Am I an idiot for wanting a Lotus Europa?

The only thing a "Europa" would be dedicated to as in regards to being a track car, would be getting...."Towed OFF the track"....RUN Forrest RUN!!!.....Mark

 

You can get a running Elise for $7 to $8k these days?

Heck, I almost grabbed a decent driver Europa about 6 years ago for $4800. The fact that it was orange (cannot STAND orange) and that my size 13 foot didn't play well in the footwell luckily cut the deal short.

 

Yeah, I forgot about that. Thanks.

 

Always loved them very underated appriciating classic, make a replica type 47
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i suspect dave vegher might feel otherwise.

a 47 replica w/ a vegher cosworth would be a SICK bit of kit!!!!! it would be a street terror and a track day weapon. it would begin to get expensive however.

 

I have a 73 TCS. Been a great car. Colin was frowned upon by many for the lightness of his designs. It is very light. The twin cam is the best way to go. I'd say get the best example your budget will allow. Banks has a great europa for sale on there site.

 

Two of my closest colleagues each own one. One is a JP Special (street) and the other races his (type 47).

Neither will ever sell theirs and they are quite vocal about it too if asked.

We were at dinner about a month ago and Ed brought his JP. He offered to let me run it around the block and as I was starting it I realized it was the first time I had ever driven a Lotus. In all these years of being so involved with cars, clubs etc. I had never actually driven one. Lots of rides but never in the pilot's seat.

The other thing that occured to me was there was absolutely no room for my feet and the pedals. I am not even a big guy, five eleven or so and about 180. But there is just no room to work those things. It is difficult to not press two pedals at once. Unbelievable. I suppose if you own one you learn to work around it, but man...

 

the 47 is a serious race car!! congrats to your friend!!

shoes...always had to drive using my nomex simpson driving shoes. you are correct, the foot box is tiny.

 

Hello Peter; You are EXACTLY correct about "to get expensive"....here is a Dave Vegher motor for sale.....worth 4 TIMES the value of the car.....Mark

This Lotus twin-cam engine was just built on a new block by well-known marque specialist Dave Vegher. It only has dyno time so far, where it achieved 194 horsepower, and includes all of Vegher’s best components according to the seller. The race car that it was intended for was sold as a roller, so this one is no longer needed. It is available in Sonoma, California for $19k.

Recent Europa sales for comparision..... http://www.lotus-europa.com/sold.html

 

Your too tall for a Europa

 

I considered buying a JPS years ago, when I had to remove my shoes to work the pedals I realized it woudn't work as a daily driver (when I had a 66 Alfa Romeo Duetto as a daily driver).

 

For folks looking, this popped up in Craigslist today...

http://smd.craigslist.org/cto/3481942793.html

 

That's funny, millions and millions of french people drove the Renault 8, Chapman put that engine in a Lotus and suddenly its drivetrain gets a bad reputation, even after 40 years on the road the mechanics who are working on them haven't solved its foibles... I would say it's more their fault than the fault of the engine/gearbox

Ever considered an old Elan? Another Alternative would be an Alpine A110...

 

I have owned two Twin Cam Europas and an Elan S3 for over 32 years. I think I'm qualified to help you out. Any car (that includes Ferraris, boys) is only as good as the the guy that last owned it. I've heard all the horror stories of Lotus's falling apart, etc. I've read the same about every other exotic car. Europas were not cheap cars. In 1974, you could buy an E-type coupe or a Europa; same money. Problem was, after a few years, prices tanked, then the guys with hairy chests and gold chains bought them to "impress the ladies." Sound familiar? They tried to fix them by going to Pep Boys, corner garage "I can fix anything!" guy, and consequently, the cars just degraded to the point that they became more expensive to fix than they were worth.
I have always done all the work on my cars and I can tell you with a straight face; Lotus's are just as reliable as any other car... AS LONG AS YOU DON'T GO CHEAP ON THE MAINTENANCE! Years ago when Lotus was gaining its reputation, owners would try to drive them like their Honda. Put gas in, maybe change the oil every couple of years. I've worked on a lot of Lotus's, a few Porsches. The horror stories I could tell you about how those cars were kept running would take all night. I drove my Europa for as an everyday car for 10 years, kept it outside in sub-zero Idaho and 115 degree heat here in Tucson. Started everytime, never broke down. Zen and the art of Europa maintenance!!
The Basics: Anybody over 5'10" is going to be a tight fit. Narrow feet is a must as the clutch/brake pedals are very close. No bad back/leg problems: The roof of one of my Europas is 40 inches off the ground. Twin Cam is the only way to go. More horsepower, too many refinements over the S2 to list but visibility out the back is a big one. A/C was available through the dealer but is very rare. One of mine has it. There are no vices. If the car is put together right using updated parts that have evolved over the years, it shouldn't be a problem. Rear suspension is tricky, and no, most "foreign" garages are not going to be able to do it right. Check for rust in the shock attachment areas. New chassis are available, but expect to pay about 6k for one. Prices: A good '72-'74 Twin cam goes for 15-20k. Great ones (restored, A/C, JPS, 5-speed 365 box) 25-30k. Prices are going up. I've been following the market since 1980. They're selling for a lot more in Europe/Japan where small displacement exotics are hot.
Don't make the mistake of thinking these cars are like Mazda Miatas. These cars are 40 years old and will need to be totally restored to run like they should. I realize I'm committing heresy here, so if I have to be burned at the stake, I understand, but, think of a Europa as an "economical" 246. If you buy a hoser, you're going to get just what you paid for, a black hole that will suck the joy right out of your life. A good one? Well, no one's that masochistic- there's got to be a reason I've owned two for 32 years!

 

i am of the age that i considered the closer to totally reclining the driver was, the cooler the car....the europa was as close to prone as i could get for a reasonable price..i loved it and the only change i made was a really small steering wheel [in the best '60s f1 tradition....] as it turned out i soon needed cash for a t35b water pump and found a buyer at $2500.00 ..[just enough to cover the pump]..later that year at the monterey historics the bug was done and the new europa owner approached me and i asked him how the lotus was..he said it was fine but what he really wanted to see was just what a $2500.00 water pump looked like...[no bigger than a grapefruit] ...actually two great cars in a different vein. i happen to be biased toward the renault powered version...less refined, as a lotus should be....[also had an elite sII and a 1965 super seven cosworth, so the europa was not a fluke.]

 

Great post. Welcome to F chat.

I am one of the aflicted. I think it may just be one of the cars I never have time for. And that is really dissapointing. Otherwise a JPS would be mine.

 

I too am one of the afflicted.. as the Europa was the first sports car I had the opportunity to drive at the ripe age of 16.

I have a non-running 74 TC 5spd in the stable now awaiting its turn for restoration. It was sort of a barn (driveway) find and purchased from the original owner several years ago. He just stopped driving it over the years, and let it sit as life took over. I’m planning a frame off restoration with a number of updates to make it more usable, and I do look forward to putting it back on the road!

 

Its in Mechanicsville MD.
That cant be good.

 

I was in love with the Europa until I sat in one.
And this was 30 years ago.
It would take the Jaws Of Life to extract me now.

 

Bringing an old thread back from the dead.

If you're still thinking of a Europa, orange with Minilites looks fantastic

1972 Lotus Europa Twin-Cam
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Nice car!

 

What a lovely car.

 

my heart beat a little bit harder when I see a nice Europa. After restoring two of those in the beginning of 80ties I know how easy they are to work with, how fun they are to drive and how small they are in regular traffic.... they are an icon from the 1960-70

 

Well it certainly will be the antithesis of your former Espada ... You could hang that Europa off the key chain of an Espada.

A local performance Tire place here in NJ has a couple of them in the parking lot that they're trying to turn into one real car. The construction is scary. No wonder they're so light.

 

Wasn't there an FChat'er Ken who had a Europa long term and 10,000 posts here?

Problem is the luge is heavy compared to the early Lotuseses.