1969 Lotus Europa S2, Black Badge Car

The Europa S2 was introduced in April 1968 and was available in the UK from 1969. It used the same 1470cc Renault engine as it's 1966 predecessor, but offered more in the name of refinement, including electric windows, a new interior, polished wooden fascia for the dashboard and fully adjustable seats.

So what's the significance of the Black nose badge? There are several conflicting tales but, most accurate we feel, is in recognition of World Champion Driver Jim Clark who was killed at Hockenheim, Germany, in April of 1968 while driving a Lotus Type 48 in a Formula 2 race. From that day forward, all Lotus cars have worn a black nose badge out of respect for his passing. The tale continues that the practice was carried forward upon the death of Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman, the much-admired founder of Lotus Cars, in 1982.

Keith Adams in the January issue of 'Octane' Magazine is quoted as saying the Europa's raison d'être is all about F1 style handling. He offers: "A well-driven Europa will reward the driver with effortless acceleration and roll-free cornering', and concludes "the later 105bhp Twin Cam is the car to have, but that's not to downplay the honest charms of the Renault-powered cars. In short, they're all gems. Just make sure you buy a good one'.And a good one you can buy here ...

The story goes that this car was, for a long period, owned by an employee of Pure Lotus, Lotus Specialists of Wetherby. A supposed £15,000 was spent on the car during a long and painstaking restoration between 2001-2005 including the body being removed, chassis being refreshed and freshly painted body being replaced and secured correctly. Many parts supplied by Banks Europa of Lancashire were sourced and fitted by Pure Lotus, to include; brake pipes, stainless steel straight-through exhaust (which incidentally sounds fantastic), reconditioned radiator, alternator, battery, starter motor and engine belts to name a few. Further to this, the twin carburettor engine was outsourced to Engine Transplant Ltd to be fully reconditioned including carbs, jets and floats, and during the same period Auto Electrical of Leeds, and Hinchcliff and Haley completed the rewiring, and the custom re-upholstering respectively. There is really very little left to do to the car except enjoy it. If one were so inclined, perhaps they might choose to re-varnish the dashboard fascia which has begun to show signs of wear.

Benefitting from a further recent spend with Banks Europa to build and fit a correct 4-speed gearbox which engages more accurately, this impressive Europa S2 is now reluctantly offered for sale with UK V5C registration certificate and MoT test certificate until August 2012.