Whether water or mud - Colin Chapman's sports car for every occasion
Manfred Parisch from Poysdorf in Austria was very successful with a 2.4-liter VW Buggy in the Austrian Autocross Championship in the 1970s.
The idea of entering a Lotus Esprit in the Austrian rally-cross championship came from Parisch's sponsor and Lotus importer Annessi. However, after three engine failures, Manfred Parisch, Austria's James Bond, realized that the Esprit only had a future if it was rebuilt from scratch specifically for this championship. Just as "Q" "taught" the car to dive, Parisch was able to teach the Esprit the sport of rallycross with a great deal of ambition and even more willpower, as well as countless test kilometers.
Thanks to the front axle of an Opel Kadett, its own rear axle from formula racing, the relocation of the radiators from the rear to the front and an unusually high ground clearance for a sports car, the Lotus was finally ready to compete.
A third place at the European Championship race in Horn-Fuglau (Oesterrich) was the reward for all the efforts of the five-year Lotus project. However, the deep mud and the specially narrow "mud tires", which Parisch was the only one to have with him, helped him to "jump onto the podium".
The Lotus Esprit S1 even started in Switzerland for once in 1983. Parisch received an invitation to take part in the rally-cross race in Lignières. In this race, he also battled against Marc Surer's R5 turbo, among others.
Unfortunately, the first Audi Quattros then entered the previously two-wheel-drive championship in 1982 and suddenly there was no longer any chance of winning without four-wheel drive. Only a much-desired change to the regulations would have helped ...
Parisch's rally-cross Lotus Esprit S1 still exists today, but is "unfortunately" no longer in his possession.
You can of course read more about the Lotus Esprit (S1/S2) in the corresponding report on Zwischengas. And the pictures shown here can of course also be found in the article, or directly in the picture archive.
