BAT~ 1973 Lotus Europa Twin Cam Special

[MAK]

Another Europa on Bring a Trailer

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1973-lotus-europa-twin-cam-special-7/


1973 Lotus Europa Twin Cam Special
Current Bid: $6,666
Ends in7 days        comments-icon11Comments.

Don't like it!!

[BDA]

I would never do to my car what the owner did to his but I kind of like the gun-metal treatment on the metal trim and wheels, trim panels, etc. I even appreciate it on the dash but I would never have anything but a wood dash.

It's a little rough in places implying that it was driven but the ad doesn't say how much it was driven since the restoration. There are some details where the restoration wasn't done well like the clutch and accelerator cables not covered by the carpet and a mismatch between the glovebox opening and the box itself.

I guess the only reason to keep the 8-track player is because it had "Lotus" on it. I wasn't aware that Lotus ever branded a stereo of any kind. When I got mine in '75, 8-tracks were pretty passé, most cars including Europas had cassettes. I wonder if that 8-track  was faked...

The bid is up to $10,000 now. I expect it will bring $20,000 or a bit more but then I'm not anybody's estimator!

[TurboFource]

Since the closing plate is missing you can see holes in the front of the T-section…..

[Richard48Y]

Yes you can.
The rule is that rust is almost always three times what you see. 
Now just maybe all the rust is down low and may be repaired without having to remove the body, maybe.
I remember when BAT was happy to sell project cars, so as long as the description is honest and bidders pay attention this is not a problem.

[MAK]

Finally looked at the paperwork
Total Altezza Restorations bill $55,747.69
Dates on invoices are from 2017 to 2021 - averaged out, that's ONLY $11,149.40 per year.
Their shop rate at $100.00 is not out of line, actually I thought it was low. That's a ton of money on a car that has never sold for that amount.
This car should be Hagerty's.
NO. 1: EXCELLENT
Restored to current maximum professional standards of quality in every area or perfect original with components operating or appearing as new; a 95-plus point show car that isn’t drive.
I am certainly no expert, but I don't think this car is in #1 condition.

[TurboFource]

Looks like an access hole was cut in the lower T-section behind the master cylinder …

[Bainford]

I'm digging the Lotus branded 8-track. I had no idea these existed. My Europa has its original 8-track, but is not Lotus branded.

[BDA]

This car was bid to $24,500 but didn't meet the reserve. It was a nice car and for those it matters to, was not original. The 'T' showed evidence of having been very rusty at some point. It was cleaned up and painted nicely but it looked to me like some of the rust went completely through in a small area. There was a lot of pitting. I don't think that even with that, the structure was severely compromised but it was a body off restoration and it should have been taken care of then.

All in all, it wasn't anything special but it did seem to be a good driver.

I'm surprised that it got that high so I'm a bit more surprised that the reserve was set as high as it was, but that means nothing since I am nobody's auto appraiser. For a comparison, recently a nice maroon colored '74 TCS went for $31,000 (https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1974-lotus-europa-twin-cam-12/). To my mind, I don't think this car compared well to that maroon one but maybe the bid on this car was a better representation to its value than I had thought.

[MAK]

While this car did not appeal to me, it should have hit a slightly higher number.  Think some of comments in regard to the chassis could have influenced the bidding.  Comments were correct though and the seller should have been more transparent upfront and explained the issue. If you modify a car to your tastes, you usually shrink the market for the car.  For the money spent had the chassis issue been dealt with and the car returned to stock, I believe it would have broken the $45.0 mark.
Overall, the bidding was not too far off average. of Conceptcarz estimates

Bring a Trailer                      
BAT sales without project cars for 1974 Lotus Europa - reflects Sales & Bid to                        
5 Year trend                        
Sales Count  13     Avg $27189     Lowest Sale $15000     Top Sale $46000     Most Recent $24500
2021 to 2023            
Sales Count  5     Avg $32555     Lowest Sale $30000     Top Sale $46000     Most Recent $24500
               
Classic.com                  
Market trends for 1974 Lotus Europa - reflects sales in USD only.   - not updated                      
5 Year trend                        
Sales Count  10     Avg $32175     Lowest Sale $15000     Top Sale $46000     Most Recent $46000
1 Year trend                        
Sales Count  4     Avg $38223     Lowest Sale $31000     Top Sale $46000     Most Recent $46000
            
            
conceptcarz.com            
1974 Lotus Europa Valuation            
Average Sale Value $27,460            
Lowest Sale Value $18,056            
Highest Sale Value $47,600            
Data based on 7 auction sales