1977 Lotus Esprit - Jay Leno's Garage 

I don't want to engage in any of the negative comments or really start anything. However, this is my father and grandfather. My grandfather isn't, I don't want to say shy, but he wasn't exactly comfortable talking for the cameras. He came sort of last minute because he wanted to see the garage and meet Jay Leno, he wasn't really prepared to talk at all unlike my dad who was prepared to talk about the car. My grandpa drives every day, my dad didn't say he "hasn't driven in 20 years", he meant that he hasn't driven that car in 20 years, he has his own car that he drives to work everyday. My grandpa doesn't have dementia (not even the start of dementia) and my dad wasn't stepping on his toes or speaking over him. And as for passing the car on, it's still my grandpa's and when he dies he will pass it on to my dad, and eventually when my dad dies he said he is going to pass it on to me. Also, it was my dad that was invited to the show when he took the lotus to a car show, like I said before my grandpa decided to come along last minute to see the cars. Anyways I noticed that there was some confusion about them, and I could see how someone who doesn't know them personally could come to some of these conclusions. I hoped you all enjoyed the car, it's fun to ride in.

You really have to admire the old man. Knows what he is doing. Knows what he wants and makes no bones about it. Bravo pops

I live about 1 hours drive from Hethel.....now and again I visit Colin Chapmans grave....it's very small and normal, I've never seen fresh flowers on it.....you'd never believe that in a little english church yard one of the greatest people of influence in F1 and road supercars is laid to rest. Thanks Jay.

This is an excellent example of the culmination of great craftsman honing his craft on his personal vehicle over time. Much respect to the owner and his son. Amazing car!!!

The quality of work on this thing is really first-rate. It may well be the best Esprit on the planet.

son has big respect for father, love these guys..great vibe.

That fuse and relay box upgrade was the smartest thing a Lotus owner could ever do! It's upgrades like that, that I appreciate. All original doesn't always mean fully functional. Nice work!

Great episode! Love Leno's line: "Having a Lotus is like falling in love with the wrong woman. It's just... you know it's a mistake, but uh, it's so exciting, you've got to do it."

I think it was Car and Driver back in the '60s that said the best thing to do with a Lotus is buy it, take it completely apart and put it back together properly. They sure did that.

That was wonderful. Thank you. Props to the father who built such a beautiful machine. Props to the son who paid such tribute to his dad.

Oh my good god that thing is DIVINE, piece of art, finest car design in the planet.

This is my favorite Lotus. As far as I know the Esprit V8 could make more than 350, but the gearbox wasn't capable enough to take more than that, that's why Lotus decided to limit the power to 350hp. A beautiful Esprit!

Still a very cool looking car all these decades later.

One of my all time top 10 cars. Beautiful!

Awesome to see them on Jay Leno’s garage. I’ve been to their shop multiple times as a friend was restoring his Lotus S1. Complete wealth of knowledge. Thank you for keeping it alive!

Looks like the elder Claudius addressed most, if not all, of the issues that plague the older Lotus Esprits. He took it from; *LOTUS ~ Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious,* to something that is probably very reliable and fun to drive. I've always been drawn to these cars from the Series 2 forward, but shied away because of their issues. Now, after seeing this, it's got me thinking about finding one of these for a new project.

“And now you’ve passed it to your son?” Eventually 🤣🤣🤣

1. He does excellent work. 2. I remember growing up that the Esprit Turbo engine was the 1st production engine to break the 100 bhp per Liter ratio. 3. One day, out of the blue, my friend stopped by my house with one of theses. We went for a ride, was my first true sports car ride. Great feeling of power and speed.

Such a masterpiece... No longer a car but a piece of great art.

His long history of deigning (Fiberfab!!!) probably makes this the best one one Earth. This guy is a true master craftsman. Seems like his son has the talent to take over the legacy. "The guy" that specialize in certain cars are all dying off. Much thanks for the great vid!!

I love the wedge look. I love the Esprit. But sadly, the closest I have ever been to owning an Esprit, were my black Esprit jeans back in the 90's. I have my Fiero though.

Jay is one of a few blokes who is a genuine car guy, he knows so much information that we as the viewer gets the most form all the cars and bikes in an hour.. thanks for the show mate.. hope to see many more..

Love the way Jay lovingly brushes the A pillar and window while getting in. Just a beautiful car❤

That machined aluminum and caps etc, just beautiful. This is the nicest Esprit I've ever seen.

This episode is the epitome of Jay Lenos Garage. Talking about cars so passionately with real car enthusiast especially cars from the 70s and 80s. Enjoyed this one a lot.

Best Lotus Esprit I've ever seen. Amazingly done!

grew up working stone throw away from their shop PBC, lusted over the Esprit as they went on road tests. Always wanted to work for them, in hindsight, they would have never hired me. It's just father and son from day 1. These guys are cool AF. Bought my '00 Esprit and the son Jason gave me a lot of tips and pointers without asking for anything in return. They really care about the cars more then taking peoples money.

That was the first car I fell in love with and this is the finest example I have ever seen. Absolutely stunning machine.

Changing a car like that is so often done poorly, but that one has been done well, even though its far from original. It's been improved, without changing the style or intent, its the way a lotus should have been built in the first place.

Every time I see this car all I can think of is Sharon Stone in her Lotus Esprit outrunning Michael Douglas in his lil' 5.0 Foxbody Mustang on the PCH in Basic Instinct. Epic!

This car is absolutely beautiful. All the custom machines parts are very tastefully done, as if an OEM upgrade!

I have the most upmost respect for people whom sole passion is specific brand or car. They are meticulous to everything inside and out of that particular brand. They really pour their heart and soul into those vehicles.

You know, I'm surprised Jay doesn't own one of these. But what a really nice example - very much appreciated being able to see it. :-)

R.I.P Sir Roger Moore.. bond brought me here

What an awesome job of updating a classic. That body style is timeless.

I lived in Norfolk, England in those days and used to see Colin Chapman driving around on occasion. I know lots of folks that worked at the Hethel factory. Was there when Lotus won the GP championship and Chapman, Mario and crew paraded the F1 cars and JPS support vehicles through Norwich - that was fantastic.

Dementia, not likely. More like Claudius is respectful of all the effort that his son Jason put into getting invited and doing the show with Jay. If you knew Claudius he is a brilliant engineer and mechanic and not going to step in front of Jason when he put in the effort to get onto the show and show his car with Jay. Another words don’t make comments about people you don’t know and on an subject you have no clue about. Yea and I was one of the few that got a rear break kit on my 78 S1 Esprit. Great job Jason and Claudius.

it's kind of sad we don't have more fathers like that anymore. they really are a Dying Breed

I was a wrench at Ferrari of Los Gatos when we took on the Lotus Marque. 1978 sometime as I recall. The English rep, Smokey something, came in early on and walked us through twenty-three pages of change-orders, or repair bulletins, required to get each new Esprit ready for sale. We had customers finding the tub full of fuel up to the seat, from bad tank gaskets. Sheared lower control-arm bolts at the rear, after a slight curb knock, among other things. I had the wiper blades depart at 60mph on one car. Asked one time what I liked best about the model, "The clutch pedal" I always loved Lotus. The Esprit though, was a constant issue from our perspective. All that said, it had it's moments. Jason and Detief, my hat is off to you. I restore and drive Alfa's. So I understand both the lure, and the lore.

dad is so humble and sincere,good man

I've always loved that old saying about Colin Chapman's philosophy on lightness: keep removing parts from the chassis until it collapses, then replace the last part you removed. :-D

Love that style. Color combination aswell!!

I'm always so impressed about how much these guys know about cars.

Ever since Childhood and James Bond I've wanted a Esprit. Gorgeous Car

Flawless car. That one is absolutely pristine!

I love how it’s upgraded but lotus upgraded. Not like a derelict or something. It’s a natural progression to run better, more reliable, more power and the machined parts looked like if they made that Lotus today they should have been there. All the way down to making a machine that forms new plastic pieces for those that are no longer available. The shroud over the motor electrically opening. Talk about keeping that era of lotus alive for those that have the love for them. Priceless!! That old man is a genius. I think the son may have been talking for him for many a reason but he was no dummy either very knowledgeable as well. He restored one early on although never got to drive it. So yeah it runs in the family, awesome work.

i was born in 1962 and remember seeing a Lotus Europa when i was about 12 or 14. It was the most unique car i had ever seen. To this day i remember it like it was yesterday. Ive been a big fan of Lotus ever sense.

I've been seeing Esprit videos popping up everywhere lately. It's like the world rediscovered this car.

Mr Claudius did a great job on the Lotus. I got a kick out of the fact that he built his own a vacuum form machine, like doesn't everyone.

I enjoyed you on the Tonight Show, sir, but Garage is your best show. You do a great job with it. Its entertaining, funny, and always different, and I'm amazed how you keep finding novel content. This is your best work!

I know both these gentlemen and may I just say they are both gentlemen of the HIGHEST order! I own a 1989 Lotus Esprit SE and Detlef & Jason Claudius have both been so generous with their time and knowledge, always spending time with me when I visit them from my home in New York, (they are in California). I was with them just yesterday in their shop in Cerritos, CA and again they gave me as much time as I wanted...Jason literally walking away from an engine he is rebuilding. In this piece with Jay, Detlef lets Jason do the talking but I assure you Detlef needs no one to speak for him...I enjoy every minute I am in conversation with him. Since I'm in New York, its not geographically possible for me to bring my Esprit SE to the Claudius shop but I do send them parts of the car...for example, Detlef made and installed a new gear shift boot for me which is better than new! You saw how he modified the engine cover in his Esprit...I talked to him yesterday about me sending him my engine cover to do the same for mine...I love how the chargecooler can be seen through the cutout in the cover which is his modification. Keep up the good work Detlef & Jason...and though I have not met Jason's son, I admire his comments in this blog about his family. It is obvious this is a wonderful family!

My favorite!! Love the Esprit, so fun to drive! While I got a good deal on mine, it cost me LOTS to keep running and LOTS to get it whipped into shape to sell. But I LOVED it. Been waiting for Jay to do an episode on the Esprit forever, especially the Guigiaro early body style.

That blow off valve sounds amazing.

That is better than any esprit that ever ever came out of the factory.

this is one of the most beautiful Esprit I've seen!!!

I really enjoyed both of these guys. Completely honest and very, very interesting. The grandfather's had one heck of a life.

Remember Jay Lotus is English and were not a nation of V8 cars, 2L is a big engine in the uk. and with a turbo is a much smaller lighter package.

Lotus. Lots of trouble, usually serious. My great uncle's step son had a Lotus Elite. Gorgeous looking, went like stink and handled like a go cart. It caught fire on his drive and nearly burnt his house down. He moved to BMW soon after. Like TVR, to a lesser extent, Lotus has been about great engineering, handling and style but nobody remembered to hire some quality control inspectors. The Esprit Turbo is one of my all time favourite cars but I would always be wondering if it would start.

I think I could watch this episode on permanent repeat. A really beautiful classic car and lots of amazing things including an astounding interior. Thanks for hosting such automotive excellence Mr. Leno. This lotus esprit is something above mere form.

That engine noise and the turbo whine are magnificent!

Such a lovely design! 13:36

Front end reminds me of my old Triumph TR-7. I miss it. But this is a beautiful Lotus.

What a glorious finesse of the legendary Esprit. Well done gentlemen! I love the Lotus ethos, and this fits well. I owned an Elan SE 1968, for 25 years, and enjoyed every minute. Sprinted the engine, upgraded the chassis to spaceframe, leather trimmed it, alloyed the tank and the suspension members, and duo-ed the brake circuits. It drove like a car 20 years younger. Chapman was a genius at chassis design. I did try an Esprit, which was great to drive, but at 6’4” it wasn’t the car for me. In my Elan I just got a cold head! Beautiful design job on the Esprit by Giugiaro, way ahead of its time. It made contemporary Ferrari’s and Porsche’s look dated. The rear light pods are from a Rover SD1, which launched the same year.

Crazy how these 3 mans had a great conversation about this piece of engineering properly done and updated. Really liked the video!

Being in love with sports cars in Jr. high and high school in the '80, I always thought of Lotus as totally being in the same class as Ferrari and Lamborghini, all three more interesting, beautiful, rare, and charming than Porsche. Ferrari had a unique, romantic mystique, but as amazing, unattainable, exotic sports cars, Lotus and Ferrari were both perfect examples. I never thought of the 308, for example, as being anything but a well-matched competitor of the Turbo Esprit.

Lenos humble approach makes me love the channel even more :) . Good job

Man I wish the craftsmanship of this family could go on between generations, that's some serious skill with decades of experience.

A wonderful father and son. Really love Jay’s enthusiasm. Nicely done gents.

While not my sort of car even before Jay said it I figured it was not pommy wiring. It seems a far better finished car than Lotus ever made. They had a good basis for a Sports Car but were woefully finished.

The Shape of the car is amazing and beautiful.

Love the sound when he starts the engine....in every video. It's recorded so good that it sounds like the car is in my living room! With the surround sound turned on of course

In 1977, US$14,500. I recall in 1979 my "lottery dream car" was a 1969 Austin Healey 3000 MkIII - several were listed in the classifieds for CDN$13,500. Before 1990, they were going for $38,000. My first car bought new in 1976 was CDN$4700, a Plymouth Arrow 2l hatchback. We moved in different circles.

This thing always reminded me of Danger Mouse's car, lol

During the drive, they talked about the Lotus V8 not being particularly powerful for what it is. The car was limited by the Renault 25 gearbox, which simply ca't take the power which the V8 is easily capable of. Lotus stopped making the Esprit because they couldn't get any more of the gearboxes. I hear that the chassis would need major mods to fit a different gearbox - but surely that is do-able? Especially for a manufacturer. Actually, it would be interesting to hear what an aftermarket engineer said about that issue - such as this duo. So how about it?

I have to say as a non car guy I get really caught up in this show and Leno's appreciation and love for craftsmanship and for cars in general is fun to watch. Below I see some reaction to negative comments about non TV people looking uncomfortable or what not......yeah, I am pretty sure the majority of these guys do not enjoy being on camera. They just want to talk about cars and Leno is understanding of that. Learning a lot through these videos so I appreciate that.

Jay, I'm pretty sure you don't check these comments, but in case you do... My grandfather and I use to watch you every night when The Tonight Show came on at 11:35pm. I have some great memories with him, laughing at your opening monologues, and just enjoying the overall sense of warmth you brought to the show. He passed away shortly after you stopped hosting, but I continue to watch you on RU-vid here, and I can't help but think how much my grandfather would love this show too. He was a pretty big car guy. If I had the power to effect peoples lives, the way you did for mine, I'm sure that'd be an amazing feeling.

I love the car. Pretty cool. The guest seemed knowledgeable about his dad's work and the car.

always loved the Esprit shape (and the Deloren shape) , i had the James bond white one as a toy back in the 80's, press a button and the little wings would come out, worth some money now if i kept it. remember the silver esprit in pretty women? Notice the tesla model 3 in the backround just as jay mentions Sean Connery. wonder will they be talking about that car in 40 years time!

I bought an 84 Turbo Esprit and I had some questions so I emailed Claudius’ Shop. To my surprise Claudius himself emailed me right back lol. I called and talked to someone there maybe the son and the guy was in no rush to answer all of my questions. Also said call with any other questions. Pretty awesome Claudius is a Lotus Legend.

My favorite Lotus of all time. Love the lines on the body and the back window black scales. Truly a beautiful car

The volume level on this channel is way lower than the others ones. Anyone the same?

I love the Lotus Esprit. That car is very well modified and maintained.

I'm very late on board, but for those who aren't old enough and haven't experienced it (talking about being a son since that is my experience), there is a hand off as the head of the family when you get old enough. It happened between my father and I and it was well before he started showing symptoms of Lewy Body Dementia. This happens in traditional American families. I know many cowboys/ranchers etc (those who wear cowboy hats) have the head of the house wear the largest hat. There is a time when the son switches to the bigger hat and the father to the smaller. This video wasn't odd to me at all, and I'm sure others who had a similar experience felt the same.

back in the 90s, some guy was teaching his kid to drive a manual on a back street next to my neighborhood. i still remember hearing the gears grind on that red Lotus.

HOT Rod ! "I like to make things look like they came from the factory.../..." Spectacular Lotus, well cared for. Thanks Guys !

Thats the coolest wedge of cheese Ive ever seen.

I have a 1990 Esprit, and when I saw Jay @7:18 I think my heart skipped a beat. haha..

Fabulous all round and what a great father and son combination

19,000 miles and totally rebuilt. Yeah, it's a Lotus.

0:57 Leno: How are you sir? Father: I’m fine and you sir? Leno:

I have been to their shop. met both son and dad and they are truly nice people. They charge my AC on my '89 Esprit and we chatted for a bit. The dad is old but still in the game with great craftsmenship which is amazing. Hats off to these guys.

I absolutely love this car, definitely a timeless classic

Good day! Mr. Bond!

I remember when the turbo esprit was faster than anything 0 to 60 in 4 seconds I was in awe of that car it was soooo wicked cool

Love this retrofitting of mods without looking too different but better and its the little things like the aluminum catches and caps. My kind of thing. This is essentially how good the Esprit should have been from the start. I know the turbo versions were troublesome so to have one that's modified so it's reliable is great ! Really nice job - old school engineering is just fantastic.

Changing a flawed car we now see as a classic had me being a skeptic to start with, but hat comes off to this man for the work he did. Respect.

18:07. He never dove his Elan? Come on Jay, you owe him a test drive!

This is really excellent.

I really like this car. It is really good. As a person from India, I do not realise the effort that has been put in to make this car or for that matter any car. That's what one of my teacher told the whole class.

GOOSEBUMPS! this man has done what we wish we could do. Make our classic a vision of perfection in our eyes.. Salute