Lotus Europe

lotus
	Lotus Europa S1 (1966-1969)
Europe
Production period:	1966-1975
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	; Petrol engines : 1.47–1.57 liters ; (57–93 kW)
Length:	3994 mm
Width:	1638 mm
Height:	1079 mm
Wheelbase :	2311 mm
Empty weight :	612-710 kg

The Lotus Europa is a sports coupé built by the manufacturer Lotus Cars from late 1966 to mid-1975 .

history

The Europa was launched in December 1966 and was not originally intended for the UK, only for overseas markets. The first vehicles were sold to France and Switzerland in February 1967. Both the engine and transmission came from the Renault 16 presented in early 1965 . The unit was installed with the engine to the front behind the passenger cell.

The Europa was one of the first mid-engined sports cars to be sold after the Second World War. Road holding and driving characteristics were reminiscent of a racing car . The frame was suitable for engines with more than 1470 cc. The body made of glass fiber reinforced polyester was glued to the central support frame made of sheet steel. The wheels were hung individually, at the front on double wishbones. At the rear, the wheel carriers were linked directly to the frame via arms that reached far to the front and guided laterally via two wishbones; the upper, shorter one was the drive shaft. There is rack and pinion steering and disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear.

Only 296 copies of the original S1 (based on the basic idea of Lotus founder Colin Chapman ) were made (chassis numbers 460001 to 460296). These vehicles were designed in an extremely minimalist way, with built-in side windows and seats (only the pedals were adjustable), hardly any door panels and simple instruments.

Side view
Lotus Europa S1 type 46, serial number 149 (1967)

Facelift

In the second series (Europa S2) introduced in spring 1969, the chassis and body were bolted together, but this changed the driving characteristics. At the same time, an engine with 1565 cm³ was introduced for the American market.

In mid-1971 the Europa TwinCam was presented, with the Ford-Kent engine modified by Harry Mundy for Lotus with a light-alloy cylinder head , two overhead camshafts and 1558 cm³, as already installed in the Lotus Elan .

In the fall of 1972, they went over to the performance-enhanced version "Big Valve" (similar to the Lotus Elan Sprint) and connected it to a five-speed gearbox from Renault. This new version was called the Europa Special .