Man finds his 1972 Lotus car on eBay 35 years after he sold it, buys it back

A man in the UK was surprised to see his Lotus car, which he was forced to sell in 1991 because of a divorce, listed on eBay. The 69-year-old wasted no time in snapping it up again, paying four times what he had sold it for 35 years ago. Motor mechanic David Reynolds is extremely happy to have his car back, that too in perfectly good condition.

Reynolds first bought the yellow 1972 Lotus Europa in 1980 for £750, a little over than 1,000 US dollars. It had one previous owner at the time. He got divorced in 1991 and had to sell it. Little did he think that he would see his car once again. So when he came across the listing on eBay in September this year, his happiness knew no bounds. He was able to instantly recognise his car from the alterations he had made to the interior.

He bought it back for £16,080 after selling it for £4,000, but has no regrets, saying it is just like "your shopping bill, prices keep going up." The car has had two other owners since then.

How did he identify his car after 35 years?

Identifying his car wasn't difficult for Reynolds because of all the changes he had made. His yellow Lotus had black coachlines, which the other cars didn't. As he went through more pictures, he noticed "there was a little piece of wood around the radio which the local joiner made". Then when he saw a video of the car being driven, that confirmed that it was his car, as the number plate matched the one he sold.

Lotus Cars built the Europa, a two-door mid-engine GT coupe, from 1966 to 1975. He spent two years restoring the second-hand car at the time, having it repainted, etc. But then when he got divorced, Reynolds needed money to keep the house. So he was left with no choice but to sell his car.

He says that even though he has owned a Black Lotus Europa and a Series 3 Elan since then, the yellow one has a special place in his heart. He plans to use his new old car only on special days and for holidays. Reynolds has started working on restoring the car for a second time.