Most of us could go a lifetime and never see a Europa outside of a car show or vintage race, but Plecostomus found a nice one in El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula, otherwise known as Los Angeles. Here's what he had to say:

I found a DOTS Lotus Europa today. I'd never even SEEN one in person. And it follows the rules— it was parked on the street (Los Alamitos Blvd— why anyone would park a Europa on Los Alamitos BLVD is beyond me... it's like asking for the car to get destroyed)

It was some kind of commemorative edition with badging that said Constructor's Championship and several years (likely referring to F1)

Thing is, these newfangled Elises and whatnot seem to be contaminated by engines built by Ssangyong or Sony or some such place where all the focus is on reliability. As true Lotus pilots know, a real British sports car should be built in a shed, preferably with a dirt floor, and powered by an engine with as much character as the most gratuitous use of italicization can convey! That means you need to get an old Lotus, and- whoo-EEE!- those suckers aren't cheap! Fortunately for you, the same economic meltdown that's turning huge swaths of the country into a 21st-century Dust Bowl is also knocking the hell out of project Lotus prices, and so we've found a couple of projects you can buy for about the same price as a 15-year-old Tercel with a couple of burned valves. Welcome to Project Lotus Hell!

In 1974, a new Elite would cost you close to 20 grand, depending on options. That lofty price tag was more than 5,000 bucks higher than a shiny new '74 Porsche 911 Carrera's, so you figure there's no way on earth you could get an affordable project Elite, right? As we say here in the Hell Garage, there's always a way to get that nightmare dream project into your life, regardless of financial limitations, and this '74 Lotus Elite (go here if the listing disappears) is the proof! Would you believe $500 or best offer? Hot damn! The seller knows the kind of jewel he's got for sale, so he doesn't waste his time or yours with lengthy descriptions. It's a real Lotus, it's yellow, it has a "repaired motor and trans" that "just need installing" and it "needs some restoration." So, you take that repaired motor and trans and twist a couple of wrenches, spend a few hours doing some restoration, and there's your daily-driver Lotus. Easy!

We like the Elite, but it's a little on the bulky side for that true Lotus experience. 2,000 pounds? What a battleship! You need to add some lightness and get a Lotus that scales in at more like 1,300 pounds, and that means a vintage Europa. As we know, demand for the Europa is higher than what you see for the Elite, which means prices are going to be a bit higher. Would you pay a grand for one? Do we even need to ask that question? Here's a '70 Europa with just 56,000 miles on the clock (go here if the listing disappears), and it looks to be a hopeless solid basket case restoration candidate, just waiting for the right sucker buyer to invest his or her entire bank balance and/or sanity a few quality hours in the garage! The Europa came with a high-strung Renault engine, which you may or may not get with this car (the seller drops the intentionally ambiguous statement "Does not run, however, have all body parts"), and a fiberglass body (which means that you only have to worry about rust on the chassis and suspension). Hey, if you can drop a Cadillac 4.9 V8 in a Fiero, why not a Europa? We say it's a great idea!

We can't help but point out that this statement came the same day that Tesla announced it was going to scale back Tesla Model S production plans until a government loan guarantee becomes effective. Though we fully believe that the Model S from Tesla is undergoing development and have our doubts about the electric Chryslers, this does seem a bit like the electric pot calling the electric kettle black.

Lotus Europa receives diamond treatment

This year Lotus celebrates its 60th birthday and to properly mark the occasion, the British sportscar manufacturer has produced a real gem of a car – a fully customised, diamond-set Lotus Europa valued at £150,000 which will be launched at Lotus' birthday celebrations in Hethel, Norfolk on Sunday 14th September 2008.

The diamond anniversary Lotus Europa has received the highest level of customisation from cosmetic enhancements to performance upgrades. Inside, the car boasts sumptuous textures created using the finest quality leather for a superior quilted trim, whilst the bespoke gear knob and controls feature sparkling diamonds set in cool matt black metal. The diamond scheme is completed with a specially designed rev counter and speed dials that feature diamonds highlighted by hidden LED accent lighting.

An exclusive paint finish has been applied to the sleek form of the Europa giving the already sophisticated model a truly spectacular finish, a high gloss black base has been adorned with tiny glass flakes giving the appearance the
car has been showered with diamonds. Tinted glass and black and silver wheels complete the monochrome scheme in polished, stylish fashion whilst a beautiful, diamond set Lotus nose-badge proudly crowns the car.

Mike Kimberley, Group Lotus CEO had this to say about the bespoke Europa, "I'm always proud to launch a special edition Lotus and this commemorative, bespoke Lotus for our Diamond Anniversary is very special indeed. We are a global, high technology engineering consultancy and sportscar company and reaching this special milestone demonstrates our tenacity and creativity as much as our expertise and professionalism."

The diamond anniversary Europa is the culmination of skill and expertise from many of Lotus' production teams and suppliers. The project was championed by Winsor Bishop, East Anglia's premier diamond specialists who are
supplying Lotus with around £111,000 worth of diamonds for the stunning car.

"We were delighted to work with Lotus on this exciting project and are thrilled with the sparkling results," remarked Sophie Croy

Mike Kimberley, Group Lotus CEO had this to say about the bespoke Europa, "I'm always proud to launch a special edition Lotus and this commemorative, bespoke Lotus for our Diamond Anniversary is very special indeed. We are a global, high technology engineering consultancy and sportscar company and reaching this special milestone demonstrates our tenacity and creativity as much as our expertise and professionalism."

The diamond anniversary Europa is the culmination of skill and expertise from many of Lotus' production teams and suppliers. The project was championed by Winsor Bishop, East Anglia's premier diamond specialists who are
supplying Lotus with around £111,000 worth of diamonds for the stunning car.

"We were delighted to work with Lotus on this exciting project and are thrilled with the sparkling results," remarked Sophie Croydon, Director of Winsor Bishop. "Diamond setting a car was a first for Winsor Bishop, by specifying
164 beautiful Round Brilliant Diamonds with a market value of £111,100, we have helped create a truly unique Lotus Europa."

This beautifully hand crafted British sports car is not only stunning and luxurious, it drives like a dream too. Achieving 0-60mph in less than 5 seconds and a maximum speed of 146mph, this Lotus Europa is certainly a
car of style and substance.

For security reasons the commemorative Lotus Europa has been fitted with replica diamonds whilst on display.

[Source: Lotus via Autoblog]

July 1st my dad and I bailed out of a visiting with my grandmother in Kansas and flew out to San Francisco to buy my dream car - a Lotus Europa. I had been lusting over these cars for about a year and half. Race car suspension? Check. Extreme light weight? Check. Racing history? Check. Lots of personality? Oh my yes! Good price? Well, a little higher than I wanted to pay ($8500) but I figured it was the perfect time to do it in my life. The one we were picking up was in ok condition - actually mechanically it was in very good condition, but aesthetically it was not that great - even by Europa standards. Oh, and by 'picking it up' we were actually driving it 2700 miles most of the way across the country to Huntsville, AL! David, who I bought the car from, was great in coordinating everything with me and also did a lot of prep work to get it ready for the trip - he even gave us a full tank of gas! We got to his house about 2:30pm Tuesday and he spent a couple of hours getting me familiar with the car, this would be the first time I had ever driven a Europa. So at about 4:30 we left from San Francisco.

The drive through rush hour San Francisco traffic was a bit nerve racking to say the least. This car is low, real low. From our vantage point Ford Foci looked like towering Expeditions. We also found out real early that bumps that an ordinary car wouldn't even notice were like hitting huge potholes that sent shudders all throughout the car. It also lacked power brakes so I had to get use to the long pedal travel and high effort. The shifter in this car was good but different; most cars you can just push the gearshift up to shift into third, in this car you had to deliberately move the shifter to the right a few inches. The cable operated clutch was something to get used to too.

We did eventually get across the Golden Gate and took a break at the park there. What a spectacular view! I couldn't believe how many bicyclists were there too (I love bicycling). Our goal for the first day was to camp at South Lake Tahoe which was approximately 240miles from David's house. Unfortunately we got a late start and found ourselves driving in the dark - not fun in the Europa. I could barely see where I was going and worse was that I could tell that the road was nice and curvy - so I was missing out on all the fun. About 30 miles from Lake Tahoe we decided we couldn't take anymore and found an entrance to a National Forest where we wondered around for a while looking for a campground until we couldn't take that anymore so we just camped on the side of the road. Compromises in packing for this trip saw no room for a tent so we were sleeping under the stars - somehow I slept better that night than I typically do at home.

The next day we had the goal of getting to Zion National park - some 600miles away. One of the funnier events on the trip was when my dad was getting back in to drive after stopping at an overlook for Mono Lake. The overlook was slightly sloped towards a guardrail. He got in, put it in neutral, took the parking brake off, and let it roll right into the guardrail while frantically searching for the brake pedal! The pedals in these cars are extremely close together, I actually bought a really narrow pair of shoes but they were still not narrow enough so I drove most of the way bare foot. Because the pedals are so close together it's easy to put your foot on the clutch thinking it's the brake because in a normal car the clutch is about where the brake would be. I started laughing after he did it, he was pretty embarrassed I think. Luckily it didn't do hardly any damage (those bumpers actually do something!).

Onwards from Mono Lake, where I got to test out the Europa's dirt road ability (it really hated the washboards), we made it to Zion National park at about 7-8pm. Zion probably used to be a great place, it's still nice, but there are way too many people there. We actually camped in a designated campground that night but once again without a tent. The next morning we spent a few hours hiking at the park before heading out. The roads the previous day were actually a lot of fun, but the third day was mostly straight desert roads in the hot of the Summer. Right outside of Zion we also made an adjustment to the car that we should have made at the beginning - remember all that crashing over the bumps? That was mostly caused by the 12 way adjustable shocks being put on their lowest setting for comfort. Bad idea, we put them on setting 6 and it improved things dramatically.

Desert driving also caused the car to run rather hot especially when driving uphill. If you have ever driven through the northern parts of Arizona you know there are a lot of slow climbs up to the summits....and then back down. Luckily the car didn't get hot enough to cause problems so we didn't lose any time. Around 6pm we finally made it out of the desert, both of us extremely tired of seeing rock formations, and got into the mountains of Colorado. The car did really well here too, even at about 2 miles high it wasn't struggling although if you floored the throttle it was obvious it wasn't getting all the air it wanted. After supper we found ourselves driving in the dark once again, but we figured something out - nobody cared if we used the brights all the time! We could actually see with the brights on so it made night driving 20 times better. We found a campsite somewhere in between South Fork and Alamosa.

The next day's goal was to make it to Kingman, KS - about 400 miles away - where we could rendezvous with my mom who was taking care of her mom. We made good time and got there around 2pm on Friday - I was finally able to take my first shower since Tuesday! After visiting with my grandmother, my uncle and my cousin for a while we left with me driving the Europa following my mom and dad in their car. The intent was making it as far as we could without falling asleep. Unfortunately we only made it to about Tulsa, OK before I hit this particularly nasty bridge transition at 70+mph in the dark. The car absolutely launched in the air and I knew I heard the sound of pieces falling off. I immediately pulled over to the shoulder and checked for missing pieces or bent suspension - no problems found! But it scrambled the electrics quite a bit (insert Lucas joke/reference here) - one of the headlights went out, and the turn signals wouldn't work but the lighted turn signal indicators on the dash were on solid when ever the lights were on! A policeman pulled over and offered any assistance and showed interest in the car. Everything was road worthy except the headlight so we drove to the nearest hotel.

The next day was just about making the best time possible to Huntsville. The car made it without any more problems - in other words, for a British car (especially a Lotus) - it did really well. It leaked about a quart of oil every 600 miles, and averaged above 35mpg - I got 41mpg the last time I filled it up! The car, in my opinion, was really comfortable to drive - no back aches or sore muscles. The last day my ears started ringing a bit. There were a few people that were pretty interested in the car, and it was fun watching people coming the other direction turn their head probably wondering what in the world it was. It was really an incredible trip, one I hope to do again in another unique car but hopefully then I can do it over 2 weeks rather than 5 days so I can actually take my time and enjoy the scenery. I also probably won't do it right in the middle of the summer either. In conclusion, I used to think all those cool cars I wanted being in California was a terrible burden, now I think it's a plus!

I took some pics of these 2 sweet lotuses and some other cool stuff in my area - Burnaby just outside vancouver BC .. There is a mazda eunos and 2 honda beats at that one guys house.. He must do some importing I guess.

Group Lotus plc unveils a new updated and significantly enhanced range of Europa's at the 78th annual Geneva International Motor Show. The new entry level Europa is priced at £27,950 MSRP / 37,500, with the range topping Europa SE available for a competitive £32,995 MSRP / 41,500 (Euro prices are without taxes, delivery & other related costs). These new Europa variants have been designed and developed especially for European customers and will be sold exclusively across Europe from June 2008. The Europa is now available to a larger target audience with the entry level car providing a more accessible way to own a Europa and the SE designed to appeal to those who are even more style conscious and want increased levels of performance. Mike Kimberley, CEO of Group Lotus plc commented: "As the true driver will know, this Europa range, offers access to Lotus' unique DNA for those who perceive the Elise and Exige as a little too uncompromising for everyday use. The new Europa SE sits at the more refined end of the Lotus spectrum, providing a terrific mix of performance, agility and style, but incorporates Lotus's values and heritage". The Europa has a mid-mounted 2 litre turbo charged engine, tuned in the SE with an all new calibration to 225 PS and with 300 Nm of torque to offer effortless cruising capability. Even though the Europa is engineered with more relaxed driving characteristics it provides amazing performance, with 0-60 mph in the SE dispatched in 5.5s (0-100 km/h in 5.7s estimated) and the sprint to 100 mph (160 km/h) taking just 13.0s (estimated). Given the legal opportunity to stretch its legs, the Europa SE will hit a top speed of 143 mph (estimated). The Europa now offers increased levels of comfort over the Elise and Exige whilst enhancing the focused driving experience that you would expect from a Lotus. These models are both equipped with race car derived double wishbone suspension to give an exceptional driving feel with Lotus DNA. The sleek Europa body work, together with the assistance of the flat underbody, generates positive downforce to provide balanced handling at speed. The Europa SE has attractive and light weight new wheels, which are shod with wider, high performance tyres, for increased levels of grip. These new high performance wheels are larger with 17" rims up front, and larger 18" rims on the rear. The new wheels house high performance AP Racing four pot brakes and larger (308 mm) diameter discs. The SE interior has been updated by Lotus Design with a stylish new design that works in harmony with the premium avant-garde Ice White of the Geneva Show car. The interior is finished using 4 hides of soft, lightweight high-grade leather, to ensure that every surface has a luxuriant tactile feel. As with all 2008 Lotus road cars, the Europa and Europa SE come with driver and passenger airbags and an engine start button as standard. The Europa interior is furnished with leather sports seats and comes as standard with a high quality stereo system.

Press Release Group Lotus plc unveils a new updated and significantly enhanced range of Europa's at the 78th annual Geneva International Motor Show. The new entry level Europa is priced at £27,950 MSRP / 37,500, with the range topping Europa SE available for a competitive £32,995 MSRP / 41,500 (Euro prices are without taxes, delivery & other related costs). These new Europa variants have been designed and developed especially for European customers and will be sold exclusively across Europe from June 2008. The Europa is now available to a larger target audience with the entry level car providing a more accessible way to own a Europa and the SE designed to appeal to those who are even more style conscious and want increased levels of performance. Mike Kimberley, CEO of Group Lotus plc commented: "As the true driver will know, this Europa range, offers access to Lotus' unique DNA for those who perceive the Elise and Exige as a little too uncompromising for everyday use. The new Europa SE sits at the more refined end of the Lotus spectrum, providing a terrific mix of performance, agility and style, but incorporates Lotus's values and heritage". The Europa has a mid-mounted 2 litre turbo charged engine, tuned in the SE with an all new calibration to 225 PS and with 300 Nm of torque to offer effortless cruising capability. Even though the Europa is engineered with more relaxed driving characteristics it provides amazing performance, with 0-60 mph in the SE dispatched in 5.5s (0-100 km/h in 5.7s estimated) and the sprint to 100 mph (160 km/h) taking just 13.0s (estimated). Given the legal opportunity to stretch its legs, the Europa SE will hit a top speed of 143 mph (estimated). The Europa now offers increased levels of comfort over the Elise and Exige whilst enhancing the focused driving experience that you would expect from a Lotus. These models are both equipped with race car derived double wishbone suspension to give an exceptional driving feel with Lotus DNA. The sleek Europa body work, together with the assistance of the flat underbody, generates positive downforce to provide balanced handling at speed. The Europa SE has attractive and light weight new wheels, which are shod with wider, high performance tyres, for increased levels of grip. These new high performance wheels are larger with 17" rims up front, and larger 18" rims on the rear. The new wheels house high performance AP Racing four pot brakes and larger (308 mm) diameter discs. The SE interior has been updated by Lotus Design with a stylish new design that works in harmony with the premium avant-garde Ice White of the Geneva Show car. The interior is finished using 4 hides of soft, lightweight high-grade leather, to ensure that every surface has a luxuriant tactile feel. As with all 2008 Lotus road cars, the Europa and Europa SE come with driver and passenger airbags and an engine start button as standard. The Europa interior is furnished with leather sports seats and comes as standard with a high quality stereo system.

The only thing that would make a Lotus better as a PCH entrant would be if you could somehow add some French engineering to it... wait, hold on a second- the early-70s Europa had a Renault-built 5-speed transmission! Now it's just a matter of finding one cheap enough to make you think dreams of legendary Lotus handling are agonizingly within reach. Perhaps this '72 Lotus Europa (go here if the ad disappears) for an asking price of $6,000 is just the ticket! In one of those Hell Project understatements we love so much, all you get about this car's condition is "Needs some work." And, really, that says just as much as several lengthy paragraphs detailing every single thing you'll need to fix, because it's a 36-year-old Lotus. You'll be on intimate terms with every fastener on this car, and that's just to get it to where it can move under its own power for distances of a block or so. You won't be done even if you get it driving, though. That's because, with just 105 factory horsepower in the American version, you'll need to do something about the engine. How about a boost-enhanced 4A-GZE and MR2 transaxle?

It's pretty tough to find Japanese machines that are both hellish and cool enough to make the PCH cut (what with the chronic shortage of beater Toyota 2000GTs and all), but I've found one whose sheer awesomeness can be summed up with two little words: Chain drive! Yes, you can buy the 23rd 1966 Honda S800 coupe ever built (go here if the ad disappears) for an astounding seven-and-a-half grand! You get an 800cc engine, four microscopic carbs, and right-hand drive all in one impossible little package. It looks like a miniature Japanese MGB-GT! The seller doesn't even bother to describe the car's condition, because finding even the tiniest component is going to be so challenging that describing multiple problems on this car will be like adding infinity to infinity. The one thing you'll have going for you is that a lot of the running gear is likely to sourced from Honda motorcycles, which will help a little. But who cares? Imagine somehow getting this thing roadworthy and buzzing around your local twisty roads in full 60s Japanese Hoon Mode- you'll be living the Soichiro Dream!

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Don't buy a vintage Europa. Just don't. You'll screw up our fantasy of a Winnebago Brave converted into a diagonal-backed car carrier with a de-Lucased Europa on its back and a Manta on the trailer behind it. Said fantasy is all we've got. Please, please don't fuck it up. Thanks. – Davey G. Johnson

Related:
Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing: The Lotus Europ [Internal]

What happens when Lotus develops a Proton exotic and then has it handed back to itself? The answer, unfortunately, is not Tesla. Nor is it Exige. Or Elise. Or even submarine Esprit. If the Inside Line-types ensconced in the Edmunds compound are to be believed, the new Europa S fits into a no-man's land that isn't particularly pleasing. They say it's too pricey, too noisy for the intended segment and too impure to be a proper Lotus, plus it's too off the mark to slot in anywhere else. Ouch. – Davey G. Johnson

Impressive on paper, but in the real world, it's one thing no Lotus should ever have to be: compromised [Inside Line]

Related:
Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing: The Lotus Europa [Internal]

We love Lotus. We love the odd designs, we love the sheer randomness of the cars and their penchant for finding obscure words that begin with the letter E. (Seriously, who thought "Eclat" was a good name for a car? It sounds like a bowel dysfunction.) We love the Seven because it's like a well-endwed featherweight bear, if such a thing could possibly exist. We love the Esprit because it fires missiles and can travel underwater. We love the Elise because who else has the guts anymore to build such a raw vehicle and not feel the need to apologize for it?

We love that you can still buy a vintage Europa for eight grand. We love the fact that they once killed their most famous model simply because Renault stopped making the gearbox, and we love that they revolutionalized Indianapolis. Simply put, Lotus, even if they're owned by a Malaysian conglomerate these days, remains the punkest, scrappiest car company on the planet. Now go look at some old ads.

Vintage Lotus Adverts [Lotusexcel.com]

Related:
Lotus' Super-Powered Exige: The 240R [Internal]

Ecotec? Really? Weird. Lotus drops the Europa S on Europa this September, and some of us are going, "We want!" 200hp in a 2200lb car? "We want!" But why, when you've got a blown Toyota mill as an available option on the Exige would you go for a turbo Ecotec that doesn't even meet Solstice GXP and Sky Red Line power numbers? It's priced around 50k, but you can't have one, because Americans don't like heavier, more comfortable cars.

Lotus Europa S details announced [Autoindustry, UK]

Related:
Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing: The Lotus Europa [Internal]

It's a mystery. No car whose design we've ever endorsed on this site has gotten such a unilateral thumbs-down from the Jalopnik audience as the new Lotus Europa. Most readers who've seen the press photos have (either publicly or by inbox-to-inbox, heat-seeking missive) decried it as a reject from Lotus parent Proton's factory (cross-breeding still not confirmed), with Revell kit build quality and a design-language impediment. Nonetheless, we happened on it in person today, and while we can't impart the 3-D experience in two dimensions, we at least feel vindicated to ourselves. To be sure, the Europa is no Elise or Exige, and next to those cars' slippery shapes the Europa's planar geometry appears at some angles to be as backdated as a box of animal crackers. And anyway, it's small as a toboggan and can carry a decent-sized overnight bag, despite looking like a pedal car next to the turntable model. We're rubber, you're glue.

Related:
More on the Lotus Europa [internal]

Those turned off by the cocktail-bag stowage capacity of the Lotus Elise and Exige sportsters will look toward the Lotus Europa S as God's gift to the long weekend. It's a GT car, meaning it can carry at least a change of clothing and a toothbrush, that still has its siblings' approach to weight (not a lot of it) and sports a 200-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged mill, oriented midship, that will likely render many a country lane as "that greenish-brown blur on the way to the day spa." According to the company's Book of Facts, the engine gets 90% of torque at a mere 2,000 rpm, and all of it at 4,200, leading to a zero-to-60 time of around 5.5 seconds. And she's not a bad looker, either. (Sorry Yanks, she's only for those on the Continent, natch.) More pics after the jump.

Related:
More on the Lotus Europa [internal]

After months of waitin' and speculatin' on our part, Lotus has released pics and info on its new Europa S. Not a 2+2 as had been rumored, the new two-seat GT car will get a 2.0-liter turbo from the Opel Astra OPC, producing 200hp and 194 ft-lbs of torque. Performance figures aren't spectacular, but reflect its svelte 2,193lbs curb weight (zero to 60 in 5.5 seconds, and a top speed of 140mph). No word on an American release, but the Europa S will cost the equivalent of $58,000 in the UK. [Update: No plans for North American release.]

The New Lotus Europa S [Eurocar Blog]

More photos at Dubspeed Driven

Related:
Lotus to Go After Porsche Cayman with Europa; Lotus's New Europa: Sorting out the Facts; More Info on the Upcoming Lotus Europa; Lotus Won't Build Europa in Malaysia [internal]

According to the UK's Autocar Lotus won't build the upcoming Europa coupe and other models in one of the Malaysian plants owned by parent Proton. Instead, the center of Lotus's production will remain in the Hethel plant where Lotuses have been built for some forty years. Rumors circulating for the past year indicated Lotus was planning to shift production of some cars — including the next-generation Esprit V8, Europa and new Elise-based GT — to Malaysia, presumably for cost savings and to ease a ramp-up into Asian markets. Now, according to AC, the company is bringing the production materials that have already been moved to Malaysia back to the UK, including fixtures and kegs of Guiness. Still, despite the inauspicious return, the Europa is reportedly set to launch in early 2006.

Europa stays in Europe [Autocar]

Related:
More Info on the Upcoming Lotus Europa [internal]

The UK's Car magazine is dropping choice nuggets of science on Lotus's new Europa GT car. Confirmed are the following: the Europa, to be launched in mid-2006, will be built on the Elise's aluminum chassis — giving it a weight in the 2000-lbs range, but it won't use any other Elise parts. It will, however, be powered by a version of the Opel/Vauxhall Astra's 197hp, 2.0-liter turbo four and have a power-to-weight ratio of 214hp/ton. Pistonheads found out the Europa (yes, that will be its name) will be a more relaxed, driver's car, have different headlights than the Elise, more headroom and a "flat-fronted nose" (Jake La Motta call the front desk). The price in the UK will likely be around 30,000 ($52,779), putting it in range of the Nissan 350Z, BMW Z4 Coupe and Porsche Cayman in that market. No word on US availability of the 450 cars to be built, yet.

It will be called the Europa and will be FQ [Pistonheads]

Related:
Lotus's New Europa: Sorting out the Facts [internal]

Easy folks, the new Lotus Europa is coming, just not the same one we've heard. According to sources at Lotus, a set of spy photos reportedly of the company's new Europa GT coupe aren't what they appear to be. According to the UK's PistonHeads, sources at the company say the car in question is a version of the Lotus Elise that will be marketed by the company's parent, Proton in Malaysia (and, to court another rumor, will be the next-generation US model, built in Malaysia). The spy car is a twin seater, where the Europa — due at the end of 2007 as a 2008 model — will be a 2+2. What's more, reports have indicated that the Europa would share GM's 2.2-liter Ecotec engine with the Pontiac Solstice, a rumor PH reports is pure fiction; the car will have an equally well-mannered, but far more upscale powerplant.

Lotus Europa spy shots are wrong [PistonHeads]

Related:
Lotus to Go After Porsche Cayman with Europa [internal]