Restoration - 1970 S2 type 65 - UK/Federal Hybrid

[Thijs]

Hello everyone!

Together with my father I'm starting up the restoration of a Lotus Europa, an october 1970 S2 to be exact. It's a car with a bit of personaly history to it. My dad has known this car since the 1970s. It was owned by the older, English cousin of one of his best friends, they frequently visited the area my dad grew up in. The cousin had this blue Lotus Europa, and a rather attractive girlfriend. You can imagine what impression this made on my dad in his teenage years! 

Fast forward 25 years, and my dad gets the opportunity to buy this exact car, from the same owner! The car got parked up somewhere in late 70s/early 80s because of a leaking wind screen. Typical case of 'we'll get to that, it's next on the list!'... 

We live in the south of The Netherlands, and picked up car in England the early 2000s. I was still a teenager and my dad didn't know that much about classic cars. We started working on the car, but never got past stripping it. After that, life kinda happened. My dad owned a driving Europa S2 for a while and now has an Elan+2. I've been driving Rover P6s since I turned 18.

We're at the point where we really want to pick up the restoration. We know our way around a spanner after years of tinkering and feel like it's time for this car to live again. It'll be a project of many years to come, but it will happen!

The car is a bit of an odball. It's RHD, but has the US-spec sidemarker. Checking the VIN number has taught us that there was a batch of Europas, that was ordered for the US market. The order got cancelled, after which the cars were retrofitted with RHD at the factory and sold in the UK. It's a batch of 174 cars, which makes it quite unique even in Lotus terms. 

Before you look at the pictures, I have one quite important question. Where can I find the chassis number?! The location on the body and behind the windshield is obvious. I've read that the chassis number is on top of the right-side rear chassis leg. My dad remembers this from his other Europa too, but we just can't seem to spot it... Are there other places it might be? Or do we have to carefully start removing layers of rust...?

The first few photos are from it's home in England, the later ones are how it sits now.

[jbcollier]

The chassis number is usually stamped in the RHD chassis arm beside the engine.  Mine is an S1 so I can’t point out the exact spot.  Hopefully an S2 owner will chime in with the precise location.

[Kendo]

  will you return it to a left hand drive car?

(I have a replacement chassis, so can’t help you there. BTW, is the chassis number some version of the car’s VIN#?)

[BDA]

  Thijs!!!

I'm really glad you're giving that S2 some desperately needed Tender Loving Care! Please keep us up to date with the restoration!

[SilverBeast]

 
It should be on the plate under the bonnet (front trunk). It's in your pictures on the divider between the two compartments, facing the windscreen.
The last 4 digits are usually scratched into various body panels. My TCS has them under the door trims on top of the door.

[GavinT]

 

Chassis number should be on the RHS as per pic.

[Cor van Nistelrooij]

Hallo, Thijs,

Great can and perhaps close to where we live!!
Our europa is a bit on hold, have to get the 23 replica a bit further...:

[dakazman]

 

   Thijs,
   From another 70,S2 owner . It’s nice to see one in mostly original condition.
I even zoomed in to see one wiper , an early S2 . Then I saw the Renault wedge motor.
Being at the stage of finishing my interior I saw the turn signal decals still in place. Now I can try to find it on my decals I purchased. Do you happen to have a dimmer side picture ?
 Thanks in advance,
Dakazman
0453r

[Thijs]

Many many many thanks for this impressive amount of replies! I wasn't sure what to expect, but this is great! 

Chassis number should be on the RHS as per pic.

Perfect Gavin, that's exactly what I was after. Thanks a lot! 

The chassis number is usually stamped in the RHD chassis arm beside the engine.  Mine is an S1 so I can’t point out the exact spot.  Hopefully an S2 owner will chime in with the precise location.

Seems like you're correct! Thanks for the comment.

It should be on the plate under the bonnet (front trunk). It's in your pictures on the divider between the two compartments, facing the windscreen.
The last 4 digits are usually scratched into various body panels. My TCS has them under the door trims on top of the door.

Thanks for the info. Yes, that plate I've found a while ago. In The Netherlands we will need the chassis number too, to get it registered. 

Hallo, Thijs,

Great can and perhaps close to where we live!!
Our europa is a bit on hold, have to get the 23 replica a bit further...:

Nou, dat is wel heel erg toevallig. Dit hadden broertjes kunnen zijn, ze hebben zelfs dezelfde kleur! Ik heb je een privé bericht gestuurd Cor.  (Sorry for the Dutch! I mentioned that these two cars could have been brothers!)

   Thijs,
   From another 70,S2 owner . It’s nice to see one in mostly original condition.
I even zoomed in to see one wiper , an early S2 . Then I saw the Renault wedge motor.
Being at the stage of finishing my interior I saw the turn signal decals still in place. Now I can try to find it on my decals I purchased. Do you happen to have a dimmer side picture ?
 Thanks in advance,
Dakazman
0453r

Hi Dakazam!

This car is almost 100% original as far as I know, about 40.000 miles from new. Nearly no modifications done apart from some Dunlop alloys. The car is a 20 minute drive from where I live, but the next time I'm there I'll take some pictures. You need photos of the levers and decals on the steering column?

Thijs!!!

I'm really glad you're giving that S2 some desperately needed Tender Loving Care! Please keep us up to date with the restoration!

Thanks, will do!

will you return it to a left hand drive car?

(I have a replacement chassis, so can’t help you there. BTW, is the chassis number some version of the car’s VIN#?)

This will stay RHD! I have a RHD Rover P6, my dad has a RHD Elan+2. We're used to it. 

[dakazman]

Hi Dakazam!

This car is almost 100% original as far as I know, about 40.000 miles from new. Nearly no modifications done apart from some Dunlop alloys. The car is a 20 minute drive from where I live, but the next time I'm there I'll take some pictures. You need photos of the levers and decals on the steering column?
   
     Thank you very much, no rush.
 Dakazman

[Bainford]

Welcome to the forum, Thijs. Good luck with the restoration. 

[pboedker]

  Welcome Thijs!

My car is a later Special, and has the chassis number stamped on top of the right side chassis leg, very close to the firewall. I believe the S2's are the same. The guy that punched the letters apparently was very weak so they are hard to see. Judging from the photo of your car's engine bay I would search somewhere, directly below the inline fuel filter.

I'm a little curious about what you'll find, since the original US number would be '65/nnnnR' but it must have been changed/relocated(?) to something like '65/mmmPR' when the car was converted to RHD.

[Kendo]

As I said above, my chassis is a replacement, so no number. What do the numbers look like? What font and size? Is each digit individually stamped. or would a frame have been set up with the whole number to be stamped at once? (I'm wondering if I could stamp my VIN # in the right place on the frame.)

[jbcollier]

I wouldn't do that.  A replacement chassis is perfectly acceptable.  Stamping numbers into frames is a crime in many juristictions.

[Kendo]

Well, thanks for that timely warning. It's a galvanized frame from that era, so would be obviously a replacement anyway.