17 Apr 07
The Europa S has only two seats, not much luggage space, and is almost as uncompromising as the Elise or Exige. And yet the Europa is different. For starters the family resemblance isn't there, because it was originally designed as a Proton. Its suspension rides better on the road but doesn't behave with quite the same zing as, say, an Elise on the track. And its 197bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged engine's performance characteristics centre on easy-going mid-range urge rather than top-end fury.
The Europa has lots to recommend it as a fine-handling cruiser that can soothe you across European trunk roads and thrill you over mountain passes. It's still very much not a mainstream sports coupe - it's far more communicative and direct, and still uncompromisingly packaged.
The secondhand position of the Europa should prove fascinating. It's too new currently for much adjustment on the new price of £33,945 and Lotus is planning just 500 units a year across Europe for exclusivity's sake. Keep a close eye on the classifieds: if demand doesn't pick up, there could be some bargains about.
