thejudge58

I have been a massive fan of Lotus cars for years! My first 'close encounter' was almost buying a Lotus Europa back in 1979 (as a young man of 22) - but as I was getting married in 1980 and the house we were buying needed a damp proof course, unfortunately the money saved was spent on that and the Europa slipped through my hands - much to the future Mrs. Minto's delight! Many years later, I bought a 1979 Esprit S2 as a 50th birthday present to myself - a car which I had coveted since 1977 (yes - Bond in TSWLM). In 2011, at a local classic car show, an admiration of another exhibitor’s fully restored 1976 Lotus Elite 501, turned into ownership of that car two weeks later! So, I've gone from never really believing I would own one Lotus car, to owning and enjoying two! Hope you like the photographs. If you'd like to know more about my Esprit S2 go to: http://www.lotusespritworld.com/EOwners/DrPeterMinto.html Thanks for looking. Peter ADDED 09/11/2014 DO YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT A 1971 LOTUS EUROPA S2 Reg. No. ARO668K – IF SO, COULD YOU PLEASE CONTACT ME ON MY EMAIL ADDRESS – THANKS. Who said “All good things to those who wait”? The only person I can recall saying it in the movies was Hannibal Lecter and I’m sure he was not the original source! However, I’m pleased to say it is an old adage that has a certain ring of truth to it. If you have read the original introduction to this page previously, you will recall that my first close encounter with a Lotus was a yellow Europa back in 1979 which, alas slipped through my fingers for the want of a damp proof course. Well I’m pleased to announce that here I am 34 years later, finally the proud owner of a 1971 Lotus Europa S2 – to add to the 1979 Lotus Esprit S2 and the 1976 Lotus Elite 501. Unlike the other two vehicles, the Europa is what I believe is rather unkindly referred to in the classic motor vehicle world as a ‘basket case’ i.e. some of its parts arrived at my house in boxes (baskets) thus deserving of its rather ignominious title. However, in its defence, it is almost a complete car (the only thing I’m certain is missing so far is the rear window, seal and surround – but as far as I can see, everything else seems present). The interior has already been recovered and a new set of carpets came with the car. The engine is the original and early Renault one and still runs. The main drawback seems to be the fact that the car has stood, literally, in a barn for 24 years and awaits the delicate hands of a skilled mechanic to put a few hours (he says optimistically!) into tinkering around with it in order to coax it back into the state it was back in 1971 – now thereby is the rub. Everything I touch with a spanner or screwdriver ends up snapped or punctured, so I am not the person to go anywhere near it – hence my propensity to obtain Lotus cars that are sound both in looks and mechanicals or at least can be regarded as a running restoration. The Europa I’m afraid cannot have either description applied to it as it’s neither running (i.e. to the point it can go onto a road) nor does it have the looks (the fact the interior is sitting in my house attests to that) so a little more work than usual will be required before it can ‘officially’ join the thoroughbred stable. Therefore, I will hopefully be keeping my mates at my local garage employed for the next eighteen months upgrading and restoring this new addition – and also utilising the services of my great mate Steve, who spent untold hours in the early days of my ownership of the Esprit replacing bits and bobs over the winter months. So the moral is, if you are not proficient with spanners and things, yet still wish to enjoy the ownership of classic cars, find someone who is a mechanical wizard who doesn’t charge a fortune, and keep them gainfully employed! Luckily I am looking at early retirement full in the face now, and with the help of a nice lump sum, hope to invest some of it in putting the Europa back onto the road. In the meantime, the first priority is to fork out much needed restoration money to have a garage added to the side of my double garage in order to house the new addition from the ravages of a North East winter – who said classic car ownership was all about the actual vehicle! I’ve uploaded some photographs of the Europa and hopefully, over time, shall update as and when developments make some progress. This is a totally new venture for me – having to wait before I drive it! I have great admiration for fellow enthusiasts who undertake all of the work themselves and spend hours, months and sometimes years before they can finally sit behind the steering wheel and watch the ‘gawpers’ stare as the car serenely drives past – oh, I do hope I am caste from the same mould as them, and have patience as a virtue!!