Road and Track Europa Article

[literarymadness]

Road and Track has always loved Lotus and loved the Europa back in the day. This short article on the Europa invokes that R&T spirit. In the article, there is also a link to a 1970 article reviewing the S2.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/buying-maintenance/a32840935/lotus-europa-is-a-weird-underappreciated-gem/

[Rosco5000]

That is a nice short article.  It pretty much explains the essence of the car. That blue car in the article is for sale out of California and looks to be in really nice shape.
Ross

[BDA]

Yes, nice little article. Calling the Europa "weird" was uncalled for but otherwise it's a nice positive piece. 1460 lbs. is a good estimate for the weight. Assuming truck scales are accurate at such a light weight (I am told they are), my car, with my 200 lbs in it, was weighed at 1660 lbs.

[Bainford]

Yes, nice little article. Calling the Europa "weird" was uncalled for but otherwise it's a nice positive piece.

Agreed, unless you own and love one. Sort of like making snide remarks about your mother-in-law; you can't, but your wife can.

Actually, it reminds me of one of my favourite quotes; "There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in its proportion."
   - Francis Bacon
Throughout my life I have found this quote to be remarkably true, and never more so than when referring to the Europa.

[literarymadness]

WOW! Road and Track actually references the Europa the very next day in another article.

 https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/g6648/ten-peculiar-cars-we-cant-help-but-love/?slide=25

[TheKid#9]

Looks like a really nice Europa. My only guess of why it is not selling is that it is a 4 speed...?

Looking at the car with the pin stripes has me thinking to get mine done, but for now I like my car without them.

[Chuck Nukem]

Yes, nice little article. Calling the Europa "weird" was uncalled for but otherwise it's a nice positive piece.

Agreed, unless you own and love one. Sort of like making snide remarks about your mother-in-law; you can't, but your wife can.

Actually, it reminds me of one of my favourite quotes; "There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in its proportion."
   - Francis Bacon
Throughout my life I have found this quote to be remarkably true, and never more so than when referring to the Europa.

Agreed, if we didn't appreciate it strangeness we would all be driving camaros.

[Sandyman]

Or PT Crusers

[Chuck Nukem]

Or PT Crusers

Genius and Madness are separated by a razors edge Sandy

[literarymadness]

I have no problem with the word weird being used to describe the Europa. When faced with what to do with the rear sail-panels of a mid-engine car, other manufacturers went with a faux-pas "coupe-silhouette style" that served no purpose other than to be aesthetically pleasing.  But Chapman did the opposite of convention, he enlarged them to make them function as rear stabilizers like on aircraft as to enhance stability at high speeds.  The Lamborghini Miura is stunning visually but a nightmare and dangerous at high speeds. When forced to make them smaller to increase driver vision, he cut them off completely...maximizing outward vision rather than compromising style with practicality. It is that sense of extremism toward functionality that make Europas such incredible cars. I'll take weird any day.

[BDA]

I hear you, 'madness. For myself, I once thought a fastback would have been better. Then it dawned on me that that would have looked like an S2. No offence to S2 owners but I never warmed up to the "bread van" look. At that point, I decided I liked the cut down sails of the TC. It was a little interesting describing it to someone as looking like a small El Camino but then when people see it, they always have more positive comments than, "Wow, that looks like a small El Camino!"