This 1971 Lotus Europa seems like a very good deal. $8,900 for an Europa in non-crusty, non-basketcase condition with a ton of recent maintenance completed seems quite fair, especially when sitting on a set of killer Cosmic alloy wheels. The Europa is located somewhere near Cairbou, Maine, and is located here on craigslist. It was sent in courtesy of Barn Finds reader AMXBrian, and be sure to go here if the ad disappears.
The Europa exhibited Colin Chapman’s vision for a car quite clearly, with an emphasis on light-weight construction and keen handling. In some ways, the almost direct injection of his philosophy into the Europa’s design resulted in a car that only a relative few could enjoy due to the confined cockpit. I’m guessing this is partially to blame for their restrained values despite seemingly being a prime candidate for top-tier values similar to an Elan.
The good news is this one is seemingly in excellent condition for anyone who can be comfortable in the tight interior. The vinyl and wood surfaces appear excellent, and thankfully this one doesn’t have animal fur on the console like the last one we featured. The steering wheel is a bit over-wrapped for my liking, but at least it’s still functional. An OEM radio would finish the dash off nicely, and the best part is it seems like this Europa’s needs are truly that small.
Mechanically, this example seems largely restored. Per the seller’s listing: “Rebuilt suspension with new trunions, bushings, ball joints, tie rods, etc. and fresh alignment, everything works, motor has factory spec compression, shifts well, no leaks, absolutely zero rust on frame.” There’s a much longer list of the numerous mechanical and cosmetic improvements in the ad, so this one seems like a better bet than a project-grade example that might cost $3K-$4K less than this one.
Sure is in better shape than the last one. But yea gads, just another sports car for little folk.
Being 6’7″, this car looks better as a model on the shelf in my wreck-room than it ever would in my driveway.
Unless of course I viewed from a distance.
We once got 4 teenagers in my friend’s Europa. Thank goodness two of them were girls.
You should have been the ad writer for Lotus!
So good it must be a scam.
These early Europas are very hard to find and at MGB money this deal can´t go too bad. Chassis rust could be a party-pooper, but the car looks like it has seen very little use, and replacement chassis can be found in any case.
The Renault 16 engine is a very good one, so bear in mind that it would cost you at least $70000 to have the same engine in an Alpine-Renault 1600……
I had a matchbox toy Lotus Europa when I was a kid. Don’t think I ever saw one in real life.
Lovely looking car. I remember only seeing one in person. My guess is that it was in the process of being restored. Given the condition of this example, I’d pay around $6500 for a driver.
I can see why they are hard to find! Lotus or not, Pure Ugly!
Greetings All,
Like this one. If description is accurate and car well sorted, Good Price.
The panel gaps look original.
It sold, no wonder, it was a $20,000 car. Someone got a deal.
I know they handle incredible at the track and the front looks great. But, no matter how hard I try, I just can’t get over the almost home-made looking boxy rear. I wish they designed it differently. Still, seems like it was a steal for this one!
Toyota engine swap.
My father had a very early Series 1 (year escapes me) when I was growing up in the SF Bay Area. Fixed windows, red/black, custom exhaust, and had been the SF auto show car for Lotus when the Europa was released.
We loved the car, but my father sold it after only a couple of years, because being so small, he claimed it was frightening to drive on the local highways. Nobody would notice it, and nearly got hit on several occasions. I thought it was a spaceship, although hot inside. We sold it and got an E-Type coupe.
I never liked these, they are just ugly. The two tone paint job and $1.98 steering wheel cover don’t help this one. Yea, they might handle good and be fun to drive but there are so many other car choices out there that fit that bill and are actually appealing to look at. Many of them are cheaper and probably all of them are easier to find parts for. This is a case where you’re buying a storied name and getting a really ugly car in return.
Cosmic wheels were lovely. I had a set – hard to clean, but worse, all mine leaked air so that ruled out valves or misfit tires. Alloy castings were porous – solution: painted inside of the rims with epoxy fiberglass resin.
Ugly…