LOTUS EUROPA SPECIAL 1972 Black/Gold coach lines

I bought this car from Bell and Colvill on 1st May 1974 (part exchanging it with my Lotus Europa S2), and I have owned it since then, over 51 years. The V5C shows no previous owner but, in fact, I am the second owner. I bought it 16 months after it was built in December 1972.

I ran the car as my daily driver for many years, some of it in Europe in the 1970s. In the 1990s, after 74,200 miles, the car required a rebuild. So, it was completely rebuilt by Dick Swindall and BSS (Europa Engineering) using a Spyder space frame chassis, Spyder rear suspension conversion, roll over bar and side intrusion members. P.R.M. Coachworks repaired the body where necessary, repainted it and applied new coach lines. The gearbox and transaxle were refurbished by Nicol Transmission.

The engine was rebuilt in 2005 by John Smirthwaite and developed 150 bhp. It is a very tractable and smooth engine. Since then, the car has done approximately 12,500 road miles. The current total mileage of the car is 86,670 all of which, except the first couple of thousand, were driven by me. The most recent work has been the replacement of the clutch and clutch cable.

The car comes with its original handbook, service and rebuild record, workshop manual, car cover, tool kit, Lotus Classic Certificate of Vehicle Provenance, Club Lotus Valuation Certificate, and file of invoices and other documents. I have kept my own jobs list since the rebuild. Club Lotus valued the car at £38,000 in June 2023.

In 2022, James Martin of JayEmm on Cars road tested this car; the video can found on his YouTube website entitled DRIVEN 1972 Lotus Europa Special. He praised the car very highly but noted the standard gear change made it possible to down change into reverse. I've since modified the linkage to prevent this. This road test has attracted 157,000 views and over 750 comments reaffirming the appeal of the car. The car always attracts admiring attention, particularly at car shows, and enthusiasts take photos of it as I drive on the road.

I am now too elderly to continue driving my much-loved Lotus Europa Special. So, I am offering this cherished, fully sorted and extremely competent car for sale to someone who has similar enthusiasm and capabilities who will ensure the car lives on for another era.