We’ve always wanted a Lotus Europa here at Britwerks — and now we’ve got two!
Both are Europa S2s, one yellow and one reddish. The first is a type 54 — only about 200 of which were “federalized” for import to the United States. The second is a type 65, which was made specifically for the American market. Both cars are pretty complete, but one has been banged up. That one is going to get an aluminum frame built from scratch.
Produced between 1966 and 1975, total production of the mid-engined Europa was under 10,000 units. So we feel pretty lucky to get our hands on these. Below, for comparison purposes, is a picture of a 1967 Europa S1.
One of our favorite projects here at Britwerks is this 1968 Volkswagen Westfalia camper bus. I think 1968 is the first year for the Volkswagen’s “new” body style, which among other things did away with the split windscreen. (The design change caused some problems, as a lot of things were one year only, so parts can be hard to find. The owner of this bus saw a camper for sale at the bluegrass music festival at Winfield and decide she had to have it. She went to get her check book (who takes a check book to a music festival?) but by the time she returned it was already sold.
So she bought this one via eBay, out of a barnyard in Iowa. It had been sitting for a long time. Our first pass was to get it running, brakes stopping, lights working, broken windows replaced, crunched door sourced … and a workable tent top.
Phase one went pretty well. The brake master was not reproduced, and I have an extra squirreled away (filed under Unobtainum).
Phase two was to fix all the damage and rust and refresh the interior. We got bogged down in the paint/body work portion, but we’re back on track to finish soon.
This little 1973 MG Midget BSB (British Standard Brass) is going to be Elliot’s first car. It’s a gift from his dad, and we plan to have it running like a top in the near future.
Check out our newly acquired a 1963 Triumph Herald convertible, a very cool car and very rare in the states. Although about 500,000 were sold during while the car was in production, only about 2,500 were imported here.
This car has a 1200cc engine rated at 39 bhp. The Herald won praise for its light steering and ease of repair. It boasts the tightest turning radius of any production car in the world. This old Triumph Herald commercial we found on YouTube illustrates the 25-foot turning radius pretty well:
This is a Bugeye project I’ve been working on. After discovering this car in a barn in Oklahoma, we transformed it from a rusty tub to this near-finished classic. Upgraded to a 1275 A Series engine, front disc brakes and wire wheels, this car will be terrorizing the neighborhood by spring…
Here’s our MGA 1500 project. The photos show us updating the engine to a MGB 1800cc 5 main so the customer could drive it while the original engine is being rebuilt.
We haven’t seen the hit movie The Adventures of Tintin yet, but we have spotted the trailer that appears to show the orange-haired boy reporter driving a green TR2. Below is a screen grab of the split-second appearance of this classic car. You can check out our work on our own 1954 TR2 here.
Authentic, detailed period cars have always been a feature of the Tintin books, and we’re glad to see that trend carried over into the movie.
Remember, Tintin is a professional. Don't drive your TR2 through the shrubbery like this.
We’ve had this one in the works for a long time. After a friend and I bought it together, I took it apart, had it painted and got started on restoring the parts and systems. But then bad luck and tragedy intervened. I had to undergo heart surgery, and my friend was murdered in a senseless robbery attempt in 2008.
My Britwerks partner, Drew Pall, purchased it to build his first car. Nothing like glossy red paint to make a classic road car come alive.
I think this is probably a ’62, and its racing heritage is pretty clear in the “before” photos (see slideshow below). We plan to get this back on the track as soon as we can.
Truly a barn find, this car was located in a shed in southeastern Kansas, we chased it for 5 years until the owners’ septic system blew up and they needed cash to get it back online…The car is #2104, built in the first 12 months of production, and we believe, one of between 50 and [...]
We’ve always wanted a Lotus Europa here at Britwerks — and now we’ve got two! Both are Europa S2s, one yellow and one reddish. The first is a type 54 [...]
One of our favorite projects here at Britwerks is this 1968 Volkswagen Westfalia camper bus. I think 1968 is the first year for the Volkswagen’s “new” body style, which among [...]
This little 1973 MG Midget BSB (British Standard Brass) is going to be Elliot’s first car. It’s a gift from his dad, and we plan to have it running like [...]
Check out our newly acquired a 1963 Triumph Herald convertible, a very cool car and very rare in the states. Although about 500,000 were sold during while the car was [...]
This is a Bugeye project I’ve been working on. After discovering this car in a barn in Oklahoma, we transformed it from a rusty tub to this near-finished classic. Upgraded [...]
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