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John's Online
LOTUS Museum
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LOTUS Cars

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Lotus EUROPA
TYPE 46
Series 1, 1A, & 1B
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 LOTUS EUROPA
1966 - 1967
Production Sports Car
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                     Engine: Renault 16 1470cc-Type 697-------------------
                   Gearbox: Renault Type 336 4-speed-----------------------------------
                   Chassis: Central Box-section steel backbone with fork
extensions at the rear, linked by light cross-member.
Front Suspension: unequal-length double wishbones, & coil spring / 
damper units.----------------------------
  Rear Suspension: Strut-type, with tubular lower link, upper link formed by fixed-length half-shaft, & coil spring & damper units.
              Wheelbase: 7 ft. 8 in.-------------------------------------------------------
             Front Track: 4 ft. 5.5 in.-----------------------------------------------------
              Rear Track: 4 ft. 5 in.------------------------------------------------------
                      Length: 13 ft. 1.5 in.--------------------------------------------
                        Width: 5ft. 4.5in.---------------------------------------------
                      Weight: 1300 lbs.----------------------------------------------
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  The Type 46 Europa was the first truly roadable mid-engined, mid-priced,  street car produced. 
  However, it was not originally designed to be a street car. 
Colin Chapman had designed the Europa to be the replacement for the Lotus Seven in Club Racing. 
  Like the Elan, it has a glass-fiber body draped over a steel backbone chassis with 4 wheel independent suspension, but because of the short-comings that were found when the Elan was raced, the chassis was totally 'glassed-in' in order make it stiffer and create a 'monocoque'. 
  These Type 46 cars were powered by a Lotus modified engine taken from the Renault 16. 
The cars have unbelievable handling and roadholding, often described by motorcar journalists as the nearest thing to a Formula Car for the street.
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Production figures are as follows: 
Series 1: 300 cars-----------------------
Series 1A: 200 cars-----------------------
Series 1B: 144 cars-----------------------
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  As was mentioned, the Type 46 was originally designed to be a Racing Car, and as such it had to be Homologated by the FIA, who was the Sanctioning Authority for all International Motorsport events. 
  Colin Chapman wanted the car to compete in a Class that was being dominated by Porsche at the time. 
In order to make the car eligible, Chapman had to build 300 examples. 
This was truely a 'Mass Produced' Lotus Racing Car, and because Chapman knew that Lotus would not be able to sell enough of them in England, (since they did not meet the current British Standards for a Road Car), it was decided to market them to be sold only in Europe, (where the various Dealers would take on the responsibility of making them 'Legal'). 
Hence the name, Lotus EUROPE, (which was later changed to EUROPA) !!!
  Each European Lotus Dealer was required to take a minimum of TWO of the Type 46 cars to sell, which they protested against at the time as there wasn't enough of a demand for the car (since it had yet to 'prove' itself in European Club Racing, which it couldn't do until it was Homologated by the FIA), and the car was too Spartan and uncomfortable to be used on the Street. 
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  The 300 Type 46 S1 cars that were necessary for Homologation were eventually produced, (at least Paperwork that attested to the fact was submitted), and the Europa went racing. 
  The perfomance of the car was astonishing, and a protest was raised. 
Pressure was brought to bear on the FIA, who then 'modified' the rules to state that now 500 examples of a car had to be built in order to be eligible for the Class. 
  This turn of events clearly favored Porsche who had already far surpassed the number needed, and put Lotus at a disadvantage as they now had to build a further 200 cars !!! 
(This was not the first time that the FIA had put the screws to Chapman in order to favor another competitor, which is the reason why Lotus had stopped competing at the Le Mans 24 Hour Race after the Type 23 was prevented from racing.) 
  The Lotus Dealers absolutely howled at the prospect of having to sell more of the Type 46 Europa cars, and as a concession to them Chapman modified the car by changing the 'Fixed' Plexi-glass side windows into ones with a 'Pop-Out' panel, and adding a few other creature comforts, such as Sound Deadening material which added extra weight. 
The car was then designated as the Type 46 S1A, and paperwork was submitted to the FIA to Homologate the car. 
  (After seeing how well the car did in Club Racing, Lotus also decided to compete in Group 4 with a modified Europa, which was designated as the Type 47 and had a Lotus Twin-Cam engine and a Hewland FT-200 5 Speed Racing Transaxle in place of the original Renault units. 
Fifty examples of the car had to be made, and again the required Paperwork was submitted to the FIA.) 
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  Chapman had planned to take the Europa out of 'Mass' production once the necessary amount of 500 cars were manufactured. 
The car would then be built by Lotus Components, (who built the first examples of the car while Lotus was still located at Cheshunt), only to Special Order for Racing Purposes, because Chapman didn't want to get involved with all of the Regulations that would be needed to make the car 'Street Legal' in the various countries that it would be driven in. 
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  That is indeed what happened, but because of the racing successes of the car the existing examples of the Type 46 started to sell for more money 'USED' than the Factory got for them when they were new !!! 
  The unexpected popularity of the car got Chapman to reconsider his original plan for the Europa, and he decided to keep it in 'Mass Production', but with a major redesign. 
The redesigned Europa was then designated the Type 54. 
The chassis was made 'Removable', like on the Elan, (which affected the handling of the car badly), and the Plexiglass side windows were replaced with ones of real Glass, which were also motorized. 
Chapman also increased the level of 'Luxury', so that the car now cost almost as much as the Elan did. 
  That also caused the Lotus Dealers to complain, especially as the car didn't perform nearly as well as the Elan did because of the extra added weight. 
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  Chapman was no fool, and during this time he decided to take advantage of the 'Sellers' Market for the Type 46 while the redesign work was being carried out, and a  further 144 cars were built using the 'Spare' parts that had been stockpiled at the Factory to support the original 500 Type 46 cars that had been built. 
These cars were designated as the Type 46 S1B. 
  Local replacements were found when important items ran out and couldn't be restocked, (such as the Italian-made Carello Tailights which originally came from the Lancia Flavia Zagato, and the Renault Push Buttons for the doors), and the Body Shell was modified to incorporate them. 
This is why the last of the S1B and Type 47 Racing cars have the same tailights that were used on the Elan. 
  It is also the reason why there were no replacement parts available in 1968 from the Lotus Dealers for any of the original S1 and S1A cars !!! 
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  There was some controversy back in the early 1970's when it was debated as to whether or not Lotus had actually produced the required amount of Type 46 and Type 47 cars that were necessary to Homologate them at the time that they raced, (as some cars had seemed to have been produced 'out of sequence', and others couldn't be accounted for), but it was a moot point as Racing Technology moves fast and both the Type 46 and Type 47 were considered obsolete for racing by then. 
  Lotus had become a major force in Formula One by that time, and (with the aid of the other British Racing Teams who threatened to Boycott their events), was finally able to get the upper hand with the FIA who had plainly been biased towards certain Manufacturers and Teams. 
  Chapman was able to hold sway and put forward his automotive designs until the Lotus Type 88 Twin-Chassis Formula 1 car was banned from competing. 
  That defeat took its toll on Chapman and he seemed to lose the passion for Formula 1 that he once had. 
  He had gone into other types of design work, most notably Motor Yachts and Furniture, and started to foray into Ultra-light Aircraft shortly before he passed away in 1982. 
  The controversy was again reignited when it was found after the DeLorean Fiasco had taken place that Lotus had kept multiple sets of books. 
  As Colin Chapman had already passed away, Fred Bushell, (who was  the Chief Financial Officer of Lotus), was sent to prison for his part in the Scam. 
  Chapman's creative interpretation of the Rules, (and his penchant for getting around them), had finally caught up with Lotus. 
(Fred was allowed to rejoin Lotus after serving his time, and he died in 2006.) 
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  Another fact that supports this 'Debate' surfaced in the 2006 Obituary of Graham Arnold, (the former Sales Director of Lotus Cars in the 1960's),  that indicated that Lotus would 'Fudge' the serial numbers on cars in the 'Early Days', as a standard course of doing business. 
(See Obituary Page.) 
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Type 46 Series 1
Notice one-piece fixed side window

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The first 300 Type 46 S1 cars and 200 S1A cars used
Carello tail lights from the Lancia Flavia Zagato.--------
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Type 46 Series 1A - Mk.1
Notice two-piece side window with pop out panel

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Type 46 S1B - Mk.2
Notice the Lucas tail lights that have
replaced the original Carello units.---
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Lotus Europa Series 1 Owners Manual
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TECH TIPS
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******* A Word of WARNING !!!:  *******
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  Because of the number of Renault Type 336 Transaxles that are showing up on eBay, (and are being listed as suitable for use in the Lotus Europa), some points should be clarified.
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  Although the Lotus Europa used a Renault Type 336 Transaxle, it was a HEAVILY MODIFIED unit.
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 First: 
   The Lotus unit was modified by changing the position of the Crown Wheel to the other side of the case.
 This had to be done because the Lotus Europa is a Mid-engine Rear Wheel drive car, with the engine in FRONT of the transmission, and the Renault R16, (from which the Type 336 transmission came), is a Front wheel Drive car, with the engine BEHIND the transmission.
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   What this means is that if you try to use a Renault 336 Transaxle in the Lotus Europa, you will have only ONE (1) forward gear, and FOUR.(4).REVERSE.SPEEDS !!!
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 Second:
  The engine that was used in the Lotus Europa was HIGHLY MODIFIED, (increased from 53 to 87 horsepower), by Lotus.
To take advantage of the increased horsepower, special gears (made by Hewland Engineering, of Racing Transmissions fame), were cut and heat-treated.
The gear ratio was also changed to suit the higher rev range of the engine.
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  Even if one went through the trouble of reversing the Crown Wheel inside a standard Type 336 case so that it could be used, the stock Renault gears would not last very long when used in a Europa with its greatly increased horsepower. 
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 In short, only the Type 336 (4 spd.), & the Type 352 (Twin-cam 4 spd.), that were SPECIALLY BUILT for Lotus, and the Type 365 (Twin-cam 5 Speed),  & the Type 395  5 Speed,  (used in the Renault R-17, Fuego, and R-18, which had the Type 807 and Type 843 Cross-flow Hemi Head engines), Transaxles  should be used in any Lotus Europa, especially if one expects to get all of the performance that these cars are capable of. 
  (A very rare Type 385 5 Speed Transaxle that was used on the Alpine A110 Race cars can also be used, and is very desireable because of its Side-Shifting mechanism, but the Ring Gear MUST be reversed because the Alpine had the Transaxle placed ahead of the engine. 
  The rare Type 365 5 Speed Transaxle that was used in the later Delorean DMC-12 must also be modified for this same reason.) 
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  The Renault transmissions are fairly easy to spot on eBay, as they use a completely different Shift Linkage then the ones used by Lotus. 
Also, many times they will have the Renault mounting hardware still attached.
  If a Seller still insists that the tranny can be used in a Lotus, get a guarantee in writing, that you can return it for a refund, (including the expensive Shipping Charges), if your car goes slow in 1st gear, and real fast in Reverse 1, R2, R3, and R4 !!! 
                                   JMM----
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  If a standard Renault 336 series Transaxle is used on a Lotus Europa, the rotation of the Ring Gear in the Differential MUST be reversed. 
This is done by opening the Transaxle Casing and swapping the Differential from one side to the other. 
  The Differential Nuts that locate the Drive Axle Stubs must then be adjusted for the proper clearances. 
The Differential Nuts are made of Aluminum and have 'Fins' that are very fragile, (especially as they age). 
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Renault Differential Nut
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  This Wrench is Self Centering, (due to the Indexing of the Radii of the Nut  Fins in the Engaging Slots),  and engages the 'Fins' of the Nuts to distribute the force evenly around the circumference so that they won't snap off. 
  It is now almost impossible to find replacements for the Differential Nuts, so I suggest to anyone that is going to work on their Renault Transaxle that they should invest in one of these Renault.Transaxle
Differential.Nut.Wrenches while they are still available. 
  Although the lotus-europa.com website states that a tool to adjust the Differential Nuts is available from PEP Boys,  that tool is actually for adjusting the Front Hubs of a 4 Wheel Drive Vehicle. 
It has only a few Lug PINS on it which are used to move the Nut, and because the force is not evenly distributed, (especially as the wrench can not be properly Centered), the 'Fins' can, AND DO, snap off.
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PEP Boys - W 1270
Hub Adjusting Tool
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  I had a parking lot altercation in which the Passenger side front repeater light was damaged on my 1967 Europa S1A. 
The unit is NOT a normal Lucas L734 Lamp assembly, which is used, (with a Red lense), as the rear Marker Light on the Triumph TR250, and on some Aston Martins, and TVR's. 
The standard L734 Marker Lamp uses a Push & Turn Bayonet bulb of about 4 watts, whereas the Lotus L734 Repeater Lamp has been modified to take a #194 Push-In bulb of about 15 watts. 
  However, the standard Lucas lamp CAN be modified by carefully removing the Bayonet socket, and replacing it with the #194 socket from the Lotus lamp. 
Then the only problem would be finding the proper Amber colored Lense to use with it.
  (They ARE still available). 
JMM----
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  The popularity of the Lotus Europa has not diminished, a fact that has been capitalized on by firms such as Spyder, Banks Engineering, and various Japanese tuners.
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  In view of the mistake that Lotus made when it sold Caterham the production rights to the Seven, which-has continued to sell well and has become the most re-produced sports car in the world, (with at least seven different firms copying it, and not paying Lotus any royalties), and the above mentioned firms poised to do the same with the Europa, Lotus should consider re-entering production of the Europa, and beat them to the punch.
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  Using modern production techniques such as VARI-forming the body shell instead of hand-layering it, stamping the chassis out of heavy gauge aluminum, and using an all aluminum twin-cam engine & 5 speed transaxle, Lotus could produce a car in the $10,000.00 to $15,000.00 range that enthusiasts would love and that would blow the doors off of anything else on the street, including Lotus' own over- priced Elise !
In this day of 'Retro-mobile mania' it is certainly worth thinking about.
  Just look how well Mazda is doing with the Miata, a more complicated car than the original Elan ever was.
In spite of it's complexity, Mazda was able to put it into production at a price that just about anyone can afford.
If Mazda is able to do it, I certainly think that Lotus can put an up-dated and much improved Europa back into production.
Anyone out there interested in a 1300 pound car, with a 150 H.P. engine, that gets 40 miles to a gallon of gas, and corners like it was on rails ?
I'm sure there are a few of you.
Hmmm, I wonder if Lotus would sell ME the production rights ?
JMM----
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Copywrite 1997 - 2009 Taracomm
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