Lotus Europa?? Anyone Have One?

[Heel n Toe]

Originally Posted by Porsche_monkey

What did I miss out on?

I looked at a couple of them once.

They handle like a kart and feel like one because you're lying down and your butt is only a couple inches from the pavement, so they're a blast to drive.

I'm 6 feet, and it had enough headroom for me, but then again that's no trick because of the laid-way-back driving position.

http://cossdesign.com/ASSETS/LotusEuropaPhotos/EuropaInterior13.jpg
http://cossdesign.com/ASSETS/LotusEuropaPhotos/EuropaInterior5.jpg

They usually rattle a bit. The body is fiberglass.

One of the ones I looked at, the guy told me that the valve adjustment is done with shims. Shims? Sounded sketchy to me.

So maybe you should buy a kart.

Seriously, if it didn't have to be your daily driver, and you don't mind tinkering and tweaking on it, go for it.

http://www.roymorris.ca/html/0012.html

One thing I thought was very cool... look in that last link; look at the shots of the rear with the lid up. That black plastic trunk liner unbolts and comes out very easily... enabling you much easier and closer access to the engine than it would appear. You can actually climb in back there and sit down against the back of the bodywork.

[Porsche_monkey]

The word 'dated' comes to mind after looking at those pics.

[smg911]

As usual, people are very willing to express their opinions based on what they heard or what they read somewhere 30 years ago. But the fact is, if you get the right car, it can be a very, very fun car to own.

Back in 1973 I wanted a Lotus Europa so bad I couldn't sleep at night. I was 19 years old at the time and somehow I convinced my mom and dad to allow me to get one. My dad and I drove out to the local Lotus dealership in New Jersey to order one for me. Believe it or not, the salesman would not sell me one. His exact words were, "This is not a car for a 19 year old kid". I was devastated. A few months later all the car magazines were raving about the new '73 914 2.0. The Porsche dealership was just down the road from the Lotus dealership. So I ordered a phoenix red 914S which is what they were called at the time. I haven't been without a 914 since that day along with a bunch of 911's.

[smg911]

However, I kept finding myself goggling "Lotus Europa" and one day about 3 years ago my wife said, "You're always looking a the Europa, why don't you just get one". I started looking for one that day. In July of 2007 I purchased a 1974 Europa Special JPS and it is everything I hoped for and more. I purchased it from a guy that owned it for 31 years. Everything works and it needed nothing. What most people don't know about these cars is that if you find a good one that has been taken care of, they can be very reliable. There are a lot of upgrades that owners came up with over the years to improve the electrical issues and many of the other stigmas that give these cars a bad name. There is a fantastic Europa specific web site that is a tremendous help. I've read the archives and found many, many tricks and upgrades to improve the reliability issues. When I went back to my car to do these upgrades, every single one of them had already been done.

[smg911]

It's no Porsche by any means but I don't make the comparison. It is what it is and I love it for what it is. I couldn't be happier. It's a fantastic car and I love driving it. It's probalby one of those designs where you either love it or you hate it (a lot like the 914). I happen to love both the the Europa and the 914.

Steve

[smg911]

[smg911]

[Porsche_monkey]

Very nice. I agree with the 914 comparison, I think the two cars are very similar.

[Heel n Toe]

Beautiful car, smg. I agree with what you said. It's all about finding a well-kept example. At the time I was looking at them, I was having trouble sleeping, too. I was also similarly smitten with the 914.

porsche_monkey, why not search around a test drive a few? You may find and fall in love with a seductive new mistress.

Check out the 3 pages of photos of a very slick resto here:
http://www.lotuseuropa.org/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=Doug-Alexander&page=1

[smg911]

And the association to F1 gives me wood everytime I look at the "JPS" sticker and the "World Champion Car Constructors" plaque on the sides.

[silverc4s]

I owned a 1973 Europa Series II (Renault 1600 engine & tranny) many years ago. I guess it was about 7 years old when I bought it, and had been owned by a USAF jet jockey since new, as a third car.

Well, it was fun for a while, but in actuality, compared to any Porsche, it is an overpriced, hard to repair, expensive to buy parts for, P O S.

I ended up donating mine to the local High School auto shop for the tax write off, giviing me a better ROI than either keeping it or selling it would have done for those costly three years of ownership.

Porsche, there is no substitute. Really. No kidding. Truth in advertising.

[Steve PH]

Never driven one but I have always had a soft spot for these little cars. I have found a link to a recent review, I want one even more after reading it!

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=220956&i=0

[imcarthur]

I always thought that they were actually pretty ugly but smg911, your pictures are changing my mind. Beautiful!

Ian

[ruf-porsche]

Originally Posted by KaptKaos

Looks similar to a regular Europa, but seems to have a longer flying buttress. Is that the case?

The original design had sails or buttresses, but the later TWINCAM design had the sails cut down so the car looks more like a pickup than a Van.

Type 47 were race car built for racing and none were ever marketed for the street. They had the butress like the original design, but also had NACA ducts and fuel filler caps in the sails. My body if you look at it has the NACA duct and side fule filler.



Original Europa had a Renault 1.6L engine, but later Twincams had a 1.6 Ford engine with a Twincam head. My car has the Twincam engine but with twsin side draft weber carbs.

Car was at the Chicago auto show in 1986 when I was a member of SCCA. I owned a Lotus Type 51 formula ford and was thinking of putting the engine and trans into my 52, but when the market for histroic race car jump, I decided to just sell the 51.

[smg911]

Originally Posted by silverc4s

I owned a 1973 Europa Series II (Renault 1600 engine & tranny) many years ago. I guess it was about 7 years old when I bought it, and had been owned by a USAF jet jockey since new, as a third car.

Well, it was fun for a while, but in actuality, compared to any Porsche, it is an overpriced, hard to repair, expensive to buy parts for, P O S.

I ended up donating mine to the local High School auto shop for the tax write off, giviing me a better ROI than either keeping it or selling it would have done for those costly three years of ownership.

Porsche, there is no substitute. Really. No kidding. Truth in advertising.

If your Europa was a Series 2 with the Renault engine it couldn't have been a 1973. The Renault engine was replaced with the Twin Cam engine starting in model year 1972. If your Europa was a Series 2 it was probably either a 1970 or 1971. A lot of improvments were made in the 1972 twin cam car and many more when the Lotus Europa Special was introduced in 1973.

[silverc4s]

Yes mine was a 70, now that I think about the chronology. Totally different car than the Twin Cam. Other than the base frame and a few misc. hard parts, they were not made of the same stuff.

The SII was a kit car in the UK, built to get around the VAT, from what I was told at the time.

SMG, your car is a really nice example of a really unique vehicle. I am sure you get a lot of enjoyment out of it, and will for years to come..

[gwood]

"SII was a kit car in the UK..."
All Lotuses were kit cars. They were loosely bolted together at the factory for ease of shipping.

[URY914]

Originally Posted by URY914

Friend of mine has one.

smg911 is my friend

[K. Roman]

I saw this car today. It's located in SF. 34K!
http://www.carsauto.com/detail.cfm?ID=385729


It was very beautiful though.

[KarlCarrera]

Originally Posted by smg911

VERY nice example! Always liked this styling a little better than the 914, issues aside. Last summer several makes (Porsche, (1) Ferrari, (1) Maserati) made a run through the "hills" in southern Co. A gentleman with a normally aspirated, early Esprit (really nice) joined us and he seemed to really enjoy it. He had dealt with all of the "issues" and the car was now pretty reliable. Sure did run good with the group, and was a great day!

Karl
88 Targa