Introducing 54/2885, an export to Canada in March 1970(?) but likely made at the end of 1969. It has the 1470 cc engine, which has never let me down. Mileage is around 80k. It has a lot of original parts, including the engine, gearbox, all of the interior except for the floor carpets, and much of the other equipment. Modifications I can remember are limited to aftermarket wheels, orange Koni front shocks, height-adjustable Spax in the back, and adjustable lateral links. Oh, and the windshield wiper knob.
The car has never been off the road apart from its annual winter layup. Neither has it been through a restoration, though I look each winter for parts that would benefit from replacement and usually find a couple. It was repainted for the second time in 1989 in a close approximation to its original carnival red. 54/2885 is a five-time class winner at the Van Dusen All-British field meet in Vancouver.
It was bought in early 1971 from Sports Cars Unlimited, the Toronto-area dealership then owned by Bill Brack, a noted Canadian racer and I think the holder of the Lotus franchise for Canada. I am the original owner. My wife and I lived in Newfoundland in 1971 and we left the car at SCU until the weather improved enough to drive it home via Massachusetts in the spring. The three of us have been in Victoria, BC since 1985.
The car was autocrossed in the 1970s but nothing similar has happened lately aside from the odd spirited drive. These days I make a point of taking the Europa out once or twice a week from March to November when we’re at home. In this decade it has been to watch the vintage races in Portland and on a couple of Classic Car Adventures’ multi-day tours, but mostly we go out together for fun around town. A Europa is definitely about the journey as much as the destination.
I was a long-time member of the Yahoo board but haven’t been able to get back into my account there for probably several years. I found this site when looking for information about my windscreen, whose rubber seal needs replacing which means I might as well replace the original glass at the same time....
