4259R

[4129R]

I have just started work on my one yellow car, 4259R, which was last registered in Illinois of 1984.

By my reckoning, it has been sitting doing not much for 33 years.

Well.............. there were 4 x .22 bullet holes in the rear number plate, the 1/2"" bolt holding the left trailing arm to the chassis was bent 30', and the shafts of both rear coil-overs were bent about 15-20 degrees.

There is another hole about .22 size through the bulkhead where the passenger seat was with a neat hole in the cab, and a lot of damage to the fibreboard in the engine side just in front of the petrol tank.

What are you lot doing to each other over there?

Both petrol tanks have severe metal worm to their tops.

Quite a bit of fibreglass damage to below the left petrol tank, and by the right hand top shock absorber mounting.

All easily fixable, but this car had a hard life in the 10 years it was actually working.

I will strip it right down, clean everything, convert to RHD, and then put it in the queue for the paint shop. 

[BDA]

That car seems to have been "rode hard and put up wet" not to mention getting shot up by someone with a .22! I'm sure you'll bring her back to a state better than her former glory!

[Certified Lotus]

It’s not entirely surprising to find inanimate objects with bullet holes in them, but usually it’s out West. I remember my first “road trip” to South Dakota to visit a friend who worked at the Home Stake Gold Mine. The further West I went, more bullet holes appeared in signs, fences, old cars by the side of the road......just about everywhere. Not like the North East where I live (no bullet holes anywhere).

Glad your restoring Europa’s back to their old glory. I am amazed at the number of cars you purchase from the US. I would have thought there would be a larger inventory available in the UK.

[4129R]

Europas of all types are rare in the UK.

Since I sold 75032529P in 1979, I had only seen 1 parked in the side of the road in about 36 years until I bought 4129R and the rest of the fleets from over the pond.

A lot of used RHD cars went to Japan.

[jbcollier]

Yup, the Europa is very popular in Japan.

We have 5+ in Edmonton but you still hardly ever see them.  An S2 was for sale locally and sold when the chap taking the test drive tried to select reverse and then promptly drove it into the garage wall... sold!

[Certified Lotus]

I am amazed that there aren’t Europa’s all over the UK. I see one here in the North East at least once a month on the road. Of course, I personally know 5 Europa owners so I guess that helps. It is still a rare car here.

[buzzer]

Yep very few in the UK. even in classic car shows they are very rare. compared to Europas things like Series 1 E-types are common as muck,  I don't think there was one at all at the Classic car show in birmingham last year. Thats one of the biggest indoor classic car exhibitions here in the UK. next one in a couple of weeks.

[lotusfanatic]

I’m hoping to get up to the NEC for the Classic Car Show (it would be a nice surprise if there was a Europa on show!)

Mark