In an early road test of a Lotus Elan, Motor magazine showed great prescience – “Just occasionally one comes across the car which is the ultimate in its chosen field; the Elan, in performance and driveability, is way ahead of all opposition in its [sports car] class.”

Over 40 years after its original introduction, the Elan still has an enviable reputation as one of the best-handling sports cars of all time – and the Elan achieved that reputation for impeccable road-holding and handling on roller-blade-like tyres! No fat, gumball rubber back then.

Automotive technology has come a long way since the ’60s and today, of course, the Elan’s on-road behaviour could easily be matched or beaten by any number of considerably less wellbred machines – or so you would think. And as for comparing it to the thoroughly modern Lotus Elise, surely it would be no contest? That’s what I thought as well – but after spending a day with a pair of Elan Sprints and an S2 Elise, a pleasant surprise beckoned.

THE LOTUS POSITION

The sale of Lotus cars in New Zealand has always been balanced on a precarious knife’s edge. Lotus UK has never really recognised NZ as a distinct sales area, preferring to lump us in with the rest of the Antipodean colonies – ie Australia. As such, there has never been a truly strong, or long-lasting Lotus presence on the sales side. However, Roger Phillips, founder of Auckland-based Lotus Cars NZ Ltd, is hoping to change the old Lotus position. Roger is enthusiastic and passionate about sports cars – especially Lotii – and, as well as new car sales, he has also been very proactive in acquiring and selling used Lotus cars.

Roger has now brought two Elise S2s into NZ, with more planned, and will have landed his first brand new Esprit V8 by the time you read this.

In the meantime, his second-hand sales have also been healthy and both the Elan Sprints featured here were sold to their current owners by Roger.

But selling cars is not enough for Roger. He believes, quite rightly, that all Lotus sports cars are virtually race-ready from the word go. As such, part of his sales pitch includes the offer of a race-track tutorial. This, says Roger, also allows new Lotus owners to really understand what their car is capable of achieving. Of course, it’s also another way of adding extra value to the initial sale – most classic car owners wouldn’t think twice if they were offered a free day of track testing – something made even more desirable when you are under the watchful eye of Roger, an accomplished and very experienced racer.

With all this in mind, we travelled down to Taupo to meet up with Roger and two of his newest Lotus customers – Mike Prowse and Ken Walsh – both proud owners of recently acquired Elan Sprints. For added spice, Roger also brought along the latest Elise – and the news that I was welcome to drive the Elise back to Auckland after our track day. How could I possibly refuse such a generous offer?

ELAN SPRINTING

Ken Walsh didn’t really plan to buy an Elan, what he was really looking for was an Elan Plus 2 – and a Lotus 7. Unable to find either, he eventually chose an Elan coupé. “I’d have preferred a roadster, but I missed out on the one Roger had for sale. Anyway, I may buy a 7 later on – and I’m still keen on an Elan Plus 2.”

Prior to owning his fixed head Elan Sprint, Ken Walsh admits that he was a “bit of an MG man – mostly.” Although he’s owned several MGs, as well as the odd Sprite, the Elan was Ken’s first taste of Lotus ownership – and, at the time of our meeting, he had only been driving the Sprint for a few weeks.

Obviously, though, he was enjoying the Lotus difference, and was pleased with the Elan’s performance and its ability to handle the demands of a track test. “MGs are great cars – robust and reliable. The Lotus is more fragile and requires a more delicate touch but, once mastered, the Elan is far and away the better handler. You can really chuck an MGB around, the Lotus doesn’t like that type of treatment.” said Ken.

With Ken busying himself learning more about his Elan, our attention turned to Tom Prowse, th owner of our featured Elan roadster.

Tom has been an enthusiastic member of the Ulysses Motorcycle Club – taking particular pleasure in helping the club raise funds for kid’s charities. Then, three years ago, Tom had a motorcycling accident which left him requiring elbow surgery. With four months off work, Tom had lots of time to rethink his future. Not wanting to give up his involvement with fund-raising activities, he decided on a different direction.

Something that would give him the opportunity to continue with his charitable concerns – but on four wheels instead of two..

Youthful memories of Lotus drew him to the marque and, naturally for a motorcyclist, he began to gravitate towards a Lotus 7 – often described as a four-wheeled motorbike. Through the pages of NZCC, Tom got in touch with Roger Phillips and arranged to try out a 7. Tom’s a fairly big bloke, and he soon discovered that he just couldn’t fit into the skimpy Lotus. Instead, he drove away in an Elan Sprint. A few weeks later he received the standard Lotus Cars NZ driving tutorial – this time at Pukekohe Raceway.

The Elan has allowed Tom to keep up his passion for kid’s charities – the weekend before we met him at Taupo Tom and his partner had driven the Lotus on the Starship Car Trek rally, enjoying themselves immensely.

In addition, there have been other benefits – Tom likes the Elan, saying it inspires confidence and that it is still great fun on the open road even when sticking to the legal limit. Like many classic car owners, he also appreciates the Elan’s simplicity, with routine maintenance well within the home mechanic’s means.

Tom is currently rebuilding an Anglia 105E but, effectively, the Elan Sprint is his first classic car – and he plans to hang onto it for a while yet.

DRIVING WITH ELAN

Back to the cars themselves. One of the most important things to remember when driving an Elan is that it will not take kindly to rough treatment.

This is not a car which you handle by dishing out abuse. That old phrase ‘take it by the scruff of the neck’ is simply not applicable to the Elan. Like many other Lotii, the Elan responds best to a more delicate, balanced approach.

Right from an initial standing start you can get in trouble with an Elan – the rubber doughnuts which act as drive-shaft universals can lead to a series of embarrassing bunny-hops in the hands of an inexperienced or ham-fisted driver. They take a lot of shock out of the Elan’s drive-line, but smooth starting does require a spot of practice.

Out on the track, both Elans quickly showed their true colours. The cars may be products of a bygone age, but their reputation as good handlers is as valid today as it was back in the ’60s. Unlike many of their contemporary rivals, the Elan feels very softly damped.

Don’t be fooled by all this suspension compliance though, the Elan may deliver an almost saloon car ride but, once you get stuck into a corner, there’s very little body roll and the car sticks to the tarmac like glue. Neutral right up to the limit, the car’s light and sensitive steering is absolutely delightful.

Treat the Elan roughly, or provoke it whilst cornering, and its tail will step out very aggressively – although, for a good driver, recovery is possible even from some fairly ridiculous slip angles. It also pays to remember that the Elan Sprint has an extremely good power-to-weight ratio – and the Big Valve twin-cam delivers a very healthy helping of horsepower.

Taming the Elan Sprint takes a deft touch; if you habitually drive hard and lack the appropriate sensitivity, the Elan will pop a 360 every time you manhandle it around a tight corner. Try such he-man tactics in the wet and those skinny tyres will soon forget all about gripping the road.

ELAN VS ELISE

As you would expect, the Elise is quite a bit faster around Taupo than the Elan Sprint – a virtue of a more advanced chassis and much more rubber. Happily, the Lotus heritage is still there and the Elise, amazingly, manages a better ride/handling compromise than many modern saloon cars. Sure, there’s more kickback from the steering than most will be used to, but it is so well balanced and communicative you could almost plot a relief map of the road you are driving over. Its only real fault lies with a notchy gear change – it just doesn’t fit in with the rest of the car.

The Elise is impressive – but, equally, so was the overall competency of the Elan. Sure, if you get it wrong it will bite you, but get everything right and it was absolutely delectable. By comparison, the Elise felt much more benign; it was possible to take much greater liberties with the Elise than its older equivalent – overcook a corner and it was easy to rein the car in. In short the Elan Sprint rewards the good driver, while the Elise flatters the average driver – that’s me, folks!

Both are equally enjoyable to drive.

Check out the specs for the Elan Sprint and the Elise, they’re virtually identical. True, the Elise is much wider but, apart from engine location, the only real difference between the cars lies under the skin. The Elise’s exotic, epoxy bonded aluminium chassis is a substantial improvement on the Elan’s backbone chassis – but it pays to recall that development of the original Elan (coded by Lotus as the Type 26) provided much input into the justly famous Lotus 25 GP car. The Elan’s race-bred heritage is self evident

Impressive as the Elise was, the highlights of the day were delivered by the pair of Elan Sprints –a perfect illustration of why the Elan is still held in such high esteem by sports car enthusiasts worldwide. The Lotus Elise is probably the purest example of a sports car currently available – very appropriate when you consider that, in the ’60s, “…the Elan, in performance and driveability, is way ahead of all opposition in its class.”

Forty years after its first introduction, the Elan is living proof that Colin Chapman and Lotus got all their sums right – and it’s still a brilliant example of the sports car builder’s art.

How could we conclude such a day? Well, what about jumping into the driver’s seat of a brand new Elise and motoring back to Auckland – via Te Awamutu, Pirongia, Glen Murray and Pukekohe – sticking, literally, to twisty and demanding B-roads.

Some days are like that… just perfect.

Lotus Elan – A Brief Production History

Lotus learnt a lot from its earlier, fibreglass, monocoque-bodied Elite, and the Elan was the company’s solution to producing a cheaper, practical sports car.

The Lotus Elan made its public debut at the 1962 Earls Court Motor Show. Although the first 20 or so Elans were powered by a twin-cam conversion (designed by Harry Mundy) of Ford’s 1500cc Cortina engine these early cars had all been recalled before the end of 1962, and fitted with an enlarged, 1558cc, version of the same engine – perhaps to combat rising competition class capacity limits.

During its 12-year production life the Elan was subject to many detail changes. In 1963 a removable hardtop became available, but the first major change came in late 1964 with the arrival of the S2.

Most S2 alterations were cosmetic – new rear lights, from the Vauxhall Victor, and a wood veneer dash.

Mechanically there were new, larger front brake calipers, smaller foot pedals and a quick-release fuel cap. The first Elan Special Equipment (SE) also appeared, with improved performance via higher lift cams and rejetted carburettors.

The S3, introduced in 1965, was a fixed head coupé – it was sold alongside the open S2 until 1966 when the convertible S3 debuted. The coupé catered to creature comforts with improved fresh-air ventilation and electric windows. SE versions were also available.

The final, S4 Elan can easily be recognised with its wider wheels and arches, bonnet ‘power’ bulge and twin tail-pipes. Fitted with the Big-Valve version of the 1558cc twin-cam, the S4 and Sprints are probably the most desirable Elans.

Just for interest, the Elan’s pop-up headlights (a genuine novelty back in the ’60s) were raised via a vacuum system, while springs were employed to return them back to the down position. Later cars completely reversed this procedure – using springs for raising and vacuum assistance for lowering – a direct result of too many Elan owners being, quite literally, left in the dark due to a small, unnoticed puncture in the older car’s vacuum pipes.

The Elan Sprint was available in either coupé or roadster form and, theoretically, all Sprints were painted in Gold Leaf colours of red/white/gold. The chassis number of very first Sprint was 7001/010001, and the final Sprint 7302/0665 (fhc) and 7302/0899 (dhc). A Lotus five-speed manual gearbox was believed to have been fitted to the final four Sprints – although precise number of cars so fitted is unknown.

Incidentally, many Elans (both standard and Sprint) were sold as kits – the last Lotus to be available from the factory in component form. In fact, it has been argued that the Elan’s demise was partly due to the British government’s introduction of VAT on April 1, 1973. This new system removed the cost advantage (Purchase Tax was only payable on factory assembled cars) of building your own car from a kit of parts. Although, of course, Lotus was also planning an upmarket move – which started in October 1968 with the introduction of the Elan Plus 2, which was never available in component form – and it was preparing to slough off its old kit-car image.

Lotus Elise 2 – Specifications

ENGINE In-line four, mid-mounted
CAPACITY 1796cc
VALVES dohc, 16-valve
FUEL SYSTEM Fuel injection
MAX POWER 91kW (122bhp) @ 5500rpm
MAX TORQUE 168Nm @ 3500-4500rpm
TRANSMISSIONFive-speed manual
BODY Composite body
CHASSIS Epoxy bonded aluminium alloy
F/R SUSP Independent all-round by double Wishbones, coil springs & Bilstein dampers
BRAKES Ventilated discs
WHEELS Alloy, 5.5x 16” (F) 7.5 x 17” (R)
TYRES 175/55 VR16 (F), 225/45 VR16 (R)

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase 2300mm
Front track 1457mm
Rear track 1503mm
Overall length 3785mm
Overall width 1719mm
Overall height 1143mm
Dry weight 770kg

PERFORMANCE
Max speed 200kph (125mph)
0–100kph 5.7 seconds
0-60mph n/a
0–160kph 17.2 seconds
Economy 7.33 litres/100km (38.5mpg)

1972 Lotus Elan Sprint – Specifications

ENGINE In-line four, front-mounted
CAPACITY 1558cc
VALVES dohc
FUEL SYSTEM Twin Dellorto
MAX POWER 94kW (126bhp)
@ 6500rpm
MAX TORQUE 153Nm @ 5500rpm
TRANSMISSION Four-speed manual
BODY Glass-fibre body
CHASSIS Steel backbone
F/R SUSP Independent all-round by wishbones & coil/damper struts
BRAKES Disc/disc
WHEELS Knock-off 13” steel disc
TYRES 155HR-13

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase 2134mm
Front track 1169mm
Rear track 1220mm
Overall length 3683mm
Overall width 1422mm
Overall height 1168mm
Dry weight 721kg

PERFORMANCE
Max speed 193kph (120mph)
0–100kph n/a
0-60mph 6.8secs
0–160kph n/a
Economy n/a (22/29mpg)

Words: Allan Walton Photos: Sean Craig

This article is from NZ Classic Car issue 149. Click here to check it out.

Lotus has now been playing around with the Elise for years and, despite introducing the S2, the basic car remains essentially unchanged since its debut in 1995. The reason for the subsequent plethora of limited and special edition Elise models is quite obvious — since the death of the top-end Esprit at the start of the millennium, Lotus has virtually become a one-model company. Of course, some may point to the modern day Europa, but even that car could be best described as an upscaled Elise, as it shares the same basic platform. As well, although a fine car in its own right, the Europa never gained a similar impact on public imagination as the innovative Elise. That may all change with the impending arrival of the 2+2 Evora but, until one actually arrives in New Zealand later this year, that remains to be seen.

Supercharging the Elise

The Elise SC was released in the UK last year, but it’s taken until now for an example to find its way to our shores. Presently, this Burnt Orange example is the only SC in New Zealand and, at just under $130,000, the local Lotus agent has no plans to import a second car — unless someone orders one!

That’s a bit of a shame, because the SC is definitely the car I’d pick if I were ever tempted to part with my K Series-powered Elise. Sure, the SC packs on a bit of extra weight over my more basic car — fully laden and with the addition of the Touring Pack, our test SC probably stepped just over the 1000kg mark — but once on the move, you hardly notice the weight difference.

Some time ago, when we road-tested a supercharged Exige, I was entranced by that car’s urge but I was less taken by the fact that the Exige has a roof and a very uncompromising attitude. I prefer open-air sports car driving and, anyway, a fixed roof in an Elise-based car means that you’ve got to be young and flexible to get in and out of it — two characteristics I no longer possess! Add in a suspension set-up more attuned to the race track and the Exige, for me, is just a step too far. So, for my money an open topped, supercharged Elise fitted with more compliant suspension makes a lot more sense — you can enjoy open air driving, the experience is less intimidating and, at the same time, you can revel in the fat torque band provided by the supercharger.

As you can see, the SC is much more road-based than the supercharged Exige, which is much more of a track-day car than a comfortable, country road sports car. To be sure, some similarities remain — the soundtrack of both cars is dominated by the flutter of meshing supercharger rotors, easily heard above the raucous racket of the cars’ shared 1.8-litre Toyota twin-cam. However, it all seems a bit more relaxing in the SC, the sounds are washed out of the cabin and, with no roof above you, there’s very little of the boom you get when driving an Exige.

On the Road

In its element, the SC is exhilarating to drive — pin-sharp steering, precision braking and impeccable handling are a given, but the real surprise comes when you’re simply poodling along in the car. There’s no need to swap cogs with anything like the regularity required in a normally aspirated Elise — just mash the gas pedal into the bespoke, aluminium firewall and the SC simply sprints into the distance. Even in sixth gear the car has huge reserves of available power and torque — more than sufficient for most overtaking opportunities. Mind you, swap down a few cogs before you hit the gas and the SC absolutely flies down the road, with the supercharger fluttering madly as you step off the power for each subsequent up-change.

On a tight and twisty rural road there would be very few cars that could live with a well-driven Elise SC — even an Exige, with its much firmer, rather nervous suspension set-up, would be hard pressed to keep up with the more forgiving SC.

Quite simply the best and fastest Elise we’ve ever driven.

Supercharging the Elise

Obviously, Lotus couldn’t achieve all this by transplanting the supercharged engine as used in the Exige into the SC — for a start, the Exige installation uses a massive intercooler which renders that car’s rear-view mirror totally useless. As well, in the Exige the intercooler is hidden from view under the fixed-head bodywork, something the open-air Elise SC definitely doesn’t have. As a result, the supercharger in the SC is non-intercooled so power is slightly down on the supercharged Exige, although the SC still boasts a significant 15 per cent power increase over the normally aspirated Elise — not to mention a sizeable torque hike. As well, Lotus has chosen to reduce the size of the rotors in the Magnusson, Roots-type blower and the supercharger casting is now integral with the intake plenum.

Altogether it’s a neat trick, and it has allowed Lotus to retain the fully open body of the Elise without compromising vision through the rear window.

The only real drawback is the price — a significant premium over the normally aspirated Elise. However, performance always costs extra — so it’s really a question of how much speed you want, or can afford. The Elise SC is beyond my means — but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want one!

Lotus Elise SC – Specifications

Engine Mid-mounted, transverse, all-alloy, four-in-line, 2ZZ-GE
Capacity 1796cc
Valves 16-valve, VVTL-i, dohc
Supercharger Magnusson M45
Fuel system Multi-point fuel injection
Max power 163 kW at 8000rpm
Max torque 212Nm at 5000rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Suspension Independent sport suspension utilising unequal length wishbones, Bilstein mono-tube gas dampers, Eibach coaxial coil springs and front anti-roll bar
Steering Rack-and-pinion
Brakes Ventilated, cross-drilled discs, ABS
Wheels Cast alloy — F: 16-inch/ r: 17-inch
Tyres F: Yokohama Advan Neova AD07 175/50R16 R: Yokohama Advan Neova AD07 225/45R17

Dimensions:
Wheelbase 2300mm
Overall length 3785mm
Height 1117mm
Width 1850mm
Track F/R 1457/1507mm
Weight 870kg (unladen)

Performance:
Max speed 238kph (148mph)
0-100km/h 4.6 secs

Economy
Urban 11.6l/100km
Extra urban 6.7l/100km
Combined 8.5l/100km

Words and Photos: Allan Walton

This article is from Classic Car issue 222. Click here to check it out.

Ross also makes it clear that some of the books which have already covered those days were a bit ‘embroidered’, often with Chapman’s hand in there somewhere.

This one does feel as though it is telling the real story. And it’s a fascinating tale. Ross focuses on those early trials cars, the initial models made for 750 and 1172cc racing classes, the MkVI, the Clairmonte Special, and the first of the streamliners — the VIII (or P3 as the prototype was known).

There is much fascinating technical detail of the cars, engines, suspension, and aerodynamics (including Frank Costin being strapped to the bonnet of the P3 so he could see how the wool tufts under the cutaway front wheel arches were behaving!). But it’s a lot more than the cars, it’s the people too. The author was very much involved himself at the time, and has made contact with many of the band of volunteers which got the marque off the ground, supplementing that with diaries and other recollections. And what an energetic and persevering bunch they were.
What’s hard to realise is that, even when Lotus was taking the MkVIII to races at Zandvoort and Nürburgring, Colin Chapman still had a full-time job. He also lives up to his reputation as a hard task master, and a rather ruthless person who could be reluctant to share credit with others, albeit a man who was able to get the best out of others and to design some pretty good cars.

The anecdotes along the way are just amazing; for example, Ross himself trying to drive off with the front of his car still on its jack after being stopped by police because his front wheels were loose; and Mike Costin crashing the streamliner into a roundabout on the way to Oulton Park while trying to lose a pursuing police car and being blinded by the airflow at 185kph!

All of this is contained in a very high-quality production with large pages, good quality paper, and lots of photos. The photos — all in a sort of sepia tone — are real highlights. A wonderful book.

Available online and from good bookstores.

Review by Mark Holman

Words: Tim Nevinson
Photos: Jared Clark

Lotus founder Colin Chapman was renowned for thinking ahead of his time — sometimes he was so far ahead nobody could even see his horizon. At other times he was looking so far ahead he could not see the obvious right under his nose.

Ron Hickman, an ex-Ford designer with the unloved Ford 315 Classic to his name, had styled the Lotus Elan for Chapman, and was responsible for illustrating Chapman’s bid for the Ford GT contract which eventually went to Eric Broadley, at Lola. However, the low drag concept illustration that Hickman did for Ford set Chapman thinking about a road car.

When Chapman conceived the need for the Lotus Europa in the mid ’60s, it was as a replacement for the Lotus Seven. He had seen and been partly responsible for the success of mid-engined cars in motor racing, and believed that sports cars would naturally go the same way.

Chapman had no confidence that his simple, front-engined, tubular-framed parts bin special, the Lotus Seven, would keep his company afloat. Accordingly, he set about scheming a new, low cost replacement, like the Seven had been in the ’50s it would be a parts bin special which followed the then current racing trends.

Chapman had just famously introduced the monocoque construction to Formula One — it was clear he hadn’t given up on the idea that a fibreglass body could be a stress bearing member of the chassis. As well, he had clearly not got over the lack of success Lotus had experienced with the glass-fibre monocoque Lotus Elite, or fully appreciated the elegant and simple solution to the Elite’s production woes provided by the Lotus Elan design.

The Elite never had a chassis, it’s glass-fibre monocoque, while strong and light, had proved difficult to manufacture and repair. The solution introduced with the Elan was a fabricated steel backbone chassis with the glass-fibre body bolted through isolators onto the chassis. It worked very well, but Chapman decided his new mid-engined car would be a half way house — an Elan-type backbone with the glass-fibre body bonded directly to it, giving the car the immediate responses of a monocoque car.

Seven Successor

The Lotus Seven had been a success throughout Europe, and it was in Europe that Chapman foresaw the need to update the Lotus image. A much publicised distrust of the French, after a few too many run-ins with parochial Le Mans organisers, did not prevent him from spotting an engineering solution they could provide for him, and the head of a tiny English kit car manufacturer brokered a deal with the bastion of French institutions, the government-sponsored Regie Renault. Even Chapman could not foresee that Ayrton Senna would one day win a Grand Prix in a Lotus-Renault, and that Regie’s engines would go on to win many F1 world championships.

At the time that Chapman was fishing overseas for solutions, The English Channel prevented most Englishmen from any acceptance that the French could make sports cars — or engines. Alpines would not win the Monte Carlo Rally until 1971, and even then it would be a long time before French marques gained any acceptance in the British sportsman’s hierarchy.

In England, French cars were floppy, roomy, comfortable and idiosyncratic — the antithesis of the average British sports car — so their engines didn’t even rate consideration. Whilst racing cars had used Citroën and VW gearboxes without serious modification, they were generally not matched to the torque, revs and vibration of a high performance engine. Neither company made an engine that Chapman could consider for his mid-engined car.

Chapman, apparently at the French Motor Show, saw at the announcement of the Renault 16 that it had an all-alloy engine linked in line with a transaxle. Exactly what he had been looking for. At the height and speed Chapman was flying he could only see a small resistance to the idea of a French engine, and planned to start marketing his brainchild in Europe first to give it a chance to catch on. He had no idea just how much resistance there would be. His customers had not flown all over the world as he had, and British was still best.

Another thing Chapman completely overlooked was the continuing potential of the Lotus Seven. One Lotus dealer, Graham Nearn of Caterham Cars, felt the potential was still there, so he bought the rights to manufacture the Lotus Seven. Even Nearn could not have expected to still be building Sevens 40 years later.

French Connection

Galloping on with his project, Chapman persuaded Renault to supply the engine and four-speed transmission from the Renault 16 — slightly tuned and with the crown wheel reversed — along with its 12-month guarantee. A major feat for a small English sports car maker.

Don’t under estimate the engine, either. Whilst it didn’t produce the ultimate power of the Lotus twin-cam, the 1470cc Renault was lusty, smooth and comparatively light (91kg). Best of all it was made and developed to fit the transaxle, thus removing many potential gremlins. By the time production started, Renault had developed a special unit for Lotus with higher compression, bigger valves, a higher lift camshaft and a twin choke Solex carburettor. The Renault 16’s 39kW engine produced 61kW in Lotus trim.

Chapman put Derek Sleath in charge of project P5, and rather than design first, a prototype was built and tested before being drawn up. It took just 18 months to go from this first study to prototype production, with a low drag (0.29) body adapted from Hickman’s concept by John Frayling.

The body shape was at best unusual. The Europa was described as looking like a van at the time, and it was not universally approved. The first production cars, known internally as Lotus Type 46, had fixed seats, but movable pedals, fixed curved side windows with interior ventilation pressurised by a fan, and a plenum chamber which doubled as the front luggage compartment. It had a single windscreen wiper over a steeply raked screen that was made especially for Lotus.

As with the Elan, Triumph components were used at the front, with Lotus fabricated wishbones taking the loads to a tee-section at the front end of the backbone chassis. Disc brakes were used at the front, drums at the rear, which was suspended by a Chapman strut, single lower wishbone and long longitudinal arms to the front of the V where the backbone chassis opened out to accommodate the powertrain behind the cockpit.

The whole car weighed just 686kg, had a top speed of 177kph and sprinted from 0-96.5kph in 10 seconds. Lotus was due to move from Cheshunt, near London, to Hethel in rural Norfolk, and the 500 Type 46 Europas were the first new cars to be made in Norfolk. These first 500 cars were going to be sold only in France. Lotus would be amongst the first to make a road-going mid-engined coupe, with only Matra and Lamborghini beating it to it.

Changing The Formula

The Lotus type 46, or Series 1 Europa, was not an overwhelming success, which led to a number of fairly major design changes. Series 2 was Lotus design number 54, introduced in April 1968. These took the Europa away from the skinny, basic Lotus Seven replacement concept, something that it had not successfully achieved anyway. The fixed, curved side windows gave way to fixed quarter lights and less elegant, ‘squared off’ electrically operated windows.

Lotus switched to bolt fasteners, as used in the Elan, instead of resin bonding to attach the body to the backbone. Fully adjustable seats, a new interior, a polished wooden fascia and conventional external door handles were used, while the indicator lights now appeared like frog’s eyes over the bumper.

In all, 3615 S2s were produced, amongst them the two featured here. Lotus delivered cars to the American market, where the headlights were too low to pass Federal regulations. Initially, Lotus bolted the wishbones upside down to raise the lights to the required height, and owners reverted to the original ride height once the car was sold. However, this ruse was not going to remain undetected for long, and the newer cars (Type 65 onwards) had subtly raised headlights. The difference can be judged on the two cars we have here, the red car being to the older, low light specification.

Mid Life Crisis

Still the Europa wasn’t a great seller, despite being highly praised for its dynamics by the press. It was not until 1971, when the Type 74 Europa Twin Cam announced that the Europa really had its legs — with a 78kW (105hp) 1558cc Lotus/Ford twin-cam engine, and a new Renault four-speed gearbox (Type 352). Apart from the engine, Lotus finally caved in to styling criticisms and sliced away the original Europa’s rear sail-fins. This made the car look lighter and improved rear visibility. Mike Kimberley, then a new engineer from Jaguar who eventually became the Lotus chief, was chief engineer of the Twin Cam project. Some 1580 cars were shipped as Europa Twin Cams before a 94kW (126hp) Big Valve version of the engine with a new Renault five-speed (Type 365) gearbox option was offered as the Europa Special.

The Special weighed 740kg, had a top speed of 198kph, and dispatched the benchmark 0-96.5kph sprint in seven seconds. Some 3130 Europa Specials were manufactured and, to honour JPS Team Lotus 1972 and 1973 F1 Constructor’s Championships, John Player Special commemorative production cars had the evocative black with gold pinstripe colour scheme. In Total 9300 Europas were produced. Unlike many manufacturers, producing cars that got worse as they went on, the last was arguably the best Europa.

By this time, however, the Lotus marque was being pushed up market. The replacement for the Europa was the Esprit, a bigger car altogether. It wasn’t until Lotus went back to its roots with the very basic Elise that it would truly hit the sales spot again. The Elise and its derivatives have probably been the most successful Lotii ever when it comes to sales. The original Elise was a modern version of what Chapman originally intended for the Europa — a modernised Lotus Seven with a mid engine.

Comparing Europas

We are not aware of any original ‘bonded’ Lotus Europas in New Zealand. They were left hand drive for Europe only, and thin on the ground. There are some S2s, however, and we have Robin Stevenson’s 1969 Lotus Type 54 and Michael Keenan’s 1971 Type 65. Both were called Europa S2, the major difference being the height of the headlights.

Both cars have bolted bodies and moveable side windows, plus conventional door handles together with ‘frogeye’ indicators above the bumper which are the main way of differentiating them from original S1s. Whilst they are not easy to get into, the lack of any chassis structure in the sills makes the task easier than getting into the new Lotus. The cabin is tiny on the Europa, but Robin’s sunroof makes his car light and airy inside.

What strikes you most is the delicacy of the old Europa.Typically, for a Lotus of the period, the trim probably only fitted until it left the show room, and whilst an attempt has been made at making the car feel luxurious inside, with electric windows and a wooden dashboard, the quality of fit and finish is demonstrably less than skin deep. The seating position is laid well back, but nonetheless very comfortable with a perfectly placed headrest, and your arms rest naturally on the padded transmission tunnel and into a padded well made in the door. This sets the scene, as the Europa is handled with the fingertips, not with armfuls of lock.

The road holding and handling drew the very highest praise at the time the car was current, and it feels as close to a ’60s single-seater as it is possible to be with a roof over your head. The classic Europa is like a ballet dancer on the road, supple and extremely athletic, but with very little apparent effort. The road holding is of the very highest order, yet unlike modern cars with wide tyres, the messages all come through almost telepathically, allowing the driver great confidence in what’s happening at the tyre contact patch. It’s not about ultimate grip, but being able to safely explore the region before it disappears.

You can really enjoy the old Europa at road legal speeds on switchback roads. The key to driving an S2 Europa is carrying speed, made all the more necessary by the car’s engine and gearbox. It makes all the right noises but the gear ratios are spread well apart, and mastering the gear change is an acquired art. There isn’t much torque to help you through this issue, so the grip and delicacy of the steering are of prime importance.

The later Europa Twin Cam had more torque and power to improve this experience, but the gear change never got much better, so it was important to be sure you had the right cog before you tried cornering in extremes.

The 21st Century Europa S has all the answers in this respect — an excellent gear change and more than adequate torque, together with the legendary Lotus telepathic driver-to-tyre experience. Few modern cars get near to this, and none are as useable everyday as the new Europa S.

In effect, the new Lotus really carries on where the Europa Special left off.

The new car’s 149kW turbocharged engine has genuine racing heritage, being the basis of Formula Vauxhall-Lotus, the formula which brought up Mika Häkkinen and Kimi Räikkönen amongst others. Importantly, it produces 263Nm at 4200rpm, giving the new car longer, more relaxed legs than any Elise. The Europa S uses Elise technology but it is bigger, more practical, and takes the modern Lotus upmarket to a point where it provides a car that a couple can enjoy, rather than just the driver, and it has a much less frenetic but still powerful engine. It fills a gap left by the Opel Speedster or Vauxhall VX220 Turbo, which were basically Lotuses by another name.

The Europa S is nowhere near as refined as a Porsche or BMW sports car, but then those two are nowhere near to giving as much pure driving pleasure as the Lotus. The Europa bridges the gap between an Elise and a Porsche Boxster, erring much closer to the Elise, as it still has a cabin that is not greatly different to the base car, and an engine that has the muscles but not the ultimate refinement.

Early Europas had a cabin which at least tried to give the owner the nod that he had bought something expensive. I reckon Lotus needs to take heed of this today, and perhaps also supply a light, silky V6 which would help persuade swinging voters out of their Porsche or BMW Z4.

Knowing the Elise and Exige as we do, and relating them to the new Europa S, confuses the issue slightly, as it seems on the surface to be quite close to them in concept. Take them out of the equation and the new car is very much a continuation of the Europa theme. In the flesh it is a very attractive-looking proper sports coupe in its own right — a more than worthy successor to the classic Europa.