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2007 Lotus Europa S

Lotus Cars Australia has released details of the 2007 Lotus Europa S. The Europa badge has not been in production for over 40 years (1966). Nonetheless the new vehicle is aimed at the less hardcore Lotus customers who are after a more user friendly model which compliments the simplicity of its siblings, the Lotus Elise and Lotus Exige.


"The Europa S provides Lotus with a car that expands the marque's appeal beyond its current customer base in Australia while still demonstrating the key Lotus brand attributes and high levels of quality," said John Startari, managing director of Lotus Cars Australia

The Europa S offers enhanced levels of touring and cruising capabilities, as well as higher levels of practicality and refinement when compared with the Lotus Elise and Exige. But don't worry, Lotus haven't lost the plot, the car still only weighs a mere 995 kg which helps to keep the power to weight ratio at a very respectable level.

Compared to the award-winning Lotus Elise, the Europa S has a larger boot and easier cabin access as a result of lower chassis sides and a higher roof line.

"The concept for Europa S was originally mooted as being business class by Lotus and a GT car. However, considerable market analysis alongside the company's future product plans, in particular two new models that will be positioned above the Europa S in coming years, meant the concept was altered to deliver a car that is not a GT, but a car that compliments its more hard-edged siblings," said Jon Stretton.

"It means Lotus customers will still be able to enjoy the outrageous fun and exhilaration of driving a true Lotus without having to make as many compromises when it comes to the practicality of living with their 'pride and joy' day to day," he added.

So this car is meant to be a day to day drivers, so to go along with that idea, Lotus has filled the car with

  • a full soft leather interior,
  • ABS,
  • driver and passenger airbags,
  • full carpeting and sound insulation amongst other features,
  • air conditioning,
  • new leather trimmed ProBax seats,
  • Alpine AM/FM/CD four speaker audio system with MP3/iPod interface,
  • remote immobiliser/alarm system.

The new Europa S is powered by a two-litre twin cam 16 valve turbo engine producing 147 kW of power and 272 Nm of torque. At first read this doesn't seam like much, but you gotta remember, this car weighs less than a ton! Which gives it a power to weight ratio of 148 kW/tonn.

Match all this power to an aluminium six-speed manual gearbox and open differential and you 90 percent of its maximum torque at just 2000 rpm delivering acceleration from 0-100 km/h in just 5.8 seconds and will reach 160 km/h in a little under 14 seconds. Maximum speed is 230 km/h.

So what other car can deliver such blitzing performance for a fuel economy of just 9.3 litres/100 km (combined) - or 7.2 litres/100 km on a highway cycle?

The Europa S rides on 17" wheels front and rear, wrapped in bespoke Bridgestone Potenza tyres (175/55 R17 on the front and 225/45 R17 on the rear), the car also comes with a rear spoiler and auxiliary front driving lamps.

The light weight of the Lotus Europa S contributes to its braking capability with Lotus/AP-Racing twin-piston fixed aluminium alloy brake calipers at the front and Brembo single-piston sliding calipers at the rear. The 282 mm diameter ventilated discs are linked to a servo-assisted, four-channel (ABS) System.

The engine is mounted to a lightweight and strong, galvanised steel sub frame. The lightweight steel wishbones are also mounted to this steel assembly.

The Europa S made its Australian debut at the Sydney Motorshow in November 2006 and officially went on sale in Australia in February 2007 at a price of $109,900 plus dealer delivery and statutory charges.

Whilst Lotus is owned by Proton, potential Lotus buyers don't need to worry as all Lotus cars, including the Lotus Europa S are manufactured at the Lotus manufacturing facility at Hethel in the UK.

Comprehensive list of all technical specifications : 2007 Lotus Europa S Specifications.

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