Many people have discussed the late Colin Chapman’s design philosophy of “simplify, then add lightness.” While it brought him significant motorsport success, it also led to a situation where some drivers refused to slip behind the wheels of his racing machinery as they felt that safety was questionable. He carried the low-weight approach to his road car division without the safety concerns, and the 1974 Lotus Europa perfectly encapsulates that philosophy. It is an unfinished project, but it seems that all the parts required to return t to its former glory are present. It needs a dedicated individual determined to return one of the most distinctive British sports cars ever created to a roadworthy state. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, the Lotus is listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has sailed beyond the reserve and sits at $5,100.
Lotus constructed the Europa with a fiberglass body mounted to a steel backbone chassis. This marriage of two different materials produces one of the car’s known weaknesses. Moisture can find its way into the mating surfaces where the body and frame bolt together, and while this has little impact on the fiberglass, unseen and potentially terminal rust can afflict the steel. The owner removed this body from its frame, and it is now only resting in place. They state that the frame is rust-free, although there are spots of surface corrosion visible in the supplied photos. Due to its current state, lifting the body to apply a protective finish to the steel could be a wise course of action. The seller stripped the immaculate fiberglass panels as part of the restoration, and some wear a fresh coat of the car’s original Lotus Yellow paint. There are a few nicks and marks from years of storage, which will probably motivate the new owner to redo this work to achieve a high standard of finish. Most of the removed trim pieces are bagged and tagged and are included in the sale. This includes the glass, and apart from a repaired chip in the windshield, it is said to be in good condition.
The 1974 Europa would not be considered a fast car by today’s standards. However, when you look at its mechanical configuration, it was a genuine giant killer. The car features a mid-mounted 1,558cc DOHC four-cylinder engine producing a modest 113hp. Those ponies find their way to the road via the rear wheels and a five-speed manual transaxle sourced from Renault. That combination doesn’t sound like it could set the world on fire, but Chapman held an ace up his sleeve. The Europa embodied the man’s mantra about weight, with this Lotus tipping the scales at a mere 1,664lbs. Therefore, its ability to gallop through the ¼ mile in 15.9 seconds was enough to startle many American domestic offerings of the period with twice as many cylinders and more than three times the engine capacity. A perfect example is the ’74 Camaro Z28. The V8 could beat this little four down the strip, but they would be neck-and-neck when they crossed the line. This Europa has been out of commission for a few years, and it doesn’t currently run or drive. Its mechanical state is unknown, but it was used regularly before the restoration commenced. One of the few things we know for sure is that it is numbers-matching.
As with the rest of the vehicle, this Europa’s interior is partially dismantled. We need to hope that the removed parts are amongst the bagged and tagged components because interior trim pieces and hardware for the Europa tend to be on the expensive side. The car will need new upholstery and carpet, and the timber dash may require refinishing. New covers for the seats sell for around $600 a set, door trims cost about $500 per pair, while a carpet set will add $340 to the tally. That is all we can determine from the photos, but an in-person inspection will uncover other potential shortcomings.
The styling of the Lotus Europa doesn’t appeal to some people, but there’s no denying that it achieved Chapman’s vision. Its low weight and aerodynamic body endowed it with performance far beyond what would typically have been expected from its modest drivetrain configuration. They are finding favor in the classic market, with spotless examples easily topping $30,000. This car isn’t in that league, but getting it there should be within reach of an enthusiast with painting and surface preparation skills. It has already attracted sixteen bids, and with time left on the auction, there is scope for that figure to grow higher. The Europa is a classic I’ve never had the chance to experience, but I’m sure there are a few Barn Finders who have. If you are one of those lucky individuals, how was your experience?
Unless your really flexible getting in and out of these is quite a challenge. You really can’t appreciate just how low these cars are until you stand next to one.
Uncomplicated, unique, and easy to work on. The two S2s we owned got sold before we could finish a rebuild but they were fun to work on. They got overrun by another car we couldn’t refuse to buy (what else?) and went to folks who finished the work we started. This car looks like a good, solid start for restoration.
It is hard to think about the impact of my ’95 Miata weighing 600 lbs less than current; otherwise specs are close enough to make me think how much fun a bread van would be…both getting in and driving!
One doesn’t so much as drive a Europa; one WEARS it.
I remain curious as to how the writer knows that “bidding has sailed past the reserve”. He has mentioned this in his other write-ups. What is the point of a “reserve” if Barn Finds very own Kreskin can divine what the reserve is set at?
Hey Ike, unfortunately no magic is involved. eBay tells you under the current bid price if the reserve has been met. It’s helpful. Let’s say your budget is $10K for a car, and you see that someone has placed a bid for $10K and eBay says “Reserve not met”, then you can move on. That statement goes away once reserve is met.
Thanks. I’m am not an eBay watcher so I learned something. I still don’t get how one can say something has “sailed past” a reserve figure unless you know what the figure is. Sure, you can bracket in around the figure, but you can’t make hyperbolic statements without facts. Don’t waste any time responding. I just have a peeve against imprecise language. And I have generated enough of it to know it when I see it.
Because on Ebay it no longer says (Reserve Not Met) This will be nice if someone has the time and knowledge to put it back together. Yes i also had a early one.
“Needs finishing” could have applied to the Europa when it was brand new. One hell of a go-kart though.
It had (still has?) the ability to go through corners at speeds that would literally make my peers (typical mid-america, stuff the biggest engine possible in the frame and stomp on the loud pedal guys) whimper and start looking for something to grab onto.
Been there and done that with mine more times than I can count. Having them try to chase you thru some twisty bits makes them believers as well. Had a fool in a early 1970’s corvette chase me once and after the third corner where he almost spun off into the trees he backed off and I was not even pushing it. High lateral acceleration, low weight, low mass, low drag makes for an interesting comparison. Besides I could pass more than 3 filling stations even with a 7 gallon single tank and this one has two so 14 gallons.
At the time (1974) Road & Track magazine said it was the best handling sports car they had ever tested.
I have the earlier version the S-2 as noted by others. Slightly less powerful with a Renault engine and transmission but also about 300 pounds lighter. I have owned mine for over 40 years and I put over 200K on mine. Thru winter summer spring and fall it went everywhere I did. Amazing in the snow as long at the depth is under eight inches then the snow is deep enough to lift the car as speeds. Please do not ask me how I know but there was no accident involved just a sever puckering in base of the drivers seat.
If you are over 6′. tall this is not a car you are going to like nor if you are under 5′-5″ I am 5′-9″ and the top of the car is at my hip so yes it is very low but I find it easy to get in and out of and I am near 70 years old now.
As for the frame I would suggest lifting the body off with about 4 to 6 people. The body is not heavy but it is bulky. Look at the frame for cracks as well as rust. The bottom of the Front “T” is a typical place for breakage. There are patches you can make to reinforce this point that are not difficult to do. The frame is not all that heavy either as I took my raw frame to a metal stripper and carried it into his shop over my shoulder. Paint it with self etching Zink Chromate Aircraft primer and the an epoxy paint that is flexible over that and you should have no problems. Special stronger frames are available out of England.
As for the drag race with the Z-28 I agree but that is not where this car was designed to shine. Go thru a road corse and you will leave the Z-28 behind with ease. On the street I could regularly run away from Corvettes, Jags and many others because of my light weight I could go into the corners deeper, stop faster, and maintain momentum at a far higher rate. A police officer once tried to write me a ticked about taking a residential street corner at 20 miles an hour when the speed limit was 25 because he had never seen anything corner that fast. The judge thru it out.
These are not perfect cars and you should think of them as race cars for the street as that is how they behave. Also think of them like helicopters as they are structures that are both light weight and under stress. They need more looking after than most. Bolts get lose and things can crack, but if you have ever wished to drive a race car this is as close as you can get on the street. Think Formula Ford with a fiberglass body and a little less power. That is what this car is about oh and I have seen 28 MPG in town and if you draft a semi I have seen up to 55MPG on cross country trip.
Just remember you physics about light and if you look below the semi you can see the lights of the car or truck in front of them. Hit your brakes when you see their lights go bright and you will be just fine.
Be careful with this one – look at the axle where it enters the transaxle on the left side……..
Good eye jimmyx. Something’s either broken or there isn’t a differential in the transaxle. Might have just hung everything in there to sell the car whether it was complete or not. Should make an interesting noise when the buyer loads it up to haul it off.
My favorite car of all time (I’ve had 17 of them over the years) so I kinda have a fair idea where to look. Still a good buy if it remains under $7-8K. It’s not so much that these are difficult to sort, but the price and availability of certain items continues to get more challenging each year. Not thrilled with the primer on the body either. Very doubtful all the spider cracks that they all develop were properly addressed.
Never seen a Lotus Europa yet that didn’t need “finishing”.
Rick I lost count on how many incomplete Lotus have been listed on this site in the past year.