Lotus Europa

The Lotus Europa was Colin Chapman and Lotus’s first mid-engined road car, and was produced from 1966 through to 1975. Originally designed to slot into the Lotus range below the Elan as a low cost replacement for the Lotus 7, the Europa eventually sat alongside the Elan and Plus 2 as a comparable sports car in its own right. Starting with the design philosophy behind the development of the Europa, this book provides detailed technical descriptions of all the major versions of the model, starting with the Renault-powered Series 1 through to the Lotus Twin Cam powered Special. It looks at the cars on the road, and the racing Type 47 derived from the road cars which competed in the small capacity Group 6 class, as well as featuring in historic racing today. With owners’ impressions and interviews with ex-Lotus employees, the book provides a valuable insight into owning, running, and racing these iconic cars.

The Essential Guide to buying the Lotus Europa of your dreams, this book will guide you through all you need to know. Originally intended to be a cheap and basic Lotus Seven replacement, during its development the Lotus Europa morphed into a miniature supercar, described by Colin Chapman as a “working man’s GT40,” which sat alongside the Elan in the Lotus line-up. Its mid engined configuration gave it exceptional balance, and its handling and roadholding were second to none. Initially produced for export to Europe in late 1966, the Renault-powered car evolved into the Series 2 in 1968 when it was released to the UK and US markets, and, in its final iteration, gained the Lotus’ own Twin Cam engine in 1971. Production ended in 1975 with around 9200 cars completed. This book has been written to provide the prospective owner with all the information they need to establish if the car is for them, and what to look for when viewing an example. All aspects of the cars are examined, including paperwork, mechanical issues, bodywork and interior with many photos of example cars to assist in the assessment of an individual car, and understand the implications of many of the common problems that a car can exhibit. The author is a Lotus enthusiast, and has been working on and writing about classic Lotuses for a number of years.

This book tells you why and how.This book brings together a collection of popular articles previously published by the author in assorted car magazines. Based on in-depth research carried out at Manchester University, the articles investigate how classic engines respond to modern petrol/gasoline, and the results are presented in a way that any enthusiast can understand. One chapter ranks some brands and grades of modern petrol/gasoline, helping you choose the best type for your vehicle, while other chapters present the findings that debunk some of the myths about petrol/gasoline and engines. Real data is provided to help you tune your classic vehicle, ensuring that it runs as it should, allowing you to experience the pleasure of driving your classic car instead of worrying about it breaking down. The appendix gives a down-to-earth description of how to rebuild and tune SU and similar carburettors. Paul Ireland’s years of experience and no-nonsense scientific approach will help you get the best from your classic car.

The Series I Europa was introduced as an export-only model. It used the 1470cc Renault engine slightly tweaked. The chassis was bonded to the body making work expensive and the ventilation needed improving. The Series 2 had a detachable chassis, electric door windows and a better dash. Sales in the UK began in July 1969. In the USA the car was fitted with a 1565cc emission-controlled Renault engine. In 1971 Colin Chapman launched the Twin-Cam Europa using the 1558cc Lotus ford engine with changed styling. Last of all was the Europa Special, available from august 1972 featuring the Big Valve Lotus Ford engine with Renaults five-speed gearbox. Production ceased in March 1975. This is a book of contemporary road tests, technical and specification data, new model intros, drivers impressions, long-term reports, racing.