1971 Lotus

Coupe

4 - Cyl.

Manual

Clear

Gasoline

I guess all the car guys were busy over the weekend because none of them spotted this deal. I had never owned a Lotus and jumped at the chance to pick up this classic. The seller had a real sense of humor. He had lost a coin toss with his wife, so instead of restoring the Lotus they bought a brand new Camaro. And believe me, it was the baddest new Camaro I have ever seen. He met in the dusty lot of a heavy duty big rig repair yard. A gigantic man pointed us in his direction. The Lotus was sitting on an ancient trailer that looked like something the pilgrims towed behind a wagon. Both tires were flat and the platform was scabbed together out of left over scrap metal. The man had got the Lotus in a divorce settlement. The Lotus had sat for 12 years before he got it and another 10 on his watch. Not a lot of restoration going on here. He was firm on his price and I was firm in my belief that this was a worthy project. After hauling our prize home and dusting it off, Chatman and I beamed at each other in car guy bliss. Neither of us had owned a humpback Lotus before. This Lotus had seen better days. It’s once proud Bahama Gold paint job was faded and checked and some of the fiberglass was peeking through. Immediately one of our local policemen stopped by to say, “Where do you guys get these cars?” I nick named it, “The Frog” but Chatman one-upped me and calls it, “Ribbit.” The seller had vehemently told us the ELSE package was a valuable asset to this rig. I have no idea what it is all about, but I am sure you do. I like this car. It’s got a great stance. The tires are shot but they are some cool Pirellis from 30 years ago. This guy had been sitting a long time. We both marveled at the compact cockpit and the airline pilot’s association sticker on the rear glass. The Lotus is a very original car. It sat by the ocean and the pieces all have a bit of surface rust but all are salvageable. The engine appears to be frozen and the Webber carburetor will need to be rebuilt. One of my best car guys told me Lotus mechanics are the best out there and that if the part isn’t available they would make it themselves on a lathe. You’re gonna have to be one hell of a mechanic to get this one going, are you that guy?