Letting go of an old friend of the four-wheeled variety is never easy, but it’s always better to do it when said friend is still largely intact. This 1972 Lotos Europa is the desirable Twin Cam special variety, and the seller claims he has owned it for over 30 years. The Lotus still starts and runs under its own power, but it’s still clearly a project. The seller has decided a proper restoration isn’t in the cards for him so he is wisely putting it up for sale while it’s still a viable project for another enthusiast. Find it here on eBay with bids to $3,650 and no reserve.
The California blue plate is an encouraging sign, at least that as an indication this Lotus has resided in California for some time. The Europa is one of those iconic sports cars that hasn’t ever cracked the mainstream sports car scene; it’s not giving a Porsche 356 a run for its money. This by no means disqualifies it from being an item of desire – quite the contrary, especially with that incredibly low-slung design. Of course, that same design makes this a difficult car to own if you’re over a certain height or otherwise can’t conform your body to the confined cockpit.
Speaking of the cockpit, even with the limited space, it’s hard not to look inside and immediately think “racecar.” The low-slung bucket seats practically level with the pedal box; the three-spoke steering wheel; the gauge-laden dash. Hell, the driver actually sits several inches below the shifter and stares out the windows almost at eye level. This is a deeply connected driving experience, the sort of vehicle that you wear rather than sit in. Despite never being restored, this Europa still looks respectable inside, even with the torn upholstery and tattered center console.
The twin cam Special is the Europa to own if you have to put one in your garage, but certain parts for this engine have always been scarce. The head in particular is tough to come by (which seems to be the case for all vehicles that have a rare DOHC variant offered in limited quantities) and when the seller vaguely says that his Lotus “…will need work,” that’s when you want to ask some questions about what, exactly, needs reconditioning. The good news is that you are starting with a running, driving car offered by a long-term caretaker, and obviously, the no-reserve listing makes it even more promising.
Europas are cool cars,& this one could be a fun car
once all the work on it’s done.
Jeff,why don’t you ever include the location of the
vehicles you feature?
Hit the ebay link. It’s in Carona, CA.
I know about that,I like to see where it’s located without
doing that.
Over 6′ need not apply.
And 160 lbs also appears to be the upper limit. Don’t forget to do some light stretching before attempting to get in. A pulled hammie or twisted back could ruin a good drive.
I can confirm that the Europa is one of the tightest cars I’ve ever tried to squeeze into! I’m no stranger to small cars either with Lotus Sevens and Spridgets on the list. It’s a shame though because it would be fun to have one of these around.
I think these things are just ugly to me it looks like someone was trying to build a cross between a sports car and a truck
Motor Trend review stated the Europa was the best handling car ever tested by them. Ever. There’s a legend about a race on Mulholland drive with a 1970 Z28 Camaro. Europa won. They are a formula one car for the street or an adult shifter kart. Love them! I foresee the prices going up in the near future.
Think more like a Formula Ford with a two passenger body slung over the chassis. There is great fun in going thru corners without having to slow down as others have to brake to stay on the road. Done that many times with mine. As for the comfort of the ride they are far more comfortable than you might think and I have taken many trips of 750 to 1000 miles without any difficulty. Arriving rested but yes THIS IS A VERY LOW CAR. The top of the car comes to the bottom of a Corvette of the same era.
As for looks the chopped down rear sides doesn’t help in terms of looks but the mirrors are not that great and it does make it easier to drive in traffic. I am not certain about the prices going up that quickly as just too many people have been eating too much and do not fit or just grew too tall. Think fighter plane cockpit for internal size.
All that being said they are a blast to drive. A 914 will out accelerate you but can not stick with you in the bends. Plus they ride like they started out as a buck board wagon, and they look like the box they came in. Add some very serious structural rust issues and I like the Europa better.
Assuming the Europa also had bias ply tires, a ’70 ram air IV t/a (with no heavy options & which had bigger sway bars than the z28 but no radials yet back in the day) would have been a more interesting race.
Road & Track magazine said the same thing about the handling in an issue from the early 70s.
The running part is the easy part. Outdoors for who knows how long. Interior not great. Chassis condition unknown. The colour change from red to blue is irrelevant as this is going to get a full restoration. Its a shame it is missing the original wheels
It is by no means impossible to replace a chassis on these (just more time and money – I have done it on my Elan). This looks like a great project, and if a LOT closer to me I would be on it. Should sell for well in excess of 2X the current bid
cheers,
bt
twin cam heads are manufactured new for some time allready.
Not cheap though!
Good, lose the Strombergs in the process.
I could never work out why the manifolds are cast with the head, but I’m thinking that was for the USA, and there’s no way Chunky Chapman was going to make 3 different cylinder heads. Weber or Stromberg? You pays your money and makes your choice.
Not that easy, the castings are different. The intake ports have to be removed from the head. And for the street, you really don’t gain much unless you are adding tuned headers and more aggressive cams. Again, not impossible, just costly. Great cars though. I had two of them. I the Europa S. It was hard to keep all of the pieces together, but ir was worth it.
I feel sorry for owners who are so disabled, that they can’t run a vacuum cleaner through their car. Especially since this Lotus isn’t sitting in a barn, with cars all around it, or out in a field, away from an electrical outlet.
I considered buying a Europa track car years ago. If I recall, the size of my feet was more of a problem than my height. Tiny footwell area.
that was the reason I had to pass on my dream XKE, I couldn’t drive it with shoes (size 13) on or I covered 2 pedals at the same time. I’m 5’11 and 230 also couldn’t close the door without the window open. Drove 6 hours with cash in hand and left heartbroken knowing I could never enjoy it. just to sit in my garage and look at it was not what that car was meant for.
To paraphrase a R&T editor of some 40 years ago, “the visibility from the driver’s seat is somewhat less than that through the firing slits of a Maginot line bunker”.
I had a 1969, wish i had it now. This is a bit rough, but the price is right, it is in Corona not Carona, where are the original wheels?
Alas… this tugs at me… however, I realize that I’ve reached that point in my life that I know if I started this project, I’d never live to see its completion… sigh… …but it’s not because I think I’m that close to passing on, it’s just that I’m that slow.
Take a good look, is that the car you would want, the owner had it for over 30 years. I can not believe the condition it is in. How often do you think he changed oil, filters etc.? Just thinking.
Bill
Tried one on right out of high school (1972). Fit like a glove but way too costly at the time. I was in fine shape and very athletic, so “things” were where they were supposed to be. Today at pushing 70, things are a little (lot) less intact. It would be fair to say this Lotus and I are in similar condition at this point. If only I could be restored and enjoyed like this little guy… Hope it finds a good home!
The original version without the chopped down quarter panels was better looking, but it had a lousy Renault engine. I looked at buying a new one in the early 70’s, but the build quality was brutally bad, the pinstripe tape was peeling off on the showroom floor. Bad paint, wavy fiberglass, and those Cosworth Fours leaked more oil than a Harley. Probably a blast to drive, on the days it was running.
jokacz, i had a 1969 with the Renault engine and higher rear quarter panels, my friend had a TC, he had many engine problems with his TC, i had none with my engine, but yes he had more power. I like the cut down quarter panels way better, and i think it made the car look even lower. The price on these are going up, just take a look on Bat.
That lousy Renault engine is both all alloy and great in an Alpine Renault. It doesn´t give the same power as the Lotus Twin Cam, but even the twin cam engined cars you got in the USA had been castrated by emissions controls. Elsewhere a twin cam was 105-115 bhp.
You are right, build quality was never a priority at Lotus and they were a challenge to own, reasons why Lotus stalled in the 1970s and Porsche conquered the world
Cosworth four ? You are clueless. It’s a ford 105E block w a lotus head. Was a Dailey driver for me . Oil tight if you know anything about engines.
Costin and Duckworth were both instrumental in the design, read about it here and learn something, bright boy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus-Ford_Twin_Cam
I have one in my driveway. it’s a very interesting car in many ways, from the cardboard firewall to the heated luggage trunk, to the pedals that only work with small feet., there are many innovative design features..
I can’t imagine being able to enjoy driving one of these on the street in 2023. You will be either crushed by a giant SUV or Pickup or be blinded by somebody driving a car with headlights that are brighter than the sun. Track use only in my humble opinion.
Not to mention today’s younger drivers being distracted while “driving” – on the phone or looking at up to 3 separate video screens on the dash or even watching a movie, eating, fixing makeup, etc.
& wait till much heavier & faster electrics are prevalent on the roads. & more & more accidents with much more destructive force.
Hmmm… well that attitude would certainly limit the available vehicles one would be willing to drive around in on public roads… certainly rules out anything vintage… I own several cars that definitely wouldn’t do well if confronted with a SUV or large pickup… my GT6 immediately comes to mind… very small, virtually no crash protection *and* a fuel tank that resides inside the passenger cabin… however that won’t keep me from enjoying it on the road… sometimes one has to roll the dice… to each their own I guess… and then there are motorcycles.
Sold $6,600.