Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Members Cars => Topic started by: bozman on Wednesday,June 01, 2016, 06:54:30 PM
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So, long story short . . . my dad bought this exact '69 Europa (54-1540) used in 1973, 2 years before I was born, he raced it some, and drove it very sparingly. I inherited it after he passed in '93, sold it before being stationed in Hawaii in '98 because I couldn't take to with me, severely regretted it, posted a "want ad" on a Lotus-Europa.com, and then after 8 years of searching and waiting, I was contacted by someone that found it, located in Puerto Rico, of all places. I bought it, had it shipped back (after 3 months of paperwork and more waiting), and now it sits in my garage! It needs some work, but that's the fun part. It actually still has a sticker in the back window that my Dad slapped on nearly 45 years ago.
It had the black nose badge, which I will be replacing, carries the "Europe" trunk emblem and only has 46k km on it. That's right. The odometer is in km.
Plans? remove the yellow stripes, reset the windshield, swap out the fluids, go through it over time, enjoy seeing it at first, then enjoy driving it, and ultimately pass it down to one of my 3 kids as life goes on.
The first few pics of the car are from 1998, the yellow stripes were added sometime in between then and now.
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What a great story! Congratulations on getting your dad's old 'Europe' back in your garage! :beerchug:
Keep us up to date on your progress!
:lotus:
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What an amazing tale, especially the "before & after" photos with the same rear window sticker. That's going to be a very rewarding project and it sounds like it's not changed much over the intervening years. I'm looking forward to seeing more photos of then & now....
Brian
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That is amazing that you found the car. Even more amazing it is all together and in very good shape. Have fun with it. It is truly a family treasure. Makes me want to go looking for my Dad's old Elan.
Cheers,
Ross
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Yes, great story indeed. Thinking about it, it is quite amazing to find it, and still in decent condition at that. Looking forward to seeing your progress with it. How many kms were added since you sold it in '98? :beerchug:
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How many kms were added since you sold it in '98? :beerchug:
I sold it with around 40k km, so at least was driven a little over the last 20 years. 6k km.
I'm stilling pinching myself that it is back in our garage.
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GREAT story! Great car! Congratulations on bringing it home!
I currently maintain and drive the Europa my dad bought new in 1973. It also has a rear window sticker he slapped on. It is a nice feeling to hop in for a drive and feel the connection to my dad. My son now rides in the passenger seat, just as I did with my dad 40+ years ago.
Cheers, :beerchug:
Mark
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Wow, very similar story to mine! Love it!