2008 European Lotus Europa range

Lotus will be unveiling an updated and significantly enhanced Europa range at this years Geneva Motor Show.

These new Europa variants have been designed and developed especially for European

customers and will be sold exclusively across Europe from June 2008.

The Europa is the Lotus of choice for the person who finds the uncompromising design of the Elise and Exige a little too much to live with. It’s sort of the ‘soft porn’ option – same thrills just not so ‘in your face’.

Lotus are claiming that the Europa is now available to a larger target audience with the entry level car providing a more accessible way to own a Europa and the SE designed to appeal to those who are even more style conscious and want increased levels of performance.

“As the true driver will know, this Europa range, offers access to Lotus’ unique DNA for those who perceive the Elise and Exige as a little too uncompromising for everyday use. The new Europa SE sits at the more refined end of the Lotus spectrum, providing a terrific mix of performance, agility and style, but incorporates Lotus’s values and heritage,” said Mike Kimberley, CEO of Group Lotus plc.

The Europa features a mid-mounted 2 litre turbo charged engine, tuned in the SE to produce 225PS (165kW) and 300Nm.

The Europa is engineered with more relaxed driving characteristics and weighs more than the Elise/Exige, yet it will still manage to sprint from 0-100 km/h in an estimated 5.7seconds and 0-160km/h in 13.0 seconds.

The Europa is equipped with race car derived double wishbone suspension. The sleek and attractive Europa body work, together with the assistance of a flat under-body, generates positive downforce to provide balanced handling at speed.

The Europa SE gets unique and light weight new wheels, which are fitted with wider, high

performance tyres. These new high performance wheels are larger with 17” rims up front, and larger 18” rims on the rear. The new wheels house high performance AP Racing four pot brakes and larger (308 mm) diameter discs.

The SE interior has been updated by Lotus Design with a stylish new design that works in

harmony with the premium avant-garde Ice White of the Geneva Show car. The interior is

finished using 4 hides of soft, lightweight high-grade leather.

As with all 2008 Lotus road cars, the Europa and Europa SE come with driver and passenger airbags and an engine start button as standard. The Europa interior is furnished with leather sports seats and comes as standard with a high quality stereo system.

The new entry level Europa is priced at £27,950 MSRP / EURO 37,500, with the range topping Europa SE available for £32,995 MSRP/ EURO 41,500 (Euro prices are without taxes, delivery & other related costs).

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