I found my old Europa! - LotusTalk

tesprit · 12-20-2007, 07:22 PM

Just for fun I did a search using the VIN (0316R) from my old S2 Europa on Google and found my old car is still alive and well! I spent an incredible amount of time restoring this car from the frame up and I am amazed to see it in the same condition as it was when I sold it in 1996. The engine was a modded Renault Gordini and I custom made the aluminum valve cover, intake manifolds for the DCOEs, and the aluminum oil pan myself on the machine tools in my garage. The restoration began because my neighbor backed over the front end of the car with the rear of her Suburban and her trailer hitch tore through the nose and destroyed the bumper. At the time, body parts and a bumper were hard to source, but I found the ground effects kit and decided it was a great way to repair the damage. One thing led to another and pretty soon the entire car was apart in my garage and the full restoration from the bare frame up began. It is hard to believe it still has the same body work, paint, interior, wheels, and engine as the day I sold it. If you want to see photos of the car check out this link: http://lotus-europa2.com/picview.asp?page=0316r The only change I can see from the new owner is the added fire extinguisher. I sold the Europa to get some of the money I needed for my Turbo Esprit (my avatar) which was subsequently sold to get some of the money needed for my Elise. I just want to say thanks to the new owner for taking such good care of my old car over the years--it really means a lot to me!

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2006PolarBlueElise · 12-20-2007, 07:52 PM

That's a great find!

I always wanted to know what happened to my good 'ol '68 Fiat 850 Spider.

shay2nak · 12-20-2007, 10:38 PM

looks awesome.

AlanS · 12-21-2007, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2006PolarBlueElise

That's a great find!

I always wanted to know what happened to my good 'ol '68 Fiat 850 Spider.

Uhh! probably gone to the great road course in the sky like my '73 124 Spider.

Uncle Sam · 12-21-2007, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlanS

Uhh! probably gone to the great road course in the sky like my '73 124 Spider.

If it was anything like my 1975 124 Spider either the brakes gave out and it went off a cliff, or it went to The Great Rust Bucket starting from the rocker panels and growing from there.

It was my first car and I loved it for three years. I just wish that the love affair lasted only 1 1/2 years, that's when the decline began.

At least I didn't get an MGB!

Dmbrown34 · 12-21-2007, 04:01 PM

I love how ugly those cars seem to be....never have seen on in person though~!

You have to be a true car nut to love them! (I would drive it)

Dmbrown34 · 12-21-2007, 04:07 PM

Very good job on the resto! Wish there was a photo from underneath for some reason...

tesprit · 12-21-2007, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dmbrown34

I love how ugly those cars seem to be....never have seen on in person though~!

You have to be a true car nut to love them! (I would drive it)

I think they are even uglier in person

, but in their day these were incredibly low and race car like. The styling was driven by aerodynamics and not aesthetics--they also had one of the lowest coefficients of drag of their day. If you think the Elise is small and low you have never stood next to a Europa!

tesprit · 12-21-2007, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dmbrown34

Very good job on the resto! Wish there was a photo from underneath for some reason...

Thanks! That was a long time ago and it appears to have held up well. The underside isn't too exciting--just flat fiberglass floors and the backbone folded sheet steel chassis running down the middle of the car.

Dmbrown34 · 12-21-2007, 04:29 PM

Yeah, Ive read about the coefficient of drag on the Europa.

I think thats why I love Lotus so much...on pretty much every car (Except the Elise) performance was chosen over looks!

AlanS · 12-22-2007, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Sam

If it was anything like my 1975 124 Spider either the brakes gave out and it went off a cliff, or it went to The Great Rust Bucket starting from the rocker panels and growing from there.

It was my first car and I loved it for three years. I just wish that the love affair lasted only 1 1/2 years, that's when the decline began.

At least I didn't get an MGB!

Yeah, even at five years old when I bought it, my Spider was pretty rusty, but still structurally sound. The car was my first sports car and a lot of fun in its day but would probably feel like a truck if I drove one now. Better not to ruin the memories!

JWA · 12-22-2007, 05:11 PM

Wow, very cool car Dan. Those Panasports look especially nice on there. It's neat that you found it. I'm always peaking at "New Elise" posts to see if it's my old car. So far I haven't seen it.

2006PolarBlueElise · 12-22-2007, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlanS

Uhh! probably gone to the great road course in the sky like my '73 124 Spider.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Sam

If it was anything like my 1975 124 Spider either the brakes gave out and it went off a cliff, or it went to The Great Rust Bucket starting from the rocker panels and growing from there.

It was my first car and I loved it for three years. I just wish that the love affair lasted only 1 1/2 years, that's when the decline began.

At least I didn't get an MGB!

It was actually in really good condition. With the assistance from a couple of friends, we rebuild the tiny engine: cylinder hone, new rings. valves, etc... In fact, the engine was so light I literally lifted the engine/manifold out with just my arms, and carried it to and placed it into the trunk of my other car.
The body was all sanded and primed... the interior was in great condition, and it was garaged kept until... like an idiot, I gave it to a former girlfriend's brother.

bfm01 · 12-29-2007, 04:28 PM

congrat's!
I'd love to know where my old Europa Special is....I think about it often. its number is 4303R can't seem to find it. Sites say the number is too short but I know that's what it was? Any thoughts?

tesprit · 12-29-2007, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfm01

congrat's!
I'd love to know where my old Europa Special is....I think about it often. its number is 4303R can't seem to find it. Sites say the number is too short but I know that's what it was? Any thoughts?

I found my Europa listed in this registry: http://lotus-europa.com/regall.html I tried to find 4303R, but the closest one listed was 4308R. The owner would have to post it to the registry and it appears the current owner of your Europa has not.

bfm01 · 12-31-2007, 12:02 PM

thanks for trying...it was a great car with many wonderful memories attached.

12-20-2007, 07:22 PM	#1 (permalink)
tesprit Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Racine, WI Posts: 1,925	I found my old Europa! Just for fun I did a search using the VIN (0316R) from my old S2 Europa on Google and found my old car is still alive and well! I spent an incredible amount of time restoring this car from the frame up and I am amazed to see it in the same condition as it was when I sold it in 1996. The engine was a modded Renault Gordini and I custom made the aluminum valve cover, intake manifolds for the DCOEs, and the aluminum oil pan myself on the machine tools in my garage. The restoration began because my neighbor backed over the front end of the car with the rear of her Suburban and her trailer hitch tore through the nose and destroyed the bumper. At the time, body parts and a bumper were hard to source, but I found the ground effects kit and decided it was a great way to repair the damage. One thing led to another and pretty soon the entire car was apart in my garage and the full restoration from the bare frame up began. It is hard to believe it still has the same body work, paint, interior, wheels, and engine as the day I sold it. If you want to see photos of the car check out this link: http://lotus-europa2.com/picview.asp?page=0316r The only change I can see from the new owner is the added fire extinguisher. I sold the Europa to get some of the money I needed for my Turbo Esprit (my avatar) which was subsequently sold to get some of the money needed for my Elise. I just want to say thanks to the new owner for taking such good care of my old car over the years--it really means a lot to me! Last edited by tesprit : 12-20-2007 at 08:00 PM.

12-20-2007, 07:52 PM	#2 (permalink)
2006PolarBlueElise AZ Classic Car Enthusiast Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: southeast of Phoenix AZ Posts: 343	That's a great find! I always wanted to know what happened to my good 'ol '68 Fiat 850 Spider. __________________ 2009 Ford Fusion SE 2006 Elise 2000 Honda CRV 1992 Dodge Stealth 1990 Kawasaki Vulcan Motorcycle 1953 Packard Clipper & 1940 Packard 110 Sedan

12-20-2007, 10:38 PM	#3 (permalink)
shay2nak I <3 chicken, I <3 liver Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Land of da 1000 Oaks, CA Posts: 15,042	looks awesome. __________________ save ~10 lbs gain 1 hp EQ: Y=(190X) / (1984-X) where Y is (HP) and X is (lbs) '07 EXIGE S * MY CAR ** VIDEOS! '08 ACURA TSX 6-speed http://www.makeNYNYagain.com

12-21-2007, 04:01 PM	#6 (permalink)
Dmbrown34 Grrrrrr Baby Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 1,617	I love how ugly those cars seem to be....never have seen on in person though~! You have to be a true car nut to love them! (I would drive it) __________________ 2005 Lotus Elise LSS 2003 Corvette 50th Anniversary Convertible

12-21-2007, 04:07 PM	#7 (permalink)
Dmbrown34 Grrrrrr Baby Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 1,617	Very good job on the resto! Wish there was a photo from underneath for some reason... __________________ 2005 Lotus Elise LSS 2003 Corvette 50th Anniversary Convertible

12-21-2007, 04:29 PM	#10 (permalink)
Dmbrown34 Grrrrrr Baby Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 1,617	Yeah, Ive read about the coefficient of drag on the Europa. I think thats why I love Lotus so much...on pretty much every car (Except the Elise) performance was chosen over looks! __________________ 2005 Lotus Elise LSS 2003 Corvette 50th Anniversary Convertible

12-22-2007, 05:11 PM	#12 (permalink)
JWA #33 Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Racine, WI Posts: 3,737	Wow, very cool car Dan. Those Panasports look especially nice on there. It's neat that you found it. I'm always peaking at "New Elise" posts to see if it's my old car. So far I haven't seen it.

12-29-2007, 04:28 PM	#14 (permalink)
bfm01 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Diego, Little Italy Posts: 176	congrat's! I'd love to know where my old Europa Special is....I think about it often. its number is 4303R can't seem to find it. Sites say the number is too short but I know that's what it was? Any thoughts? __________________ Boomerang

12-31-2007, 12:02 PM	#16 (permalink)
bfm01 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Diego, Little Italy Posts: 176	thanks for trying...it was a great car with many wonderful memories attached. __________________ Boomerang

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