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John's Online
LOTUS Museum
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.Lotus Europa
Series 2
TYPE 54
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.TYPE 54
1968
Production GT
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                     Engine: Renault 16 1565cc Type 821
                  Gearbox: Renault 4-speed
                   Chassis: detachable 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.
                     Weight: 1500 lbs.
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This was the Series 2 Europa, with a separate chassis and
 body, and improved equipment and interior.----------------------
Whereas the Type 46 S1 car was intended only to be sold 
in the European mainland, the Type 54 was developed for 
sale in Great Britain.----------------------------------------------------------
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This early Type 54 S2 car looks the same as the Type 46 S1 from the front.
Notice the Two piece Windows made from real glass, which are power 
operated.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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The rear of the Type 54 differs from the Type 46 in that the 
Carello units have been replaced by  Lucas Tail Lights.------
This car still has the 'Cut Out' Grab for the door, and Renault 
lock mechanisms.-------------------------------------------------------------------
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In the Interior, the Three piece Dash of the Type 46 has 
been replaced by a One piece unit on the Type 54 car.--
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This late Type 54 car has Turn Signal 'Warts' between the front headlights.
They were added so the car could be more easily sold in the United States.
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Notice that the 'Cut Out' Grab for the door is missing, and that the 
Renault lock mechanisms have been replaced by Triumph units.--
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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 transmission
 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 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 spd.),  & the Type 395  5 spd.,  (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 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 3XX 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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