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This Lotus Europa caught my eye because of the $500 asking price. The only problem is that the price only includes the fiberglass body. Apparently, the seller stripped everything off the car and is selling each part individually. There’s no VIN so hopefully everything is on the up and up here. You can take a look at the eBay listing here. This probably isn’t good to anyone unless they need some body panels for their project Europa, but it is fun to dream about what chassis you could drop this body onto though. Any bright ideas?
On the Type I Europa, the body was moulded around the backbone chassis. From the one photograph I have looked at, it appears that the chassis exists. I don’t know what typically goes wrong with corrosion, delamination, and bending on these early examples, but if those were alright you would presumably merely have to round up a few thousand Triumph and Renault parts and then you would have a Europa!
Above is from memory–corrections welcome.
It’s kind of sad, if this was in America, the Feds would probably be all over this, ( because of the rarity of it) but in merry old England? Not bloody likely. I’m sure it’s just a salvage yard, that parted out a Lotus. They had to be much more common than here.( Didn’t Emma Peel drive one in the Avengers?) Seems like a good buy for someone, although shipping across the “pond”, ain’t cheap.
Mine has the vin numbers etched in the fiberglass inside the doors.
As it sits here, It reminds me of a cross between an El Camino and chopped down panel truck. Not too many other cars had the same lines as these.
If you had all the parts it looks like it could make it back on the road.
Howard A…Emma Peel…Diana Rigg..drove an Elan…
This is not an early Europa type 46, which were bonded to the chassis. By the looks of the headlights, door handles, where the seats go,the year, etc., This is a Series 2 type 54. The US federal spec cars (type 65) had the headlight bumps a little higher to meet American standards. The Type 54 is the more desirable of the Series 2 cars, and much fewer made it stateside. If someone decides to take on this project, I have a straight and good frame.
Okay, the Type II had a similar outline to the Type I , and the chassis unbolted. That seems to be the case here.
Sir Mike – she also drove an early T54 in the series
bk mcdonald – this car is a Series 2 T65 (68 to 71) and would be a separate body/chassis car. Key differences are T54 has no “warts” (turn signals) on front, T65 has “warts” and full height sail panels, T 74 has “warts” and the sail panels are cut down to about half height.
JagMan….. The Type 54 does have the turn signal warts, I own a type 54 and a type 65…. it is the Type 46 that does not have the warts. This car is a type 54, it has the lower front fenders.
Looks like a good yard art piece, would look good next to my two 22&23ft sections of 707 fusillage
@Bob, I too have a T54 but it has no warts and does not look like it has ever had them. I have seen 3 54’s and none of them had them. I guess its just typical British “Garage Craftsmanship” and a good thing it doesn’t have just one in the middle….
Would make a fine work of art standing upright in the entrance of a large house.
After restoring and painting of course…………….