I found a $200 Lotus Europa

"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44) 05/23/2015 at 15:36 • Filed to: None

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Should I go for it? Here’s what I know:

The engine is seized, one A-arm has rusted off the mounts and is hanging loosely, it’s been sitting outside for about 15 years.

What do you guys think? I’m going to check it out in person tomorrow morning.

KatzManDu > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 15:38

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Do it. It needs to be rescued.

Parts can be had.

TheHondaBro > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 15:39

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YESYESYESYESYEYSEYESYEYESYESYESYEYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYEYSEYS

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 15:40

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High quantities of awesome

Bandit > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 15:40

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Save it. At the very worst you can get that in scrap value probably.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Bandit 05/23/2015 at 15:42

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Yeah but I’ll be out two tows haha

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > KatzManDu 05/23/2015 at 15:42

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Dude says if I don’t buy it, he’s going to junk it :(

Jedidiah > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 15:43

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If controls arms are rotting off, I’m gonna say no. It will take welding and cutting of the frame to get it road worthy, which is expensive and time consuming and not worth doing to a $200 car.

Unless you need Lotus parts, that’s $200 you can spend on something that runs.

Birddog > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 15:43

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Hell Yes!

If it’s too much of a project break it down and part it out.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Jedidiah 05/23/2015 at 15:44

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That’s my nagging thought. If the frame has serious rust, I’m walking. but I can buy new a arms so that’s not too much of an issue. it’s also going to be a TON of work for a ratty car

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 15:46

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Talk dude into “free”. Take body off, put body onto 1st gen miata. Drive car.

Dsscats > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 15:48

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Yes.

GhostZ > KatzManDu 05/23/2015 at 15:49

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Even a single intact body panel would be enough to make up the price I would think.

Jedidiah > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 15:51

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I restored a $100 Cutlass, it’s only worth anything to me and I invested a ton of money. I was lucky that I had a good frame and the original engine ran.

Trust me, unless you are well secured with your finances, you will never come out of this with a profit. It’s going to be worse than It looks, I promise.

Since the Europa is body on frame, it might be possible to just get mounts for the control arms welded back on. If this was a monocoque or unibody car, it would be borderline impossible to maintain any structural rigidity if it had significant rust damage.

You will wind up replacing everything. ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING. The only good parts on the car will be trim pieces.

KatzManDu > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 15:52

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DO it DO it DO it!

Dsscats > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 15:59

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This shouldn’t even be a question. The exterior is actually in relatively nice condition, and it would be glorious to drive this around restored underneath and ratty up top.

Schaefft > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 16:01

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If hes going to junk it hes gonna take 100$ as well.

LongbowMkII > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 16:02

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Lotus project owner here.

where is it located? what year is it?

The frame is 99.99% shot, there are replacements available.

motor’s shot? that’s ok no one loves the 1.5l renault anyways. swaps have been done, check out some details on lotus-europa.com

check the fiberglass, if it’s rotted on bottom its... bad. (load bearing structure)

save the wheels, those bolt patterns are a pain to find. at the very least there are enough parts to break even if you want to help others save their Europas. no sense in letting it go to waste.

Wheelerguy > KatzManDu 05/23/2015 at 16:03

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Elise/Evora innards should do the trick.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 16:07

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Yes. Thats cheap even for a shell.

LongbowMkII > GhostZ 05/23/2015 at 16:07

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Glass is probably the best moneymaker. also, chrome trim/bumper caps. there are only a few pieces of fiberglass and the main tub is the most in demand since it can crack over time, or rot while parked. the boot lid, frunk lid and front fenders tend to be in OK shape even after sitting. The wheels look good though.

LongbowMkII > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 05/23/2015 at 16:09

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not even close to fitting. Miatas look like vettes next to these.

LongbowMkII > Dsscats 05/23/2015 at 16:10

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unfortunately it doesnt work that way, if the floor is rotten 60% of the body has to be replaced.

duurtlang > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 16:16

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If the underside is gone it doesn’t look like a restoration candidate. Or part it out, or fabricate something to make it solid and do an engine swap. Not that I’d be able to do such a thing, but you might.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > LongbowMkII 05/23/2015 at 16:18

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Hi! Thanks for the expertise! The car is in rural Ontario. Where should I check for rust? Are there mounting points from the body to the backbone that are prone to failure? How hard will it be to replace the front a arms?

LongbowMkII > LongbowMkII 05/23/2015 at 16:24

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for reference the frame is essentially a I beam split into a Y in the back third with assorted mounting points. My replacement frame is hanging on my parent’s garage wall. not very substantial at all.

KatzManDu > Wheelerguy 05/23/2015 at 16:28

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True since it’s all Japanese reliable parts. Although a turbo 4-banger from the 1990s Esprits would be most apropos.

LongbowMkII > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 16:42

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haha, I’d hardly call myself an expert, I’m a project owner, not a Europa owner. There are only 6 mounting points (on the S2 as pictured) but you’ll need to check under the car to see any stress fractures in the fiberglass. hey, at least it isn’t glued like the earliest ones!

here’s a general guide on body removal:

http://lotus-europa.com/manuals/misc/b…

Obviously you’ll need a friend.

JDIGGS > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 16:58

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wtf u can buy these for under 5k in great shape.

What loser is trying to drive the price up of these

Dsscats > LongbowMkII 05/23/2015 at 17:48

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I didn’t see that the floor was rotting

JR1 > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 18:00

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Hell for 200 dollars I would drive to Canada and buy it. If you don’t buy it we can never be friends

asyed3 > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/23/2015 at 18:48

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Didnt take me long to find this article xD

- I was the guy diagonally across the table from you at todays cruise :P

Old-Busted-Hotness > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/24/2015 at 07:38

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Years ago I chased down all the parts for a nut & bolt restoration on one of these and watched/helped in the process. I will say without equivocation, EVERYTHING about these cars is a pain in the ass. A $200 example, even more so. Don’t bother looking if you’re over 5’4 as you just won’t fit inside.

It likely needs a whole frame replacement. At the very least the body needs to come off to see just how bad the rust is (and it’ll be really bad if the suspension is falling off). You’ll need to spend 20-30 grand to get it back into shape, and that’s doing most of the work yourself.

The good news is you can get that $200 back easy just by selling the wheels and hubcaps. They’re hard to find in any condition. Buy it and part it out. It doesn’t deserve to be scrapped and there’s not enough metal to scrap anyway.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > LongbowMkII 05/24/2015 at 12:38

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Just an idea. ~120hp and 1500 lbs could be scary in a car like that.

RacinBob > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams 05/25/2015 at 19:56

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How about this on BAT? http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1973-l…

If you got it for $7k, you would probably be about $9k ahead of restoring that $200 Lotus to the same condition..... Currently $3300 - Auction ends in two days.....