Central Valley Classic Cars

The problem with telling this story is that nothing interesting happened. Sure, I ended up with one of Chapman’s little Bread Vans, but 500 miles in a vintage Lotus during the blazing heat of summer should have been ripe with struggles. And it just wasn’t.

It all started with my last Lotus. I only owned the car a mere three weeks, but in those few weeks it left a lasting impression. I was hooked and bent on getting another one as soon as I could afford it. Unfortunately the term afford becomes awfully vague when saving up for a span of multiple years. Things inevitably happen. Changes that affect priorities. The first was my office moving from walking distance from my house to somewhere further. The distance wasn’t the problem though. The problem was that I did occasionally drive to work. Which was fine, we had parking at the old building. But in our new place parking was only in a multilevel garage with prepaid parking permits. And my only car has no roof or windows. So a paid for (and expensive) parking permit could be easily stolen.

That’s okay, I’ll move the time table up and get myself another Lotus. If I needed a car with a roof it might as well be a Lotus, right? I was going to save up more money then I spent on my last Esprit Turbo and get a nicer Esprit Turbo, one of the Peter Steven’s styled cars. But I’d be happy with a cheaper older Esprit Turbo if I had to get one sooner than planned. The older, and worse shape its in, the less I would worry about it. Great.

And then more changes. I went to Africa. I liked it. Wait, no I didn’t. It made the Valley in summer feel like Antarctica. But still I want to go back. And do more traveling in general. So what if I found an even cheaper car that was fun like the Esprit? More money saved for other things. Toyota used to make that MR2 thing. Lotus even helped them design the first version. But the second generation offered a turbo. And turbo’s are fun. I could get one of those for half the price of an old Esprit in bad shape.

Then Car Week hit. I couldn’t have a Toyota. That would be too wise or responsible or something. All things I aspire to avoid. I wanted another Lotus. But I want a mid-engined car and I need something with a roof. Now Lotus hasn’t made that many different models so that really narrowed it down. I had seen old Europa’s for sale before but never in person and thus never gotten to drive one. I didn’t know if it would cut it. Especially with my wife’s comments that it looks like an ‘alien baby hearse.’ All that changed at the Monterey Historic Races. I saw for the first time in person; a Lotus Europa. It was tiny. I loved it.

I went right home and found two for sale in the LA area. Not exactly convenient but doable (and the price was just what I was looking for). I should mention there was also one in San Francisco, and another in Monterey, but neither was running and the most important thing I needed to know about the car was that it was fun to drive. So after a few failed attempts to fly down there with a buddy, I made plans with my wife to visit her family in Bakersfield. The trip would provide a stepping stone to LA where I made arrangements to see one of the Europas.

The weekend came and with it, record heat. Santa Cruz was over a hundred degrees. SANTA CRUZ! The boardwalk was reporting 93 degrees a few yards from the waters edge. And this was the weekend I would be traveling inland and possibly driving home in a 40 year old car with no A/C, which I’m sure would break down, leaving me to sweat it out on the blazing hot asphalt ribbon running 500 miles between my start and stop points.

Seeing the car in person didn’t excite me to the point of forgetting the 108 degree heat out that day, or the fact that the car wasn’t in LA, but Costa Mesa, and extra 45 minutes south. It was even more awkward looking then I remembered. Its particularly odd shade of blue inspired my wife to call it the ‘Smurf Alien Baby Hearse.’ I knew full well why everybody save my two closest friends were either adamant that I not buy the car or avoided replying to my emails of pictures of the car completely. Its not as awkward looking in person as it is in photos. But it is awkward.

It was in worse cosmetic condition then I thought but mechanically impressive. I was expecting the opposite, and that threw me a little, but I progressed with the testing and took the car out for a drive. It was fantastic. It felt very little like the Esprit. It was a combination of the same nimbleness but with an old car simplicity. It felt classic. From the cockpit with its simple wood dash full of all the necessary gauges and lack of sound deadening, it reminded me of the Trans Am racing Boss 302’s that I dreamed of turning my old Mach 1 into.

Needless to say I bought it. And drove the thing 200 miles to Bakersfield. And then another 200 miles to Merced. All in 100+ degree weather. And neither I nor the car was fazed by the heat. I filmed much of the trip, hoping for some Lotus-itis to make for a memorable documentary about the crazy guy trying to drive a Lotus 500 miles without a breakdown and all the breakdowns he then endured. But the car let me down (by not letting me down).

I presented the car to my Dad, I would be leaving it with him for a week until I could come back and paint some racing stripes on it (I needed to do something to help the car’s looks). He warmed up to it. Perhaps just because I already owned it and there was no reason to berate my purchase. Or perhaps the drive in it changed his mind (he left some tire marks in the driveway).

A long week of sitting at work thinking about what all I’d do to the car when I paint the stripes later, I came back to Merced and fulfilled a long time dream of mine. To have a car with Le Mans style racing stripes. And for the first time in a long time, I had my own car again. A car which I tuned to my preferences and driving style. Which is modified in ways I think are better. Which is blue with white stripes (that I decided on, designed and painted). It feels right to. Not too showing, not expensive, plenty interesting, and not full of gadgets I don’t want, will break down, and add weight. Its like a race car. Its just right for me, and I now remember how good it feels to take a car out for a drive, just to take the car out for a drive. Criticize its looks all you want, I love it.

It made the last 100 miles to Santa Cruz without a hitch and its winning over the people who told me not to buy it one by one. Not that I care terribly much. I spent the money and I’m glad I did.