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William Voelker's 1995

William Voelker from Livermore, USA owns a 1995 S4s in Monoco White, with a grey interior.

Model:

S4s
Year:
1995
Colour:
Monoco White
Interior:
Grey
Driving Style:
Careful
Miles per year:
0 - 1,000
Owned Since:
2007
Purchase from:
Private
Serviced at:
Local Mechanic
Other Cars:
Previous Lotus':
None
Why an Esprit:
Because it's so rare and so much fun to drive
Upgrades: 2002 rear end conversion including tail lights, steering wheel replacement, updated seat covers, OZ wheels.
Problems:
Blinking anti-lock brake warning light.
Info: See below

1995 White Lotus Esprit S4S, the coolest company car in the world

I turned 40 not too long ago. Like they say, it's either screwing a hot 19 year old or getting a hot car when you reach that age. Well, the former is not an option so I decided to settle for later.

First, I had to decide what kind of car. Lamborghini was too expensive and so was Farrari. Corvettes are dime a dozen and NSX was pretty nice, but too tame. I wanted something that turns heads as well as fun to drive. It also had to be priced reasonable, reliable, and unique. I worked with a guy a guy who was a car fanatic but could not afford one. To make long story short, he mentioned Lotus somewhere in the conversation during a slow day. After a little research, I found that 1995 S4S was a way to go since it is considered to be the best Esprit ever made that would meet all the requirements I wanted.

"How would I convince my wife?" I thought to myself. After racking my brain for weeks, I found it reasonable that if we make it a company marketing car (we own and operate 2 cell phone stores), it would not only be tax deductible but would give us lots of exposure. My wife, after an initial hesitation, gave it a go, after a lot of bribing and my best salesman's tricks. :)

So, I went hunting. I combed eBay and Craigslist daily. After 4 months of searching, S4S happened to pop up only 120 miles from my house. I was incredibly lucky. There were only 155 or so 1995 S4S imported to U.S. that year, and here was one, practically in my backyard! It was love at first site and was purchase on the spot after a 10 minute test drive. The previous owner took good care of it, and did all the necessary modifications and maintenance. He even enhanced the appearance by performing a 2002 tail light conversion, which I think is much more attractive than stock, and by replacing the wheels with 2002 OZ models. Oh, he also got rid of the world's ugliest original GM steering wheel and replaced with a airbag fit sporty model.

So.. down to business - converting a white exotic ground rocket to a tasteful moving billboard.. I used to be a graphic artist, and here's what I came up with after days of brainstorming and countless revisions. I thought it looked pretty good. The whole idea was to mimic a NASCAR race car, putting an emphasis 4D Wireless, showing the audience that we sell T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and MetroPCS. I thought the goal was met this design simulated with Photoshop.

  

Before committing, I consulted TC, a good friend who works at an ad agency. He said I needed something extra by suggesting that I come up with a cool looking logo and a short slogan. Also, my sign guy (Ron) suggested that tilting the letter might give it more zip. Back to Photoshop --Many more hours and revisions later, here's what I came up with.

  

TC, Ron and I thought it looked pretty good. Since a month was spent on design and the "naked" car was being driven without getting our money's worth, I was anxious to get the vinyl work done. Almost a $1000 and a week later, the car was done. I was very pleased with the results. It looks like a clean sponsored NASCAR race car as envisioned. Ron spend many extra hours to make sure everything looked perfect and he used nothing but the best materials.

All goals were met - the car was relatively inexpensive, gets the message across, reliable, fast, and HOT HOT HOT. It turns heads everywhere I go and people constantly walk in the store and ask about it. Is it a great marketing strategy? You bet!

 

Moral of the story? When you turn 40, do not screw a 19 year old. Get a Lotus and find a great reason to justify it. If you have any comments or questions, please e-mail me by clicking on the link below.

 

voelkerb@yahoo.com

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