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| Joined: | 05-01-2005 |
| Location: | Minneapolis, Minnesota USA |
| Posts: | 573 |
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I have two Eclats, an Esprit S2, and a 1400 lb Europa S2. The interesting thing (at least to me) is that the 4-seat Eclat actually handles better than the Esprit S2 of the same period, and the Esprit no slouch... far from it. A 4-seater might not be as 'sexy' as a mid-engine 2-seater, but it's sure a delight to drive. The turn-in, transitional handling and steering feedback are absolutely brilliant. Chapman liked being seen in the Esprit, but he preferred driving the Elite, Eclat & Excel 4-seaters. My hands-down favorite, and my daily driver between road-salt seasons, is the Europa. The Seven might beat it for that ultimate raw sports car experience, but by comparison, the water-tight coupe Europa is a practical every day car... until the snow flies. Like now... :-(
I've driven several friends' Jensen-Healeys rather briskly, and I think it's the best handling/ most comfortable example of all the tradional British roadsters. And while the 907 is one of the smallest engines of the breed, it's also one of the more powerful... or has the greatest potential for more power.
Yes, by 'JH Club', I wasn't really thinking there were enough local JH owners to form a 'big' club with a mission statement and events schedule; but there's a lot to be said for having a few 'like minded' friends with whom you can share your car-passion. They had that much covered, but never pulled it all together.
Regards,
Tim Engel
Last edited on 03-05-2020 07:10 am by Esprit2