LOTUS EUROPA SERIES 1 (LOTUS TYPE 46)
Unveiled in December 1966 the first 500 cars were destined for the French market. The aptly named Europa (fulfilled Colin Chapman’s desire for an affordable yet revolutionary mid-engined sportscar.
Indeed, it was the first roadgoing Lotus to feature a mid-engined configuration and the fourth road car to have such an arrangement. For the record, the Matra (nee Bonnet) Djet was the first in 1962, followed by the De Tomaso Vallelunga in 1964 and Lamborghini Miura in 1966.
Lotus’ boss was going to call it the ‘Elfin’ until someone told him that it means ‘the end’ in Spanish. As it was intended as Lotus’ car for Europe, he choose Europa instead. The other main export market was Germany. Indeed, the first cars sold in France were called ‘Lotus Europe’.
Despite its relatively low horsepower it endowed the Europa with great performance, helped no doubt by the light weight of 610kg.
The backbone box section steel chassis was bonded to the GRP bodywork making the car very stiff but a pig to repair or restore. In fact, insurance companies reportedly hated it and shuddered every time a customer asked for a quote for a Lotus Europa. Even a relatively minor biff could result in a write off or at best a completely new body and/or chassis.
The Europa shared a lot of components with its brother the Elan albeit much of them modified for a mid-engined car. The front suspension was Triumph derived (pretty much the same as a Herald or Spitfire, with double pressed wishbones with Alford and Adler uprights.
At the rear, however, the Europa had a unique independent suspension arrangement with long box section trailling arms and lower transverse links.
Meanwhile, the body was made from GRP using Lotus’ favoured Unimold process meaning that it was a one-piece ‘shell. The individual parts are laminated in a conventional way but are then bolted together at which point the join lines are glassed over.
Other issues included narrow footwells and the fact that due partly to the shallow doors the Europa is one of the hardest cars to get in and out of. Something the much later Exige S1 suffered from, too.
As I discovered at Bruntingthorpe, the gearchange was a game of two halves, to borrow a football cliché. When new the Europa’s gearbox complete with rod-linkage was a beauty, however, when the car had covered some hard driven miles it could become clonky with ‘lucky dip’ battle of wills gearchanges.
Later Mk1s, described as Mk1B, had lift-out side windows, which at least meant some ventilation was possible.
The interior was the opposite of luxurious, which surprised some people in period. It was a functional place to be with ‘hammock’ style seats – in any colour you liked as long as it was black vinyl – that were very comfortable.
Later Series 1 Mk2 cars featured removable side windows that could be stowed in the new integral door panels.
Lotus Engineering 1966-68
Approx 650 made (300 S1/A and 350 S1/B)
LOTUS EUROPA SERIES 2 (LOTUS TYPE 54)
Launched in April 1968, the S2 had several upgrades over the S1 Europa although the chassis and Renault engine remained unchanged. It differed enough from its predecessor to be given a new model designation – the Type 54.
Insurance companies could breathe more easily though as the body was now bolted rather than bonded to the chassis! There were several S2s produced with S1 running gear, presumably because Lotus had loads of parts left over!
Windows were now electrically operated (pretty advanced for 1968) and initially Perspex before laminated glass was introduced, while seats were now conventional in style and adjustable, although the driving position was still great and best described as ‘racy’.
The interior was all-new although hardly lavish and even though the S2 was heavier at 710kg it was hardly a heavyweight. The extra weight didn’t affect handling or performance.
A Type 65 Federal Europa for the American market arrived in 1969 and to allow for the emissions-regulations sapping power, it used a 1565cc version of the Renault engine.
Lotus Engineering 1968-71
Approx 3615 made
LOTUS EUROPA TWIN CAM (LOTUS TYPE 74)
Future Lotus MD Mike Kimberley was the chief engineer of the Europa Twin Cam project, which arrived in 1971. The styling was done by engineer Ian Jones with direct input from Colin Chapman himself.
Distinguished by its chopped rear buttresses – which improved the rear three-quarter blind spot – the main difference was the fitting of the 105bhp Lotus 1558cc twin cam engine, with twin Dell’Orto 40DHLA carburettor, which significantly boosted performance, although the standard gearbox remained the Renault 352 four-speed, although the 336 five-speeder was an option.
Chapman never wanted to fit the twin cam engine to the Europa for two main reasons. He didn’t want to put all his engine eggs into one basket i.e. Ford and he wanted the Europa to be a car for everyone and not have a high-end image, while also not being allowed to trump the Elan.
Although the Renault 16 engine suited the Europa beautifully the Lotus twin cam was the engine the car had been waiting for. A few owners of S1 and S2 cars had attempted to fit twin cams and Ford Crosflows into the Europa but had discovered what a monster job it was. Mind you, twin cam owners discovered the dipstick foible. It was easy to remove but because the engine had been used hitherto as a front mounted unit it proved a real challenge to get it back in place.
Chassis was similar to the S1 and S2 versions but had repositioned mounts for the front suspension, had the rear arches moved back to allow for the twin cam engine, had GKN Kent Alloys as standard, lowered floors and wider footwells, while you could also choose a beige interior if the black vinyl didn’t do it for you. Fully built versions started at £1995 in 1972 with component packages available from £1595. Lotus described them as ‘kits’ but I’ve been battered by too many Europa owners over the years who get the proper hump when I have used that word!
Around 1580 Twin Cams were produced,
Lotus Engineering 1971-72
Approx 1580 Twin Cams made
EUROPA SPECIAL (LOTUS TYPE 74)
In late 1972, the Europa Special was launched with the big valve 160bhp version of the twin cam created by then Lotus Chief Engineer, Tony Rudd (ex-BRM).
It had spikier camshafts, larger inlet valves, a compression ratio rise from 9.5:1 to 10.3:1 and smoothed out and polished ports to aid gas flow. This gave it 126bhp the same as that fitted to the Elan Sprint. 0-60 sprint times were reduced to 6.6-seconds so it was certainly lively.
As a result top speed was raised to 125mph while the five-speed 365 five-speed gearbox from the Reanult 16TX as standard. The ‘Big Valve’ cars were priced from £2471 fully built or £2044 in kit form.
The majority of Europa Specials were supplied in the distinctive black paintwork with gold pinstriping to help commemorate the John Player Special colours as used on the F1 World championship winning Lotus 72 of 1972 (driven by Emerson Fittipaldi).
Incidentally, although the lower rear buttresses had improved rearward vison, many owners hated the ’tunnel vision’ effect given by the cut down fins but overall the Special was the ultimate version of the Europa – the roadgoing ones anyway.
Lotus Engineering 1971-72
Approx 3500 Specials made
LOTUS EUROPA TYPE 47
Launched just after the roadcar (Type 46) went into production, Chapman’s kitcar division, Lotus Components came up with the Type 47 track orientated recognising the clear race potential of the standard car.
It did without the Renault engine though being fitted instead with a Lotus-Cosworth 13C 1594cc engine, which gave a healthy 165bhp.
The standard chassis was retained, it was shorn of weight, while the front suspension was the same although the rear came in for modifications more befitting a racecar. It featured ultra-lightweight alloy uprights from the Type 59 single-seater with reversed lower wishbones, longer trailing arms and was fully Rose-jointed.
Meanwhile, the GRP body was lighter and the arches wider. Lotus Components even ran their own ‘works’ race team (this was of course separate to Lotus’ main race activities that included F1).
The Type 47 made a winning debut at Brands Hatch on Boxing Day 1966 in the hands of John Miles (other drivers included Jackie Oliver and Tim Schenken. The cars later ran under the Gold Leaf Team Lotus banner and the pair of factory cars for the 1968 season were actually designated Type 47A. Five other cars with Ford Crossflow engines and Renault gearboxes were also built.
Lotus Engineering 1966-68
Approx 71 made
LOTUS EUROPA TYPE 62
For the 1969 racing season the Type 47 underwent considerable development morphing into the Type 62 intended for Group 6 regulations.
This was a serious piece of kit with a brand-new Lotus-built 2-litre LV240 DOHC engine producing 240bhp, which would shortly become the Type 907 unit. The engine had its origins in the one from the Vauxhall Victor canted by an angle of 45-degrees.
Underpinning the car was an all-new spaceframe chassis from round and square tube clothed in a very distinctive body designed by Martin Waide of Lotus Components.
The front suspension was via unequal length double wishbones with an F1-style arrangement at the rear, which had reverse lower wishbones, top link, twin radius rods and coil-over dampers.
The Type 62 was ultimately unsuccessful and only two were built but it served as a very useful testbed for future Lotus developments.
‘SPECIAL’ EUROPAS
ELSE EUROPA
Arguable as to whether the Else-Europa should be included here but the Derbyshire-based company, run by Bob Else were long-time Lotus dealers, who also supplied the Hethel-made products in kit form.
Their own version of the Lotus Europa featured a variety of modifications, both internal and external, making it a highly desirable product. Else got Colin Chapman’s personal approval to create his special Lotus although it’s rumoured that they did subsequently fall out.
JA Else Ltd 1968-70
Approx 9 made
HERMES EUROPA 140
Hermes Cars Ltd was a Renault dealer and tuner based in Wallington, Surrey. The company was run by Peter Wardle and he created a neat tuning package for the Europa with a replacement stainless steel exhaust by Mike ‘The Pipe’ Randall, a man well-known to the kitcar industry, of course.
As the model designation indicated the Hermes Europa produced 140bhp and was distinguished by Cosmic alloy wheels and Spax dampers. A chap called Bob Kimberk bought the Hermes business from Wardle in 1970.
SPENCE BRM EUROPA
This one hailed from Mike Spence Developments Ltd the Maidenhead firm founded by the late racing driver. It was announced in June 1970. The ‘BRM’ name meant nothing really it was merely a licenced use of the Bourne racing team’s famous name.
Several stages of tune were available for the Renault powered Europas and they were said to be extremely effective.
Mike Spence Developments Ltd 1970-71