Cage Free: 1972 Lotus Europa
You know that I’ve never been a big fan of barn finds, mostly because animals don’t belong in barns, they belong on my dinner plate — no, that’s not right. The reason I don’t like barn finds is because they represent the worst hoarders attitude in sellers and the worst rosy eye glasses attitudes in buyers. I detest it when people pay top dollar for the honor of putting beaucoup bucks into some old hulk when they could have purchased a running/driving version for less than the net sum of their investment, and don’t get me started on people trying to pass off high mile daily driven cars as barn finds with a bad advertisement and a handful of dirt. The only reason you should consider an old neglected car that has been abandoned by the seller to rot in a shed is because it is offered for free or next-to-nothing. So if you find a Lotus Europa that is offered for half the going rate of a good one…it might be worth the car wash to see if it cleans up. Find this 1972 Lotus Europa offered for $9000 in Knightsen, CA via craigslist.
From the seller:
1972 lotus europa
condition: fair
cylinders: 4 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 47000
paint color: white
title status: clean
transmission: manual
type: coupe
Project car/ barn find
seats and center consol professionally redone plus new tires and wheels(I still have the originals)
not running… not yet at least
See a better way to drive a Lotus? tips@dailyturismo.com
Oeuf! This is about 30 miles away from me. Seems to be at the Brentwood Marina on the island named Holland Tract. Hasn’t flooded since 1979, no dairy farms close by so the acid fog risk is low. Now if I only had the space and the money at the moment.
BTW, the Amazon box in the trunk and all the dust wiped off of the sides indicates at least some recent investigation.
Since I’ve never driven one of these help me understand the appeal — is the suspension and/or engine otherworldly? It would be super cool to own a Lotus once in this life but the size of these cars scares the heck out of me.
I haven’t driven one since 1972. They are sweet little cars. The ride is wonderful, ventilation is terrible, the engine is the one letdown. Like an old Mercedes diesel you don’t want to let the speed drop and the suspension means you don’t often need to.
Not the best car in traffic as it’s lower than most cars’ window line. Early morning country roads are the place to be. Not sure what would connect to the Renault transaxle but I’d think a 90’s Toyota twincam without computer crap would transform it.