It is no secret that Lotus has been working on a more civilised Elise/Exige derivative to slot in below a forthcoming Esprit supercar replacement. When we went to Hethel earlier this year to
test the Exige 240R, the PR team were chomping at the bit to tell us all. Finally, late in the evening today, Lotus revealed tantalising first details, as well as the photographs you see here.
Early spy photos of the Europa (the name was first used on a mid-engined Lotus in 1966) were spot on, showing a car that obviously shares a lot with the S2 Elise, but is smoother and a lot less aggressive; some might say less distinctive. Personally, I'd have placed the exhausts at the edges of the bodywork, though perhaps that was not practical from an engineering point of view. These initial photographs were taken from a low view point so we'll reserve final judgement until we see the car ourselves (thought to be at the
2006 Geneva Motor Show), but the Europa seems to sit quite high.
According to Lotus, the Europa is not actually based on the Elise/Exige chassis (identified as Type 111), though does share their advanced extruded and bonded aluminium construction, with composite body panels. Additionally, the Europa features what Lotus describes as a "very advanced" composite energy absorbing front crash structure; this is the first time I can remember talk of safety in a Lotus sportscar!
A peak inside the Europa reveals familiar surroundings, though the chassis sides are lower and the roof higher to make the job of getting in and out a tad easier. With the roof on, the Elise takes getting used to, and entry is never graceful; the Europa changes that. Recent updates to the Elise range allow the optional fitment of such luxuries as leather, airbags and carpets; these items are all standard on the Europa S.
Note that initial details are for a car Lotus is calling Europa S, not simply Europa, taking a leaf out of Porsche's book (the
Cayman is only available as an 'S' at the time of writing). You'd think that leaves the path open for an entry-level model, but we're not so sure.
For starters, despite rumours of V6 and maybe even V8 engines for the Europa, the Europa S will initially be fitted with a 2-litre four-cylinder. Admittedly it utilises a turbocharger to boost power to a respectable 200bhp and peak torque is ample at 194lb.ft. Despite the larger bodywork (including a substantially larger luggage area than the Exige), the Europa S only weighs 995kg, allowing the engine to accelerate the car from rest to 60mph in just 5.5 seconds, on the way to a top speed of around 140mph. Sure, the
Elise 111R and even the
Vauxhall VX220 Turbo can better these raw figures, but the Europa promises to be much more of an all-rounder than either of these cars.
Looking around for potential rivals, I can't help but think of the Porsche Cayman S and BMW's forthcoming
Z4 Coupe, but Lotus may have pulled off a coup here, with the Europa S thought to retail at a bargain £33,000 in the UK (49,000 Euros + taxes elsewhere). Production will be alongside the Elise and Exige at Hethel, though is not due to start until July 2006. We'll be joining a very long line of people keen to get their mitts on one of the most exciting performance cars of 2006. Book your dealer test drive now.
Shane O' Donoghue - 7 Dec 2005
