The Lotus Europa was Colin Chapman and Lotus’ first mid-engined road car, and was produced from 1966 through to 1975. Originally designed to slot into the Lotus range below the Elan as a low cost replacement for the Lotus 7, the Europa eventually sat alongside the Elan and Plus 2 as a comparable sports car in its own right. Starting with the design philosophy behind the development of the Europa, this book provides detailed technical descriptions of all the major versions of the model, starting with the Renault-powered Series 1 through to the Lotus Twin Cam powered Special. It looks at the cars on the road, and the racing Type 47 derived from the road cars which competed in the small capacity Group 6 class, as well as featuring in historic racing today. With owners’ impressions and interviews with ex-Lotus employees, the book provides a valuable insight into owning, running, and racing these iconic cars.

Matthew Vale has been writing books on classic British motorcycles and cars since 2004. Now retired from his work as a Chartered IT Professional specialising in computer security, he is devoting his free time to classic car and bike restoration, writing classic motoring books and articles, and spending time with his wife and family. In the past he has run such diverse classic cars including a Triumph Spitfire Mark III, MGB, Triumph Stag, and a Lotus Elite, as well as restoring and riding classic bikes including the Triumph Bonneville, Norton Commando and BSA Lightning. With a lifelong fascination for glass-fibre-bodied cars (stemming from early holiday jobs at various glass-fibre factories, and ownership of many rusty cars) he is currently carrying out a nut and bolt (and glass fibre) restoration of two Lotus Elan Plus 2s.