1973 Lotus Europa Special
Mid-engined placement and a lightweight fiberglass body made this compact British sports car a formidable performer despite weighing just 1,567 pounds (711 kg).
The Special represented the final evolution of Lotus’s Europa line, introducing significant improvements over earlier models including better rear visibility and enhanced interior comfort.
The sleek wedge-shaped profile featured updated styling with reduced sail panels that addressed the poor rearward vision of previous versions. Lotus constructed the body from lightweight fiberglass mounted on a backbone chassis, creating an exceptionally low center of gravity.
Under the rear deck sat a 1.6-liter Lotus-Ford twin-cam engine in “big valve” specification, producing 126 horsepower at 6,200 rpm. This represented a substantial increase over the 105-horsepower standard Twin Cam version. The engine paired with a five-speed manual transmission, enabling acceleration from zero to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds and a top speed of 127 mph.
The first 100 examples carried John Player Special livery with black paint and gold pinstripes, commemorating Team Lotus’s 1972 Formula One championship victory.
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