gemellocattivo.com

Your logic certainly makes sense. Full triangulation in 3d makes the lightest and stiffest frame possible (though not necessarily the most accessible without careful design). Lotus did an experiment with the mark 8 where they tried to make the most structurally ideal frame possible. The car suffered because you had to assemble the engine with the head off inside the frame to get everything to fit. The car ended up being a dud! The tranny is a structural member in my car, and the half shafts actually function as the upper control arms (*see u-joint life in the appendix). I have a chassis book by Mike Costin from Cosworth fame that I was going to dive back into among others before I take on something like that. I plan to run the factory frame for now until the engine mods start to compromise the stiffness or I get bored. One nice thing about the later Europa is that the frame is held on with 8 bolts! You can just pop the body off with the engine and tranny in place.

These are the two main commercial offerings. unpainted one is from Banks, the red one from Spyder.

To keep this thread engine focused...I would say that this next comment is kind of out there, but given my company somehow I don't think so.
I am planning to mill/turn my own flywheel for the car. There are commercially available units, but what is the fun in that?? I am thinking about going with 7075 provided that thermal creep isn't a big issue. I am still doing my homework on it. Not a next week project but maybe in the next few months...see me lying to myself again??

I like the red one, it looks very well thought out. On a space frame you can add bolt on members to make access possible, welded or bolted has very little effect on strength or stiffness if its done right.

So your trans has no rubber mounts then?

To flywheels, I make the one on my V12 because there was nothing available that would fit right. I'ts 4130. I thought about aluminum but didn't see it as worth the extra effort but with a 4 cyl it might well be worth the work.

Trans has rubber mounts at the rear.

Somehow I get burried in projects MUCH quicker than I can finish them! Meet Yellow everybody

A turbocharged Europa


Definitely some questionable stuff has gone on in this car...least of all were the giant rats in the hood that managed to produce 55 gallons of rat shit over the 28 years the car sat in a field. Progress will ensue if I haven't died of hantavirus by this time next week. (or if I dont buy any more europas...)

The brown house in some of those pics is my other other other other other project....I am just trying to keep up with some of you out there

How many does that make now? 3? Talk about jumping in with both feet!

I have a problem....

Looks like D jetronic injection clever stuff for its time

not good for turbo me thinks!

Is that 4? Or is this going to be one of those threads where you produce another one like a card trick?

Nice hobby for a guy who's never driven one, you'll be spoilt for choice when you are finished

John

Nice article on the Lotus 47 in the February issue of Classic and Sports Car

John

I saw it! The 47 is insanely cool. I am planning to do my 46 as a part 47 part gkn-47D (the v8, mine wont be rover) inspired restoration. For the record I have 3.5 Europas....Let no man accuse me of being a hoarder! It is not necessary because I will readily admit that I am one.