Lotus SEVEN, the taste of authenticity

In the early 1950s, Colin Chapman, the brilliant father of Lotus, was a young engineer who, in his spare time, built a series of cars from parts sourced from popular models. These cars gradually made a name for themselves in trial competitions and club races.

In the spring of 1952, at just 24 years old, Chapman was working on a new project, the Mk VI, which can be considered the first "true" Lotus. While it used many elements from production cars, its chassis (a multi-tubular design with ribbed panels) was entirely Chapman's creation.

"It was the simplest, most elemental high-performance car conceivable for two people. When I set out to create it, it was the car I dreamed of, a motorcycle on four wheels," Chapman remarked.

Chapman thought the Mk VI should be sold as a kit, in pieces, to avoid the "purchase tax," a precursor to VAT, which applied to fully assembled cars. However, the initial focus was on achieving success in competitions, as it was well known that Sunday victories translated into Monday sales.

The first Mk VI models were purchased by customers who, in most cases, opted for a popular Ford Ten 1,172 cc engine, allowing them to participate in the 750 Club championship, the Formula 1.172.

On September 19, 1953, Colin Chapman himself competed in the Anerley Trophy, in the 1500 category, against the best drivers in the category, including American Bob Said, who raced with an OSCA 1500. "Chapman drove the race of his life with the surprisingly fast Lotus," reported "Motor" magazine.

These good competition results were complemented by a test of the Mk VI published by John Bolster in the prestigious weekly "Autosport." Besides discussing its light weight (432 kilograms), which allowed it to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 12.6 seconds and reach 142 km/h with the small 1.1-litre Ford engine producing about 40 hp, and that it could be bought as a kit with all new components for just 425 pounds, Bolster wrote: "I believe the Lotus is the best attempt ever made to offer an enthusiast a racing car at a price within their means. It is essentially as rigorous as the most expensive sports cars, and the economy comes from the intelligent use of mass-produced elements." For Bolster, it was a sports car that could attract not only racing enthusiasts but also those seeking a sports car for enjoyment.

Given the competition results and positive reviews, it is not surprising that many enthusiasts wanted to buy that competitive, simple, and affordable racing car, including a young driver and journalist named Gérard Crombac, who, besides being the editor-in-chief of the prestigious magazine "Sport-Auto," would become a friend and confidant of Colin Chapman over time.

The revenue generated from the good sales of the Mk VI allowed Chapman to undertake new projects such as the Lotus Mk VIII, IX, X, and Eleven, and take a step further in competitions, going to France to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Until 1955, one hundred and ten units of the Mk 6 were manufactured, equipped with Ford, MG, or BMW engines, ranging from 750 cc to 2 litres.

After the cessation of Mk VI production, Chapman received many requests for a car of this type, less expensive than the Eleven and also better suited to club races, where an enveloping body like that of the Eleven was less practical, more vulnerable, and had more costly repairs.

In late 1957, at the London Motor Show, alongside his first road model, the T 14 (the legendary Elite), Chapman presented the successor to the Mk VI, named the Seven, priced at 587 pounds in kit form.

Its chassis was a simplified version of the Mk VI, with a front suspension from the Elite and a rear axle from the Standard 10, dressed in an aluminium body. The windshield, wipers, hood, or tachometer were optional.

As for the engine, it featured the well-known 1,172 cc Ford engine. However, some customers were already seeking more power, leading Chapman to release the SuperSeven with an FWA Climax engine.

From there, the Seven was also equipped with all kinds of engines and even received changes to the chassis, mounting a De Dion rear axle, and evolved into Series 2, 3, and, in 1970, the Series 4 appeared.

The Seven, initially manufactured in Horsney by Lotus Engineering in 1957, was later produced by a separate company called "Lotus Components Ltd" in Chesnut and Hethel, and finally by "Lotus Racing Ltd."

In the early 1970s, Chapman decided to sell the manufacturing rights to Graham Nearn, owner of a Lotus dealership in Caterham, Surrey.

Initially, Nearn built the Series 4 but quickly realised that true enthusiasts were more attracted to the Series 3, which retained the original line.

This car is the one that would continue in production under the name Caterham Seven. The company was acquired in 2021 by VT Holdings, a Japanese importer of Caterham since 2009, and currently offers a catalogue with several versions and three engines: Ford 2-litre Duratec (210, 270, and Supercharged 310 hp), Suzuki 660 cc turbo (84 hp), and a 4-cylinder turbo manufactured in Spain, in Valladolid, which will be used by the Academy version for a one-make cup.

The Lotus Seven and the Caterham Seven have served since their inception for various one-make competition formulas, such as the "Operation Jeunesse," organised by the magazine Sport-Auto in 1964 and 65 (with the support of Ford, BP, Kleber, and the broadcaster Europe 1), which launched the careers of famous drivers like Henry Pescarolo, Johnny Servoz Gavin, and Patrick Depailler. Since 1995, in the United Kingdom, the Caterham Academy has existed, a championship for novice drivers that has introduced over fourteen hundred drivers to competition.

Incidentally, the 2026 Caterham Academy car will see the Ford Sigma engine replaced by a turbocharged four-cylinder 1.3-litre engine manufactured in Spain, specifically in Valladolid, by Horse Technologies. This petrol engine will have a power output of around 130 hp and a maximum torque of 176 Nm at 5150 rpm.

While there are many imitations, the true Lotus Seven is the Caterham, and thus Colin Chapman's creation has reached our days, a brilliant idea as it is difficult to build a simpler sports car that offers such a high level of driving pleasure.