pg34
All S1s had indicators on the sides of the front wings, not just the early ones. It can be said that early S2s had indicators on the sides of the front wings as they soon switched the front signals to “warts” above the front bumper.
pg 35
Radiator was not supplied by Renault. The S1 and S2 do not have a header tank. It’s a swirl pot. The TC/S had a header tank.
There is also a bleed valve on top of the Renault water pump.
Finally an excellent engine bay photo!
Describes Europa and Elan suspension as “Triumph-based twin wishbones”. Gets it right in the next paragraph (?!).
pg 36
Pictures would eliminate a 1000 words here and a lot more easily understood. Take the following example:
“The rear of the top wishbone through stud also carried the drop link for each side of the anti-roll bar…”
The use of the word “rear” is confusing. The through stud has a nut welded on one end to make it a bolt. The drop links are attached to the threaded “end” of the through stud/bolt. This puts the drop link at the front of the front suspension/car. Not sure where “rear” comes in.
Photo shows a “space-saver” spare.
The driveshaft (actually half-shaft) is not bolted to the stub axle.
pg 38
Pictured suspension is from an early S2. The rear of the chassis front “T” section is in the front of the passenger compartment on an S1. The head of the upper through bolt/stud is inside the passenger compartment in an S1.
Pictured rear suspension S2 again. S1 undertray and inner inner fenders completely different.
Steering rack is attached to the chassis by aluminium mounts, not bushes.
The front chassis box section is not a crossmember. A crossmember goes “a-cross”, bracing between two chassis sections. There is a crossmember at the rear.
There is a lot of confusion about the Europa S1 CBU (chassis body unit). It is made of three main pieces: upper body section (including body interior, dash, seats and bulkhead), chassis, and lower body section/undertray. The upper and lower sections are bonded together with the chassis sandwiched inbetween. The chassis is mostly attached to the body sections by rivets with only the tranny mount hoop and around the “T” section (to seal it) bonded.
pg 40
I don’t know that there’s much that the undertray keeps out. There’s certainly lots that it keeps in! Water sprayed up by the rear wheels for one.
An S1 quieter and more refined?! Not by my, and Car and Driver’s, books!
The bulkhead is open on each side and hollow “reverb” chambers reach around the passenger compartment. The chassis is also not that well insulated from the body. Vibration and resonances are a major issue. Though it might not look it on paper, the S2 is much quieter.
It should be noted that the body number is not the same as the serial number.
pg 41
Early S1s had one piece door windows, mostly in perspex, but also some in glass.
Can anyone confirm that early S1 bonnets were held closed by “keyed” pins?
pg 43
Unfortunately, air flows in through the rear grill opening. This sets up air recirculation that leads to high engine compartment air temperatures.
pg 44
S1 throttle pedals can be moved to one of three positions. Brake and clutch pedals can be adjusted to any position within their respective ranges.
pg 45
The S1 dash and console are molded fibreglass. The dash top has vinyl glued directly on it. The console has a vinyl covered cushion. Otherwise both are bare.
pg 46
The S1 had a Renault handbrake pull. Later Europas had Ford. Maybe starting with the TC?
photo missing choke/heat decal.
No mention anywhere that the dash labels, and all handbooks, were in French.
Again, console not covered. Minimal padding in footwells and inside door “cubbies”. Vinyl trim around rear window, panel above doors and on a-pillars. Doors and bulkhead were bare fibreglass.
There are NO period photos of an S1 with a “Europa” or “Europe” badge on the rear cover (or anywhere else). That badge was introduced with the S2 and it was common for S1 owners to update their cars with that badge (and the L-O-T-U-S letters).
pg 47
No Europa ever came with a fan inside the heater box. It can be added to an S1. Probably not enough room in the S2 and up.
Fan switch: 1st postion turns on the plenum fan, 2nd position turns on the radiator fan as well. It’s all in the owners manual.
pg 48
“Negative Earth” decal not original.
pg 50
S1 – fixed, one piece door windows
S1A – fixed quarter windows, pop-out main section
S1B – change to Lucas rear lights
chart “hot air hose” chassis number has too many digits
pg 52 – 53
Very nice S1 indeed!
Enclosed chassis actually traps water inside. Corrosion follows.
Disagree strongly about the low levels of NVH!
pg 55
Yes, some features did carry over from the S1 to the early S2 -- for example button door latches and wing indicators which soon changed to “wart” signals and normal door handles – but, seats, dash, etc were hard changes. The book uses the example of an S2 with 46 seats but the car has no history prior 1989. Too many Europas were pranged, shunted and plain corroded to use a car without full history as proof of anything.
Type 65s also ended up in the UK due the usual Lotus expediency.
I’m going to stop here but I could easily go on. The book is full of pictures of modified and incorrectly finished cars. Nothing actually wrong with that as long as it is noted as such!
