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1972 Lotus Europa Twin Cam 5 speed. This Europa has undergone a VERY comprehensive 3 year rebuild to its original specification. The only real change to the car has been the addition of a 5 speed gearbox from a later Europa Special. Prior to my ownership, the Twin Cam motor was completely rebuilt. I doubt that it has more than a couple thousand mile on it. I have owned/rebuilt/lost a fortune on many Lotus car in the past and at have rebuilt/restored at least 4 Europas. I learned a lot and have used everything I learned on this car. It is outstanding. The only reason for sale is another Lotus has followed me home and will require all I own to put it back together.
2416R has approximately 47K miles. I have no reason to doubt this is correct. The motor was rebuilt approximately 3K miles ago. When used regularly, it will start right up without the choke and idle smoothly. I have resealed/re-gasketed the engine so no oil leaks, oil burning or blow by on start up. It is tight. The oil stays clean and consumption is negligible. Both carbs have been rebuilt and are now semi-adjustable--for Strombergs--and work great. the carbs are currently running a Pipercross filter, but I've got the original air filter and box. Starter is new, alternator rebuilt. Petronix ingnition Brakes are excellent. Both boosters were removed prior to my ownership. I have either removed or bypassed them on previous cars just so there would be two less things to go south. I do have them and they go with the car. The body & chassis unit are straight as can be with 0 signs of any previous crash or rust damage. Completely stripping the car to bare glass revealed a straight damage free upper body as well. It was incredibly poorly painted, but the crack repair work underneath was of very good quality. We fixed-correctly-any damage or cracks we could find and repainted the whole car-windows and trim all pulled-to the correct shade of its original Lotus Lagoon Blue. The paint code is L14 and is etched onto the VIN tag in the trunk. All seals, gaskets and trim emblems were replaced with new. Headlights are Lucas Tri Bar. All bumpers, door handles and chrome are excellent. Windshield trim is adhesive chrome trim and is in in great shape. All corner brackets are present. Glass is original and good. Rear window seal and stretcher are new. Doors open and close perfectly. NO DROOP. The chassis is excellent. Rust free and straight. Never out, never damaged. All bushings, joints, tie rod ends are new. Shocks are all fully adjustable from Banks Service in the UK. Rear output shafts are all newly sealed. All wheels were stripped and painted with correct gunmetal inserts. Lotus badges are new. Tires are correct, 175/185 front and rear sizes per factory spec. The car was corner/weight balanced. It handles like nothing you've ever driven. I have a 7 and an Elan. No contest, this will run and hide from either. And pretty much anything else. The gearbox is a 5 speed out of a Special. It has been rebuilt and resealed. New clutch, T/O and Pressure plate. The incredibly ridiculous shift linkage was removed and rebuilt with all new Lotus parts and with hand made brass bushings. If you know Europas, you know the shifter is their weak link. It can make an otherwise lovely Europa a huge chunk of awful. This is the best I've ever driven. Still a bit to get used to; you will be hard pressed to find another Europa that shifts this smoothly. The cooling system performs excellently. The original radiator was removed, tested, cleaned, repaired as needed and replaced. A new cooling fan, pusher style, was installed utilizing a manual switch. The car does not overheat. Period. The interior is the the original beige color. All carpeting is new. Headliner custom made using correct material from Banks. Banks console has been padded and covered. Door panels are matching. Dash top is fiberglass core, from Banks, padded and covered with French stitching on the leading edge. New shift boot. New window switches. Dash is from Maderia Concepts. The "Lotus" on the radio plate will come off. It is the original dash re-veneered. Stunning. Original steering wheel was re covered. All new rockers. They all work. Gauges all rebuilt. All work and light up, too. The interior door light works. WOO HOO. New instrument bezel. Seats are original and re-padded. Window motors rebuilt. windows go up and down relatively quickly in their new felt runners. Where I to keep the car, my future "To Do" list is actually pretty short. I would go for stainless steel gas tanks and a cassette water pump. Neither of these areas have shown any indication of failure. I just find these mods to be good insurance for longevity. I would also rebuild and replace the brake boosters. I'd add hood struts. Since the easiest way to do these tasks would be to pull the motor, I decided to wait until it was urgent, or wintertime. I'd give the motor compartment a good detailing at the same time. I have the original spare, tools, workshop manual and some parts. Not much, but some. This is not your average Europa. I, and many others, busted our collective asses on 2416R and it shows. I know this thing inside and out. I wanted to get as close to a brand new Europa as I could. I used almost 30 years of Lotus experience to do it. Not just as new, it has some real neat upgrades for performance and reliability. Yes RELIABILITY. I would attempt to drive this anywhere. I've had it on a few long trips without incident. I have pics of the work and pretty much all of the receipts. There are no excuses or disappointments here. This is a spectacular Europa. I've sold a lot of Lotus stuff on ebay, made a few good pals doing it. I do not want to jeopardize any of that by selling poo. If you want the car, give me a call. If you don't, or just want to break my balls, please leave me alone. This is serious auction for serious bidders that want a quality automobile. $1000 at auctions close. Car goes nowhere til funds clear. I'll do all I can to make this the best deal you've ever made on ebay and help as best I can co-ordinating shippers etc., but all post sale arrangement are up to the buyer. Thanks. Jim 240-626-9032 in Maryland. |