Lotus Europa S

The Lotus Europa S, type number 121, is a rear mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports car built by the British company Lotus Cars at Hethel in Norfolk from 2006 until 2010. It was meant as a more comfortable relative of the driver-focused Elise and Exige, with a larger boot, more sound-proofing, easier cabin access and standard air conditioning, a sound system and a leather interior, and it revived the Europa name of the 1960s and 1970s. It shares a bonded aluminium chassis with the Elise but is longer and has its own design. A turbocharged 2.0 litre General Motors Ecotec four-cylinder gives 147 kilowatts and a top speed of 230 km/h. Reviews were cool, and in 2008 the faster Europa SE replaced it; 458 Europas were built in all.