The Lotus Europa, with its tiny, ultra-low “bread wagon” body, has always been an oddball on the American market. A huge percentage of the population can’t fit into it. But for those built to a compact size—with small feet—this 1971 example in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin on Facebook Marketplace is well worth a second look. It has 85,000 miles on the odometer (a lot for a Europa), and the asking price is $12,000. Thanks to Mike from Wisconsin for the tip.
The car has been well treated. It was never hit and appears to have been stored indoors for quite a while. These cars had fiberglass bodies, so rust isn’t an issue but damage to the fiberglass is. The steel backbone chassis, that’s what rusts. No rot is visible in the photos, but there are no undercarriage shots.
The engine was rebuilt before storage, and was reportedly running well when put away. The original interior is promised to be “very nice,” and from what we can see, it is. The engine has a “rare Hermes intake [manifold] with Weber carb.” That’s about it for info on this one.
From the photos, the yellow Europa got some bodywork to the nose and side panels, and is partially in primer. It really does seem that getting it back on the road won’t be a heavy lift, assuming that that rebuilt engine hasn’t seized during its long layover. It’s going to need brakes, suspension, maybe a new gas tank—or at least a thorough cleaning of the fuel system.
The Europa was produced from 1966 to 1975, so this is a relatively late S2 example. A total of 9,230 were built. The two-seat, mid-engine car was to be a volume leader for Lotus. The Europa’s initial aluminum-block 1.47-liter engine was originally sourced from the Renault 16. The U.S. version was a 1.6-liter version with 80 horsepower, which was only enough because the car was so light. It could reach 121 mph and did zero to 60 in 9.3 seconds in S1 form, via European testing.
A four-speed gearbox was standard. Later Europas got the Ford-based 105-horsepower Lotus twin-cam engine also used in the Elan. In its ultimate form, the Lotus engine produced 113 horsepower. U.S. cars didn’t get the Lotus twin-cam until early 1972, so this car appears to have the Renault unit.
Other features of the Europa are four-wheel independent suspension with steering via the Triumph Herald. By the Series 2 (3,615 produced), the car had electric windows, a wood dash, and full carpeting. Bigger door handles were added. Road & Track tested a Series 2 with the emissions-regulated 1.5-liter Renault engine and got zero to 60 in 9.7 seconds and a 116-mph top speed.
If you fit into it, these cars are fun pocket rockets. Classic.com puts the average recent sale at $22,476, so if you buy this one for $12,000 you have some money to spend before you’re under water.
Motor looks pretty grubby for having been rebuilt, even considering the car has been stored awhile.
That “air filter” gave me the willies …
That’s a lot of corrosion on the aluminum and rust on the exhaust. I’d look real closely underneath before I would move on this one. Think the price is pretty hefty for the overall condition of the car. If it’s worth fixing they are pretty easy to work on and parts are readily available.
I worked for a Lotus dealer, back when this car was new. We installed lots of Hermes kits on them. I always liked test driving the finished product, even if my feet were really too big for the pedal spacing. We built super 7s from kits, too.
Imagine that another lotus that used to run .
I’m happy to see i’m not the only one that comments when a Lotus shows up with a box of parts and not running.
I had a early one many years ago, my friend had the TC, he had one problem after another. Look at that air filter, no center wire on the distributor cap, posted 8 weeks ago, yes these have gone up in price, but still asking too much.
I have one in my driveway, they’re very simple to work on and most parts are not too expensive. There are also some suppliers that make new repro parts for these too..
One of my two S2s came to me needing a carb cleaning. After that both of them ran and drove without any problems.
I have the little Matchbox version with the opening doors….LOL. That’s as close as I will likely ever be to one. They are neat looking little cars. Great color on this one.
My first Lotus (of the three that I have owned – still have a 1965 Elan). My Europa was perfect in every way, having been meticulously maintained by an engineer who was also an active vintage racer. IIRC Hermes offered different levels of upgrade kits – mine had the Weber, a proper header, and a camshaft. It was a well-engineered package – ran like a locomotive, never a stumble. it was a car that I never, ever should have sold.
And for the naysayers about Lotus reliability etc., you can put your sarcasm away. They were no less reliable than other British cars of the day (yes, I do see the irony in that statement). Properly maintained, a Lotus at the time was a fine car, and still is today.
This one though, is grossly overpriced given its condition as per previous comments. At half the ask, you’ll still have a big project on your hands, and I would be really concerned about the chassis given the rough shape of the rest of what we see here.
And I am not certain it hasn’t been hit. No front bumper, and a primered repair across the width of the front of the car – I suspect it has been hit.
cheers,
bt
…I have one sitting here now and I agree with bill. I have owned three of these, and back in the day, when in the military in my type 54, I criss crossed the country many times. kind of fun actually, never having to slow down for much of anything but traffic, lol, and so comfortable to travel in, it was hard to stay awake…
A Type 54 Bugatti? One of six made? Wow.
…type 54 Europa, but I don’t think I would have made the trips in a Bugatti…too drafty