1972 Lotus Europa Twin Cam
Lotus type74Type 74, and the engine the Europa had been waiting for
By 1971 the Renault engine had run out of answers. Lotus fitted the Europa with the 1,558cc Lotus-Ford twin-cam already familiar from the Elan – 105bhp against 82 – and the car finally went as well as it looked. Mike Kimberley, later chief executive of Group Lotus, was appointed chief engineer of the project.
The bodywork mattered just as much. The tall rear buttresses that had earned the earlier cars the nickname ‘breadvan’ were cut right down, and for the first time a Europa driver could see something over his shoulder. Around 1,580 Twin Cams were built before the Big Valve Special took over in September 1972.
Delivered new in 1972 to Northern Sports Cars in Cirrus White over black leather, on Revolution alloy wheels. Two owners followed before the present custodian bought the car in 1990 – since when it has been rebuilt, unhurriedly, in four distinct stages.
2011 – chassis. A new powder-coated backbone chassis supplied and fitted by Banks Europa, with the suspension and steering refurbished and the brake pipes renewed at the same time. Two other cars in this display carry the Banks name; this one quietly carries a Banks chassis.
2016 – engine. Stripped and rebuilt by Rob Walker Engineering, with reprofiled QED Q360 camshafts and Omega pistons.
2021 – body. Stripped, rubbed down and filled to remove the imperfections that glassfibre bodies of this period tend to collect. Carbon strips were bonded over the lower body seams to cover the rivets, before a full respray by Performance Refinishing in Pistachio Lime Green, factory code L13 – an original Europa colour. Halo daytime running lamps sourced from Australia and flush-mounted fuel fillers went on during reassembly.
Interior. A rear roll structure by Safety Devices, with central inertia-reel belt mountings. Crash pad and door trims retrimmed in black leather, headlining in grey Alcantara, dashboard refinished in Ziricote veneer.
Why it matters
A long-term ownership of the kind that keeps a marginal 1970s sports car alive – exactly what Club Lotus exists to encourage.