1962 Lotus Super Seven

The Lotus Seven was introduced in 1957 and would remain in production through 1973. It was not the first Lotus Model given the name 'Seven,' first used in 1952 or 1953 for a Formula Two competition, Riley-engined single seater. Lotus abandoned the project.

The Lotus Seven of 1957 was based on Colin Chapman's first series-produced Lotus Mark VI, and was equipped with a 40 horsepower Ford Side-valve four-cylinder engine displacing 1172cc. Many buyers used the Seven for lower-budget club racing on short tracks. It personified the company's philosophy of lightweight construction and simplicity, and its successful implementation of this resulted in over 2,500 examples sold. They had excellent stopping distances, near-perfect weight distribution, good straight-line performance, rapid acceleration, and nimble handling.

The rectangular steel tubular frame structure was clothed with aluminum body panels. The front area design was small but its drag coefficient was among the highest of any known production car. The unstressed aluminum panel bodywork was mainly flat to avoid the cost and time of curved bodywork. Simplicity, weight, and expense played key roles in many of the vehicle's construction decisions, including the simple cloth-lined plastic doors that were hinged from the windscreen. The wheel arches and nose-cone were aluminum parts until the introduction of the later S2 and S3 models which used painted or self-colored fiberglass. The steering was by rack-and-pinion and the original cross-ply tires were later replaced with radials. The front suspension used traditional lower A-arms while the upper section received an anti-roll bar into a horizontal suspension arm. In the back was a live axle. Drum brakes were initially used while later models received front disc brakes.

Many of the Series 1 models were powered by the English Ford side-valve engine producing 49 horsepower, or by BMC Series A and FWA SOHC Coventry Climax engines.

In 1960, Lotus introduced the Seven S2, followed by the Lotus Super Seven S2 from 1961. Most Series II used Ford Kent engines with displacement sizes of 1,340cc or 1,500cc. The Super Seven came equipped initially with the larger Cosworth modified 1340cc Ford Classic engine, with later examples being equipped with 1498cc or 1599cc engines. In 1968, Lotus introduced the Seven S3.

In 1970, Lotus dramatically modified the shape of the car to create the slightly more conventional sized Series 4. Much of the prior aluminum bodywork was replaced by a squarer fiberglass shell. It became more practical as well, equipped with several 'amenities' as standard, including an internal heater matrix.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2019