Price: £200.00 - £299.99, Tyre Size: --- 13 Inch ---, Profile: 70, Width: 175/70 | Lotus Europa S1 S2 1966 to 1971
Lotus goes mid-engined and foreshadows its own Elise! The standard tyre was a 155HR13 radial, with the option of a 175/70HR13 (on a 5J wheel).
De Tomaso and Lamborghini had shown that there was a market, especially in Europe, for mid-engined performance cars. Colin Chapman reacted cleverly to this, using Renault's engine and transaxle arrangement from the 16 as a ready-made, mid-engine package. The platform itself owed much to the Elan, also a good idea; however, the body was much more of an experiment in styling and manufacturing. The van-like styling has aways been divisive, and the Renault engines aren't particularly powerful, and both these problems would be addressed in later versions. It was a stepping stone to the Esprit (and Type 47 racer) though.