Back to back: Europa or 914?

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220 Cars and bikes are about to change owner during Brightwells Leominster sale on 26 September. We pick out just two of them for our little comparison.

The Lotus Europa is a 1971 model with 1,565cc engine, sold originally as a part-built ‘kit’ to avoid Purchase Tax - placed on new cars back in 1971. Most major components came ready-assembled and it took the first owner only nine hours to put the car together, with period photographs to prove the build, as well as the original invoice for £1,557.75. The car was raced and sprinted by its owner for some years (more period photographs on file) before a gradual decline saw the car deteriorating after being left in the open. Up until 2007, when a new owner decided it was time for a thorough restoration. According to Brightwells: ‘Totally rebuilding it from the ground up in a process that took considerably more than nine hours to complete!” It comes with a no reserve price, but since this car looks splendid in every respect and comes with an extensive history file, we guess it should make a really good price.

The Porsche 914 that Brightwells offer in the same sale is estimated at £19- to 21,000. Could the Lotus make that sort of money? The 914 is a 1972 car with 2,056cc engine that was sold new to Texas, but restored in the UK between 2012 and 2014. It now comes with a engine built to racing specification and an upgraded gearbox, suspension plus limited slip diff. There are more racy features such as a dry-sump and an interior with race seats and six-point harnesses, some fibreglass body parts and small petrol tank making it some 40kgs lighter in total. The history file contains some old MoT certificates and invoices totalling a whopping £25,000. Now, which one would be the car of your choice..?

(Words editor, pictures courtesy Brightwells)
 

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