The Lotus/Caterham 7 is one of the most distinctive sports cars ever made, and certainly one of the most memorable in terms of the driving experience it provides. I’ve had my eye on these cars for some time now, convinced they are absolutely undervalued in today’s market. However, it does take a certain lifestyle commitment to drive a 7 as Lotus, and later Caterham, intended, along with suitable backroads nearby. This particular car is a rare Caterham Super 7 Prisoner edition listed here on craigslist which was sold in limited quantities as a tribute car to the British television show “The Prisoner” starring Patrick McGoohan.
If you’ve spent any time looking at 7s, you’ll notice many owners have upgraded to the Prisoner wheels, which makes it harder to spot a true Prisoner edition from one that simply sports the upgraded parts. Other requirements of being an authentic model include green paint with a yellow nose cone, striking red interior trimmings, and a plaque on the dash signed by Patrick McGoohan himself. The Super 7 shown here was purchased by the seller from the original owner and shows just 4,000 original miles.
The 7 is designed to be a raw, authentic sports car, with little in the way of sound deadening and safety features. The luxurious appointments of the Prisoner edition creates a cockpit you actually want to spend time in, and while all of us are willing to say we’re diehard enthusiasts who don’t need to be cosseted, there’s no denying that carpeting and leather seats make for a more pleasant driving experience. The seller is asking $39,500 for this 7, by the way, but he’s not really asking. He knows how rare this car is, especially in left-hand drive form.
The mechanical specs are about as good as it gets: a recently rebuilt 1700 Crossflow with dual Webers, estimated to now kick out around 150 b.h.p. It’s also equipped with four-wheel disc brakes, Bilstein shocks, and high-performance rubber. If you’ve ever watched a video of a 7 being driven in anger, it’s difficult to not go immediately to your classifieds page of choice, looking for one to buy. If I lived near backroads with sufficient space and devoid of people, I might already own one; for now, I’ll just have to live vicariously through whomever buys this spectacular example. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Curvette for the tip.
It’s very luxurious compared to a Lotus super seven driver! I could barely squeeze into a spartan 7!! Yet…. they are very fun to drive!! it’s like driving roller skate!!!
4000 miles and a rebuild? Most cars are getting an oil change at that mileage.
Caveat emptor
And for the asking price I’d expect the heater hose clamp adjacent to the valve cover to be properly attached.
While living in Monte Carlo, I bought a Westfield for my daughter who was graduating from AUP. I picked it up in England and drove it to Paris and then south to Monte Carlo. While in Paris I parked it at the expensive parking lot under the Invalides. To my pleasant surprise, it was low enough to pass under the barrier arm at the exit giving me free parking. My wife wanted chocolate chips for baking so I bought several large bags at an American specialty store and put them on the floor of the car- it was summer and by the time I got home, her chocolate chips were just a liquid blob. I then decided to convert it to left hand drive and a teenage neighbor helped me make a new dash out of an oak plank and move the pedals and steering etc. The steering rack was just held in with a couple rubber clamps kinda like a sway bar, so I thought I’ll just flop it over 180 degrees. When we got it done and hooked up the steering shaft and turned the wheel we roared in laughter imagining trying to drive it along the bas corniche. I ordered up a left hand steering rack and all was well. My teenage friend is now in his 50’s and we still laugh about it and bore our families with the story.
Ur my kinda dude with memories of the past.
Enjoy’n fun cars and drive’n em fast!
Nice story.
Yes, “kind of fun” turning the wheel to the left to turn right eh? I’ve never made that mistake, but there are others that I don’t like to remember!
A pal of mine used to race a Lotus 7; then he bought a Porsche from a certain Jimmy Clark…
A few years ago, Mike Breuer of ‘Wheeler Dealers’ bought a KAYterham (the way the Brits pronounce it) for Elvis to rebuild as a racer. 4K GBP.
https://youtu.be/d2JiZPr1S7s?si=hMXS7LPQj0ToTh-W
I intend to own one of these someday. A real analog car in a sea of digital madness.
One other thing about these is that you don’t have to worry much about matching numbers and original condition knobs and all of that. This one some kind of factory replica, but nobody really much cares. You judge the value as they sit there, not by what they should be.
Real, raw cars with very few gizmos. Refreshing.
I am surprised Patrick MacGoohan did not sign it ” Number 6″.
Those that know will know.
Always liked the Caterham series. Very nice car.
Also needs a KAR120C license plate.
A friend of mine had a real Lotus 7 when I was autocrossing my 92 Corvette six speed with the SCCA in Alaska. We swapped cars for a couple runs and if any car was made for autocross it was the 7. We both got to experience the opposite ends of the spectrum that day. When it started to rain in the middle of the competition though , I rolled up the windows, cranked up the heat and drove home in comfort. He put on his rain suit and enjoyed his analog experience all the way home. I love these things but they are very focused.
“He put on his rain suit and enjoyed his analog experience all the way home”. Curvette, you really made me laugh at that line. That’s funny. But true, you rolled up your windows turned on the heat and went home. That does make a difference.
One of the main reasons I got rid of my Factory Five cobra. Riding a motorcycle in the rain is one thing but driving a car is another. I watched a couple guys from Massachusetts Drive several days at Hot Rod Power Tour this year in an open top Cobra didn’t look like fun at all.
You get to drive around and utter angrily: “I AM NOT A NUMBER; I’M A FREE MAN!!” while the new Number 2 laughs at you. “Who is Number 1?”… “You are Number 6!”… Good fun all around and if kept in decent shape, will never be too difficult to sell.
My guess would be “upgrade” and not “rebuild”. I had a the friend in college that had a Super 7 that had been warmed up and I can tell you that whipping that little dude down the road that goes from Eugene, Oregon to the coast was just about as much fun as you could have with your clothes on.
Alas, I am much too old now to own one, but I sure as heck wish I wasn’t.
Come on man. Old age is a state of mind and knees. Get one if you can afford it. Be happy.
The last (and only) time I drove that road I was pulling a 5th wheel camper. That was not fun, nor was the “sunken grades” where the road had slid down the hill and they just dumped some dirt and gravel into the depression and called it good. Sometimes they didn’t even warn you that it was coming up. Particularly in the shade of a tree. When I got home and talked to my neighbor who also vacations at the same place we did. I told him about our drive using that road. He got all white and pastey looking. He had a slide in camper and was not the greatest driver. He drove that road and cooked his brakes. Had to get towed back!
It was only recently that my British brother-in-law taught me how to pronounce Caterham as “Kay-trum”. I had been saying it wrong my whole Yank life (not that it comes up in general conversation all that much!)