Lotus Cars Europa S is a GT type two seater automobile designed to complement the very successful Lotus Elise sports car and its derivative, the Exige. The name is borrowed from the legendary Lotus Europa of the 1960s and 1970s.
The Europa S is a light weight car of 995 kg (2194 lb) with a 149 kW (200 hp) 2.0 L engine. It uses an extruded and bonded aluminium chassis with composite body panels and front crash structure.
The Europa S is more relaxed than the Elise/Exige with a larger boot, greater soundproofing, and easier cabin access due to the lower chassis sides, and higher roof line. It also includes luxuries such as air conditioning, custom stereo sound system, leather interior, and plush interior carpeting as standard equipment in keeping with European Grand Touring (GT) auto tradition.
The car was originally planned to be manufactured at parent company Proton's factory in Malaysia, allowing for a significantly lower sale price, but ultimately the company chose the Lotus Hethel factory for its production.
Delivery of the Europa S began in September 2006 from the Lotus factory at Hethel, Norfolk, UK. The car is not expected to be offered for sale in the United States or Canada at first, as the Opel/Vauxhall built turbo is not currently certified to meet emissions requirements for those nations. MSRP is projected at approximately £33,000 (€49,000, $63,000).
The Europa S is a derivative of the Lotus Type 111 Elise and Exige cars only in that they sport variations of the same bonded aluminum chassis, the Europa bears a separate Lotus model designation (Type 121) due, in part, to its longer chassis and completely new body type.
The mid-engined two seat coupe sports a 2.0 L turbocharged GM Ecotec engine producing 149 kW (200 hp/203 PS) at 5400 rpm. The torquey 263 N·m (194 ft·lbf) engine allows the car to reach 60 mph (97 km/h) in around 5.5 seconds, and 100 mph (161 km/h) in around 14 seconds. Maximum speed should be 140 mph (225 km/h).
