Greetings fellow Europians, thank you for allowing me to join this exciting community. Please allow me to reintroduce 4043R into polite society. Her odometer reads 11,000 miles. She appears to have her original exterior paint in reasonable shape, her upholstery seems original and immaculate, and her undercarriage is clean and rust free. Andy Graham at Lotus confirms 4043R was a white Special, but I am a little suspicious that her frame components are painted battleship gray instead of the usual black I see in most photos. Does anyone know if gray frame paint was a factory thing, or is this a tip off of a body-off resto? (She SAYS she’s a virgin.) Unfortunately her previous owner is deceased and took all history of the car before 2009 with him to the grave. He left the car to a buddy of his, and that is who I bought it from. For now, my plans for the car are to drive it only on dry summer days and store it for the New England winter. I may work my way up to autocross or other gentle motorsport eventually.
The car seems to be mostly stock, other than that throaty voiced header and Magnaflow muffler you can see in the photos. She also has an aftermarket electric fuel pump, and her two brake boosters were removed, necessitating a certain forceful authority be applied to the brake pedal if you want to stop. (I’ve been reading with great interest some of the brake-mod posts on this site, like swapping a dual S2 master cylinder with a smaller piston bore or switching to grippier brake pads.) One side effect of the header is interference with the trunk (boot) box (lost) and the battery is where the missing spare tire should be. Anybody know where I can pick up a tool kit, jack and spare tire, or at least a compatible rim? If I can find a serviceable boot box I may try modifying it to fit the muffler; many years of clumsy boat ownership have resulted in me being reasonably good with fiberglass. The old fuel pump and the 2 power brake cans did come with the car. I have no idea if they are any good or if they were removed because they were defective.
What are the communities’ thoughts on adjustable coil-over shocks to lower the stance down from Fed mandated ride height to the original design height? (I could maybe do this AFTER I get my Mass vehicle inspection sticker). Until I get to know the car, no major mechanical changes are contemplated, although I might look into that S2 master cylinder thing. I have owned a couple of BMWs (a 2002 and a tii) and an Alfa Spyder (before kids and the dreaded Volvo years) but this is my first Lotus. I fell in love with the Europa when I first saw one when I was 13 and have wanted one ever since. I am a mechanical engineer (robotics) and will do my own maintenance and simple mechanical stuff, but I am in the market for a good mechanic north of Boston who knows all the satanic rituals involved in balancing Zenith Stromberg carburetors and related British voodoo. I look forward to hearing what other owners are doing and exchanging ideas on these remarkable cars. Thanks again for allowing me to join.
Tom (aka Surfguitar58)
