OT: Lotus Europa, Someone gimme the skinny!!! |
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OT: Lotus Europa, Someone gimme the skinny!!! |
ninefourteener |
Jun 10 2005, 04:23 PM
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#1
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Perfectly Normal Guy :) Group: Members Posts: 1,216 Joined: 3-June 03 From: St. Louis, MO Member No.: 779 |
So I just got back from my vacation to Florida....... Had a blast (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smile.gif)
On the way home, while stopping at one of those road-side "jams, jellies, and pecans" places.... I found a classic car dealership and peeked through the window. ........ where I found a car I've seen a thousand pictures of...... but never actually seen one in person...... a 1972 Lotus Europa. Same appeal as the 914.... tiny, nimble, rear engine, 2-seater, etc. Oh yea.... and it looks wild.. like nothing else out there....... much like the way I fell in love with 914s. Plus.... the cost is low.... gotta love that. So...... whats up with these cars? Are they fast? Handle well? reliable? piece of crap? expensive to buy parts? easy to modify? etc. I'd like to hear from anyone thats ever owned or driven one..... and their thoughts. Thanks!!! Matt here's a pic... for those that have no idea what one looks like (not the one I saw) Attached image(s) |
jhadler |
Jun 10 2005, 04:49 PM
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#2
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Long term tinkerer... Group: Members Posts: 1,879 Joined: 7-April 03 From: Lyons, CO Member No.: 529 |
The Lotus Europa is very similar to the 914 in that it's often an accepting platform for modifications. The Europa is VERY light (1500 lbs), with a body that is nearly all fiberglass. The first generation had the body bonded to the frame, the later models were bolted.
Later models had a 1500 cc twin-cam motor that put out 125 hp stock. A pretty potent car in it's day, and these days is a choice chassis for building SUPER autox cars. Some of the top cars in SCCA D-Modified and E-Modified are built on the Europa chassis. One I'm thinking of has a turbo charged 13B rotary in it. And in racing trim tips the scales at just over 1000 lbs... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/boldblue.gif) -Josh2 |