I have a 1971 Lotus Europa bought 29 years ago. It was driven for less than a year and then the husband took it apart for some reason and got it a very pricey new paint job. It’s now yellow. However, it’s never been put back together again and has been stored in the driveway under a tarp for all this time. Animals have entered it and it’s a mess. The wheels are frozen up. The body is still gorgeous though. Can I sell this? I was thinking of hiring a mechanic for a ‘consultation’ to look it over and give me the descriptors to advertise it. Where do you suggest advertising it? Any price suggestion?
$500. I’ll buy it 
What I would do is to find a dedicated forum for Lotus owners. Take lots of pictures and post up the story. They’ll not only be able to advise you much better than a general mechanic as to its value, but it wouldn’t surprise me if one of them buys it from you.
I agree with Shadowfax. That’s definitely your best bet. A car apart will not be worth as much as a car put together but if it is in nice shape, it may be worth $550
… that’s why I am offering $600.
j/k. You can do a lot better than that.
Wow, that’s a rare car. Not saying it’s valuable, but it is rare, to the extent that there are none for sale on Ebay, and no ‘completed listings’, either. You’ll want to contact somebody who know something about them. Here’s the ‘Lotus Ltd.’ home page:
http://www.lotuscarclub.org/
And their listing of local chapters:
http://www.lotuscarclub.org/localchapters.php
The closest I could find to yours in condition and age (an Elan, not a Europa) sold for around $5,000 on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1971-Lotus-Elan-2-/221102779550?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item337ac0ac9e
Take some decent pictures, list it on eBay with a REASONABLE reserve price (most classic cars fail to sell on eBay because the seller feels it’s worth far more than it is) and it will sell for what it’s worth…I hope you have a valid title…After all this time, your state DMV may have “purged” their records so get a fresh copy before you try and sell it…
Here is an eBay listing for two parts cars that actually sold, $1500. Ouch!
Maybe you could find a local mechanic willing to put it together and get it running…For say half the selling price…You will come out better that way I think…
If you do sell it on ebay, I wouldn’t do until it was half way decently advertised on Lotus forums because you may only get $1000 for it, which wouldn’t be right. I suspect it is worth a lot more. It isn’t a car that you buy on impulse for a boatload of cash because it takes a dedicated person to own any fiberglass British car. This car is really just parts so you want people bidding that see the value, not just some clowns frequenting some forum dedicated to a radio show that talks about car repair.
Btw, does your husband know you’re selling it or will that be a surprise for him when he gets home? If so, make him a nice dinner and wait by the door with his slippers in one hand, and the other hand holding a glass of scotch. 
HERE is the place to start…You might be able to sell it right here or at least use this site to inform potential buyers of your listing on eBay…
These tips are great! Thanks so much.