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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 Dan Vaughan

Roadster
Chassis number: SB1401

The Lotus 7 was produced along four distinct series, with the original S1 establishing the basic which included the tubular spaceframe chassis, wishbone-and-coil-spring independent front suspension and live rear axle, and open body work - all of these features would continue through all four iterations of the car. The Lotus 7 was designed to accept various engines with the basic power being Ford's 1,172cc side-valve 'four'. Later, the BMW A-Series and Ford 105E OHV units became available. The Super 7 version were equipped with the 1,098cc Coventry Climax engine.

The S2 was introduced in 1960 and brought a revised and simplified space-frame setup. The Super Seven was now available with the 1340cc Ford enhanced with Cosworth tuning, and intended for SCCA competition in the United States (later in 1.5 or 1.6-liter displacement sizes).

The S3 had a strengthened chassis with stressed front bulkhead. During the S3 production lifespan, Caterham took over production.

This particular Super 7 is one of approximately 1,310 S2 examples produced by Lotus Cars between June 1960 and August 1968. It left the factory finished in green and sold new by Lotus Cars Ltd. on March 3rd of 1962 with engine number S251938E. The car's first owner was D.H. Meldrum of Middlesex, England.

The car later came to the United States and has been in the care of its current owner for 18 years. Currently it is powered by a 1500cc Cosworth-Ford 109E Twin-Cam engine with twin Weber carburetors backed by a four-speed manual gearbox. Girling hydraulic drum brakes are located at all four corners.

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