Lot 229: 1969 Lotus Europa S2 Coupé

‘If you’ve just bought an ordinary sports car, we’re sorry. Every Lotus is designed to give a man one thing above all - the greatest driving satisfaction the world can offer. Nothing hugs the road so closely, nothing corners so fast and true, nothing so happily combines performance, styling, comfort and pure handling pleasure.’ - Lotus Europa advertisement, 1971.
Launched at the 1967 Brussels Show, the Lotus Type 46 - the Europa - was the marque’s first mid-engined road car, and was powered by a 1,470cc Renault 16 engine mounted in an Elan-type backbone frame. Its specification also included all-round independent coil-sprung suspension and disc brakes on the front wheels (subsequently on the rear, too). Unusual styling provided ample luggage space while rearward visibility through the narrow, full-width back window was surprisingly good.
Having been manufactured exclusively for export for its first two years, the Europa made its UK debut in 1969 in improved S2 form. Renault engined like its S1 predecessor, the S2 reverted to a conventional body/chassis attachment, the S1 ’shell having been bonded in place - a move that greatly simplified, and cheapened, accident repairs - while electric windows and adjustable seats were welcome additions to the previously somewhat penny-pinching specification.
This Europa S2 has been owned by the vendor for the past 37 years, during which time it has always been kept garaged. We are advised that a Spyder Engineering replacement chassis was fitted fewer than 2,000 miles ago, the clutch, brake pipes/discs, coolant pipes/hoses and gearchange linkage joints being renewed at the same time and the radiator reconditioned. Finished in Lotus Yellow with black/beige interior, the latter newly re-carpeted, the car is offered with current road fund licence, MoT to May 2009 and Swansea V5.