Ballpark valuation of this 1974 project

[Tdskip]

 hello gentlemen – brand new member here, I was referred by the helpful people over on the lotus élan forum where I am getting a 1969 Elan back on the road .

 i’ve come across a 1970 Europa, twin cam but not running but I was hoping to get some rough idea of value on. The car is cosmetically quite good, interior looks to be all they are but has somewhere, engine spins freely but missing its carbs and there’s one open spark plug hole .  Underside looks decent but used, evidence of some oil leaks. Clean title.

[Tdskip]

I know this is worthless without pictures, trying to shrink the size of the photos I took, thanks for being patient

[Tdskip]

Pictures - thanks in advance for the coaching.

[Tdskip]

Last ones. Thanks!

[Footer]

If you go to the Hagarty Insurance website and find the valuation tool, it will give you a pretty realistic amount to start with.  You can input many of the " condition" qualifiers that would apply to this example. Regardless, I would personally examine the frame as thoroughly as possible to look for frame rust.  For the Europa, this is a make or break factor.
Good luck. 

Bob

[Tdskip]

 Hi Bob, thanks for the response.  I have a couple cars with hagerty but I personally have found, and there’s certainly room for disagreement on this, that their valuations tend to be on the optimistic side.

I’d be inclined to call this a #4 because healthy engines generally don’t have their carbs removed and are missing spark plugs. Grin.

Kidding aside I have to assume that the engine needs a rebuild. I didn’t get a picture of it but when I got the camera up underneath the car the frame looked solid, it’s a long term dry California/Arizona car .

[jbcollier]

What's it worth?

That's a tough question.  It's worth what the seller is prepared to take and the buyer is willing to pay.  Smart-ass answer I know but trying to value something "over the phone" is very difficult.

Some questions:

Is it a five speed transaxle?

Any idea why the carbs are off?  And, the one spark plug out?

Is the body just dirty or is it scratched and nicked as well?  (hard to tell from the photos)

Why is the passenger seat out?

If you can live with the body and interior just cleaned up, then I would budget for an engine overhaul.  Maybe not but always assume the worst so it doesn't surprise you later.

My wild guess would be $6K.  More if it is a five speed.  More again if the engine can be proven sound.

[Tdskip]

Thanks for the response –  I know I’ve asked a bit of an impossible to answer question because there are so many unknowns.  If it were in Alfa or air cooled German thing I’d have a better sense but these cars are very new to me. That said It didn’t “feel” more than where you suggested it might fall.

Edit - I do not know if it’s a four or five speed car.  I thought these would all be five speeds, oops!

[Rosco5000]

Here are my 2 cents worth.  There is a lot of non-original things going on with this car. 

• front indicator lights moved
• Lotus Components chin spoiler
• Non stock dash
• Aftermarket steering wheel
• Aftermarket shift knob
• Transaxle and susupension painted non stock colors

Some of these are not big things to people but there is definitely some modifications going on with this car.  Sometimes this will affect valuation and sometimes not, in this case I would say they are more things to correct.  If you are looking to compare it to an all original car for valuation.

[Footer]

The door plate indicates that it was built in February, 1974 so it cannot be a 1970, but probably a 1974.  If you can, get a picture of the build plate located in the front compartment,  It will give you the "vin" number of the car, probably 74024304R, the engine number and the trans axle number.  That will let you check the engine and trans axle to confirm it's a numbers matching car.  Based on the info you have so far, my guess is that it is a Twin Cam Special" with a 5 speed trans axle.  It will also tell you the original paint color, although my experience is that the color code can be wrong.  No explanation, mine says black while the car is brown.

JBCOLLIER and ROSCO5000 have made good points.

Good Luck!

[Certified Lotus]

The ashtray is missing. $1000 less due to that part missing. 

[dakazman]

   Tdskip ,welcome  the forum .
 
I hope you find an answer and continue visiting the site. Be sure to register it at LotusEuropa.com , registry.
Dakazman 

[tedtaylor]

actually the dash and gear knob are the nicer parts of the car!
to get an idea of price, I've got mine you can look over for comparison in detail (60+ pictures) I have for sale on my "hobby" website www.TaylorMadeClassicCars.com
it hasn't sold yet, but i'm being patient.
owning both an Elan and Europa is the sure sign of a true Lotus enthusiast!

[Fotog]

I can't really tell you what it's worth, but I can tell you that they hold their value: I bought mine for $5000 in 1986, and it's still worth that!😊

That's despite what I've put into it (and inflation).

[Tdskip]

Thanks for all of the thoughts gentlemen.

Nice to see you here too Ted, thanks for the link.

Sorry I said 1970in my message, as the title indicated it is indeed a ‘74.