Man forced to sell beloved Lotus car following divorce buys it back 35 years later after spotting it on eBay

A man forced to sell his beloved Lotus following a divorce has bought it back 35 years later after spotting it for sale on eBay. 

Motor mechanic David Reynolds, 69, said he was ‘thrilled to bits’ to be reunited with the vehicle which he is amazed had been kept in ‘such good condition’ by its previous owners. 

Mr Reynolds first bought the yellow 1972 Lotus Europa second hand for £750 in 1980 as a special treat as he drove a Mini van. 

It had one previous owner. He was forced to sell it during a divorce in 1991 but in September this year found it listed for sale in Sheffield on eBay after recognising distinctive alterations he had made to the interior.

He said he had 'no regrets' after buying it back for £16,080 after selling it for £4,000.

‘Now I’ve paid four times as much to get it back. It’s like your shopping bill, prices keep going up,' he said. 

It has had two owners since in Redcar and Sheffield before being snapped up recently by Mr Reynolds, whose daily drive is a Ford Kuga.

Mr Reynolds said although he had seen other similar yellow Lotus Europas over the years, which 'brought back memories', the listing he saw in September caught his eye because of black coachlines which were not an original feature.

After looking at more pictures of the interior he 'realised there was a little piece of wood around the radio which the local joiner made'.

It was only after seeing footage of the car driving that he was able to verify the number plate matched the one he sold.

'I had a job to sleep,' he said about the night he rediscovered it. 

Mr Reynolds, of Swineshead, Lincolnshire, said: 'Half of me thought, I must have made a reasonable job of it in the first place. 

'All the previous owners have looked after it too which is something I can only be thankful for.

'I was chuffed to bits to just see it in the state that it is.'

The Europa was a two-door mid-engined GT coupe built by Lotus Cars from 1966 to 1975. It was the first mass-produced car designed with a mid-mounted engine. 

Mr Reynolds said he spent two years restoring the Lotus between including repainting the bodywork.

He said selling the car 'knocked the wind out of my sails' but he needed to do it.

'I got divorced and to keep the house, I had to find some money from somewhere,' he said.

He said the Europa had a special place in his heart. 

'I then had a Black Lotus Europa and a Series 3 Elan at one stage, but the yellow one was my pride and joy, because I'd done that from nut and bolt,' he said. 

'I'd put all my passion into doing it in the first place, but needs must.'

Father of two Mr Reynolds, now married to second wife Sue, said his beloved Lotus would not be ‘an everyday car but just for high days and holidays.’ 

He now plans to restore it for a second time. 

‘I drove the car off the trailer and it’s in the shed at home,' he said. 

‘I’ll be working on it to ensure it is roadworthy - it will take me ages because I’m always busy helping friends with motor things. 

‘But I’ve already started taking the doors off.

‘I’m surprised the car had been kept in such good condition and I can’t wait to drive it again.’