Original assembly instructions

[LotusEuropa]

I was wondering if there are some of the assembly instructions for the Lotus Europa left over. If I am informed correctly, the Europa was also available in Kit form, but I have never seen one of the original assembly instructions. What do know about the existence of this documents and do you possibly have one available for sale? Is there maybe a pdf version available?

[EuropaTC]

I'm not sure any specific kit-building instructions were issued. The kits were a tax dodge for the UK market and IIRC one of the conditions was that it was "amateur built without professional assistance" or something like that.

The workshop manual for the elan, also a kit form car, has a section on "Overhaul & Rebuilding" and allegedly that section would be supplied with an Elan kit.   For the Europa I expect Lotus would suggest that the customer bought the official Workshop Manual with the kit ?

Brian

ps - but if you find anything, I'd like a pdf copy as well !

[GavinT]

Here's an article about Geoghegan's Sporty Cars, in Sydney Oz, who were the Lotus dealers at the time.
Apparently the cars arrived from the factory in CKD form and there's some interesting stories from the guys who assembled them.

https://primotipo.com/tag/geoghegans-sporty-cars/

[Bainford]

Thanks, Gavin. That was an interesting read.

[EuropaTC]

Thanks Gavin, I always like reading old tales like this, such a change from today. 10 hours to build an Elan sounds about right, the trim/body/chassis came as a unit and it seemed to be a case of bolting on suspension and putting the engine/drivetrain in place.

Back in the day there was this period advertisement - a gentle start after breakfast, potter through the day and then it's ready for Sunday lunchtime at the pub !

[dakazman]

  Thanks Gavin,
 Now that I have some free time, @4:30am to read without interruption was truly enjoyable.
Dakazman

[TurboFource]

 

[Bainford]

Interesting to note that in both the article that Gavin posted, and the ad that Brian posted, Lotus assembly is interrupted by tea times, but never the other way around.

Priorities.

[dakazman]

Interesting to note that in both the article that Gavin posted, and the ad that Brian posted, Lotus assembly is interrupted by tea times, but never the other way around.

Priorities.

 
    I don't drink the stuff.
 
 Dakazman

[GavinT]

I always like reading old tales like this, such a change from today.

Me too.
At that same time, the Queensland Lotus concessionaire was by Blair Shepherd, a national champion speedway Midget driver. Blair owned "Sports car World" and on hot summer nights as a teenager, we would go and peer through the chain link fence at all the exotica and ogle the Elan, and later, the Europa. When the Europa first appeared, I couldn't believe my eyes.

My mate's older brother, Billy, was Blair's mechanic and he worked on the speedway car under his house. If you see old Queensland houses, you'll understand. Sometimes he'd wheel the Midget out into the driveway and fire up the Offy. It ran on methanol (I think) and the noise and blue flames were pretty memorable.
Oh, and when Billy was done for the night, his wife would appear with tea and a plate of crackers with cheese and tomato.

https://www.speedway.org.au/l-s/blair-shepherd

 
    I don't drink the stuff.
 
 Dakazman

I hear that if you take a dipper down to Boston Harbour, the flavour lingers to this very day. 

[Bryan Boyle]

Here's an article about Geoghegan's Sporty Cars, in Sydney Oz, who were the Lotus dealers at the time.
Apparently the cars arrived from the factory in CKD form and there's some interesting stories from the guys who assembled them.

https://primotipo.com/tag/geoghegans-sporty-cars/

Good old day, eh?  Great read.

[Bryan Boyle]

I was wondering if there are some of the assembly instructions for the Lotus Europa left over. If I am informed correctly, the Europa was also available in Kit form, but I have never seen one of the original assembly instructions. What do know about the existence of this documents and do you possibly have one available for sale? Is there maybe a pdf version available?

From what I understand, having read in one or more of the books about that time period, the factory couldn't supply assembly instructions, since that would count as professional assistance, so they provided the maintenance manual instead with the famous "assembly is the reverse" phraseology...if you were smart, you read the disassembly instructions backwards. 

Something like playing a country music song backwards...you get your truck back, you get your dog back, you get your wife back, etc...

[jbcollier]

I understand it was even more convoluted than that.  Lotus had the disassembly instructions printed in a magazine article and they would provide the magazine with their kits.  That way the information was "not" from Lotus and did not constitute factory assistance.  All hearsay as I have never actually seen a copy of said disassembly instructions.