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Lotus Engineering
Company was founded on January 1, 1952 in a lot just outside the Railway
Hotel in London, England. This was the brainchild of an engineer from London
University by the name of Colin Chapman. Chapman with the aid of some
motor-enthusiast friends designed and created the first Lotus cars. Their
focus was on building racing cars. The Mark series appeared in successive
years and they molded the first steps of Lotus racing history. However,
Chapman's character told him that the future success of Lotus lay in his
ability to convert the company from a racing team to a full automobile
manufacturer. He wanted to join the ranks of carmakers such as Morgan and
AC. Thus, was born the idea of the Lotus Seven, an automobile conceived for
the road but with deep racing bloodlines. |
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The
Lotus Seven prototype was built in 1957 at Lotus Engineering. The Seven
Series 1 was in production from 1957 to 1960. The first complete cars
went for 1,036 British pounds, while the kit was just 587 British pounds.
The Series 1 had a unique role in Lotus history. It was a real moneymaker
for Chapman, as other projects such as the Elite were losing the company
money with every car that rolled of the line. By 1960, around 240 cars had
been built and the Seven had become a vital part of Lotus Engineering. |
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The Seven Series 2 was produced from 1960 to 1968, and
included several modifications from the Series 1. Chapman made changes to
the front suspension uprights and steering rack. It allowed the
repositioning of the rack in front of the wheel line, theoretically
providing better cornering. The S2 introduced the use of a fiberglass body,
eliminating the costly hand-beaten aluminum. Aesthetically, the S2 had
wider, flatter rear fenders, and the line of the nosecone was raised. A
potential Seven owner had several choices on how to power their new vehicle
(originally with a BMC engine or Ford 100E flathead) Through the next few
years, Lotus engineers fitted the seven with a 997 cc Ford 105E, a 1,340cc
109E, and the 1,498cc Ford Cortina 116E engine. All were unmodified and
fitted with a single Weber carburetor. A total of 1,350 S2’s were
constructed. As Lotus continued to grow, so did the excitement and
popularity of the Seven. |
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The years 1968 and 1969 brought the introduction and
production of the Seven Series 3. At this time, Lotus had embraced a
very close relationship with Ford. The beginning of Formula Ford racing
allowed Lotus to showcase their dominance in racing. In the first years of
the Formula Ford championship the entire field was made up of Lotus cars,
specifically the Lotus 51. This tight relationship began to spill over into
other sectors of Lotus. The S3 for example, was modified to use several
Ford components. The principal change came in the power base with a new
1,297cc (68 bhp) and 1,600cc (84 bhp) cross flow engine labeled the 225E.
Lotus designers also added a fiberglass intake cowl to the bonnet due to the
new manifold and carburetor position. The S3 was 200 lbs. heavier than its
predecessor and packed more horsepower. Sales of the S3 continued at a rate
of 5 cars a week, with a total of 350 cars completed. |
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The Seven continued to
evolve through the encouragement of Mike Warner, Chief Executive of Lotus
Components. Warner was interested in revising the Seven once more with a
more fundamental set-up. He received the go-ahead from Chapman and had three
designers on the project full time. The addition of the full-spec Holbay
engine was a result of the close association Lotus had with the engine
manufacturer from Formula Ford. Warner was able to get Holbay to produce
tuning parts for the Sevens. At 6,200 rpm, the "S" pulled 120 bhp making it
the most powerful Seven ever made. The S lived only through other models of
the Seven that were upgraded to those specifications. |
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The success of future legends like Emerson Fittipaldi and
Graham Hill in the late 1960s, representing Lotus racing in Formula 2 and 3
championships, brought Lotus significant income. Building on this success,
Warner planned to design and develop a new Seven Series 4, build it
through mass assembly and distribute it to a wide network of dealers. He
meticulously worked out a cost-benefit analysis of every component that went
into building a Seven in an effort to reduce cost to a minimum. Warner also
wanted the new S4 to target the new Lotus owner, providing them with an
inexpensive Lotus car as an introduction to larger and more expensive
models. In October 1969, after several months of designing, the new S4
Seven was presented to the public. The new design received mixed emotions
from all interested parties including Colin Chapman. In any case, the
go-ahead was given and S4 production began. |
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The S4 continued to equip mostly Ford components. Minor
adjustments were made to the location of the Escort rear axle. The rear
suspension was changed, eliminating the A frame, and replacing it with two
Watts linkages (top one going rearwards / bottom one going forwards) on
rubber bushings. In the front and rear there were installed coil springs
and damper units. The front suspension was modified to a double pressed
steel wishbone with an anti-roll bar. Additional changes include a Burman
rack and pinion rack with collapsible steering column, fiberglass
bonnet-nosecone that tilted forward to expose the engine bay, more legroom,
and improved weather protection with windshield and sidescreens. Every road
test conducted on the S4 rated it very favorably, notching yet another
success for the Lotus Seven History. It was produced from 1970 to 1973. |
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The history of the Seven continues after 1973 without the
Lotus name. At this time, Chapman signed over the rights of the Series IV to
Caterham Cars of Surrey in England and to the Steel Brothers in New
Zealand. Caterham sold the “Seven” as a kit or turnkey, after agreeing with
Chapman that they would not be badged as Lotus cars. A new chapter had begun
for the roadster, built under license or as kit replicas throughout the
world, in places such as Australia, Canada, Japan, continental Europe, South
Africa and of course, in South America. |
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*Works Cited:
Ortenburger, Dennis. “Lotus Seven & the Independents.” England: Coterie
Press, 2004.
Coultier, Jeremy. “Lotus Seven: A Collector’s Guide.” England: Motor
Racing Pub. Ltd., 1995. |
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