Throwback Thursday: 1973 Lotus Europa Special first drive

The roadholding, too, was “among the best available on the market at any price”, with “the mid-engined layout, wheels and tyres of generous size, and well-designed suspension” being “the ingredients for superb control and an extremely high cornering potential”.

At the edge of its grip, the front ran wide and only required “a slight lift-off to maintain the original line and neutral handling”.

This was helped by accurate, sensitive and light steering with excellent feel.

“With over 120bhp, it is possible to provoke oversteering power slides out of slow corners or in the wet, but one needs to be pretty brutal to provoke them. It is a delight to find how early one can pour the power on after a corner to rush up back to one’s cruising speed,” we said.

Ergonomically, the Europa Special wasn’t great. It was “taxing for even the most athletic” to get in and snug inside, while the pedals were too close together. At least the dashboard was well laid out.

The new gearbox caused “considerable comment” among testers, with “some being highly complimentary but others highly critical”. This was due to the ‘stiction’ in the linkage, and the considerable inertia it inevitably possessed.

Shifts were slick and easy, though, with a short travel and narrow gates.

We even got fairly good fuel economy from the Europa Special, with a figure of 30mpg achieved on a journey from London to the Midlands.

“As befits a car whose new price, including extras, is over £2700 [around £30,000 today], the interior has an air of quality,” we said.

The seats were well made with good support, the carpet was of good quality and the varnished wooden fascia was smart with a comprehensive array of instruments.

The heater, however, was a “mixture of ancient and model”, with contemporary eye-ball vents yet some “inaccessible, archaic flaps”.

In conclusion, we said: “The Europa Special is undeniably expensive, but since it has created a market all of its own, who is to say whether it is good value or bad?

“Certainly there are few cars in the world that can match its combination of roadholding, performance and fuel consumption, and if your choice must embrace these three factors, then the Europa Special fits the bill. If you are looking for the standard of finish and quality that befits a £3000 sporting saloon, you will be disappointed.