1970 Lotus Europa S2 Coupe

Description

The mid-engined Lotus Europa was introduced in 1966. Utilising an uprated, 61kW 1.5-litre Renault 16 engine and four-speed gearbox, Lotus basically rotated the layout and applied it to their new sportscar. It followed the Lotus principle of using a steel backbone chassis and fibreglass panels and was- like the Elan- lightweight, agile and fragile in equal measure. These initial machines had the bodywork bonded to the chassis, and ran four-wheel independent suspension with the infamous 'Chapman Strut' rear layout. Interestingly the Series 1 Europa was considered an 'export-market' car and was not sold new into the UK. Later versions- known as Series 1A and 1B- incorporated several improvements that were continued into the Series 2. For the Series 2 Europa of 1968 further details were improved, its body attached (after the first few) via bolts to make accident repair far less daunting. It also scored some extra equipment including electric windows and adjustable seats. It was also made available in its home market by 1969. There was also an enlarged' Federal' version designed for the US market with an engine of 1565cc capacity; some S2s were converted to right-hand drive with this engine. 1971 introduced the Europa Twin Cam, Lotus returning to the well-known Ford twin-cam 'four' as its primary engine choice. The usual Renault four-speed remained until 1972 when a newer box (still made by Renault) replaced it. Finally, the Europa 'Special' ran the Big Valve version of the Ford engine as seen in the Elan and made 94kW with Dell'Orto carburettors and there was also the option of a five-speed Renault 'box for the first time. Although the Series 1 is the rarest with only 638 built (split between S1: 296, S1A/B: 342), the later cars (4294 Series 2, 4950 Twin Cams) are the preferred choice of drivers for their extra refinements.