1972 Lotus Europa Twin Cam

Fitting the Lotus-Ford twin-cam was not a matter of dropping it in. The engine was taller and heavier than the Renault unit the Europa had been designed around, so mountings, cooling and chassis details all had to be revised.

This car's paperwork survives in unusual detail. Build began on 21 November 1971 under works order 2506, a right-hand-drive car for the home market. On 8 December it went out in kit form to Frosts Cars of Shoreham-by-Sea – a common arrangement at the time, since a car supplied for the buyer to assemble escaped purchase tax. It then moved to Hexagon of Highgate without its engine, and was sold from North Hill in March 1972 with a different unit fitted. First registration followed on 1 June 1972, in Cirrus White, factory code L04.

A previous owner resprayed and pinstriped it in a shade of Old English White. Between February 2017 and July 2018 it was given a nut-and-bolt restoration using upgraded components from Banks Europa, and its engine – a 1,558cc unit originally from a 1969 Elan +2 – was rebuilt by JS Motorsport and converted to Big Valve specification with gas-flowed ports. It now gives 132bhp against the 105bhp a Twin Cam left Hethel with.

Why it matters

Two Twin Cams stand together here, both delivered in Cirrus White. One is now green; this one stayed white and has since gained the Big Valve engine the Special would be given a few months later.