Chassis - Lotus Europa Twin Cam Owner's Manual

CHASSIS

In order to provide maximum safety for the driver a full roll cage was added to the basic
chassis. The backbone type design of the chassis necessitated a very unorthodox and intricate
cage. (See Figure 1.1A and 1.1B)
The cage was bolted rather than welded to the chassis at several points to allow removal
of the body from the chassis, although the cage could not be removed intact from the body. The
two main roll over hoops were bolted to the chassis main backbone with bracing stays forward to
the front crossmember and rearward adjacent to rear spring supports. Threaded reinforcement
plates were added to the chassis at the attachment points. The rear spring supports were
reinforced and welded rather than bolted to the chassis. This necessitated
fabrication of a removable rear chassis crossmember to facilitate engine removal.
The complete cage was enclosed within the bodywork in order to maintain the
appearance and the good aerodynamic characteristics of the car.
Torsional stiffness of the front crossmember-backbone intersection was increased by
calculated positioning of roll cage attachment points. All welded joints on the standard chassis
were filled to give continuous welds for added strength.
No attempt was made to lighten the chassis as it was considered to be as light as practical.
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