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It was the summer of 1996 when the first notions of building a Lotus Seven began. A family vacation in England, with visits to places like Snetterton and Hethel, gave Richard Vignoles the opportunity to reminisce his days as an engineer at Group Racing Development. More importantly, this vacation wet the appetites of his two sons to tap this hidden knowledge their father had of the famous Lotus Seven. The entire process was meticulous and calculated, as is usually the case with Vignoles engineering, producing an automobile truly worthy of carrying the Lotus badge. |
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Shortly after the trip to England the decision was made to build a Seven kit in the family’s garage in San Diego, California. Before the first bolt could be tightened there would be countless hours of research and some serious decision-making. Possibly the most important point to decide was what powertrain to use? The idea to produce a Lotus powered Lotus was one that received immediate enthusiasm. This type of configuration is very difficult to achieve, given the fact that the 2 liter twin overhead cam Lotus engine is slanted and requires the drive shaft to be off-center. Regular Lotus or Caterham kits do not accommodate such an engine. So the Vignoles’ decided to tap their South American resources and rendered the services of a car builder in Montevideo, Uruguay. Beethoven Amorin Pintos, using designs from the early Lotus-Argentina days manufactured a tubular frame chassis with aluminum paneling, and the special requested tunnel offset towards the passenger side. During the time the chassis was being built, the Vignoles’ focused on getting the powertrain in order. |
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March of 1997 marked
the start for the intense campaign of building the Seven.
The first step would be to get a Lotus 907 engine and
rebuild it. After some research it was discovered that
the 907 engine powered the Jensen Healey. The engine
is a 4 cylinder, with a bore of 3.751-3.752 inches and a
stroke of 2.721-2.731 inches. It is officially marked
as a 1973 c.c. with a compression ratio of 8.4:1. The
block is all aluminum and has twin overhead cams with 4
valves per cylinder. The engine was totally rebuilt
and is factory rated at 160 bhp at 6,500 rpm. This
block is outfitted with a four-barrel manifold for a pair of
40/40 Webers. |
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| Above: Jensen Healey purchased for use of Lotus components.
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The transmission is a Gertrag 5 speed. All speeds are synchromesh. The gear ratios are 3.368:1 for first, 2.16:1 for second, 1.58:1 for third, 1.241:1 for fourth, 1.0:1 for fifth, and 4.0:1 for reverse. The rear axle is a semi-floating hypoid differential. It has hypoid bevel gears with a ratio of 3.727. The engine was completely dismantled and all parts were refurbished. Parts used from the Healey include the engine, transmission, rear differential and drum brakes, front uprights and disc brakes, oil cooler, steering rack, and seats. |
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| Above: Lotus 907 engine on wooden blocks before rebuild. |
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It was in November of 1997 that the chassis arrived in Los Angeles via airplane container. Parts included in the kit were the chassis with aluminum paneling, front suspension A arms, rear suspension arms, front and rear fiberglass fenders, fiberglass nosecone with grill, radiator, aluminum gas tank, Panhard bar, windshield frame, and anti-roll bar. The chassis was fitted on top of a wooden support frame with wheels to facilitate working underneath the car and for easy mobility. And so began the daunting task of fitting the large 2 liter engine into the not so large Seven engine bay. It fit with about an inch and a half to spare on either side. Once the engine was set, engine mounts needed to be fabricated. Using the existing brackets from the engine, the chassis mounts were built and welded. Additionally, the transmission mount was secured to the chassis underneath the tunnel. The engine was fitted and secure, allowing the project to move into the next stage. |
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Above: Charles and Chris dismantle the engine.
Below: Engine was dropped into the bay with a
crane. |
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