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1965 Lotus Seven

Lotus founder Colin Chapman paired a racing-style tube frame chassis with a four-cylinder Ford engine resulting in a lightweight, simple, reasonably priced, high-performance sports roadster. It was an immediate hit following its 1957 debut, remaining in production at Lotus through 1972, and continued by Caterham to the present day.

The Seven was upgraded to the 'S2' designation in June of 1960 and was joined the following year by the Super Seven S2, available with a choice of Ford or Cosworth engines. Costs were kept to a minimum by being sold in 'kit' form, to be assembled by their purchasers or by independent contractors.

The Lotus Seven S2 featured glassfibre wings similar to those seen on the Seven America along with a revised nose styled by John Frayling. The Climax engine, however, did not fit the redesigned chassis so a number of alternatives were available from the 40 horsepower Ford 105E unit to the Cosworth unit found in the Super Seven.

by Dan Vaughan

Roadster
Chassis number: SB2088

This 1965 Lotus Super Seven S2 has been owned by the same California owner since it was purchased directly from Lotus in 1965. The engine is the standard 1,498cc Ford four-cylinder engine backed by a four-speed close-ratio gearbox. It was assembled in England by DJ Waters, who was also working at the time as a race engineer to Cooper F1 driver Jochen Rindt. After it was completed, it was registered in England and driven sufficiently to be classified as a used vehicle upon export, thus avoiding the 17% VAT on new vehicles. After it arrived in the United States, its owner raced it from 1967 to 1969 in SCCA road races that included Willow Springs, Riverside, Stardust, Sears Point, and Santa Barbara.

A restoration began in 1986 by Tom Beauchamp. The work included straightening and reinforcing the chassis, and replacing many of its original aluminum panels, including those damaged when the car was struck from behind during a race. The Ford engine was rebuilt by ex-Lotus employee Chris Schroeder. The restoration was completed in 1994, and the following year it went race in HMSA and VARA events.

by Dan Vaughan

The Lotus Seven was the successor to the Lotus Mark 6 and was in production from 1957 through 1972. It was introduced to the public at the Earls Court Motor Show in London in October 1957. Colin Chapman, the founder of Lotus, had designed six other Lotus's; this vehicle being his seventh. Part of the vehicle's success was its lightweight construction and powerful engines resulting in great performance, handling, and response times. It went from zero to sixty in around 5 seconds and had a top speed of about 100 miles per hour. Chapman used to refer to the vehicle as a 'four wheeled motorbike'.

There were few amenities, the seats were not adjustable and there were no doors. The car sits very low to the ground. While sitting in traffic, the driver measures about as high as most vehicle's wheel-wells. The front suspension was an independent A-arm while the rear was a live axle located by twin parallel trailing arms and a diagonal link. The body was constructed of a steel tube frame with aluminum bodywork and fiberglass fenders. Cast-iron drum brakes were used to stop the vehicle. Initially, a worm-and-nut steering was used but was quickly replaced with rack-and-pinion.

The cost of owning the first sevens was £587 (around $1640). They featured a Ford engine producing 40 horsepower and a Ford gearbox. The first few years of its development saw improvements to the suspension, transmission, and engine capacity.

Series IF, introduced in 1957, had a length of 129 inches and a width of 53 inches. In 1958, the IC Series was introduced with a length of 132 inches and a width of 58.30 inches. The engine was a Coventry Climax FWA 1098 light-alloy, four-cylinder powerplant that produced 75 horsepower. The transmission was the BMC Austin A30 4-speed manual with optional close-ratio gears. The 1A AWD America Series was introduced at the close of 1959. 37 horsepower was ascertained from the BMC A-Series 948 cc. four-cylinder engine. The United States versions were dubbed the Seven America and were equipped with Austin-Healey Sprite engines outputting 43 horsepower. In 1960 the Series 2A and 2F were introduced. These 2A's featured a BMC A-Series engine and a BMC Sprite 4-speed manual gearbox. The American versions were given a 948 cc. or 1098 cc. engine. The 2F Series featured a 100E Ford engine and Ford 3-speed gearbox. This was later exchanged in favor of the Ford 105E 997 cc engine and 4-speed Ford Anglia gearbox.

Caterham obtained the rights to build the Seven after Lotus had ceased production. They continue to produce the vehicle to this day but added the 'Super' to the front of the name. Not much has changed since the vehicle's inception except that it has grown in size and there have been suspension, frame, and other mechanical enhancements. Disc brakes were placed on all four wheels. The suspension was modified to use a double wishbone in the front and a De Dion in the rear. The transmission has been modified to include a six-speed close-ratio gearbox. A catalytic converter can now be found attached to the underbelly of the vehicle.

In 1999, the Caterham R500 was introduced. With a zero-to-sixty time of 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 146 miles per hour, it is by far the quickest and fastest of the Sevens.

The Super Seven SV is the largest of all the Seven's. Its width was extended by four inches and the length was lengthened by three inches. It is powered by a Ford Zetec engine that is capable of producing 147 horsepower. The zero-to-sixty miles per hour is achieved in just 4.6 seconds.

The Seven has been so successful in racing that in 1976, it was banned because it was too fast. Caterham has since created its own racing league giving the drivers an opportunity to prove their skills on the race track.

During its forty-year lifespan, multiple engines and various mechanical configurations have been used. The key to its success is the fun-factor. It is a responsive and sporty vehicle. It has stayed street legal because of its kit-car status, a loop-hole that has continued the allure and enjoyment of this vehicle even to this day.

by Dan Vaughan