UP NEXT
A boyhood dream becomes a sports roadster reality.
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Films:
1969 Lotus Europa: Orange Slice
Saw my first Europa in probably 1979. It was a bit of a beater, but there was something magic about it. I remember walking around the car, looking for badging to figure out what it was. It was so unique and odd. I fell in love with it. didn’t see another until maybe decades later. Love this car and what a great video! Just curious Spencer if you read this, if you can tell me if this pic is your race car. Love the mod target by the way.
The Europa is one of those cars whose driving experience is nearly impossible to describe. The car has nothing that is not necessary to propel it down the road and through corners with a sense of connectedness that is unknown in modern cars. It fits even my 6’2″ inch frame like a 1,500 pound driving suit that is hard wired to the tarmac. I last drove one over 35 years ago and the experience is still burned in my memory. I still want one just as bad as I did that day, although time and other temptations have tempered my willingness to deal with the car’s many shortcomings. I may well never buy one … and my driving life will be lesser for that fact. But who knows, when time is full the Lotus may yet appear and I will be unable to resist being carried away on this sublime British magic carpet of an automobile – a car unlike anything that has come before or after.
Growing up in the 60’s in the middle of Oklahoma I didn’t know much about cars beyond Ford, Chevy’s and Mopar (Dad was a New Yorker fan) and the occasional Beetle. Then one day I saw a early review of a Europa in some car magazine and it was like an revelation. What a cool car! There were other cars out there beyond 2 ton wallowing whales. Ever since, despite their shortcomings, Europa’s have always been a favorite. Seriously planning on getting one after I finish up my 62 MG Midget Mark I. By the way, fantastic video and love this guy’s attitude. A car doesn’t have to be a trailer queen to be perfect.
I guess you’re such a horses ass because every darned day you have to wake up and be you. All day.
Usually when you insult peoples efforts I just shrug but this time the owner whose car and taste in color you dismiss is a person I have got to know from some vintage racing events. Spencer is a sincere, committed enthusiast with real passion for these cars. You, Guitar Slinger are a complete zero.
This is a brilliant car. I have always loved them, but with a 6’3″ frame it is a bit tough to get into, so I never seriously looked. You know that the Brits have made tons of modifications to this car and have all the parts to put a Focus engine into it. It may not be the same old school engine, but it’ll be much more reliable and quicker.
PS I too would love to see your track car.
You know, if you want to build some skills with your car there is no time to start like the present. When I learned you pretty much had to learn from some one who had ‘the knowledge’. I apprenticed with the bad-boy of Boston Porsche repair at the time: Woodrow Chan. Later I moved to Peter Seferian’s Cambridge restoration shop. Now, given the number of really very good videos, the on-line forums, and the ease of finding local clubs for your favorite marque, learning is far easier. You can watch a video of someone doing a procedure right before you do it, with all the tools, sequences, hard points, and torque values called out.
One of the BEST Petrolicious film ever! Second only to the “Uncompromising Legendary Lancia Stratos” presentation with Phil Toledano! Spencer Canon, you are my hero!
Interesting to see so many 914 owners chiming in; yes, I admit, I’d pretend I was driving the “unattainable Europa” when I drove my 914! Someday, someday I will have one – another life perhaps!
“Lotus position” LOL.
Great video featuring one of my favorite handsome if quirky looking (in a good way!) sports cars. Too bad that they don’t show up around my neck of the woods very often. Passionate down-to-earth guy without exuding some of the entitlement attitude or mock humility of a few of the other owners of featured automobiles. Finally, the (thankfully) mostly unobtrusive music seems to fit the story quite well and complements rather than distracts.
Curb weight for these cars is listed as being between 1,350 to 1,570 pounds depending on the model. So these are really very light for a car used primarily on the street. I agree with you that 100 hp is enough to move the car briskly. Given how low the car sits, compared to the size of the wheels, the CG and the Roll Center have to be exceedingly close. Spencer tells us that there is some roll in the corners, but it cannot be much.
Very nice. Great to see a knowledgable and passionate owner keeping these cars alive and well. As a 914 owner, I look at the Europa as a kind of vintage kindred spirit, both with styling and packaging that seems born directly from their engineering. Unique and oddly wonderful is the result.
