The GRM Free Europa needs a new home!

Ohhhh no. I was just talking about how I need a Challenge car... and you're not far away.

Snowdoggie said:

The sane thing to do would be to find a Renault engine and transmission and make it into a close to stock vintage racer. At least nobody would care that most of the interior is long gone.

You could probably fit a boosted Renault engine from a Renault 5/LeCar back there in case one craves more deathtrap.

I fully support this.

Especially about the "previous Challenge participant only" rule.   I will sleep tonight like a baby.  

In reply to maschinenbau (I live here) :

I'm closer than you think. 
 

I drive through ATL twice a week, and I have a trailer. 
 

I'm delivering a car to someone in ATL this week. 

BoxheadTim (Forum Supporter) said:

Snowdoggie said:

The sane thing to do would be to find a Renault engine and transmission and make it into a close to stock vintage racer. At least nobody would care that most of the interior is long gone.

You could probably fit a boosted Renault engine from a Renault 5/LeCar back there in case one craves more deathtrap.

Would that bolt to the original transmission? 

In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :

That sounds like a threat!

I've privately offered this to others but I want to offer it to anyone else.  If any GRMer gets this Europa they can have everything I own Lotus for free.  Ask me about my ideas for a wide body Europa using a factory chassis.

Edit - That includes Builder #1

I have no interest in this (whew I typed that out and it even looks convincing to me), so I'm just dropping in to say you all are a sick, sick bunch of people. 

Ever hear of a JATO bottle? Put a couple of those on the Europa and see how fast it goes. 

A couple of guys from the Air Force did this back in the 60s with a Chevy Impala and Car and Driver wrote an article about them. Now that would be sick. A rocket powered Europa. This one weighs nothing!

maschinenbau (I live here) said:

Ohhhh no. I was just talking about how I need a Challenge car... and you're not far away.

I can't think of anything better than the reigning Challenge champ taking on the free Europa. Think of the legendary tales that could come of this. 

In reply to slowbird :

And the Avalon cart solves the problem of not having a Challenge car yet! I could always bring Datsaniti too I guess. Or auction it off to make room...

maschinenbau (I live here) said:

Ohhhh no. I was just talking about how I need a Challenge car... and you're not far away.

Ill meet you there to help load. This is a car i love in my brain,  but have no desire to actually OWN. a dream that is better not caught. But damn, if it ain't a good one!!!

My idea involves either a Subaru engine and transmission or a B5.5 Passat 1.8T.

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael (Forum Supporter) :

It's a car I want to own, but don't have the capacity to build. 

John Brown (Forum Supporter) said:

My idea involves either a Subaru engine and transmission or a B5.5 Passat 1.8T.

 

 

I think a Subaru engine would be too wide. There is a narrow tight space for a four cylinder back there. Measure the original Renault engine and look for something the same size with more horsepower. Maybe the VW engine or Audi made something that would work with a transaxle. Cutting the frame up to fit an engine would make a big mess. Especially with metal that old. I would get an original engine and transaxle for a Renault 16 which somebody in this thread already offered up and then hunt for some kind of cheap turbocharger and a megasquirt. No way you could find one of the original Lotus Ford engine for one of those at a reasonable price. Maybe a Cosworth Vega engine if you could find some transaxle it would work with. 

The fact that there is no windshield makes me think “Europa Roadster”...

There's no way a Subaru motor would fit between the existing frame rails. 
 

However, many Europas have had the rear half of the chassis cut off and rebuilt to accommodate a FWD layout. 
 

The 1.8T will fit, bit the frame has to be notched. 

Woody said:

The fact that there is no windshield makes me think “Europa Roadster”...

I looked at it as a Lotus panel van , or shooting brake ......

or put windows in the side panels like a Shelby Mustang,,,,,,

A Europa is a surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) difficult car to work with/around.

Hope it finds a good home and makes it to the challenge.

I don't qualify!  Dangit!!! Never built a challenge car.

and I have the next 2 weekends free!

I'm another one that would love to take this but I don't have any challenge car experience.

Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:

Good thing I dont like europas...

I love europas! ( can ya tell Ive never owned/worked on one?), but alas, I don't fit his criteria. What I have in mind, I doubt I could get it limping along by this years challenge. I hope builder #1 can

I could def. have it roiling under its on power my next year, but not with the avalon engine

SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to bluej (Forum Supporter) :

Robbie's got it. 
 

I was pretty confident about the body fitting on the MR2 chassis, and explored ideas for that. 
 

When I got into it, I found the MR2 chassis was not a great fit, and decided to not destroy the Europa. 

It just got the light in my head on... I beleive you were building this in a container at one point?

With the offer of Stampies lotus parts you might be able to get enough suspension to get you going and be in it for pretty much nothing.  Wonder if you could approach turbo busa or other sportbike motor for challenge money...    I guess you could go NA and just use N2O for the drags too...

At least thats the way I would do it.  Try to shoot for one of the lightest challenge cars ever. 

Good thing I havent made it to a challenge and with a baby on the way theres zero chance of me getting it done to fail me out of getting it. 

Hey guys...

I didn't say anything about finishing it for THIS YEAR'S Challenge!  Nobody can do that!