1974 Lotus Europa Special

You can say that a miniature ice cream truck ran into a TVR S2. Or you can say that its shape is as classically proportioned as a Pontiac Aztec. Or you can say its just ugly, but what you cannot say is that the Lotus Europa is boring.

Consistent with all cars the Norfolk company produces, the Lotus Europa was not just praised for its handling but described as a racecar for the road. If you’ve been to any vintage race event, you’ve likely witnessed that this commendation was well earned. With possibly the least elegant mid-engine body ever designed this side of a Porsche 914, the Europa was built with a single purpose in mind- driving pleasure. This singular mentality is also on display when looking at the “precision” arrangement of the dials for example.  Apparently, putting indicators in a straight line did not fit into the “simplify, then add lightness” mantra of Lotus’ founder, Colin Chapman.

The classic car market can often be fickle, riding the high and low trends of whatever people with money like at the time, but it is also generally honest.

Even though the crudeness of the Europa’s shape cannot be changed, the black and gold paint of this 1974 Europa Special does much to forgive the sins of its body. The paint scheme was a tribute to Lotus’ 1972 Formula 1 World Championship and it is so 70s that I believe the car comes with a mustache and tickets to a Deep Purple show.

The classic car market can often be fickle, riding the high and low trends of whatever people with money like at the time, but it is also generally honest. Crap cars with no merit either visually or mechanically are customarily not worth money.  Maybe it is because the next proprietor of the car will own the unique experience of imagining they are Emerson Fittipaldi in a Lotus 72, but more likely because of its sensational driving sensation, well sorted examples of Europas like this are on the rise.