Lotus Esprit vs Ferrari 308 | Saab Turbo | Retro Car Review | Drive In | 1978

[@jezstokes8592]

2:27 That man was a bit cold being interviewed in a snowstorm! All credit to him for being spot on about the future of turbochargers

[@SuperZedd]

Jez Stokes 🌨😬🌨

[@MonkeyHunch1]

I know what you mean the 80`s turbocharged caaars where beasts now they are crappy 1.0 3 cylinder fords that last 50 thousand miles as they have to be pushed so hard to get the tiny turbo to do anything.

[@bunter6]

I know, Thames budget obviously didn't stretch to going to somewhere indoors :-D

[@lotusladdie9132]

That man was Martin Colvill - still with us and there in person at the recent Bell & Colvill open day, full of wonderful reminiscences of his racing days, as well as of the Bell and Colvill business!!

[@EgoShredder]

1978 was a very cold winter if my memory serves me well.

[@jamesmiller3142]

I'm glad Thames car reviews get thousands of views. Hopefully they'll keep putting them up

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

not thousands. very few despite the very high quality content and video quality for the 70s

[@spencerleeb]

He sure hit the nail on the head about increased use of turbos today.

[@jamesmiller3142]

Yeh true even though they all but disappeared into the 90s and 00s after, what i think he is predicting, the forthcoming 'boost' in usage. But they are now truly omnipresent. Presumably emission rules have pushed makers to smaller engines relying on turbos

[@shepshepherd]

Got to love the Saab 99 Turbo, the car which proved that mainstream cars equipped with turbochargers had a bright future :)

[@woopimagpie]

Turbo Lotus got quite the head start in the drag race. A more even start would have seen the Ferrari a lot closer.

[@lankaat]

I actually thought the ferrari would have come first of they started correctly.

[@MacXpert74]

Yeah that drag race was a bit silly. I also think the Ferrari would be a little quicker. The 0-60 time for the Ferrari 308 GT4 is claimed at 6.4 sec and the Lotus Esprit Turbo should do 6.6 sec. It should still be close though.

[@stringer-ik1pc]

Bollocks ferrari are all hype.

[@wharfbanger]

@@stringer-ik1pc sour grapes?

[@timpope7274]

@@wharfbanger Uva acerba

[@antman5474]

everything went Turbo crazy after that, from vacuum cleaners to sunglasses. Boost was everywhere.

[@richards9407]

I had some turbo aftershave. Bloody awful stuff.

[@antman5474]

It lasted until Barry Scott departed, not a bad run for Turbo Power by all accounts. 40 years plus. Good going I'd say

[@mosesberkowitz3298]

There was a fat kid in my 9th grade PE class who could barely run. The coach called him "Turbo".

[@MrGoogelaar]

The Lotus Esprit was one the best looking cars.

[@AnthroGearhead]

Now its a giant Lotus Evora

[@MrGoogelaar]

The fine and simple straight lines of the Esprit just did it for me, everything looked in proportion.

[@frankhoward7645]

Chouun. I don't believe there's any comparison between the Esprit and the Evora. The Esprit is one of the most beautiful cars ever made by anyone. The Evora is one of the ugliest.

[@AnthroGearhead]

@@frankhoward7645 the Evora isnt ugly , just not that fast thats all

[@MrGoogelaar]

The Evora sort of "tries too hard" to look good, too many curves and lines, compared to the Esprit's simple but elegant lines. It is like a real beautiful woman that does not need tons of make up and fancy clothes to look good. The Evora looks too much like other cars while the Esprit has its own unique and immediately recognised lines. A true classic if there ever was one.

[@aaronhussain3873]

I realise there was a lot more interviews with people behind the cars in the old days. Fascinating to watch these old archives 👏👏

[@craigyirush3492]

What a fantastic bit of footage, including an interview with one half of Bell and Colville.

[@Paul8342]

The guy being interviewed was 40 years ahead of his time - all the manufacturers are doing exactly what he said now!

[@mindfixer4you]

Hey youtubers, this is how you do a car review and done before you were even born in most cases.

[@nkt1]

mindfixer4you Show the car being driven quickly in a straight line, alongside similar models, followed by a detailed description of a single engine component? Fascinating, but not much of a review.

[@MegaWayneD]

The year I was born!

[@colinjohnston8519]

Maybe because it's not made by amateurs KZbinrs and instead is a professional production? Just a guess..

[@colinjohnston8519]

@@nkt1 yea that is how car reviews are done. Don't you think it's a good idea to compare cars to the compietion??

[@nkt1]

Colin Johnston It’s a great idea, there’s no doubt that bolting on a turbocharger made it go faster. But it’s still not much of a review.

[@jasonmeehan1269]

So accurate that Lotus took the turbo idea and ran with it.

[@OneSwitch]

Stunning looking car, that Lotus.

[@ManeeshBharadia]

All dream cars including the Saab from a 70’s kid.

[@richharr]

Thank you for posting this, definitely 2 of my favorite cars

[@WarriorRazor]

He was 100% spot on with the turbo, great stuff.

[@NoosaHeads]

I had a new Saab Turbo 900 in 1984. It was wonderful. Felt a million dollars and is performance was prodigious. Superb vehicle.. Then GM, USA took over and trashed the entire operation

[@ThePedroDB]

Most interesting. Thanks for posting. I remember reading various magazine articles on the Bell & Colvill Turbo Esprit as a kid but that's the first time I've seen one in action. The Esprit looks cool but that 308GT4 is one of my favourite 70's shapes

[@Brascofarian]

That interview is hilarious, they're freezing their nuts off!!

[@pauldavis4508]

Ahhh,, I was waiting for Saab and the lotus to have a head to head, I had two 900 turbo's in my life at different times and really liked them, I used to run them with the thermostat removed and full mix coolant,,saves the head gasket blowing 😁

[@davidviner4932]

The Esprit still looks futuristic today

[@Spookieham]

A mate of mine had a Saab 900 turbo with a chip upgrade. A scary amount of power through the front wheels but great fun. I've had a couple of turbos and still have one now - love the pull as you bring the revs up and it spools up.

[@grandadgamer8390]

Quality TV regardless of the weather 😅

[@duckman5642]

Before global warming?

[@mcqueenfanman]

This was the time frame when Lotus was putting the Delorean together. I always thought that the Turbo Saab powertrain would have been a choice for the DMC-12. In the Saab it actually sits in the bay just like a rear engine car would be.

[@crumplezone1]

Film it, cut it, print it !..no stopping for a bit of the white stuff in those days ..not like today lol. And he was right about the future of the turbo, and did you see the SU carb on the Esprit, it was one of the most reliable carbs of its time unlike Fords POS :)

[@pinkycoffeeboat]

Spot on and if you listen carefully to the background you can hear the trains running and a free flow of cars on the roads....not like today's half inch of snow, whole country stops!!!

[@densalbeach1]

Love these nostalgic videos.

[@easydrive3662]

The lotus esprit looks modern even today, its a timeless design, some cars just have it but many dont, usually italian and german cars have a design that looks beautiful in any decade.

[@rogermouton2273]

Engineer was not only prescient about turbos but simultaneously demonstrated a cold air intake

[@rodfjon]

I wonder how many of these dealer special turbos were eventually sold and are still around?

[@crazyjay7676]

The white turbocharged Esprit clearly jumped the start and that's the only reason it was a nose ahead of the Ferrari.

[@mikiex]

Almost as if it was planned!

[@vomithaus1]

Looked very fixed... but in the grand scheme of things all the cars were pretty similar in performance. You would be hard pressed to feel the difference in the seat of your pants. The aspirated Lotus is probably the best deal of the three.

[@amigachris]

Both were wallet emptying.,.

[@spaceageMrT]

The British way. 🤔😔

[@stringer-ik1pc]

@@spaceageMrT coming from a twat. 😄😄 Why you watching it.

[@paulhunter123]

how comes this is almost the 80s and american cars still dont feature - oh because they are still in the 50s

[@robru]

Bell and Colvill guy clearly not used to spending all day outside doing pieces to camera.

[@LurgsHowToGuides]

My VW T5 has a turbo, thank goodness! Great invention. Great old TV

[@elbecko7969]

I love turbocharging. What's not to like? Ok, you might experience some lag, but that's just pure fun as far as I'm concerned - waiting for it to spool up. Makes me feel like I'm Nelson Piquet in qualifying!! Plus extra power, torque and little penalty in fuel consumption.

[@elbecko7969]

Oh it does dampen the engine sound a little maybe, but you can hear an exciting whoosh sound with some.

[@saab99t8]

3:38: Fuel/air mixture through the turbo?

[@micpal176]

"In this conversion, priced at £2,000, there was a single and very large SU carburettor upstream of the Garrett AiResearch turbocharger, which fed the fuel-air mixture at a maximum boost of 8psi to the engine, whose nominal compression ratio had been reduced to 7.5:1 by the use of new pistons." Quote taken from www.lotusespritturbo.com/Lotus_Turbo_Esprit.htm

[@charlesmacgilchrist3648]

That Ferrari was pitiful at launch! Interesting what the turbo engineer was saying is exactly what has happened with engines 30-40 years later.

[@carlosc1238]

That's not the Ferrari 308 but previous Dino 308. Actually called "half Ferrari"

[@Scalihoo]

true :)

[@ThePedroDB]

More correctly, this is the 308GT4 2+2 rather than the later 308GTB 2 seater. Yes, the 308GT4 was originally badged as a Dino and became a Ferrari in later years of production

[@ThePedroDB]

@kevin Paul holiday Early cars were Dino badged. It was never as popular as the V6 Dino 246 it succeeded

[@mikiex]

Also to be precise it's got 4 wheels :)

[@stringer-ik1pc]

3.0 v6 against a 2.0 4.???ferrari.😄😄😄

[@BenjoC8632]

GREAT video!

[@trabali5168]

Carwow eat your heart out. Now thats a drag/rolling race!!

[@ffotograffyddgohebwyr8308]

3:35 the turbo does not push or pull the fuel air mixture into the engine.A supercharger does that.The turbo increases the air pressure or flow into the engine.That's why there was a rather big turbo lag during the early development of turbo engines.There is still a lag in modern engines .

[@jakeagusta]

A great piece of TV/Motoring history 👍🏻

[@AnthroGearhead]

10 yrs later , the Peaugot 205 GTI T16 , Lancia Delta Intergrale , Audi Sport Quattro , Nissan Skyline GTS T ( R31 ) and etc

[@jamesmiller3142]

Looks bastard cold there

[@MrGoogelaar]

It was bastard cold there...

[@EggBastion]

Not half

[@davek12]

I wonder why they didn't mention the link between the SAAB's engine and Triumph.

[@gilesglossop5071]

So '70's, when snow was inevitable for the time of the year, and just accepted as perfectly normal, with two blokes freezing their knackers off talking about turbos, though manfully brassing it all out - It lends a slight Monty Python atmosphere to procedures. Good job that he's got gloves on or I suspect the apparatus would have cemented to his hands in the icy blasts, the poor sod. All in all, a great winterview.

[@kenmichigwan234]

The man got it correct nowadays small engines with turbo to improve efficiency

[@marks6663]

4:46 five and half inch wide wheels?

[@MrDavey2010]

A breath of nostalgia when car programmes genuinely reviewed cars and were instructive and did not comprise ego-charged boys with toys showing off needlessly

[@herrfister1477]

Yawn.

[@NESherv]

Would it have killed them to tape that interview indoors? They looked like they were about to get frostbite!

[@NESherv]

Don't forget drinking 13.5 litres of jet fuel in the morning just to get the day started!

[@ozzie-sk9dh]

Time to bring back the polo neck. Practical and stylish.

[@stuartwatson6345]

Good old days with genuine Queens English commentators

[@Rassilon72]

That Saab didn't last long. It wasn't taxed after 1982!

[@Larryloafer488]

Oh how that Lotus man nailed it.

[@oliveroneill1388]

Nice coat, Arthur daly job

[@andrewamidala]

Love this video thankyou

[@jamesnewman4351]

Hang in there Martin...just a few minutes...

[@MaximilianvonPinneberg]

£35,000 for 3 sports cars, those were the days.

[@ziggypete1593]

All 35 grands worth lol

[@EggBastion]

IKRaf

[@GeekTherapyRadio]

Over 190 grand today.

[@darrenporter1850]

The Dino 14k!

[@mcqueenfanman]

Actually took to the 2010s to have turbos everywhere. Once the 4 valves per cyl. engines took off in the later 80s, the turbo was basically dead on mainstream cars. I always thought that Delorean should have used the Saab turbo engine & drivetrain to power his rear engine car. It would have been a lot better then the PRV engine.

[@mosesberkowitz3298]

A LOT better, for sure, but more expensive...And since DeLorean was already $10,000 over-budget per car there's no way that would happen.

[@pallasathena55]

Love that Lotus

[@jeffallinson8089]

Which would I buy? The Lotus of course.

[@DoubleDeckerAnton]

Before the TopGear Jeremy Clarkson years...!!! 👌🚗😁🚘👍

[@balsabreaker4272]

Love the way the interviewer makes his quest face the snow, poor bloke has close to hypothermia

[@fasthracing]

Looked a bit secondhand that Saab?

[@mosesberkowitz3298]

Yes, it did. My thought was "Couldn't they have cleaned up the Saab a bit?"

[@jonkvh]

He said "5 and a half inch wheels" when he meant 15inch. There was one other stuff up he mentioned, but we'll let that one go...

[@timpriddy349]

He said inch wide...........

[@southeparkfreak]

The guy was in his 40's or 50's back then. I can't help but think the guy getting interviewed is probably death now.

[@mosesberkowitz3298]

Standing around in a snowstorm may have killed him.

[@rorycampbell7360]

Richard Hudson. The original Richard Hammond ?

[@79devo]

Hudson-Evans still working today as a classic car expert 👍👍👍

[@carlosc1238]

Praticamente dopo l'intervista li hanno ricoverati per principio di assideramento. Comunque la Esprit era un cesso incredibile.

[@gemspotting6252]

Guy predicts the future 30odd years before it happened with turbos

[@numberstation]

“Yes it’s t-true, the t-t-turbo does g-generate q-q-q-quite a lot of h-h-h-heat, but we...FOR CHRIST’S SAKE IT’S FUCKING FREEZING OUT HERE!!”

[@evo5dave]

Esprit still looks brilliant.

[@tonyhancock3912]

Bastaple was supposed to present that but when he saw the weather he told them to do one

[@BugoHossBH]

the man forsaw the future. all though freezed hehe

[@LR_84]

4:30 and my god he was right

[@davidhayes4814]

Brilliant bits of popular History. Unfortunately this gives us the benefit of hindsight. ThoseDinos are worth a fortune compared with Esprits now (for not that much less money, then). That bloke was spot-on:Turbos rule the world now.

[@stringer-ik1pc]

Dinos are junk.

[@eroche913]

"Are Turbos worth it? We went to a Soviet Gulag, to find out..... "

[@robmortimer4150]

Not much chance of an overheating turbo in that snow

[@jeroenjansen2709]

The lotus looks like a kit car in comparison to the ferarri.

[@mikebell2750]

Poor chap looks like he is freezing, they should have considered doing the interview out of the elements.

[@gepwxaqdfsidsesg1548]

Most turbos since then have been turbo diesels.

[@dachanist]

Wish I could still buy these draw trough turbos.

[@dachanist]

@InfiniteMushroom Also you don't have to boost reference your carb or upgrade your fuel pressure, making the whole process much simpler for the newb (me). I find the easiest way to start an old car is to dial back the timing. I was going to wire the choke cable to the dizzy for that purpose after deleting the choke plate in search of an extra pony or two. At one point I was going to wire a bike cable break lever to my shifter so I could go full retard on it. That way I can set the full advance timing to max out the power on the upper end of the rpms and use the retard break to both start the car and widen the max torque area... all things that never got done before selling the car and moving where I don't have parking.

[@tts8297]

11, 700 pounds? Cars were really heavy in 70's

[@erfoolak]

"Turbo bad" Scotty Kilmer

[@vavo4902]

SAAB please!

[@matthewmorris3862]

11 grand for a Lotus , 13 grand for a Ferrari , I was born too late

[@gaycha6589]

matthew morris - 35p for a pint of lager too! But you'd be only earning £3500 a year. It's all relative...

[@timpriddy349]

It was so slow and wet ......it was actually called the DINO said jezza

[@crowthorne1]

looks like crowthorne TRL.

[@Guireles2007]

Back then it was Witchcraft 🤣

[@vomithaus1]

My jaw dropped when I heard the turbo added 2000 pounds to the car. That's a heavy turbo!

[@themightydash1714]

so in 1978 everyone was saying cars will have smaller turbo engines to keep fuel costs down and increase power... Still saying the same now! 40 years later and it's only just starting to happen. Makes you wonder how long everyone will be force feeding us electric cars before they're genuinely what people want.

[@tz6414]

These are too short, that lotus started very early

[@goverypro3010]

14000 pounds for the Ferrari Dino... please deliver me 10 of them!

[@frankhoward7645]

3:57. "No loss of fuel consumption in fact, improved." How on earth can a turbo improve fuel consumption? If that was true, all of the modern manufacturers would be adding turbos to all of their cars to help meet fuel economy requirements.

[@stevel9914]

They are adding turbos. The statement is slightly tongue in cheek. If you used the cars exactly the same you do get better fuel figures. However in reality the turbo car gets used harder and thus uses more fuel. The turbo allows better gearing for higher speeds as well.

[@stringer-ik1pc]

Have you been missing from planet earth for the last 30 years.?? Tosser.

[@Bajacross]

Monty Phyton Interwiew …😎

[@arthuritchybollix5064]

Of course it will invalidate the warranty haha

[@darrenporter1850]

LOL. False start. Ferrari Dino 14k.

[@duckman5642]

Carwow coyped this.?

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

14 thousand pounds for a Ferrari. I'll take one !

[@chijen2010]

I’ll take a Dino for 14,000 pounds

[@DennisBloodnokPhotographyVideo]

Interesting walk down memory lane. Horrible weather at the time of the filming.