Lotus Europa
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The Lotus Europa was a two door mid-engined GT coupé built by Lotus Cars from 1966 to 1975.
The original Europa used Lotus founder Colin Chapman's minimalist steel backbone chassis that was first used in the Lotus Elan, while also relying on its fibreglass moulded body for structural strength. The Europa was the first mass-produced mid-engine road car and was based on a prototype built to compete for Henry Ford II's contract to build a Le Mans race car in the early 1960s.
The Europa was designed and built to be an embodiment of Chapman's oft-stated philosophy of automotive design: "Simplify, then add lightness."
The four-wheel independent suspension was typical of Chapman's thinking; the rear suspension consisted of two relatively large trailing arms, one lower locating link per side, and the axles were used as upper locating links; very similar to Formula racing car designs of that era. Aside from the doors, bonnet (hood), and boot (trunk), the body was moulded as a single unit of fibreglass.
The car's handling prompted automotive writers to describe the Europa as the nearest thing to a Formula car for the road.
Source: Wikipedia
Specifications:
Year | 1966 - 1975 |
Types | Coupe, 2 doors, 2 seats |
Produced | Total 9'300 Series S1: 296 Series S1A/S1B: 342 Series S2: 4'294 Series Twin Cam: 4'950 |
Engine | Renault / Lotus Ford |
Capacity | 1.5 Litre / 1.6 Litre |
Speed | n/a |
bhp | n/a |
0 - 60 mph | n/a |
Cost | n/a |