GT3 Test Run

I recently fitted a new, stainless-steel exhaust to my Lotus Esprit GT3. A number of people have been asking for sound recordings of the car and others have been asking for videos.

On Sunday, 25th March 2001 I decided to show off my Esprit in front of the camera.

Hardware

For information, the pictures were taken by a JVC GR-DVX4 DV camera.

The images were transferred via Firewire into a Pentium III 850MHz PC with 256MB of RAM.

The huge AVI file was then transferred to an AMD Athlon Thunderbird 800MHz PC with 512MB of RAM for post-processing. Currently, the AMD Athlon is the best platform for heavy, computation tasks.

Software

Capturing and post-processing was handled by Sonic Foundation's Vegas Video. http://www.sonicfoundry.com/

Video processing produces huge files, they need to be compressed into a format that's small for downloading on the Web and also of such a format that keeps most of the video quality. I used a fantastic program bbMPeg http://members.home.net/beyeler/bbmpeg.html to compress the files into MPeg 1.

External Videos

Introduction

A bit cheesy.... but!

Download it here: ftp://ftp.andywhittaker.com/pub/video/lotusintro.mpg

Note: Remember to right click and select "save target as...". If you left click, the browser will download the video and then bring up your media player. Although you will see the video, you may not be able to save it.

0 - 60 Burn

Hear the engine rev-up and watch the Lotus launch into the distance!

Download it here: ftp://ftp.andywhittaker.com/pub/video/lotus0-60.mpg

Twist

The Esprit down-shifts and negotiates a hairpin bend and accelerates off into the distance.

Download it here: ftp://ftp.andywhittaker.com/pub/video/lotustwist.mpg

That Was Close!

After my second standing start, I was greeted by a battered Ford Escort van cutting the corner in front of me. However, I'm sure my experience was only half-as-bad as the woman realising that she was being filmed!

Download it here: ftp://ftp.andywhittaker.com/pub/video/lotusphewclose.mpg

The End of the First Run

The Lotus emerges around the hairpin bend and then comes to rest just in front of the camera.

Download it here: ftp://ftp.andywhittaker.com/pub/video/lotusend.mpg

On-board Videos

Little Bit of Oversteer

You're on-board during a rainy day. The Lotus turns right and slightly over-steers.

Download it here: ftp://ftp.andywhittaker.com/pub/video/lotussmalldrive1.mpg

Through a Roundabout

You're on-board during a rainy day. The Lotus negotiates a roundabout and accelerates off.

Download it here: ftp://ftp.andywhittaker.com/pub/video/lotussmalldrive2.mpg

Something Different

Watch the Swedish Police catch-up and try and grab the attention of a speeding Lotus Omega (Carlton in the UK) driver.

Once his attention has been finally got, the Swedish Police are then given a demonstration about why the Lotus Omega is said to be one of the fastest production cars ever built.

Obviously, I do not condone the use of excessive speed on any public road. The copyright of this video is owned by others.

Download it here: ftp://ftp.andywhittaker.com/pub/video/LotusOmega_vs_Swcops.mov

Please Note: The video is in Apple's mov format. You will need to visit Apple's web-site and download the latest version of QuickTime.

Times page accessed since April 2001:

Page created by: mail@andywhittaker.com
Changes last made on: 18 May 2002 16:18 -0400