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Unrestored Lotus Europa Tcs, 5 Speed, Jps Colors. They Are Original Only Once. on 2040-cars

Year:1974 Mileage:26000
Location:

Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States

Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States

I am relisting this car. A local buyer failed to sell his car in the agreed time window so she is up for grabs again. Thank you.

This unrestored 5 speed is a rare find. To find any 40 year old car (let alone a Lotus) in this condition is a rare thing. People think it was restored. This amazingly well preserved example has had 3 previous owners. I bought it last year, having wanted one since I was a teenager. It sat in a garage for 20 years, but was started every now and then. It has great oil pressure and drives beautifully. Here is a list of what I did to it. I'm probably forgetting some things. I have most of the parts I removed and can give them to the new owner. This car would be a contender in any preservation class car show.

I replaced the brake master cylinder, rear slave cylinders, front calipers and flex hoses. I removed the boosters (they had corroded inside), flushed and bled the system. I fitted new Greenstuff front brake pads. It has good pedal feel and you can lock the front wheels with moderate foot pressure.
I flushed the fuel system and replaced the rubber fuel line in the engine bay, fitted a new fuel filter and cleaned and rebuilt the Strombergs with new gaskets.
I replaced the spark plugs, wires, cap & rotor and fitted a Petronix electronic ignition module and coil.
I went through the shifter linkage and replaced worn or dubious looking parts. I polished and rebushed the bottom of the gearlever and cleaned and adjusted the detent at the rear of the gearbox. Gears are easy to find, no accidental reverse or 5th gear shifts. 
New battery and alternator belt. 
I replaced the old fan motor with a modern unit. 
I replaced the old heater valve with a new one, the original leaked once I opened it.
I gave it a tune up.

A few relevant observations:

The water hoses look to be in great condition, I think they were replaced by a previous owner. 
The front floor mats were replaced with Coco mats by a previous owner.
The body is in great shape but not as nice as restored cars I have seen, I believe they came from the factory with paint jobs that would not pass muster today. It has a few scrapes at the rear wheel arch, some crazing in the hood and rear fender and a blemish on the front fender. I tried to photograph them.
There is a small crack in the laquer on the dashboard as can be seen in the photo.
There is a fogging in the upper left part part of the windscreen (delamination??) as in the photos.
The rev counter does not work. I believe it has to do with the electronic ignition, but I do not know enough about these cars to confirm or deny this. 
I have the wheel caps, drivers handbook and service manuals.
The tires are old and if I was keeping the car I would replace them with modern rubber but they are "period correct" as best I know so I kept them. Modern new tires will improve the cornering. 

I am selling it for the following reasons: 

I am 6'3" with size 13 shoes and while I fit in the car I have to drive it barefoot. I have got plantar fascitis and that makes it difficult. The passenger seat does not suit my wife. If I were to keep it I would have to modify the car and it is too nice a vehicle to mess with. I have no problem modifying an old car but I am not that big a heathen. I am not rich enough or young enough to own all the cars on my "bucket list" and a Jaguar MKII is the next one I want (unless another shiney bauble crosses my path). I think my days of miniscule sports cars are behind me. Whether one buys my car or not if you like true pure sports cars you owe it yourself to have a Europa. They are all they are reputed to be on a twisty road. They must have been a revelation 40 years ago and we will never see their like in a new car showroom again. This car has never let me down or failed to start. There are better restored cars out there (the blue one currently advertised looks very nice) but I think you would be hard pressed to find a nicer original Europa. 

I am not a professional mechanic and I would urge the new owner to get it checked out by a qualified technician to ensure its safety and reliability. The car is for sale locally and may not be available by the time this auction ends. I will do what I can to help with shipping (at new owners expense) and require a $2,000.00 deposit at the end of the auction.

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Lotus drops Renault for Mercedes F1 engines

Tue, 08 Jul 2014

With only three manufacturers supplying engines in Formula One this season, the teams have been fairly evenly split: Ferrari, Sauber and Marussia use Ferrari engines; Mercedes, McLaren, Williams and Force India run on Mercedes power; Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Lotus and Caterham employ Renault power units. But one important team is reportedly preparing to ditch Renault and switch to Mercedes for next year.
That team is Lotus, an outfit which has fallen off its pace the past few seasons but which has still been a vital partner for Renault. That's because until a few seasons ago, the team based in Enstone, UK, was owned by Renault and bore the company's name. The operation was founded in 1981 as Toleman, was rechristened Benetton in 1986, bought by Renault 2000, taking the company's name in 2002, sold to its current owners Genii Capital 2009 and adopting the black and gold Lotus livery in 2011. As Benetton, it ran Ford engines until switching to Renault in 1995, sticking with the French outfit ever since, but that decades-long partnership - which meandered through Renault ownership and back out again - is now apparently drawing to a close.
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That designer is the appropriately named Russell Carr, who had previously held the post until Bahar brought in his former compatriot Donato Coco (with whom he had previously served at Ferrari) and charged him with designing a series of ambitious but ill-fated concept cars that debuted at the 2010 Paris Motor Show and were subsequently axed on Bahar's way out. Now Coco has been shown the door as well, effective at the end of this month. In his place, Carr - who has been with Lotus since 1990 - has been given back his old job after having been demoted to playing second fiddle to Coco for five years.
Although both Gales and Coco both served in senior positions at PSA Peugeot Citroën, Gales didn't join the French automaker until 2009 - the same year that Coco joined Lotus, five years after having left PSA to work at Ferrari.

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