Europa "Basket Case" Question

Per my earlier post I have been pondering a Europa. Well there is one near to me that may be for sale but is probably a basket case.

I think there is a sad story behind the car, but it looks to be an unmolested late model twin cam. Its all there but has not run for 4 years, and sat out side exposed to the New England elements all that time. I was not able to get into the car, or lift the rear hatch. The window seals are gone, and the interior looks a mushy mess.

One thing I also noticed was the doors did not fit properly. There was about a 1/2 inch gap near the top rear of both the drivers and passenger side doors. Could this be "sag" from a completely rusted chassis?

If I get to inspect the car (not even sure the owner wants to sell) what should I look at, or should I just run like heck?

TIA

Rob.

I think that running might be a good response here. If I recall correctly, the Europa has a space frame that is bonded in to the body. I may be mistaken here, but there is something that is waving red flags like crazy, and I think that's it.

You should probably plan to rebuild or refurbish everything (and I mean just about everything) and unless it is a give-away price, it may not be worth your time and especially money. You should check out the chassis for rust in the front bulkhead. I'm not familiar with the climate in that area, but if they salt the roads during Winter and the car was driven during those times, the chassis will undoubtedly need to be replaced. The only chassis that was bonded in was the S1. Good luck.

Run as fast and as far as you can. The only was I'd consider a Europa like this would be for parts and it would be no bargain even if it were free.

Sounds kinda bad. There may be a parts car there, as John says, but everything sounds compromised. The door sag is the least of the worries. Chassis is 18 Ga. mild steel and will likely be useless, the engine having sat exposed to "outdoor" conditions that long can't be trusted... brakes, bearings, seals... just watch that one and wait for one you can at least test drive. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

Does someone still make a tube frame for the Europa?

Yes there are frame makers out there (across the pond). Spyder has made replacement frames for years. They were real dorks when I purchased from them will never do business with them again!

I have all of the dimensions and many pictures of my buddies Spyder frame which I used as a pattern to begin with, then built one myself. The frame is actually very easy to build - all on a single plane. I'll share info if you'd like. If you go the double A arm route for the rear suspension, the old Banks Servive Station (now Europa Engineering) has a much better geometry than Spyder. Spyder's top A arms are far too short.

Richard Winter owns Europa Engineering - a great guy who's very sharing with his knowledge and very serious about his Europas.

https://www.spydercars.co.uk/ - just say NO...

https://www.banks-europa.co.uk/index.php I would recommend these guys hands down over Spyder. Great pictures!