1962 Lotus Super Seven

The Lotus Seven was introduced in 1957 and would remain in production through 1973. The name Seven had been used on a model that was abandoned by Lotus, which would have been a Riley-engine single-seater that Lotus had planned to enter into Formula Two competition in 1952 or 1953.

The Lotus Seven 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.

In 1960, Lotus introduced the Seven S2, followed by the Lotus Super Seven S2 from 1961. 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

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