Foose/Overhaulin' 1971 Lotus Europa | 320 hp and Only 1200 lbs!! 

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Used to see them when I was a kid in London. Amazingly low and just as "swinging sixties" as Mary Quant and David Bailey. Such a tasteful update.

Being English I have always loved the Europa. All credit to the team for making it even better!

Wow, that thing is cool. Chip Foose did such a good job with the styling. The engine is a bit louder than I'd be comfortable with, but I'd adapt. You can tell early on in the drive that it will def haul the freight. What fun.

Super stylish restomod. It’s still a very pretty car but with added attitude. It looked so purposeful as it shot through. It’s fairly true to the original concept. It wouldn’t look out of place racing through smaller British roads. Superb!

That’s one of the projects that I worked on “off camera” on Overhaulin. It was put together but didn’t run and wasn’t drivable. Guess it had been there for a very long time. I just made it run and drive so it could be returned to the owner but it was a pretty wild build.

Exceptional machine, I love Lotus' moniker regarding making such light cars; Colin Chapman was that Dude! The 2ZZ is different from the Supra's 2JZ; hopefully they fixed the oiling issues for Lotus (I'm guessing yes), and he meant the 993 911 for the headlights. Excellent build, Absolutely Amazing vehicle! It's awesome to see how happy it makes the owner; that's exactly what being an enthusiast is about! 👌

What a car and build. I love the fact they used parts from modern Lotus. (I'm from the UK) when I was at school, our woodwork/metalwork teacher (I believe the subject is called resistant materials nowadays) had an original light blue Europa. He used to drive it across the playground to park it near the practical block. We used to joke about minding not to trip over it - they are so low. Later, I had an Elan Plus 2, and a mate had a purple Europa and his brother had an Elan S4. All 3 cars had the later Lotus twin-cam engine with the black rocker covers (130 HP). Good times.

Now that's a special ride

Hands down the best work and most extensive overhauling build. Really cool

I enjoyed watching the episodes of the build of this car on Overhaulin' & how appreciative he was that Jay & Chip did this for him. It's even better knowing he's out enjoying his car.

My cousin had the 1967 Europa that was at EXPO 67 in Montreal, he was the 3rd owner and by then it was in rough shape, I replaced the engine and the local Renault dealer ordered the engine for me and they sent down a Gordini racing engine, originally the radiator was ahead of the right front wheelwell, thet's why the front end was long, the center placement makes much more sense, the Solex carb was tost, so I replaced it with a Weber off a Ford Capri V-6, it went like stink. He sold it to a guy in Haslifax, Nova Scotia and he sold it in 1978 in Road & Track for $ 25,000 US. I met a guy in the RCAF in 1983 who had one he bought in Germany, he said he was driving down the Autobahn at about 150 km/h and the windshield collapsed in his lap, so he put rebar around the windshield mounts. They were a fun car to drive, but a nightmare to work on. To get the body fixed you had to go to a boatyard because the body shops thought it was like a Corvette, short strand fiberglas instead long strand fiberglas.

The 2zz-ge is one of toyota's best 4 cylinder engine that had ever made, almost getting 200hp at the flywheel naturally aspirated out of a 1.8L engine in the late 90's it's nice

Again Shawn, you're knocking it out of the park on your review subject matter! I've seen several Foose Overhaulin cars in person over the past 15 years and the later series cars are much nicer in how they're constructed & finished. The later shows weren't under the "7 days" to finish the car timeframe and it shows on the cars' quality. Eager to see what's next! 👌

I really love the European restomods ! That one is awesome. What a SOUND! 😃

A guy in my neighborhood has a nicely sorted Europa. I know in pictures they can look a bit ungainly from some angles, and I wouldn't claim it's a truly 'beautiful' car; but in person, the impact it has is stunning. It is TINY and incredibly low. Lower than any modern Lamborghini. The sounds this one makes is just glorious. What a dream.

I remember seeing these cars In Ireland as a kid and I just loved the look. This one is a screamer for sure Shawn,I've never seen this one before so thanks man take care.

Dude took a Foose and made it his own!! AND drives it. Bruh. You are king!

Thank you SO MUCH for this video!! I'm old enough to remember the Europas when they were new and I so enjoyed the Overhaulin' episodes where they featured this car BUT they never did a walk-around or show it on the road. What a disappointment!! Now, thanks to you, I've seen all I could have hoped to see and hear. What craftsmanship! What a car! Thank you!

That show just aired on local TV where I live yesterday. Definitely one of the best Overhaulin episodes I've seen.

Saw this beauty at The Queen’s English car show today. What a cool little Lotus. ❤

I’ve always loved the Europa , being a child of the sixties, on my way to school, a shop owner owned one , and I just loved it , especially the tiny rear screen. This is such an amazing job !

That first shot gave me goosebumps! I grew up around Burbank and remember loving these cars when they first came out and yes the originals were loud too but no where as nice as this car. I'm so glad to see all that new suspension, brakes, and subframes to match the new power plant. The originals were barely over 100hp and to keep them light the suspension matched the low power but I doubt the claims of 1200 lbs. as the stock US spec cars were never this light or had as man heavy duty parts as this conversion has. I still love this car, everything I didn't like about the original is gone including that Renault gearbox. Well done Chip and John, nice work!

Great episode. Nice to see this car after all those years. Will miss Jessi Combs.

That makes the most amazing sounds! Loved that episode of Overhaulin. My father has a 1968 Europa S2 that has had a bad throwout bearing since I was a kid. If that somehow makes it's way to my garage, I may have to do something like this.

In the late 60’s my brother and I used to watch two Europas race in a racing series that included Mini Cooper S’s at a track in Ontario Canada called Mosport. Most times Bill Brack, driving a dark green with a yellow top Europa would win. Brack was the owner of Sports Cars Unlimited and I just drooled after that car. My brother Bob bought a last generation Mini Cooper S from Sports Cars Unlimited and they race prepared it. Brack later became Canadian Formula B champion. Although by modern standards they would now not be considered fast cars, and certainly not compared to the C5 Corvette I later owned, they still have a very special place in my heart. The Lotus name had a special mystique and the the Europa was the next advance in Colin Chapman’s light weight and brilliant handling following the Elan. I am glad to see that some collectors have put time, love and money into preserving these wonderful treasures.

Absolutely Beautiful!!! The sound is amazing, there’s no way I would be able to keep it in lower rpm range.

I've had the privilege of seeing this Lotus in person several times at the Queen's English Car Show at Woodley Park in Van Nuys. It is nothing short of spectacular! Beautiful car, great build, very happy owner.

Wow thats one of most beautifull cars Ive ever seen!

What a gorgeous reinterpretation of my fav kid toy from when I was a lad. Always been a massive fan of the Europa ....

Holy shit the sound of that exhaust 😍😍😍😍😍😍

Beautiful car. I had two of the Matchbox Superfast cars as a kid, one in blue and one in purple. Always wanted a real one!

Nice to see a Foose car on the channel being driven. Usually you just see them being static displays.

Alright, so a FOOSE custom Lotus. A Camaro SS, a custom Coupe DeVille, right? And of course.. dirty laundry 😛 16:44 This Lotus truly sound like a genuine race car. That pitching sound is just spot on!

Always remember this car. I’m not sure I remember another single car from the show. But man this one stood out a mile. Done with so much subtlety and class. a ton of work but done not to look like it had. Looks amazingly Sleeeeeek!

Easily the best Europa on the planet! I remember watching the Overhaulin' build that covered 2 x episodes. What an awesome car! Great to see how nice he's looking after it too.

The unique Lotus!👍

Whooya, I remember getting a ride in a europa in 1972 my girlfriends mom’s boyfriend gave me a ride home. We put all 4 of us in and we were dragin tail with so much weight. Hit bottom coming out of the drive way, but after that it was all gravey. Good times!

I had a matchbox of this also, one of my favorites forever. Sounded so good!

my god that car is insane!! there was one of these for sale locally and i really wanted it,now i want it even more.

Blew up a 1972 Europa, it was imported from the middle east racing circuit where it had caught fire. My father bought it, had it rebuilt and refinished. It was a dry sump twin cam. Main bearing blew out and just destroyed the engine. But it was alot of fun while it lasted. My older brother bought it from him, rebuilt the motor only to have it happen again. I would swear I saw it on a video, bright yellow that my father had it painted, sitting in Jay Lenno's Garage. Could be it based on the color, but who knows.

WOW!!!!!! 😲😲😲 simply stunning, friend had a S2 back in the seventies great times, this is so well done testimoniay to Foose skill and creativity well done to all who were involved 👍👍

That's a big dude to be driving a Europa. People don't realize how small these things are until they actually try to get in one. And getting back out is even more awkward. It would be interesting to see him get in and out of it, as I'll bet with him, it isn't a pretty sight. The combination of the narrow, tight footwell, small door opening, wide, high door sill, and the fact that the seat is less than a foot above the ground means it's a limbo act. To get out, you either pull your left knee up near your head so your foot clears the door opening and the door sill which is about seat level, then scoot your ass up and over the door sill while holding onto the a-pillar and door opening, then stand up and pull your right leg out, all with the steering wheel in the way. Or, you just say screw it, lean over and basically just crawl out onto the pavement on your hands. But it's not quite as awkward as getting out of an Elise or Exige, especially if it has a roll cage like mine does. The footwell is even lower, and the door sill is even wider, as well as being a couple inches higher than the seat cushion. And the roll cage restricts the door opening even more. I've had a couple of older guys get in mine, and couldn't get out on their own. Once you get in them though, the driving position is really good, and are more comfortable than you would think. And they are an absolute blast to drive. You don't drive these cars as much as you wear them. It's the closest thing to wearing Iron Man's suit.

That's a beauty! I owned a 73 twin cam serial # 2464R for about 7 years. Lotta fun.

I owned a '72 for several years, this is really a nice update, very nice

Beautiful little Lotus! And yes, this fellow quite lucked out getting this car back. Thanks Chip Foose!

Thanks for a great show. After the Foose overhaul aired in Europe, i always wondered what had happened to the Lotus. I only could some online forum references, and now this video. Thanks.

I have every Overhaulin still saved on my DVR and I remember this car very well!!!!!! Meeting Chip Foose is on my bucket list

Magnifique comme très souvant avec ce Foose, Lotus Europa de folie 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I can only imagine the feeling of driving something like this....it’s amazing

Foose always does mint work. I would like to see what happened to some of those vehicles that they did Overhaul.

Aww to see Jessi in that episode... :( Cool Lotus, too!

I have to love how you keep grabbing those cool cars in Cali. And you were completely smitten , your face just says it all. I had 2 of them. They are so small like a mini GT40....which is exactly what Mr Chapman wanted a working class GT40. These cars come apart into a zillion peices. I'm sure Foose and his team were, like man, I wish this was a Mustang! I'm sure it Foose first and last classic Import. Now you need to find the Shelby Crew guy that owns the 65 Lola GT the used as a model for the Ford GT 40 He was on Leno's Garage.

First time watching this channel. I like your respectful, laidback attitude. I'll be watching more of your videos.

I love that sound, I love the 70's era cars

One of the best episodes for a built car on any channel ❤️

Epic build indeed...and John seems so well deserved to be the caretaker of this fine machine.

I like the owner’s touches he added

Had a lotus Europa 1970..from 1975- 1981..pearl colour...loved it, drove to London in 77 to the fa cup final.

Loved this car for some time, such a unique build !

Man, SUCH a work of art. Chip is a GD genius. I wish I had his skill set and vision. It is such a rare talent to be able to do it "right"! I would give my pinkie toe to be able to go back in life and learn from Chip.

My accounting teacher in high school had one in the mid-80's. I think being a teacher was just a past-time. He made most of his money share-dealing. He had us research companies as part of class : good for us. Good for him.

Damn!!!!! Beautiful 😥, I love when foose gets his hands on some steel 😄

Always a pleasure to watch BUT this was very special. Thx you!

Saw the original show. Great follwup on a unique car. Thanks

Wow, that thing is nuts!! So cool!

That. was one of the most amazing videos I ever seen. The car looks sublime and sounds incredible!!!!. My next door neighbour had a yellow one of these, which he changed to black and gold. It looked lovely, but it didn't look anywhere near as good as the colour scheme on this Lotus and it sounded really tame compared to John Nevin's car. Just extraordinary, the workmanship and skill levels to achieve this car. It's almost as beautiful as a Lamborghini Miura! Thanks so much for sharing. A feast for the eyes and ears! Justin UK

Incredible rig! Thanks for sharing

Foose is a fantastic car builder the lotus is one of my favourite builds from Overhauling 👍 don't see them on our roads anymore in the UK sadly , but what a fantastic car very lucky guy .

I used to walk passed one on my way to school for about 5 years, it was a sight to behold, the owner had one (Lotus Europa) in white, and also a Rover P5b in dark grey and a BSA GoldStar with a chrome like tank. 30 years later I still want these vehicles.

Always wanted one. Now I know what I would do with it. Siiiick!!

Killer episode! You get to see some of the details of that car that you probably wouldn't see on overhaulin. But that thing sounds like a flat-out race car! Bad ass!

In the 1978 I was waiting for may dad outside my high school for my dad to drive me to a tennis match, and he drove up in this car. Never saw anything like it before, I though it was kinda ugly but it looked exotic. It felt like a go cart it was so low to the ground, and my dad was driving like a mad man, so when we got to the tennis courts I had a bad case of car sickness, but I never forgot that car.

These were very cool. They made a black one with gold pin stripes called the John Player Special. I used to ride my bike to go stare at one.

My father brought on home in 74. At 14 years old I could reach my arm out and put my hand flat on the pavement. We had a memorable ride on Mulholland Boulevard.

I was so looking forward to seeing part 2 of the Europa build, as it was on Quest last night (in the UK) went to watch it... and it failed to record, gutted

I just bought a matchbox of this as an adult, at Marc's, a discount store. Also, from the anime ExDriver which featured some awesome cars.

Such a cool build. Always had a soft spot for these.

45 seconds into this clip and already loving it! :)

Great car. I love the S1 and this is a grand reimagining of it.

Always loved the Europa, especially the Twin cam version. An uncle of mine had one modded for dragracing in the late 70's - early 80's.

Wow, utterly fantastic. Great customisation.

Stunning, love the noise.

This car is soooooooooooooooooo friggin rad, and John, talk about humble! It has to be so fun to drive! I love this shit!!!

Cool..the first real sports car..I was a passenger in when I was about 14 or 15 was in a Lotus Europa 1976 JPS special. Black & Gold..cool car.

I had Lotus build me a 1973 Europa Special when I was stationed in England. It was Lagoon Blue, I really loved that car. Now I have a 74 Europa Special in Roman Purple that I am having Europa Engineering build me a resto-mod. It will have a Cosworth Duratec twin cam motor, tube frame chassis, AP racing brakes, Ohlins Shock absorbers, and 15 inch Rotoform wheels. It will be tastefully done without ruining the character of the original car. Can't wait for it to be completed.

Beautiful car, beautiful sound, congratulation to the owner.

Just beautiful. ❤

Awesome and fast.this makes a iconic statement.chip goose and the guys at his garage are the ones who make me dream and idolize every day.i even loved his dad's genius work and his wonderful vision on cars everything.mqn I would love to just meet him one day my bucket list is to be wing man for a day in his garage peace and Mr Nixon you have a great little ride there and a great collection of cars also peace to all im a fan

It’s fun to see the old episode of overhauling and see the late and great Jessi Combs Smiling face.

Thx for posting ! My no 1 fave car.

Thank you, at the end of overhaulin' episode, they didn't start it up, they didn't drive it around, and thank you again for the update. just an idea ship it over to Hethel UK to let the engineers at Lotus see it :)

Had one in 71, also red. Could tell a lot of interesting stories :)

My first car was a Europa in JPS livery. The Foose Europa is my favourite car of all time. If I win the lottery, that one's coming back to Britain, for sure.

I had one when I was 20 years old in the mid eighties woohoo !!! Before I got my first Esprit

I had to move one of those in a storage facility before. All original. Right down the the pedals that were sized for little feet! Sounded cool pushes easy.

Absolutely Excellent !!!

Foose knocked out of the park with the Europa. Great back story too.

AWESOME BUILD!!

My best friend’s father bought 3 1973 Europa’s and shipped them back to the states. He kept one and sold the other two. His was blue with white stripes. I was 17 at the time. Man, was it fun to drive. Nothing else like it in Ohio.