1974 Lotus Europa Special

The car was originally bought and titled in New Jersey in 1974. It was Lagoon Blue and came with a 4-speed gear box. The first owner repainted it to look like a JPS; it was a poor paint job. The second owner was an English car dealer/restorer also in NJ; he disassembled the car and it sat for a long time. The only really positive thing he did was install a newer TC engine and 5-speed gear box from a wrecked Europa. Sometime around 2010 the owner decided he did not have the time or resources to restore the car and offered it up for sale. I bought it and began the restoration process in the fall of 2011. When I got it the speedometer showed around 25K miles; I have no ability to validate this mileage but suspect it may be correct based on the history of the car. I removed the body and had the frame and rear suspension members powder coated. A local restoration shop did most of the work with my assistance. I showed up almost every day and contributed nuts and bolts labor which was about the only skill I could offer. The jute firewall was replaced and strengthened, the window motors are new, lmost every piece of rubber was replaced, fabricated the dash and installed the radio. I removed the seat belt buzzer. There are no interior light except those operated by a switch under the dash. Electronic ignition of course. The windshield wipers (I have them) are not present as I never intended to drive in the rain and I think they break up the lines of the front end. The front and rear bumpers are also powder coated. Both 1.75 Zenith Strombergs were rebuilt and all the fuel lines are braded steel lines as I was always suspicious of rubber fuel lines. Tires are Toyo 185/60 R13 (front) and 205/60 R13 (rear). The wheels were professionally refinished/repainted (I have a fifth Lotus mag wheel although it is not refinished). There is a cassette water pump installed (about a $1K unit). It has adjustable lower links on the rear end. I checked the top and bottom end of the engine and based on compression and evidence of wear saw no need to rebuild it or the transaxle. Restoration was completed in 2013 and I have put about 700 miles on the car to present. I have receipts for labor and parts for about $30K. It is a great little car; runs good and draws a lot of attention. To say it is perfect would not be true; remember it is a Lotus and English made. Even with all the new parts and attention it still leaks a little and nuts must be tightened after driving. I’m sure I have forgotten a lot; please pass your questions back and I will do my best to answer.