time to put it on the trailer to go off to Longmoor - event report to follow soon, alas no photos of the event as it's a current military establishment.

Many thanks to all involved, particularly regular Lotusbits spanner monkeys Ben, Dave, Sam and Brent (Ben pictured below):

Some more images below:

Lightened flywheel

2011-11-09T12:43:00.001Z

Lotusbits lightened flywheel - as tested on our rally car, all non-turbo engines £350 + VAT

Sneak preview of Lotusbits Sunbeam rally car

2011-11-09T12:22:00.001Z

Just about to go off to the paint shop:

B20 RWD Nissan Micra – RWD rally car

2011-11-09T12:08:00.002Z

A message from Mike Taylor, MD Lotusbits Ltd:

"From 2012 this car (B20 RWD Nissan Micra RWD) will not be able to compete as up till now it has run under a K37.1.3 logbook which cannot be used after 1/1/2012.

When the car was inspected by the MSA with the intention of re-logbooking to the new CAT 2 regulations, the modifications required to make the car comply with the drawings in the cat 2 guidance notes were very extensive. The tunnel and part of bulkhead need to be replaced. The rear cross-member needs to be lowered by 35mm with respect to the lowest point of the floor. As the roll cage mounts to this the cage would have to be modified.

The cost of doing this makes it not economically viable to keep the car running especially as the car would have to be ballasted up to 1080 Kg which would make it slower.

Annoyingly all the modifications required except in date seats are not in any way safety or performance related – they are just to make the car fit within the drawings...

We are already working on a 2.5L Talbot Sunbeam Lotus to replace the Micra which complies with the lower pre 1982 weight limit of 880 Kg as well as all of the CAT 2 drawings.

Our intention was to run both the New Lotusbits Sunbeam and the Micra next year to allow my partner and Co-Driver, Cathy, to be able to drive next year without having to invest too much in a car for her. Unfortunately this is now not possible so another new rally crew has been lost.

If anyone would be interested in purchasing the Micra for anything other than rallying use please contact us on 01926 633211"

Giugiaro Lotus Esprit badges

2011-09-05T12:10:00.000+01:00

Giugiaro Lotus badges - remanufactured to original format - £5 + V.A.T, give your Esprit a treat!

Lotus Excel SE radiator hose kit - * NEW 2011 *

2011-09-05T12:05:00.025+01:00

What everyone wanted, Lotus Excel SE radiator hose kit

Click to view larger image

001 - £12 + VAT

002 - £23 + VAT

003 - £39 + VAT

004 - £19 + VAT

005 - £10 + VAT

006 - £10 + VAT

007 - £69 + VAT

008 - £56 + VAT

009 - £8 + VAT

Lotus wheel centre caps - new

2011-09-05T11:25:00.001+01:00

Wheel centre caps, pretty, shiny and brand new!
£13 + V.A.T each

New Aluminium Lotus Esprit S3 fuel tanks

2011-08-23T13:56:00.002+01:00

Remanufactured Alloy Lotus Esprit S3 fuel tanks, never worry about rust again.
Excellent quality, £450 + V.A.T per pair

2011-08-23T13:52:00.000+01:00

Lotus big brake conversion kits, see Lotus Brake upgrades here

Lotus Excel clutch release bearing

2011-08-23T13:28:00.002+01:00

Recent addition: Lotus Excel release bearing - £40 + V.A.T

Lotus Excel clutch slave cylinder

2011-08-23T13:23:00.001+01:00

Lotus Excel slave cylinder - £40 + V.A.T

Lotusbits at the 29th annual Club Lotus Show, 13/14 August 2011

2011-08-18T14:31:00.004+01:00

Images from the Lotusbits stand at the 29th annual Club Lotus Show and Festival from Donington Park on 13th and 14th August 2011. We previewed even more new products which will appear here very soon!

Reconditioned Esprit Turbo plenum

2011-07-27T16:11:00.001+01:00

Esprit Turbo plenum, vapour blasted and powdercoated in a choice of colours. Exchange only, call for details.

Lotus Elite door beams, NEW, remanufactured.

2011-07-27T14:54:00.000+01:00

Lotus Elite door beams, recently remanufactured due to overwhelming customer demand! £120 ea.

Lotus Esprit large bore stainless steel exhaust manifold and system

2011-07-27T13:22:00.002+01:00

Lotus Esprit S1 and S2 stainless steel exhaust manifold and system, , long primary pipes, repackable silencer, 2 1/2 bore.
Recently dyno'ed, showing a significant increase in low down torque. £1200.

Isn't it lovely, you could almost hang it on the wall...

Oil filler cap!

2011-03-31T20:51:00.001+01:00

Smarten up!

£25 - A must for any clean under bonnet area, perfect against reconditioned camcovers or a freshly built engine!!

Also available - matching gear knob and seat tilt knobs for Lotus Excel.

Lotus Micra latest development - inlet manifold

2011-03-22T13:52:00.003Z

Our latest development for the Lotus Micra, to accommodate 55mm throttle bodies, short inlet manifold machined from solid to Lotusbits specification.

Bespoke manufactured to your specification as required, call 01926 633211 for details.

Fast road, competition clutch cover Lotus Esprit, Lotus Excel, Lotus Sunbeam

2011-03-22T13:46:00.001Z

Uprated clutch cover, to fit normally aspirated Lotus Esprit, Lotus Excel and Lotus Sunbeam.
Suitable for fast road and competition use.
£180

Lotus Excel new front bumper over-riders

2011-03-22T13:43:00.000Z

New, remanufactured Lotus Excel front bumper over-riders:

£50 per pair

Esprit front hubs, remanufactured, reduce unsprung weight

2011-03-22T13:26:00.004Z

Lotus Esprit - Stevens, Giugiaro, X180, S3 remanufactured front hubs, reducing unsprung weight by 1.1kg per wheel!

Lotus Excel:

£100 each

Elite and Eclat also available, please call 01926 633211 for details

Some external footage of the little Lotus Micra

2011-02-11T18:49:00.001Z

A little footage from outside the car this time:

Lotus Esprit - The Official Story - hardback - £20 - Jeremy Walton

2010-12-14T11:19:00.003Z

LOTUS ESPRIT: THE OFFICIAL STORY is the inside story of Britain’s best loved supercar from it’s development in the early 1970’s right through to the 21st century.

This large format 224-page hard back book contains over 550 photographs taken from the archives of Lotus Cars and is a must for any Esprit enthusiast.

That the Esprit ever appeared in the showroom, never mind set a record for British sportscar continuous production from 1976-2004, is a story straight from the Lotus era. How Colin Chapman laboured alongside Italian designer and fellow genius Giorgetto ‘Giorgio’ Giugiaro, to bring the first show Esprit to life, is just one of the stories unveiled by Jeremy Walton’s research.

The Esprit, in all its Lotus Type numbers, and derivatives, from the very first Type 79 (the Esprit Type number - not to be confused with the Lotus Formula One cars which carries the same Type Number!) onwards, is revealed in this seriously comprehensive book.

A total of under 11,000 Esprits were made in it’ 28 year production span, which means that some models had production numbers of less than 100. Supremely agile and rapid Esprits, such as the Sport 300 and V8 350, are examined in all their 160 to 175 mph glories - along with the race track inspired Esprit Turbo SCCA, X180R and Type 114 Esprit GT1.

As with Walton’s acclaimed Lotus Elise title, this conscientious Esprit production was enabled only by the full co-operation of Lotus Cars, and once again they gave frank access to their archives as well as their employees. LOTUS ESPRIT: THE OFFICIAL STORY contains the reminiscences of the loyalists, and the youngsters, who added to their growing reputations when involved in the concept and design of the Esprit, many who are now famous industry figures following a Lotus apprenticeship. The author’s trusted participation at every stage in the Esprit’s long life, is reflected by the openness of all involved. They tell us the real stories behind the car, leaving us with hope of an innovative new Esprit before too long.

Octane magazine review:

"Given the significance of the Esprit to the survival of Lotus - it was built in various evolutions over a staggering 28 years - it's surprising that no one has previously attempted a tribute on this scale before. Appropriately, the first thing you notice is the slightly 'retro' 1970's design of the book with it's graphics. The author has tracked down many of the Esprit development team's key players; Mike Kimberley, Tony Rudd and Brian Angus. Together with sketches from the design team to compliment the many photographs and work in progress shots. This book is a welcome addition to the Lotus canon and will perhaps accelerate the growth of the Esprit as a true classic".

Call Lotusbits on 01926 633211 and order a copy - a "must" for Esprit enthusiasts!

Door hinge pin repair and refurbishment kit - we've made the Lotus item better!

2010-12-13T21:52:00.001Z

Bushed brackets (welded) £15 each (click image to view larger item)

DIY pin kit, comprising pin, collets and phosphor bronze bushes £40, (excluding brackets), (click image to view larger item)

Lotusbits Lotus Micra, under the bonnet

2010-12-01T15:58:00.004Z

For more information, Lotus Micra specification and build details see here

Little 280 bhp Lotus Micra overtakes Impreza!

2010-12-01T15:52:00.000Z

280 bhp Lotus Micra - GEG Promenade Stages Rally, New Brighton

2010-12-01T15:49:00.000Z

280 bhp Lotus Micra hits barrel - GEG Promenade Stages Rally - 11th Sept...

2010-12-01T15:48:00.000Z

280 bhp Lotus Micra and BAT Motorsport Corsa

2010-12-01T15:47:00.000Z

Lotus 2.2 gas flowed and ported cylinder head

2010-11-05T18:51:00.001Z

Large valve, gas flowed, ported, radius valve seats - £1,000 + VAT (exchange)
(Click to view larger image)

Lotus Excel large bore stainless steel performance exhaust system and manifold

2010-11-05T18:06:00.002Z

Lotus Excel large bore stainless steel exhaust manifold and system - exclusive to Lotusbits. £1200 + VAT
Large bore Lotus Excel stainless steel exhaust manifold - 2 1/2" - £650 + V.A.T.

and Lotus Excel large bore stainless steel exhaust system

New front corner for the Lotus Micra!

2010-11-05T17:57:00.001Z

Water filled barrel #1 Micra #0 Watch the impact and the effect it has under braking onboard here

New corner following "a slight brush" with a water filled barrel!

Lotus Stickers - Valvoline oil recommended label, coolant check, spare wheel labels, E approval stickers

2010-10-24T19:27:00.000+01:00

Inner wing Valvoline lubricants recommended label - £15.00

Coolant check and fill label - £5.00 (each)

Emergency spare wheel label - £8.00

E-approval sticker - £8.00

Lotus Bits Rally: Promenade Stages

2010-10-12T13:00:00.003+01:00

Jumping into the van on Friday afternoon I didn’t really know what to expect. Everyone (especially Mike) was running around like a headless chicken making sure we had everything. Finally, a few hours behind schedule we get going on our way up North.

Three of us in the van, within 5 minutes I realise why Ben has the nickname: ‘Bog brush - oh my God does he ever shut up’. Been in the van a couple of hours, we get stuck in traffic on the M6. So to pass the time we start singing at the tops of our voices.

Scrutineering:
We arrive about 8pm, as the car is being checked over by the officials I get a taster of what the rally will be like the following morning. Subarus, Mitsubishi Evos, Escort Cosworths... plenty of cars there to get excited about. Mike drives the car back round to the van, we’ve got the thumbs up so we head off to the hotel.
After arriving at the hotel and being separated into our rooms we all made ourselves presentable and headed straight for some food. Having finished eating, the lot of us hit the bar. I’d already drunk too much when Dave & Mike decided to tell me what time I had to be up in the morning: 5am.

And then the morning came, far too fast at that. Nevertheless I was up eating breakfast (feeling like a zombie). We left for the rally in the darkness, arriving just as the sun decided to show his face.

Setting up all the gear for the rally was not quite what I would call fun, in the bitter cold wind and the pouring rain. 10 minutes before the rally began all the cars began making their way to the start line, I was about to see the start of 1 of the biggest rallies of the year.

As the Darrian roared off the line and into the distance I was already grinning from ear to ear. Car after car of these highly tuned machines revved up and shot off like rockets. As Mike and Cathy pulled up to the line I could hear many people laughing: ‘A Micra?! No chance...’ But having been in the car for the shakedown myself 2 days previously I knew exactly what to expect. Mike dropped into gear and flew, the people laughing shut up almost straight away. My grin continued to grow. Seeing all these wicked cars made me almost lose track of time, when Sam grabbed me saying we need to head back to the service area.

Mike pulled in under the gazebo. The lot of us do a once over of the car to ensure everything is working well. Being the apprentice I was happy with contributing by checking the tyre pressures and refuelling the beast. The break was over, Mike hit the track again eager to gain a better place than where we already were: 9th.

Conveniently our van and the Land Rover were parked alongside the track, so as soon as Mike left I jumped up on top of the Landy to watch the action. Because the car was set up for wet conditions, as the weather started to ease up it was inevitable that we were going to lose a place or two. When the second stage had finished we were down to 11th. Stage after stage, there were no problems with the car whatsoever. By the end of stage 6, the road was nearly completely dry and we were down to 15th.

Feasting on all the goodies I could find, I sat on top of the Land Rover watching the cars whiz round the stage. On stage 7, the heavens opened again. Just as well we had decided to stick with full wets instead of changing to slicks! On the same stage Mike overtook the ‘Batmobile’ Corsa and started getting particularly friendly with an Impreza. As Mike overtook the boy racer favourite, the driver started to see red mist and tried a little too hard to keep up with our Micra. The driver ended up overshooting a hairpin and stalled his car, making the lot of us cheer.

The final stage came, tension had really built as we were hoping for a top 10 finish. We were in 11th and 4 seconds behind 10th. Mike was really giving it the beans and managed to get in front of the same Impreza he did on stage 7. The driver really wasn’t happy. Our leader was going flat out hot on the tail of the Bat Corsa again. Coming into a chicane behind the mad Corsa, the Lotus Micra was moving a little too quickly and ended up smashing into a barrel full of water. This resulted in a snapped anti-roll bar, seriously ruined tracking and a 20 second time loss. But being the last stage Mike didn’t stop, he carried on giving it his all and raced round the track overtaking a Honda Civic Type R on the way. Mike came back round into the service area, and luckily both he and Cathy hadn’t been hurt.

We packed up all the kit, put the Micra on the trailer (looking good with a front nearside panel missing) and headed for the award ceremony. It turned out, even though the car was beaten up we still won the trophy for best mixed crew, best Wallasey crew, best Wallasey driver and ended up 13th in the standings overall. Having had a few pints, we headed back to the hotel for some grub.

Getting together at the bar, you could tell that we had had a hard day because there was next to no conversation whatsoever. Had a few more bevvies and headed for the restaurant. We moved back to the bar after eating and 1am we were dropping off to bed. Few more drinks and I hit the sack, I was knackered. I’d had a wicked day.

Waking up to being screamed at by bog brush Ben isn’t the best thing in the world. Got all my stuff together and hit the road. As the 3 of us made our way back down the motorway we had a nice surprise: a blowout! Replaced the ruined wheel with the spare and headed on our way again.

5 minutes from home, just outside Coventry as we pull away from some traffic lights (well, try to) the clutch goes altogether. So we roll down the hill at 10 mph and pull into the service station. Sam makes the phone call to Dave, and he comes to the rescue in the Land Rover. When he finally arrives after what feels like forever we get towed back to the yard. (Bens fault again).

On the whole, the weekend was an experience that I’d love to have again. The whole team said to me that if I liked cars, I liked noise, I liked speed, and I liked alcohol then the weekend was almost certainly for me. They couldn’t have been more right.

Report by Ali.

Lotus Excel, Elite, Eclat, Esprit S3 brake master cylinder

2010-10-12T11:47:00.002+01:00

New, recent addition Lotus Excel, Lotus Elite, Lotus Eclat, Lotus Esprit S3 brake master cylinder £120

Probably the best Excel * * * SOLD * * *

2010-09-10T13:13:00.004+01:00

Full details on Lotusbits website here - full restoration, truly exceptional, magazine featured - * * * SOLD * * * :

Also Lotus Elite 504 Automatic, 1980 - excellent DIY project, little work required for MOT - respray and replacement engine 3 years ago - £1500

Lotus Excel adjustable rear top link

2010-09-02T13:10:00.001+01:00

Adjustable rear top link from Lotusbits, developed on our Lotus Micra stage rally car, this is now available for your Lotus road car or Lotus competition car - £100 each.

Application:
Lotus Excel rear top link, Esprit S3, X180, S4S V8 and GT3 rear top and bottom links, Elite, Eclat rear lower links

Adjuster kit ONLY - £50.00 each.

New Vapourblasting service from Lotusbits

2010-07-05T14:22:00.003+01:00

Items such as cylinder heads can now be vapourblasted:

Vapourblasting or Aquablasting is a method of blasting using a very fine media and mixing it with water. This is the the ultimate surface impact treatment. Vapourblasting leaves a super smooth easy wipe stain resistant finish on the work processed.

Our new engineering workshop

2010-07-05T14:11:00.001+01:00

This will certainly help with rebuilds:

Latest batch of long stroke 2.5 litre cranks!

2010-07-05T14:07:00.000+01:00

Lotusbits custom 2.5 litre steel crank, new batch in stock!
250 bhp (road use) or 270+ bhp (competition use).

One of our new units, filling up fast!

2010-07-05T14:03:00.000+01:00

Lots of Lotus bits!

Pacific Blue Lotus Excel SOLD

2010-07-05T13:49:00.002+01:00

D reg Lotus Excel, Pacific Blue 86,300 miles, some history - now SOLD, contact Lotusbits for details of used Lotus cars

Automatic Excel, soon for sale!

2010-07-05T13:39:00.002+01:00

Calypso red, recently painted, Red Lotus Excel SA "E reg." 71,531 miles, offers invited.

Full Esprit restoration nears completion

2010-07-05T13:35:00.000+01:00

Recently MOT'd, currently undergoing shakedown.

Lotus Esprit Girling rear calipers, S1, S2, S3

2010-07-05T12:32:00.001+01:00

New, in stock:
Lotus Esprit Girling rear calipers, S1, S2, S3, fully reconditioned £200 each.

Q: "Right. Now pay attention, 007. I want you to take great care of this equipment. There are one or two rather special accessories... "

2010-07-05T12:25:00.000+01:00

James Bond replica

Further Lotusbits expansion!

2010-07-05T12:11:00.000+01:00

A few images of the new units!

Local Chinese restaurant and takeaway!

2010-06-09T13:22:00.002+01:00

A quick plug for our local Chinese restaurant and Chinese Takeaway, (Marton Road, Long Itchington, Warwickshire). A stones throw from Lotusbits and well worth a visit!

Lotusbits expansion continues!

2010-05-25T12:16:00.006+01:00

The new extension at Lotusbits is now taking shape, the roof's on and stock's being added:

A few engine bits!

A few Lotus 900 series engine blocks

A few Lotus 900 series crankshafts

Some remanufactured Windscreens for Lotus Excel, Lotus Elite, Lotus Eclat and Esprit

More soon!

Remanufactured Alloy Lotus Esprit S3 fuel tanks

2010-04-24T10:00:00.001+01:00

Never worry about rust again!
Brand new, remanufactured alloy fuel tanks for Lotus Esprit S3 £450 per pair.

Range of new Lotus Excel veneer dashboards expanded!

2010-04-24T09:57:00.002+01:00

Lotusbits have expanded their range of remanufactured veneer Lotus Excel dashboards:

Choice of five to match your upholstery

American Walnut Burr

Poplar Burr

European Walnut Burr

Burr Elm

Walnut Curl

Lotus body repairs

2010-04-02T13:48:00.000+01:00

Lotusbits now have an on-site bodyshop!

Lotusbits are expanding!

2010-04-02T13:25:00.000+01:00

Sneak preview of our new extension, we'll be adding stock in 6 weeks!

Big isn't it!

Lotus Sunbeam works manifold

2010-04-02T13:15:00.003+01:00

This is a direct copy of the original 7 piece works Lotus Sunbeam manifold - £900

Remanufactured alloy header tank

2010-04-02T13:13:00.002+01:00

These header tanks are model specific - there are probably 40 different items fitted to the Esprit, Excel, Elite and Eclat.

Prices vary from £120 for a simple one shown below to £240 for an Esprit SE expansion tank with integrated chargecooler tank.

Please contact Lotusbits on 01926 633211 with specific requirements, or complete the Lotus parts enquiry form

Lotus Esprit exhaust mounting plate

2010-02-20T12:52:00.001Z

New, remanufactured Lotus Esprit exhaust mounting plate. £30

Lotus Esprit - The Official Story by Jeremy Walton - Hardback edition

2010-02-20T12:44:00.001Z

Lotus Esprit - The Official Story, written by Jeremy Walton, the Inside Story of Britain's Best Loved Supercar. £20

Lotus Esprit The Official Story is the inside story of Britain’s best loved supercar from it’s development in the early 1970’s right through to the 21st century. That the Esprit ever appeared in the showroom, never mind set a record for British sportscar continuous production from 1976-2004, is a story straight from the Lotus era. How Colin Chapman laboured alongside Italian designer and fellow genius Giorgetto ‘Giorgio’ Giugiaro to bring the first show Esprits to life, is just one of the stories unveiled by Jeremy Walton’s research.

The Esprit, in all its Lotus Type numbers and derivatives from the very first Type 79 onwards, is revealed in this seriously comprehensive book. A total of under 11,000 Esprits were made in it’s 28 year production span, which means that some models had production numbers of less than 100 and have therefore become extremely collectable. Supremely agile and rapid Esprits such as the Sport 300 and V8 350 are examined in all their 160 to 175 mph glories – along with the race track inspired Esprit Turbo SCCA, X180R and Type 114 Esprit GT1.

As with Walton’s acclaimed Lotus Elise title for Coterie, this conscientious Esprit production was enabled only by the full co-operation of Lotus Cars. Once again they gave frank access to their archives as well as their employees. Lotus Esprit The Official Story contains the reminisces of the loyalists and the youngsters who added to their growing reputations when involved in the concept and design of the Esprit, many who are now famous industry figures following a Lotus apprenticeship.

The author’s trusted participation at every stage in the Esprit’s long life is reflected by the openness of all involved. They tell us the real stories behind the car, leaving us with hope of an innovative new Esprit before too long

Lotus Excel veneer dash - remanufactured.

2010-02-20T12:39:00.000Z

New, remanufactured Lotus Excel veneer dashboards, varnished or plain, elm or walnut. £160 per pair as shown.

BBS Esprit alloys, fully refurbished

2010-02-20T12:35:00.001Z

Lotus Esprit BBS alloys, fully refurbished to an exceptional standard.
Full set of front and rear BBS alloys for Lotus Esprit, fully refurbished £800 per set (4) outright.

Exceptional quality refurbished Lotus alloys in stock!

2010-01-27T12:04:00.002Z

Lotus Excel OZ refurbished alloy wheels

£100 each (exchange) £150 each outright purchase.
Lotus Esprit 15" BBS refurbished wheels

£100 each (exchange) or £750 per set outright purchase

Also, fully refurbished S2 Elite and Eclat Speedlines £100 each outright.

Power steering pipes - new product!

2010-01-27T11:55:00.001Z

High Pressure Hose - pump to rack: £110
Low Pressure Hose - rack to tank: £70

* * * SOLD * * Lotus Excel SE, Calypso red for sale - 59,000 miles

2010-01-26T13:38:00.003Z

Lotus Excel SE, 1987 for sale. Only 59,000 miles.
Professional respray 5 years ago, excellent paintwork, 4 new Toyo tyres, new stainless steel exhaust, new brake calipers all round.
SOLD - more soon - watch this space!

Clifford Thatcham category 1 alarm (certificated), full beige leather interior, central locking, 12 months MOT.
Private number plate included, exceptional value, appreciating classic. £5,000
Telephone 01926 633211 or complete the enquiry form here.

Lotusbits Classic and Sports Car magazine feature

2010-01-12T11:40:00.000Z

Lotusbits "wedge" feature - Classic and Sportscar magazine - February 2010 issue, on sale now!

Can you guess what this is?

2009-11-26T12:01:00.000Z

Interesting engine conversion - we are about to put the body on this for a customer who has chosen his "own" engine. Do you know what it is?

Refurbished cam belt tensioner (Lotus 900 series)

2009-11-26T11:53:00.004Z

New addition due to popular demand - fully refurbished (new bearing, new bushes) cam belt tensioner for Lotus Excel, Lotus Esprit, Lotus Elite, Lotus Eclat and Lotus Sunbeam.

Fits all 907, 911 and 912 and 910 LC turbo engines from 1977 to 1986 - £80 + VAT

Compomotive MO's

2009-11-18T16:41:00.001Z

A quick snap sent to us from Jerry Taylor.
Recent Lotus Excel wheel upgrade, (gold Compomotive MO's), sits very nicely doesn't it?

Finishing touches to Excel rebuild

2009-11-18T16:32:00.001Z

Current Lotus Excel rebuild in our workshop - build photos to follow - including Lotus 900 series engine fuel injection conversion.
Pinstriping and lettering by Creative Sign and Design

Micra uncovered!

2009-11-18T16:24:00.002Z

A few more of the Lotus Micra...

Lotusbits new website!

2009-11-02T15:13:00.005Z

Last week our new website went live, it displays our massive product range of used Lotus parts and our new lists of brand new and remanufactured Lotus parts for the Excel, Elite, Eclat and Esprit.

We plan to add our exploits and excursions whilst rallying our mobile test bed - our 270+ bhp Lotus Micra tarmac rally car.

A 2010 events calendar will be added as soon as it's finalised.

This weekend the Micra's at Anglesey.

Details of forthcoming new remanufactured obsolete Lotus parts will be added to extend our current range including Lotus Excel replacement windscreens, Esprit door mirrors to full race Lotus competition engines