LOTUS EUROPA TWIN-CAM/SPECIAL

2-door 2-seater coupé.

Up-dated version of underpowered Europa, slow with Lotus-Ford twin-cam engine. Twin-Cam had 105bhp, but Special, introduced one year later, had 'big valve' 126bhp. Both still with Renault-based transmissions, some Specials with five-speed 'overdrive' boxes. Style refinements included cut-down rear sail panels to improve visibility. Fast and furious at last - 117mph/121mph respectively. Most completely assembled at Lotus, not kit-built. Replaced by new mid-engined Esprit in mid-seventies.