Beskrivning
All of them are made with 12 examples in the years 60, and the rest is 3.
The Heron car brand follows in the tradition of small British manufacturers who, in the 1960s, produced cars in kit form. Derek Bishop, unconvinced by the number of kits on the market, decided to build his own car, just to rejuvenate the old Ford that was rotting at the back of his garage.
The engine is mounted longitudinally under the front bonnet. The bodywork is extremely low and rather streamlined, with an unusual look. The bumperless front end features a long bonnet that extends right up to the windscreen.
The interior layout of this astonishing Heron Europa is also very good. Equipped with six gauges - four small ones and two large ones - the dashboard allows you to keep a complete eye on the engine. What's more, for a car with a sporting bent, it still retains a luxurious look, with coloured leather and aluminium inserts to great effect. The padded transmission tunnel, leather-covered aluminium steering wheel and thick carpets also contribute to the overall comfort.
Satisfied with the result, he marketed his first car, a roadster essentially designed to dress up an Austin Seven chassis. The very attractive starting price attracted the attention of enthusiasts. But like all his colleagues, he soon came up against a weakening kit market in the early 1960s.
Keen to keep his business afloat, he diversified his range with a brand new model based on the cabriolet. The result was the Heron Europa, a small coupé with a sober but elegant sporty look. The car was presented at the Racing Car Show in 1962, then in its final version at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1963. 12 examples were built. Only 3 remain on the road today. The Heron Europa was built on a load-bearing chassis with a reinforced central beam, and fitted with running gear and suspension borrowed from the Triumph Herald. These fairly light cars were fitted with disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear, which gave them decent performance.
In terms of powertrains, the most powerful version of the little Heron Europa was powered by an engine from the Ford UK range, a 1, 498 cm3 in-line 4-cylinder Cortina developing 120 bhp, giving very respectable performance for its time, with a top speed of 190 km/ h. The transmission was a Hewland five-speed synchronised gearbox. Unfortunately, customers were put off by the complexity of assembly. The thirty or so cars built by Heron in its four years of existence, including just twelve Europa models, were not enough to cover the initial investment, and the small factory closed its doors in 1964. The Europa concept was taken up by the Diva and by Peter Monteverdi, who sold a similar car in Switzerland under the MBM name.
Technical specifications:
Energy: Petrol
Engine: 4-cylinder in-line Ford Cortina
Displacement: 1, 498 cm3
Chassis with reinforced central beam
Powered by twin Weber 40 carburettors
Hewland 5-speed gearbox
Suspension: Formula 3 wishbones
Disc brakes; dual braking circuit
Hydraulic clutch
Power: 120 bhp at 5, 500 rpm
Torque: 346 Nm at 3, 200 rpm
