Driving with Roger

Roger was driving as we forged into Teesdale. ‘What a road!’ he said with delight as we cleared Middleton and saw the bitumen snaking for miles ahead along the dale’s northern edge, picking its way between the moors rambling away to our right and the valley tumbling moodily below. It was 1981 and he was at the wheel of the then new Lotus Turbo Esprit.

The trucks and most other cars had chosen easier routes. We had to share the peace and pleasure of this road only with a handful of farmers shuffling along in Land Rovers, and a few nomadic sheep. The sun was dropping, making the sheep, the guideposts and the lines on the road show Persil-white against the moors’ vivid colours; but it was off to our left and wouldn’t be in our eyes. Perfect. I reached up and turned off the radio.

The 250 miles from London had given Roger time to settle into the Lotus; time to get an idea of its smooth power, crisp response and refined behaviour. He was now about to learn of its speed, precision, grip, stability and lovely balance. He was about to discover the depth of the Turbo Esprit’s ability and why, at a stroke, it lifted Lotus to the high plateau of early 1980s sports car performance.