Below is a list of
the various modifications that have enhanced my Esprit's performance and appearance.
The following items are not a 'How To', nor is it recomended for anyone to perform to
their car. Lotus UK and US both warned against most of these changes. I drive
my car an average of 800 miles per month. These modifications were completed in
December 2004. Click on the 
to see a detailed picture of the area. By each item is
a code to represent who did the work. Here are the various codes and who they
represent: SS - Swede Speed, Palm Harbor, FL FF - Fast Forward, Largo FL DD - Deep Discount Muffler, Largo, FL IT - In-Tune Motorsprots, Birmingham, TN SC - Show Car Interiors, Clearwater,
FL D -
Dimmit Lotus, Clearwater, FL HS - Hypersports, Atlanta, GA
Suspension:
1. PUK Shocks – Adjustable for ride height and
stiffness.
IT
2. New
front Sport 350 springs. IT
3. New rear
springs from PUK. IT
4. New
polyurethane bushings an all suspension components.
IT
5. New
Front Sway Bar from Sport 350. IT
Brakes:
1. AP
Racing 4-pot calipers and AP Racing 12" Cross-drilled rotors on front and rear.
Wheels:
1. OZ
Racing 5-spoke wheels. The rears were widened by the OZ USA to 12" and
the centers were painted to match the body color.
Exhaust System:
1. Custom, mandrel-bent pipes from the
turbos back. DD
2. Exhaust
manifolds ported to match heads and JET coated. IT
2. Racing
super high-flow catalytic converters. DD
3.
Central, free-flow muffler with flanges to easily replace exhaust tips with 1 of 3
different styles. DD
4.
Electric muffler bypass system activated with switch in cabin. SS
Body:
1. Rear wheel well flares custom made
to accomodate wider wheel/tire combination and molded to body. FF
2. Front
wheel well flares molded to body and widened at rear to deflect debris from hitting sides
of car. FF
3. Rear hatch modified to add S4 glass panel with the hatch surface cut out and
covered with clear polycarbonate for full view of engine through glass.
FF SS
4.
Aircraft sytle fuel filler port.
FF
5. Rocker panel air scoop indentions
extented further forward. FF
6. Many body seams filled for smoother
appearance. FF
7. Rear wing tips modified to follow
car lines. FF
8. Rear view mirror ridges filled and
painted. FF
9. Radio antenna removed from roof and
moved to front trunk. SS
10. Side marker lights removed and
filled. FF
11.
Esprit R3 logo etched in rear quarter glass. SS
12.
Carbon fiber rear license plate panel and tag frame. SS
13.
Carbon fiber trim around tail light group. SS
14.
Carbon fiber quarter window trim pieces. SS
15.
Carbon fiber front GT air splitter. SS HS
Cooling System:
1. 4 core radiator.
2. 3 High
performance S-blade radiator fans. SS FF
3. Oil
cooler fans added and tied-in to radiator fans for simultaneous on/off function. SS FF
Electronics:
1. Alpine tuner with 4.5"
retracting LCD display, navigation system, 5-disc CD changer, and XM reciever. SS
2. K40
radar/laser detector built into center console with front and rear diffusers. SS
3. Rear
view camera with video feed to Alpine tuner. SS
4. 12
volt accessory power adaptors in each interior rocker panel near front of doors with
carbon fiber dust covers.
SS
5. Cruise
control built into dash.
SS
6. Smart
Tire tire pressure sensor/warning system. Indicates tire pressure, temperature, and
warns driver if tire pressure becomes too low or high, or if the temperature is too great. SS
7. Remote
electric Nitrous Oxide pressure gauge. SS
8. Remote
electric Nitrous Oxide bottle opener. SS
9.
One-touch power windows.
SS
10.
Central automatic door lock when ignition is turned on and open when turned off. SS
11. 30
second delay interior light linked to driver's side door. SS
Interior:
1. RAID 3-spoke air bag steering
wheel. SS
2.
Door-mounted cup holders with cell phone mount on driver's side for easy access while
driving.
SS
3. VDO
boost gauge.
SS
4.
Electric Nitrous Oxide pressure gauge. SS
5. Carbon
fiber instrument cluster panel. SS
6. Carbon
fiber turn signal and wiper control arms. SS
7. Carbon
fiber upper and lower door trim pieces. SS
8. Carbon
fiber center console upper A/C vents and switch bonnet. SS
9. Carbon
fiber shifter trim with brushed aluminum gaiter ring. SS
10. Custom
built carbon fiber center console control section. SS
11. Accelerator
pedal braced and non-skid foot plate added. SS
12.
Carbon fiber leather armrest and door handles SC
13. New
carpet throughout interior. SC
13.
Leather Headliner with R3 logo embossed. SC
Seats:
1. Additional padding in hip and torso
bolsters. SC
2.
Additional Gel seat pad added for seat comfort. SC
3. R3
logo embossed in headrest.
SC
4. Seat
bolsters redone in carbon fiber embossed leather. SC
5. Carbon
fiber leather storage pouches on center tunnel and behind seats. SC
Custom Work:
1. R3 logo on shifter knob. SS
2.
Built-in boost and pressure gauges. SS
3. Window
switches moved near A/C controls accommodate other switches. SS
4.
Intercooler activation using Lotus factory switch. SS
5.
Nitrous Oxide activation using Lotus factory switch. SS
6. K40
indicator lights built into center panel. SS
7. Cruise
control switches built in to center panel. SS
8. Manual
switch for radiator/oil cooler fans. SS
9.
Multi-function switch for Nitrous Oxide Bottle warmer and purge. SS
10.
Factory window switch used for Nitrous Oxide Bottle opener. SS
11. Manual
switch for transmission cooler On/Off. SS
12. True Ram-Air
induction system. FF SS
13. Custom
intercooler radiator. HS
Front Trunk:
1. Spare tire and jack removed. SS
2. Heat
insulation and carpet in trunk. SS
3. 2 cans
of Fix-a-Flat in pouch. SS
4.
Intercooler radiator installed with cover to protect trunk contents if needed. FF
5.
Additional air escape cutouts for intercooler air flow. There is an added
benefit to the large intercooler vents throught the hood in that it allows much more fresh
air into the cabin which can also be shut off using the recirculating/fresh air control
for the A/C. FF
Engine Compartment:
1. Carbon fiber panel to cover front
engine area.
SS
2. Carbon
fiber engine cover modified from original to fit. SS
3. Carbon
fiber engine bay panelsmodified from original to remove factory air filters. SS
4. Carbon
fiber upper, side trim panels. SS
5. Carbon
fiber hatch window trim.
SS
6. Trunk
panel modified to clear space needed for intercoolers with polycarbonate window for
visibility. SS
7.
Intercooler water tank molded into drivers side trunk area/fender bulge with filler cap in
trunk. SS
8. All surfaces
in trunk area heat insulated. SS
9.
Battery compartment cover. SS
10. Heat
shield between muffler and transmission. SS
11. Manual
Intercooler, Transmission cooler, and trunk light switches mounted in trunk rear. SS
12. 12 lb.Carbon fiber Nitrous Oxide bottle
with remote opener, warmer, and remote pressure gauge. SS
Additional:
1. Steel seat mount braces added under
floorboards to secure seats better in the event of an accident. SS
2. Steel
braided hose and AN fittings used throughout engine compartment and Intercooler system. SS
3. Fuel
cooler in passenger side rocker panel air scoop. SS
4.
Transmission cooler in driver's side rocker panel air scoop. SS
5. Ram
air system designed into sides of engine compartment with custom tubing to K&N air
filters. FF
6. Rubber
waterproofing of electronics and especially the ECU in ram air boxes. FF
7.
Radiator overflow tank painted black and moved to custom bracket to allow for
intercoolers. SS
8. Rubber
engine bay seal to keep water off engine during car washes. SS
9.
Plumbed-In fire extinguisher system with pull handles by driver and in trunk. SS
10.
Electrically operated exhaust bypass system. SS
11.
Headlights, driving lights, and back-up lights upgraded to Xenon Plasma bulbs. SS
12. Clear
front turn signal lenses. SS
13. Polished
aluminum Nitrous Oxide solenoid cover. SS
14. Polished
aluminum fuel distribution block with pressure gauge. SS
15. Custom
programmed ECU chip from PUK with rev limiter set to 7800 RPM.
16. Custom
smooth front under-body panel for improved under-car aerodynamics. HS FF
17. ***PENDING FIRST
QUARTER 2005 *** Full rear underbody panel for further under-car aerodynamic improvement.
18. Custom
convex rearview mirrors for increased aft visibility on driver and passenger sides. SS
Engine: All engine work done by In-Tune Motorsports
1. Custom pistons. IT
2. Radius
valve job. IT
3. Custom
valve seats. IT
4. Ported
intake plenum. IT
5. Ported
heads. IT
6. Ported
exhaust manifolds. IT
7.
Custom, JET coated, reflowed turbos.
IT
Transmission:
1. New AP racing clutch. IT
2. Quaife
limited-slip differential. IT
3. ***PENDING
FIRST QUARTER 2005 *** Derek Bell upgrade with 10%
reduced 1st and 2nd gears and a 3.44 final drive. HS
Fire Extinguisher System:
1. 10 pound HALON extinguisher system
with 5 nozzles: 1 nozzle for drivers compartment and 4 for engine compartment.
Extinguisher activation handles located in drivers compartment and in trunk. SS
Insulation:
1. All panels in engine compartment and trunk
insulated for heat and noise. Firewall insulated for heat and noise reduction. Interior
center tunnel insulated under carpeting for heat and noise. Floorboards insulated from
underneath for heat and noise. SS
*** All carbon fiber parts were created by wrapping
factory parts with the carbon fiber after any needed modifications.
*** Special thanks to individuals who provided technical assistance as well as moral
support throughout this project:
Jorg Helmling, German automotive expert, Lotus enthusiast. Jorg is the person who first
got me started on modifying the Esprit. He developed his own three stage
boost control and that was the original concept that led to the development and pursuit of
R3.
Dave Simkin of Lotus US.
Dwayne Shoemake formerly of Lotus US.
Jason the Lotus technicial at Dimmit Luxury Motors.
Chris the Lotus service representative at Dimmitt Luxury Motors.
Kurt from Hypersports.
Marcus from PUK.
Jim Knowles, another Lotus enthusiast and friend.
Dave Johnson from Fast Forward Auto Body.
Scott Bowen from In-Tune Motorsports.
Niel Wilson from Lotus UK.
Chris Sjokvist from Swede Speed - All modifications were a joint effort between Chris and
myself.
