The Seven proved to be a pivotal and very succesful car for Lotus. It was launched in 1957 and still continues in Caterham form to this day.
Developed from the Mark 6, which had proved popular, the Seven again used a Spaceframe chassis.
The Seven progressed through Series II and III, before a complete re-design was undertaken in 1970 with the Series 4.
As with the Mark 6, a variety of engines and gearboxes could be used, from a 948cc "A" Series BMC unit, to a 1500cc Ford Cortina engine, which gave good acceleration due to the lightweight chassis and aluminium body panels.
But the Series 4 strayed too far from the minimalist virtues of the previous models. Thus when Caterham bought the rights to the Seven, they reverted it to Series III form and have been developing the car ever since. Leading to Carbon Fibre bodied Lightweight versions that can accelerate to 60mph in under 4 seconds, truly a long lasting testament to the Chapman genius.
