Beschreibung
Lotus Excel Hethel Celebration – ltd edition no. 24 of 40 ever made
letter from lotus cars confirming that this is a celebration chassis no. 3089 and is no. 24 of the 40 produced.
113k miles
6 previous owners.
every mot and excellent service history.
mot to june 2023 (no advisories)
a beautiful example of the very rare 1991 hethel celebration lotus excel which has benefited from a total in and out restoration in 2020/ 2021 and one which not only looks stunning but also drives superbly. I have a full photographic record of the works carried out.
a brief summary of the restoration works that were completed in 2021, less than 1000 miles ago were;
total interior refurbishment which included the following;
new complete set of carpet. Including the rear parcel shelf (made easy to install when the rear screen was removed for the re-spray). carpets were sourced from coverdale.
the boot carpet has also been replaced with matching carpet. I also have new spare set of front mats made which i use for shows.
new re-trimmed alcantera headlining and re-trimmed upper b pillars (not an easy task!) including sun visors with new old stock vinyl material on the back.
replacement excellent condition used walnut dash veneer panels from lotus bits. Originals kept.
every piece of leather removed from the interior and cleaned, treated and re-connolised. The interior retains that beautiful and distinctive smell of classic leather!
steering wheel re-trimmed in original leather reversed as suede which i use for shows. A brand new personal grinta black leather steering wheel is fitted for day-to-day use.
new red seat belts which i think look fantastic. The original belts have been saved also.
new gear knob to match the colours of the original gear knob. The original gear knob has been saved also.
whilst the interior was out a top end ice system costing nearly £2k was installed which included focal component speakers front and rear. The rear tweeters were cleverly positioned in the re-trimmed b pillar covers and the front tweeters were fitted to bespoke made leather clad plates (the leather came from the an original salvaged celebration seat and so the colour match is spot on) over the original ash tray openings (original ash trays retained and can be easily re-fitted). there is a boot mounted rockford fosgate amp, blaupunkt sqr46 dab head unit c/ w a new roof mounted dab antenna fitted which was chosen to match as closely to the original aerial). final a focal ibus20 sub mounted under the passenger seat.
the original clarion head unit has also been kept. Unfortunately, the boot mounted 6 cd changer was not with the car when i bought it and neither was the spare wheel mounted tool kit.
full glass out re-spray and exterior restoration
a full glass our respray in original paint code a71 was carried feb 2021 to an extremely high standard and which included the installation of a new windscreen sourced from lotus bits. (i have lots of photos of the respray works.) all other glass was re fitted and is original.
5no. Brand new old stock oz ruote alloy wheels c/ w 5no. New correctly sized 215/ 50 zr 15 vredestein sport+ tyres (£240ea) were sourced so that the car sits and drives as it would have when it left the factory. These were very hard to find.
an esprit 300 sport front lip spoiler has been fitted which is bolted on and can be easily removed. I also have a brand new original excel se lower rubber spoiler sourced from sjs included in the sale.
clear front indicator lenses from p&m (originals saved)
front fog lights have a yellow wrap on them which i think look great but again can easily be removed if preferred.
led lamps fitted all round with the exception of the headlights.
any external trims were replaced that i could source which included new wing mirror gaskets, front bumper over riders, b pillar foams, door rubbers, new chrome door catches, top windscreen finisher (now obsolete), new waste line trim, new stainless steel bonnet and front bumper grilles were manufactured and powder coated satin black, fuel tank breather hose was replaced and even the headlight mounting frames and plastic trims were replaced. No stone was left un-turned.
other works carried out post restoration are as follows;
august 2021
full major service including replacement of all the belts and fluids including gearbox oil, diff oil, brake fluid, pas fluid etc. Etc. Oh, and a new battery too.
feb’22
a new clutch was fitted less than 300miles ago (engine out job) inc. New light weight flywheel from lotus bits
whilst the clutch was being replaced, and as the engine was out of the car, i decided to replace the exhaust too with a full s/ steel exhaust c/ w 4 into 1 s/ steel manifold sourced from mike taylor at lotus bits (parts alone for the clutch, flywheel and exhaust were £2, 500).
the differential output seals were also replaced at the same time
it runs and drives beautifully. I was surprised how much more responsive it is now it has the light weight flywheel had been fitted.
all of these works were carried out regardless of cost and/ or necessity, as it was my intention to keep it forever, however the desire to own an early esprit has made me come to this very difficult decision.
the only item that i haven’t got round to doing is to repair the ac.
please no tyre kickers or time wasters.
this is an exceptional excel hethel celebration and a rare opportunity for a lotus enthusiast to own what in my opinion must be one of the best in existence.
c7 exl (number pate not included in sale)
£19, 999. 00
