In 1957 Colin Chapman, the founder of Lotus cars, unveiled a tiny sportscar that would go on to become the watchword for real driving. As the world moved on to produce cars that monitor your every move, the little motor refused to let the new age interfere with what was essentially four wheels, an engine and a seat for the driver. That car was of course the legendary Lotus Seven.
The Seven was initially built for clubman racing. The fact it was road legal added to its low-cost tag, by letting owners drive to the track, race and drive home again at the end of the day. The cars were produced as a kit to sidestep the punitive British tax system on cars, as in kit form the Seven avoided these charges. However, the government stipulated that the kit couldn’t include assembly instructions. In a typical left-field piece of thinking Chapman included disassembly instructions. All owners had to do was follow the instructions in reverse.
The Seven was designed to be driven quickly, with no regard to the creature comforts we take for granted in even the most basic of cars. Mention traction control, ABS and power steering to a Seven owner and they’ll probably run you over. Even a heater was optional.
The first cars came with a 1.2-litre, four-cylinder Ford engine, but with a kerb weight of around 500kg, the performance was surprising for such a small engine. By the end of Lotus production, the engine size had risen to 1.7 litres, although the weight had remained the same.
With the wheels in full view and an incredible chassis that communicated everything back to the driver, going fast in a Seven was a breeze. The steering was incredible and the brakes were amazing, due to the car’s lack of bulk. The car soon became a favourite giant-killer for racers on a budget.
After production finished in 1972, Lotus sold the rights to the design to their only remaining dealer, Caterham Cars. They would go on to improve and stretch the design, producing some of the most peerless drivers’ cars ever seen.
Caterham still produce Sevens today, some of which have incredible performance figures. The current CSR version, for example, will accelerate to 100kph in just 3.1 seconds. Despite the powerful engine and tuned suspension, the chassis, layout and thinking behind the car is exactly the same as Chapman’s original design.
On the road a new Seven is terrifying and amusing in equal measure. On the track they are simply devastating. But new or old, just remember this is about as basic and pure as driving gets.
