Lotus Europa 46/0363 Restoration Site
Documenting the progress of Europa S1 #363
Lotus Europa Type 46 S1 #46/0363
The original Lotus Europa is currently one of the best deals in vintage sports cars. Fast, agile, rare, and with an extensive manufacturers racing pedigree, the Europa comes with all one could ask for in a classic sports coupe. Throw in the current low purchase cost, and you have the performance and appearance of an exotic, for the price of a second hand Miata.
Europa #46/0363 was built by the Lotus factory at Hethel, Norfolk, in 1967.
It was then imported on December 4th 1967, by Lotus Southwest in Dallas Texas.
From then until May of 2000, the history is unclear. It apparently spent some of it's early life in the area of Louisiana, before being eventually registered in Hanford, California. Later in 2000 it was sold to Drakes' British Motors, located in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
In July 2001, 0363 was bought by a Lotus enthusiast in Port Coquitlam, BC, who performed a thorough teardown in preparation for a complete rebuild.
After a period of intense work, which included fabrication of redesigned door hinges, removal of all paint, and replacement of the chassis , the restoration stalled due to time constraints. At this point, knowing that I was interested, the owner offered to sell 0363.
I purchased Lotus Europa S1 0363 on September 24, 2005, and have done extensive work to her since then. This site will document the restoration, and I'll do my best to keep it updated regularly.
Enjoy.