Lotus Europa (S2 Federal)

The Lotus Europa, built by Lotus Cars from 1966 to 1975, was among the first production road cars to feature a mid-engine rear wheel drive design. It was the first affordable, mass produced, mid-engined car. In 2006 Lotus plans to start production of a totally new design mid-engined GT coupe called Europa S. Lotus Europa. ... Lotus Europa. ... Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports cars and racing cars based in Hethel, Norfolk, formed as Lotus Engineering Ltd. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... A small variety of cars, the most popular kind of automobile. ... In Automobile design, an MR or Mid-engine, Rear wheel drive layout is one in which the rear wheels are driven by an engine placed just in front of them, behind the passenger compartment. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1995 Buick Riviera coupe A coupé (from the French for cut) or coupe is a two or four-seater car with a fixed roof and two doors. ... New 2006 Lotus Europa S New 2006 Lotus Europa S Side view New 2006 Lotus Europa S Front view New 2006 Lotus Europa S Boot view New 2006 Lotus Europa S Rear view Lotus Cars Europa S is a GT type two seater automobile designed to complement the very successful...

The Europa used Lotus founder Colin Chapman's minimalist steel backbone chassis, while also relying on its fiberglass body for structural strength. The 4-wheel independent suspension was as minimalist as everything else on the car; for instance, the rear suspension consisted of two relatively large trailing arms, one lower link per side, and the axles; very similar to Formula type race cars of that era. Aside from the doors, bonnet (hood), and trunk, the body was cast as a single unit of fiberglass. The Europa was designed and built to be an embodiment of Chapman's oft stated philosophy of automotive design: "Simplify, then add lightness." Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Colin Chapman Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman (born 9 May 1928 in London - died 16 December 1982) was an influential designer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry. ... Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features. ... A chassis (plural: chassis) consists of a framework which supports an inanimate object, analogous to an animals skeleton; for example in the construction of an automobile or of a firearm. ... Fiberglass or fibreglass is material made from extremely fine fibers of glass. ... The front suspension components of a Ford Model T. Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. ... Fiberglass or fibreglass is material made from extremely fine fibers of glass. ...

The car's handling prompted automotive writers to describe the Europa as the nearest thing to a Formula car for the road. The inaugural Formula One World Championship was won by Italian Giuseppe Farina in his Alfa Romeo in 1950, barely defeating his Argentine teammate Juan Manuel Fangio. ...

In all, Lotus built about 9,300 Europas.

History

The concept originated during 1963 with drawings by Ron Hickman, director of Lotus Engineering (Designer of the original Lotus Elan, as well as the Black and Decker Workmate), for a bid on the Ford GT40 project. That contract ended up going to Lola instead, so Colin Chapman chose to use Hickman's aerodynamic design (with a still ultra low for today drag coefficient of .29) as the basis for a production model to succeed the ageless Lotus 7: the Europa. 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1966 Lotus Elan 1990 Lotus Elan SE Lotus Elan is the name of two convertible automobiles and one fixed head coupe produced by Lotus Cars. ... Black & Decker (NYSE: BDK) is a corporation based in Towson, Maryland best known for power tools and home appliances. ... A Roaring Forties replica of a 1965 Ford GT40 in Shelby livery on display at the 2005 United States Grand Prix GT40 Mk II front. ... Lola Racing Cars (also Lola Cars International) is a racing car engineering company founded in 1961 by Eric Broadley and based in Huntingdon, United Kingdom. ... The drag coefficient (Cd or Cx) is a number that describes a characteristic amount of aerodynamic drag caused by fluid flow, used in the drag equation. ... Lotus Super Seven The Lotus Seven is a small, simple, lightweight two-seater open-top sports car, which has been called a motorcycle on four wheels. It is characterised by extremely high acceleration (0 - 60 mph in 3. ...

Series 1

The Series 1 or S1 Europa (also known as Lotus Type 46) was announced for sale to European markets on December 20, 1966. The first cars were delivered in France in February 1967. The S1 was fitted with a modified Renault 16 1470 cc engine and a 4-speed gearbox. The engine was a special 82 hp (61.1 kW) version (as opposed to the 52 hp (38.8 kW) generated in standard form). Lotus turned the engine and gearbox through 180° to accommodate the Europa's longitudinal mid-engined layout, inverting the gearbox's crown wheel and its pinion gear to avoid having four reverse gears. The S1 weighed 686 kg (1512.4 lb), had a top speed of 110 mph, and did 0–60 mph in 10 s. Nearly .9G lateral acceleration was achieved on road tires of that era. A satellite composite image of Europe // Etymology Picture of Europa, carried away by bull-shaped Zeus. ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ... February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Renault S.A. is a French vehicle manufacturer producing small to upper-midsize cars, vans, buses and trucks. ... A gearbox is an assembly of gears allowing the rotational speed of an input shaft to be changed to a different speed. ...

Including the S1A variation (which incorporated some of the later S2 changes), 650 Europa S1s were manufactured.

Type 47

in 1966, whilst the Factory was sorting out the first production Type 46 (S1), Team Lotus raced the Type 47, a modified for the track Europa with a 165 hp (123 kW) 1594 cc Lotus/Ford/Cosworth twin cam Kent engine and a Hewland FT 200 5-speed gearbox. The Type 47 is fondly remembered for taking both first and second places (driven by John Miles and Jackie Oliver respectively) in it's very first race held at the storied Brands Hatch race course on "Boxing Day". It's believed that @55 Type 47s were built by Lotus between 1966-70. Two other sports racer prototypes based on the Europa, called Type 62, were built in 1969. A twin cam powered Europa would not be available to the roadgoing public until the Type 74, in 1971. Replica 47's are available bespoke by Banks Europa Engineering, in several variations. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ... Team Lotus was one of Formula 1s most successful teams. ... The Ford Motor Company (often referred to simply as Ford or Fords; sometimes nicknamed FoMoCo), NYSE: F is an automobile maker founded by Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, United States (where the company is currently headquartered), and incorporated on June 16, 1903. ... A Ford Cosworth DFV on a Ligier JS11 Cosworth is an engine design and manufacture company founded in 1958, specialising in engines for automobile racing. ... A double overhead cam (also called a dual overhead cam, DOHC, or twincam) engine is a type of internal combustion engine where the camshafts that operate the intake and exhaust valves are mounted above the cylinders, and where there are separate camshafts for inlet and exhaust valves. ... The Ford Kent is an internal combustion engine from Ford of Europe. ... Founded by Mike Hewland in 1957, Hewland is a British engineering company specialising in racing car gearboxes. ... People whose name is John Miles: John Miles (musician) John Miles (auto racer) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Jackie Oliver was a Formula One driver from Britain. ... Brands Hatch is a British motor racing circuit. ... Boxing Day is a public holiday observed in many Commonwealth countries on 26 December. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday For other uses, see Number 1969. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ...

Series 2

The Europa S2, or Type 54, was introduced in April 1968. It used the same Renault engine as the Type 46, but offered a number of refinements, including electric windows, fully adjustable seats, a new interior, and a polished wooden facia for the dashboard. Per request of the automotive insurance industry, Lotus switched to bolt fasteners (instead of resin bonding) to attach body to frame. A red Type 54 Europa S2 was driven by co-star Linda Thorson in several 1968 episodes of The Avengers (TV series). A small number of Type 54s were modified to be "Federalized", that is, made suitable for export to the United States. In 1969, the Type 65 aka S2 Federal was born, with additional changes to the body, chassis, and the powerplant to better comply with U.S. D.O.T. standards. Among the newer bits, the Renault engine was expanded to 1565 cc capacity over the previous 1470 cc. Road&Track Magazine tested the Federal S2 and recorded 0-60mph in 9.6 s with a top speed of 116mph. 3,615 S2s were produced. Look up April in Wiktionary, the free dictionary April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Linda Thorson (born June 18, 1947, Toronto, Ontario), is a Canadian actress on TV and films, mostly in the UK and USA. She is best remembered for her role as Tara King (succeeding Diana Rigg) in the last season of the British TV adventure series, The Avengers, with the original... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The most famous incarnation of The Avengers, John Steed (Patrick Macnee) and Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) appear on the cover of a 1994 reprint of an Avengers novel co-written by Macnee. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday For other uses, see Number 1969. ... Established October 15, 1966 Activated April 1, 1967 Secretary Norman Mineta Deputy Secretary Maria Cino Budget $58 billion (2004 estimate) Employees 58,622 (2004 estimate) The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) is a Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transport. ...

Twin Cam and TC Special

In 1971, the Type 74 Europa Twin Cam was made available to the public, with a 115 hp (78.3 kW) 1558 cc Lotus/Ford "Big Valve" Twin Cam engine (105hp US Federal emissions control version), and a Renault 4-speed gearbox similar to the one in the S1/S2; plus a re-designed bodyshell. Mike Kimberley, a new engineer at Lotus, was Chief Engineer of the TC project. 1,580 cars were shipped as Europa Twin Cam before Lotus switched to a 126 hp (94 kW) Dellorto/Weber carburetors version of the engine (the 105 hp Federal emissions version retained Zenith Stromberg carburetors); in addition to offering a new Renault 5-speed option; and renamed the car Europa Special. It weighed 740 kg (1631.4 lb), had a top speed of 123 mph, did 0–60 mph in 7.0 s, and ran the 1/4mile in 14.9 s. A total of 3,130 TC Specials were manufactured. To honor Lotus' 1972 and 1973 F1 World Championships, a few black with gold pin stripe-plus numbered badge-Europa Specials were offered as the first ever John Player Special commemorative production cars. 1971 (MCMLXXI) is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... The word federal in a general sense refers to the nature of an agreement between or among two or more states, nations, or other groups to merge into a union in which control of common affairs is held by a central authority created by and with the consent of the... The word emission generally means sending something out. ... The word control has a number of different meanings: Often control is directing influence. ... The carburetor (American spelling, carburettor or carburetter in Commonwealth countries, carb for short, or carbie (slang)) is a device which mixes air and fuel for an internal-combustion engine. ... The zenith is the point in the sky which appears directly above the observer. ... Formula One, abbreviated to F1 and also known as Grand Prix racing, is the highest class of single-seat open-wheel auto racing. ... A World Championship is any contest to determine the best in the world in a particular field. ...

Europas for the New Millennium

The Europa (more properly, a modified Europa) is still in custom production today, though not by Lotus, but by Banks/Europa Engineering, who produce bespoke cars which sustain the original Europa look and philosophy. Engines in use range from blueprinted Vauxhall engines of around 1.6 litres, through to 3 litre Alfa V6s. The Europa design, which was slippery and efficient in its day, is currently good for a 0–60 time of 4.5 seconds, and a top speed of 170+mph.

Europa S - 2006

New 2006 Lotus Europa S

In 2005, Lotus released images of a new GT type car called the Lotus Europa S. It is scheduled to be officially introduced at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. Lotus Europa S production is scheduled to commence in July 2006. The engine will be a 2.0 L turbo delivering 203 PS (200 hp/149 kW) at 5,400 rpm, with a maximum torque of 263 N·m (194 ft·lbs) at 4,200 rpm. New 2006 Lotus Europa S New 2006 Lotus Europa S Side view New 2006 Lotus Europa S Front view New 2006 Lotus Europa S Boot view New 2006 Lotus Europa S Rear view Lotus Cars Europa S is a GT type two seater automobile designed to complement the very successful... Image File history File links Lotus_europa_2006. ... Image File history File links Lotus_europa_2006. ... GT may stand for: Ford GT (car) Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly known as Georgia Tech Golden Tee (video golf game from Incredible Technologies, Inc. ... New 2006 Lotus Europa S New 2006 Lotus Europa S Side view New 2006 Lotus Europa S Front view New 2006 Lotus Europa S Boot view New 2006 Lotus Europa S Rear view Lotus Cars Europa S is a GT type two seater automobile designed to complement the very successful... The Geneva Salon International de lAuto (or Geneva Motor Show) is an annual auto show held in March. ... New 2006 Lotus Europa S New 2006 Lotus Europa S Side view New 2006 Lotus Europa S Front view New 2006 Lotus Europa S Boot view New 2006 Lotus Europa S Rear view Lotus Cars Europa S is a GT type two seater automobile designed to complement the very successful...

References

• Lotus Europa at pistonheads.com - photographs information
• Europa Census - car registry, photographs, information in French and English
• Autozine's Classic Cars Lotus Page
• race-cars.com Lotus Type Reference
• (print) "Lotus Cars 1948 - 1990" article from 1992 International Lotus Convention (Program Guide), published by Golden Gate Lotus Club

External links

• Banks Europa Engineering - Repair, parts replacement, replicas (Banks Europa 47R, Banks Europa 62S)