New Member Hello

[DreamsOfA47]

    Hello all! I've joined this forum based on hopes and dreams as I don't yet have a Europa but I'm working hard towards it! I just recently started my first full-time job and with my first real ability to earn comes my first planning of a dream car build! I've always loved Lotus cars and have been involved in vintage racing for many years in one form or another and a faithful Type 47 replica has haunted my dreams for what feels like forever. I hope to use this forum as a great resource for both model specific knowledge and maybe even to find a project car through the classifieds. My end goal is to be able to run a type 47 replica with SVRA and related vintage racing organizations, but lately the idea of rotary swapping a Europa has started to seem mighty appealing. Either way I'm excited to het involved and see how it all pans out!

For those of you who'd like to know a little more about me, I'm in my mid-20s as of this posting and live in the greater San Diego, CA area. I'm currently half-way through a mechanical engineering degree that was derailed by COVID and I'd like to resume it as soon as life lets me, but we'll all just have to see how that goes. Cars are my biggest passion in life and for years I worked for a shop that specialized in repairing and restoring vintage race cars and I've spent many a weekend at Monterey and Sonoma helping our customers run their race cars. I love to tinker and I currently drive an FB RX7 as my daily-driver, so I figure if I'm willing to fight with a carbureted rotary engine I think I can handle the eccentricities of a vintage British sportscar! 

[europa88]

 
Hi and welcome,

Stick with the dream! I was 22 when I bought my Europa and still have it at 64! It gets in your blood.

[jbcollier]

Welcome!  Good luck with your search.  47s make me weak in the knees.

[Bryan Boyle]

Hi and welcome,

Stick with the dream! I was 22 when I bought my Europa and still have it at 64! It gets in your blood.

I always said there should be a 12 step program for Lotus owners.  Bought my first one (444R) when I was 25.   Had more than a few along the way...but, no matter which others I've owned (elite, elan, esprit), always seem to gravitate back to the Europa.

Welcome, and may you accomplish the dream! 

[BDA]

   Dreams!!!

Best of luck finishing your degree and finding a good project car! I would imagine that you're in a good area for both!

Keep us up to date on your progress searching and when you find a car, your wrenching! Hopefully you'll be able to find something soon!

[Grumblebuns]

 

Welcome from another San Diego area resident, north county, Fallbrook to be exact. Send me a PM and I'll give you my contact info. I don't know how much time you've had poking around actual Europas but I have several in various stages of refurbishment that you can inspect and ask questions.

Joji Tokumoto
Fallbrook

[TurboFource]

Welcome! Good luck on your search!


 I am 18 months into the restoration of my first Lotus ( Europa TCST is my build)

[lotusfanatic]

Hello '47'



Mark

[Lou Drozdowski]

Greetings & glad to have you here...

The disease is real, but there is therapy. I've had the affliction for almost five decades. Best of luck in your search!

[DreamsOfA47]

Thank you all and you are all awesome! I have to say I'm floored by all of the encouragement and that just makes me want to be a fully involved, Europa driving member ASAP! 

Joji I'll send you a PM soon as I've never been able to actually poke around a Europa!. The last time I laid eyes on one in the flesh was probably 10 years ago at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and at that point in my life I knew nothing of cars mechanically and it was nothing more than a (appealingly) funky-shaped little car. Come to think of it that may have been a type 47 and I may have missed a great opportunity to pick around that special rear suspension at the time  I just got the cruise control working in my RX7 so it'd be a nice drove from the south bay to Fallbrook one of these summer weekends.

While I have the attention of some of you forum regulars, do any of y'all know of any threads that discuss the Type 47 rear suspension? I tried a brief search in my down time yesterday but in my limited searching nothing of particular note came up, but of there are some good discussions or blueprints out there I'll gladly keep digging

[BDA]

Member RoddyMac did a Type 54 to 47 conversion. I believe he tried to make as accurate a reproduction as possible. You might try PMing him.

[jlmullen2]

Welcome to the board and good luck on your project.

I can highly recommend a visit to Joji's place if you get the chance. At any given time you might see 6-8 Europas in various stages of restoration, including a really cool BDA/Hewland powered example. I'm a bit farther north (South Orange County) but have been to his place many times to get advice on my 73 TCS project.

Larry

[Kendo]

DreamsOfA47, I'd suggest starting a new thread, maybe "Type 47 Rear Suspension", include whatever links you have already found, and see who replies.

I've never really studied the 47 suspension. But I bet it would be interesting. There are a couple of 47 owners here who might be more likely to jump into the discussion with a topic title more specific than this one.

And, welcome to the forum! I saw and decided to get an Europa when I was 16 and drooled over one in a car magazine. Then I forgot about it, bought one when I was ~40, and only later remembered my 16 year old lust.

[DreamsOfA47]

Well now I definitely need to head up there and have a chat with Joji! Hopefully the sooner the better as I'd love to start on my Europa journey ASAP!! I especially want to see that Cosworth/Hewland powered example as that's one of the possible versions I'm hoping to build! The only thing that may get in my way (funny enough) is my work schedule so I can earn the funds to finance a new project car! Oh well c'est la vie; I want it bad enough so I'll just have to make it happen.

A new thread may be what needed so we can all have a good discussion of the particulars of the Type 47 suspension. Internet research has me understanding that its very similar to the Lotus 48 F2 car in its design and is composed of reversed a-arms and heim joints. Fantasy Junction actually sold what is purported to be the first 47 in North America and they posted a ton of very high quality photos of various parts of the car and I've been studying them as closely as I can. They show some great angles of the rear suspension and of the work done to fit a competition-spec cage into a Europa. I'll post the link here and likely use it as a basis for a new thread as well. Even if I decide to rotary swap a Europa I'd like to have the closest thing to Type 47 suspension possible, whatever fabrication may be required.
https://www.fantasyjunction.com/sold/1966-lotus-47/overview

[DreamsOfA47]

Hello all! I'm reviving my own dead thread with a big update! As Joji has already posted in a separate thread he was so kind as to allow me to purchase his 67 S1A, 460433 so my Europa dreams have begun to take shape! Shortly I'll be starting a new thread to keep y'all updated on how things progress with this new project. Suffice it to say its gonna need some work before it drives much!