Nice (unusual) Restored '73 TC on eBay

[FourLoti]

Obviously a ton of work done on this one. Not sure about all the gold bling, including spoiler, but it's dramatic I guess. And then there's the mud flaps?

Also, a seriously customized instrument panel with the builder's own ideas of where the switches should be, not to mention a cigar lighter?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/176316788025

But I think for the extra $1,600 asking price I'd rather have the super restored black one below.

Ron

[Bud]

Looks like a beautiful car and well worth the asking price

[Bainford]

Yes, a beautiful Europa, for sure. A little heavy on the bling for my taste, and those stereo speakers would have to go. They look like they would intrude on leg space. A pretty Europa though, I hope it does well.

[BDA]

I agree it is a pretty car! I'd lose the mud flaps. I think spending the money on a Blaupunkt and those speakers was a waste. I'm not a fan of the wood inserts in the door panels. For me, at a certain point, more wood looks more "luxury" and less sporty. I am confused that after all the work they put into the car, they didn't seem to address the visors or if they did, they didn't come out as good as the rest of the car. I'm also not a fan of the gold chin spoiler.

Maybe I'm being a bit critical. I like the wheels and in general it's a really nice car. I wonder if the 1800cc motor is a typo or they really did punch it out. It's a beautiful car and I'm surprised they seem to be settling for $30,000. I would have expected them to ask more. It makes me wonder what they know that they're not telling us. I'd like it confirmed that it runs as good as it looks.

[berni29]

Hi

That does look like a nice car indeed. It would de-bling well I think. Its interesting that the dash looks to have a similar layout to the UK cars, and also has the faceted warning lights between the speedo and rev counter.

Berni

[BDA]

Interesting point, Berni. It also has Dellorto carbs which were on the Brit and European cars - not US cars. Checking the VIN produced a curiosity as it has an 'R' suffix signifying a US car. Then the VIN is given as "742581R" which is curiously incomplete as the month of manufacture seems to be left out. Finally, I believe the serialized part of the VIN, the xxxxR part, is serialized across all years. I hope somebody will check me on this. In other words, if you only knew the serialized part, you would know that 2581R was built before 3635R. My VIN is 73063635R - built in July, 1973 so the VIN on this car doesn't make sense.

[4129R]

It is a TC, not a TCS, and is 72082581R according to the registry.

[FourLoti]

Thanks for clarifying. I suspected that rear Special badge was another one of the "improvements", but wasn't sure. I corrected the thread title.

Ron