Lotus Europa
Europe S1 Typ46, serial number 149 (Bj 1967)
The Lotus Europa is a 1966-1975 built sports coupe manufacturer Lotus Cars. Published in 2006, Lotus, a completely new model called the Europa S; in the following article, the first model is described.
History
The Europe, presented in December 1966, was originally intended only for the foreign ( non- UK) markets. The first vehicles were sold to France and Switzerland. He had the same engine as the Renault 16, but this was installed behind the passenger compartment as a mid-engine. This gave the Europe a road-holding and handling characteristics that were worthy of a race car; also its frame was designed for engines with more than just 1470 cc. The body of fiberglass-reinforced polyester was glued to the central beam chassis from steel plate to form a closed structure. This combination was a prerequisite for excellent handling characteristics. Only 296 copies of the original S1 ( on the basis of the basic concept of Lotus founder Colin Chapman ) were built ( chassis number 460001-460296 ). These vehicles consisted of an extremely minimalist design, with closed side windows, fixed seats (only the pedals were adjustable ), hardly door panels and simple tools.
In 1969, to mark the release of the second series ( Europe S2), chassis and body were bolted together, but this changed the handling characteristics. At the same time an engine with 1565 cc was introduced for the U.S. market. 1971 Europa Twin Cam was presented, ³ with an engine with two camshafts in light alloy head and 1558 cm, as it was already installed in the Lotus Elan. A year later they went to the uprated version of "Big Valve " (similar to the Lotus Elan Sprint) on and connected it to a Renault 5 -speed transmission. This new version was called Europa Special.
Specifications
- Europe S1, S2 ( 1470 cc ) 57 kW ( 78 hp )
- S2 ( 1565 cc ) 61 kW ( 83 hp )
- Twin Cam 77 kW (105 hp)
- Twin Cam Special 93 kW (126 hp)
Pop culture
The eponymous protagonist of the horror genre associated pulp novel series by Larry Brent Jürgen Grasmück drives a Lotus Europa.