A couple years ago a fellow showed up at my door, saying he had an old Europa from his youth stashed in a barn. He was thinking of getting it running, and, since I had a Europa, asked if I might have a look to see how much work this might involve. He was a big man in his late seventies or eighties, and hadn't been in a Europa since he parked his in the barn in 1979. I popped over and had a look, driving my own Europa. His is a '72 Twin Cam stored in a wet barn, and the snow tires still fitted were a testament to the frame condition. The car needed a restoration, and he was keen to dump some money in it so that he may recapture a little of his misspent youth. I was willing to help, but I very much doubted he would be comfortable in a Europa, if he could even get in it. I hated to break this news to him, so instead, I offered him a ride in mine. He had much difficulty getting in the passenger side, and probably wouldn't have fit behind the wheel. We went for a long enough drive for him to realise his own reality check. I haven't seen him since, and I guess that Twin Cam is still in that barn.
As a side note, I noticed the car still had the original, infamous plastic fuel Tee between the carbs. I said "this is the first thing to change before trying to fire it up", and as I grasped it lightly with my thumb and finger, it crumbled into a dozen pieces.
