See This Disgusting Lotus Esprit Get Cleaned...
...And Fired Up After Sitting Outside For 20 Years.
April 2021
by BRAD ANDERSON for www.carscoopes.com

A bright red 1988 Lotus Esprit has been brought back to life after sitting in a field for no less than 20 years.

As reported by The Drive, the story goes that this Esprit was parked up in a barn in Northern Texas but during a tornado, that barn was destroyed. The classic British sports car, however, managed to survive and recently, the man behind the YouTube channel ATS Racing, Aaron Bunch, found the car and purchased it for just $300.

After taking possession of the car, the YouTuber brought it back to his place and began the audacious process of cleaning it. As you can probably imagine, not only was the exterior of the car filthy but the interior was also filled with rubbish and had largely been destroyed by the elements. Things were so bad that moss was actually growing on the carpets.

Bunch admits that the car will definitely need a repaint at some stage as large parts of the clearcoat have begun to flake off. The red colot has also faded into pink, as is so often the case with old red cars.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the car is the fact that its 2.2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hadn’t been completely destroyed after sitting outside for 20 years. In fact, Bunch was able to turn on the engine following some simple work to its fuel system. Remarkably, many of the original electronics still work.

The YouTuber intends on performing a comprehensive restomod on the Lotus before gifting it to his son as his first car.