The problem of cluttering up the lovely face of the Europa
has been
addressed by fabrication of a license plate bracket that attaches to
two stainless bolts under the center of the upper lip of the opening,
using wing nuts which facilitate removal and installation of the
license plate as necessary.
Original parking light/turn signals have been replaced by Volvo units.
The original vent openings have been closed, replaced by
screened intakes installed in the sides just behind the rear
window, and the rear deck lid ventilated within the lip of the lid.
The
fuel filler has been relocated to the side of the car, just aft
of the driver's side window,
where it lives
behind a small door
operated by a cable from within.
Generally, the car has been what we would have called "shaved"
back in the '50s, with external appurtenances such as latches and
hinges replaced by concealed fixtures.
A 15-1/2" X 30-1/2" Martin "Sun-Port III" sun roof was
installed
(in 1976).
The glass has stainless steel particles deposited on it, and is claimed to
deflect as much as 92% of the sun's heat.
The sun roof effectively seals out the weather when
closed
, yet it can
be
opened
to provide additional ventilation during hot weather.
Equally important, the sun roof reduces the claustrophobic effect
of a compact cockpit with little head room, by greatly increasing
the
natural light admitted
to the interior.
Door interior panels have been reworked to give a bit more
elbow room.
The shift lever, through a custom fabricated gimbal, operates
two Morse marine
control cables
, which replace the rods
and joints that originally connected it to the gearbox.
The original "umbrella handle" parking brake has been replaced
by this hand brake lever taken from an MGB,
mounted
on the
passenger side of the chassis backbone, and operating the
original
hand brake actuating cables.
A Renault 17 Gordini
engine, fitted with a
crossflow head with
hemispherical combustion chambers
, makes it go. It is currently
fed by a single 2-barrel Weber downdraught carburetor, but a
pair of side-draft DCOEs
is being prepared to increase its "lung
capacity" at higher RPMs and more evenly distribute that capacity
across the cylinders.
It stops as well as it goes. The original single circuit master
cylinder has been replaced by a
dual master cylinder
taken
from a Datsun B-210, assisted by a vacuum booster unit.
This, as well as the clutch and accelerator, are operated by a
set of
suspended pedals
transplanted from a Triumph TR-6.
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