You'd have to live in a bubble to not notice the way prices have been heading on classic European sports cars, but you'd be shocked to see how inexpensive one of the better handling cars can be. We're (wait a minute...what site is this...oh yeah...) I'm talking about the Lotus Europa, a smorgasbord of Colin Chapman philosophy, El Camino styling, and Ford power. What could possibly go wrong? Find this 1972 Lotus Europa Special offered for $15,000 in Seattle, WA via craigslist.
Apparently you can own/drive a Lotus Europa when you have 3 kids, but the minute the 4th one is on the way you need to sell it and start looking for something with more seats. Or so it would seem from the seller's description of this 1973 Lotus Europa Big Valve available in Sunnyvale, CA for $14,000 via craigslist. Kids or not, the Lotus Europa is a fantastic automobile for the enthusiast on a budget and is way cooler than a minivan. Tip from Kaibeezy.
We keep an eye on the Lotus Europa market for signs of 911-esque appreciation, but so far they seem to be staying consistently reasonable given the rarity and sweetness of character. This 1974 Lotus Europa Twin Cam John Player Special was featured on this site 5 months ago but (again) failed to meet reserve on ebay at $15,200.
The Europa was a sporty two seater built by Colin Chapman's Lotus Cars in Norfolk, UK. Only 9300 of these high-butted gems were built between 1966-1975 and today they are surprisingly affordable. Find this 1972 Lotus Europa Big Valve in Westfield, NJ via ebay, currently bidding at $6,966 with 3 days to go.
The Europa is a quasi El Camino looking sports car from Lotus Cars, and a fantastic example of Colin Chapman's "simplify, then add lightness" philosophy. A simple steel backbone chassis is covered in a few flimsy pieces of fiberglass and all powered by a small engine mounted amidships. This 1974 Lotus Europa "Big Valve" beauty is for sale by its FANATICAL OWNER (all caps are his, not ours) in Tarzana, CA and is currently bidding on ebay for $13,100 with 4 days to go.
The Lotus Europa has always been a favorite car over at DT headquarters. We love its lightweight composite chassis, mid engine high revving powerplant and cheap entry price. Time has driven the nicer examples to higher prices, but you can still get nice Europa for the price of a basket case 911 and we think the Europa is a much sweeter drive. This 1974 Lotus Europa Twin-Cam Big-Valve is for sale in Buffalo Grove, IL and currently bidding at $17,499 on ebay. Previously the car ended an auction at $14,100 reserve-not-met, but the re-listed item has cleared its reserve and looks to go for a bit above DT money.