Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Since my Plus 2 has a boat load of leg room I was curious about the Europa.
Do they have the same amount? or, is the Europa as roomy as the Plus 2?
I admit I have always liked the look of the Europa. I am just a bit over 6 ft.

Mike

think you might find it......erm......a little snug compared to the +2
oh and beware the pedal box.....designed for winkle pickers only
I used to make a point of wearing narrow shoes/trainers

I agree with the previous poster, I'm only 5.8" and the Europa could have been designed for me. However the previous owner was around 6'0" and managed ok, he replaced the steering wheel with a smaller one and had the seat well back. The pedal box is small though, more like the Elan than +2, and also slightly offset so you sit at an angle. Once in it's very comfortable though, much more so than the Elan. (dons flame suit)

Brian

After admiring the "Banks Europa's" for many years I bought a basket case S2 which had a Spyder frame & suspension.
The handover took place at Richard Winter's workshops.
Richard put an unpainted 47 body on & fitted out the interior plus a load of other work.
A few weeks later the car was transported to Germany for me, where I did a few "squirts around the block" in it.
Immediately noticeable was the odd seating position.
At 6ft (183cm) I didn't have a problem with the leg room but the steering wheel being offset to the right was very odd.
The footwell is unexplainably tight (much tighter than a RHD S4 Elan).
When there is no engine or gearbox up front to limit space it is difficult to understand why Lotus made things so cramped down there.

My advice is to try & get a test drive in a Europa before going down the buying route.
I sold mine as an unfinished project, partly due to the large amount of money/time needed to finish it & partly due to the odd driving position & tight footwell.

The Elan is truly a miracle with its small size but adequate drivers space.

Cheers
John

I've had both an S2 and Special (JPS) the Special has more room then the S2 but I am about five foot ten and a half now (although I used to be 5-11 ) and I had no problems,the hardest thing was getting out!
They do have restricted foot room, I take a UK size 11) but like others say ....use narrow shoes.
The Special more so then the S2 but its one of the most comfortable cars I have ever driven, you can actually drive it with your head resting on the headrest.

Thanks guys. I think you have answered my question.

I will continue to focus on the Plus2's.