Europa better than a Wedge?
Discussion
Hi Lotus people,
I've recently put my TVR 280i up for sale in the PH classifieds.
Not suprisingly these cars are always slow burners when it comes time to sell, but at the moment the market seems slower than ever.
Now whilst the having the money from the TVR in my pocket is appealing, I would undoubtably spent it on a car again within a short space of time. :)
I've always fancied running a Europa but as yet haven't driven one, but it has come to pass that someone may be interested doing a swap for the wedge.
My main questions are:
Has anybody driven both a TVR wedge and a Europa and what are the biggest differences?
What is the market like for second hand Europas. If I decide to sell it, is it likely to be as hard to shift as a Wedge or are there more classic Lotus fans out there?
Wedges seem to be taking a real beating at the moment as the newer models keep dropping in price. I'm wondering if a Europa will be more depreciation proof being an established classic.
Finally, the car in question is a S2 (renault engine) which has had a considerable amount done to it inclusing a professsional respray, new carpets, souped up engine (big valve heads, new carbs, unleaded conversion etc.) and lots of other bits.
The car is not in a drive away state as the carbs are not set up and some of the interior trim has not been fitted.
All advice appreciated. :)
Bob.
I've recently put my TVR 280i up for sale in the PH classifieds.
Not suprisingly these cars are always slow burners when it comes time to sell, but at the moment the market seems slower than ever.
Now whilst the having the money from the TVR in my pocket is appealing, I would undoubtably spent it on a car again within a short space of time. :)
I've always fancied running a Europa but as yet haven't driven one, but it has come to pass that someone may be interested doing a swap for the wedge.
My main questions are:
Has anybody driven both a TVR wedge and a Europa and what are the biggest differences?
What is the market like for second hand Europas. If I decide to sell it, is it likely to be as hard to shift as a Wedge or are there more classic Lotus fans out there?
Wedges seem to be taking a real beating at the moment as the newer models keep dropping in price. I'm wondering if a Europa will be more depreciation proof being an established classic.
Finally, the car in question is a S2 (renault engine) which has had a considerable amount done to it inclusing a professsional respray, new carpets, souped up engine (big valve heads, new carbs, unleaded conversion etc.) and lots of other bits.
The car is not in a drive away state as the carbs are not set up and some of the interior trim has not been fitted.
All advice appreciated. :)
Bob.
Don't know much about the Europa, but I think you might find a Renault engined one a bit slow and aren't the gearboxes very hard to find?
Always fancied one myself, Elan's are still holding their value and you don't see many cheap Europa's around, but that doesn't mean they sell easily, of course.
Always fancied one myself, Elan's are still holding their value and you don't see many cheap Europa's around, but that doesn't mean they sell easily, of course.
Hi,
I have owned a Renualt engined S2 Europa for 9yrs and it is a great car. It is off the road at the moment due to having a chassis change, suspension and brake rebuild (due to it's age). I never had any real probelms with it whilst on the road other than the usual classic car niggles. You can still get nearly every part for the car from either Banks, SJ sports cars or Fibreglass services. The best bet would be to talk to Richard Winter at Banks as he knows the cars better than most. I have never owned a Wedge but have just sold my TVR S3 Series. The Europa was nowhere near as quick as the S but the Europa definitely wins when it comes to cornering! I have been informed that a Renault crossflow can give a reliable 160bhp on a twin carb setup. Although I have not done this to my car, yet! Cheers
I have owned a Renualt engined S2 Europa for 9yrs and it is a great car. It is off the road at the moment due to having a chassis change, suspension and brake rebuild (due to it's age). I never had any real probelms with it whilst on the road other than the usual classic car niggles. You can still get nearly every part for the car from either Banks, SJ sports cars or Fibreglass services. The best bet would be to talk to Richard Winter at Banks as he knows the cars better than most. I have never owned a Wedge but have just sold my TVR S3 Series. The Europa was nowhere near as quick as the S but the Europa definitely wins when it comes to cornering! I have been informed that a Renault crossflow can give a reliable 160bhp on a twin carb setup. Although I have not done this to my car, yet! Cheers
the europa breaks down into around 4 cars all of which are said to handle superbly drive one an see if you like it
the s1 an s2 are fairly similar both using a 80hp 1.5litre renault engine at the time these were quite fast but today there performance is about on par with an ordinary car 60mph in about 9 secs
next up came the twin cam this has lotus own 105hp 1.6 unit in there rather than a tuned renault engine
performance is good even today 60mph in about 7.5 secs
last came the specials these had 126hp lotus 1.6s an 0 - 60 times of just under 7 secs
one thing to note is that the europa is a light car and as such a small hp increase make's a big differance to the cars performance hence the fact that the twin cam has notably stronger acceleration than the original despite having only another 25hp if the renault unit in your potencial car has been tuned to say a 100hp you'l get performance on apr with the twin cam
>> Edited by peter450 on Friday 15th July 19:43
the s1 an s2 are fairly similar both using a 80hp 1.5litre renault engine at the time these were quite fast but today there performance is about on par with an ordinary car 60mph in about 9 secs
next up came the twin cam this has lotus own 105hp 1.6 unit in there rather than a tuned renault engine
performance is good even today 60mph in about 7.5 secs
last came the specials these had 126hp lotus 1.6s an 0 - 60 times of just under 7 secs
one thing to note is that the europa is a light car and as such a small hp increase make's a big differance to the cars performance hence the fact that the twin cam has notably stronger acceleration than the original despite having only another 25hp if the renault unit in your potencial car has been tuned to say a 100hp you'l get performance on apr with the twin cam
>> Edited by peter450 on Friday 15th July 19:43
The Renault engine is basically the same unit as used in the Alpine-Renault A110 1600. They aren't cheap (not terrible expensive either, unless you want to go silly) but are still available in france. I can give you the name of a V good engine man in the midlands who's v knowledgeable about this motor. And a list of french tuning companies that do bits for them etc etc.
It can make over 180bhp with a 1800cc kit but gets expensive. You'll be well impressed with 125bhp in a car that light.
The real question is 'do you like the driving position and can you fit in it'?
Many can't, on both counts...
>> Edited by Alpineandy on Friday 22 July 18:21
It can make over 180bhp with a 1800cc kit but gets expensive. You'll be well impressed with 125bhp in a car that light.
The real question is 'do you like the driving position and can you fit in it'?
Many can't, on both counts...
>> Edited by Alpineandy on Friday 22 July 18:21
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