The Anti-Truck: 1974 Lotus Europa
I was talking to someone the other day about the basket case Lotus Europa we featured the other day and from a front 3/4 view he mentioned that he didn’t understand the styling — was it a El Camino style pickup? This was a person who has likely never seen a Europa before in the flesh and what he didn’t understand is just how small the Europa is. You don’t need a large American pickup to contrast with the Europa but with a total height of 42 inches and a weight of 1500 lbs the Europa is dwarfed by just about any car on the market this side of a Smart Car. Even the miniature BMW i3 is 1/2 inch longer, 5 inches wider and almost 2 feet shorter. Now that you understand the scale, you can see that the rear end isn’t high like a truck as much as the front end is low like a skateboard…does that clear it up? Today we’ve got a nicer example of the Europa bidding for a reasonable amount of moneys. Find this 1974 Lotus Europa offered for $12,600 reserve-not-met with 1 day to go, located in Scott Depot, WV via eBay.
From the seller:
Frame off restoration 2010 (Garage kept and not driven much)Few scratches due to being moved around in garageMcCoy Head modified for Webber CarbsType SE CamshaftAll manuals and paperwork includedEXTRA Transmission included (Not sure of type)DetailsDate 10/73VIN 4042RUNIT 7304042R
Item specifics
| Condition: | Used | Year: | 1974 |
| VIN (Vehicle Identification Number): | 4042R | Mileage: | 38435 |
| Number of Cylinders: | 4 | For Sale By: | Private Seller |
| Fuel Type: | Gasoline | Drive Side: | Left-hand drive |
| Exterior Color: | Green | Model: | Europa |
| Transmission: | Manual | Make: | Lotus |
| Vehicle Title: | Clean |
Here is a Petrolicious (RIP…) video about a hipster who has an orange Europa and spends a lot of time in slow motion with a dirty coveralls and a screwdriver.
See a better way to drive something fun? tips@dailyturismo.com
Assume you will not fit.
I think I was the only person in the theater when I took my son to the harry potter movie who saw the flying ford anglia and thought “ohh front bumper for the lotus europa “
Really, google ford anglia and imagine that you are Colin Chapman designing the front end of your futuristic mid engine car and need a character defining bumper. That’s genius right there.
Nice.
I remember watching one of the guys from Pawn Stars fold himself into one of these a while back and I thought, “yeah, we can cross this one of the dream car list.” That has got to be a claustrophobic experience for anyone taller than 5’6″.
Belatedly, I approve of this green.