1565cc Inline 4
4 speed Manual
Mid Engine Rear Wheel Drive
Hydraulic Front Discs, Rear Drums
109 bhp 111 Ft-Lb
Exterior Light Blue with Orange Stripe Interior Black
The Lotus Europa is believed to have its early origins in 1963 as basis of Lotus’s Bid to Ford for the GT40 project, which instead went to Lola Cars. In the 1960s, the mid-engined design was starting to come to the forefront in racing and was just starting to shift to the streetgoing sports car market when the series 1 was released in 1966, as probably the cheapest mid-engined entry in the sports car market. The drivetrain was based on that of the front-wheel drive Renault 16, which was designed, placing the transaxle in front of the engine, with all the ancillaries mounted facing the gearbox side of the block. This made it perfect for Lotus as they could make it fit a rear engined car by turning it around 180 degrees and then fitting a reverse cut ring and pinion in the transaxle to make the axles turn in the right direction. The very aerodynamic body, carried out in Fiberglass, featured an underlying X shaped frame and a 4 wheel independent suspension system, fitted with front discs and rear outboard drums and the car weighed in at less that 1500 pounds. The first series was a truly minimalist design with fixed or removable side windows and fixed seats with pedals that could be adjusted with tools to accommodate the driver and the body integrally bonded to the chassis. In contrast the Series 2 brought back creature comforts, like adjustable seats, power windows, proper door handles, and achange to the construction that made it easier to repair the chassis and body in case of rust or damage. The third series of the
Europa, identified as a Type 74, switched the engine from the Renault powerplant to Lotus’s Ford based Twin Cam engine, as found in the earlier Elan This allowed for a boost in power and performance over the Renault engined examples, as well as made it easier for Lotus to build cars that met US emissions regulations. This Europa was restored for the previous owner, who had itrepainted to a high level in Gulf racing colours, choosing to leave the chrome bumpers off the car. The engine was also rebuilt, tuned, and upgraded with a Weber DCOE carburettor, and dyno tested out to 109 horsepower and 111 foot-pounds of torque, as compared to the original 81 horsepower and 80 foot-pounds of torque. The interior is largely original and still in good condition. The interior of the car is, as is typical for Lotuses of this era, somewhat cramped, but comfortable once you are in place with an excellent driving position. Acceleration is very fast, even by modern standards, brakes are excellent which is unsurprising for such a light car, and Lotus’s famed handling certainly carried into the Europa from the Elan. Rear visibility isn’t great due to the small window and buttresses on the side (which were reduced in height on the later twin cam models), but side mirrors make up for most of the lost visibility and the low slung car means that you will generally see anything directly behind you.
