As some of you are aware, I’m the proud owner of a Blakely Hawk (it wants to be a Lotus Seven), but I’ve had a hard time deciding what exactly to do with it. Well, that was until I saw this real Lotus Seven! Holy cow, I think I’m going to have to repaint my car red and find a set of Minilites! Alright, so there is a lot more to what makes this car so incredibly cool than the paint and wheels. For one, it’s a real Lotus with a dry sump twin cam engine. It also helps that it has documented race history. If you’d like to do more than drool over it, you can buy it here on eBay. It’s in Spokane, Washington with a BIN of $29,975.
There are few sports car as iconic as the Seven, well at least in my book. These cars are giant slayers and they don’t do it with a big engine, but by being incredibly lightweight. This second generation Seven weighs in around 1,100 pounds. It might be a tad heavier than that, as it has been upgraded to a twin cam engine, but more on that in a moment. Even if it has half the power of your modern car, it’s nearly a third lighter!
In the case of this car, it may have a surprising amount of power. Originally, it shipped with a Ford 105E engine from the Anglia. Those engines didn’t tend to hold up well, so it’s not a surprise that it had an engine swap. And the previous owner picked a great engine for it. This is a Ford-Lotus E6015 Twin Cam that was bored out to nearly 2.0 liters and built to race specs, complete with a dry sump oil system! With dual Webers, this engine is likely generating around 150 horsepower.
Whether you looking to tear up the track or the street, this car is ready to go. The interior is as basic as it gets, but still looks fantastic. I imagine this is how it was setup when it ran in the 1979 Montreal Grand Prix and while you will definitely need to replace a few things, it is about ready to race. If I had the funds, I would already be on my way to pick this Lotus up, but I guess for the time being I will just have to make due with the Blakely!
Second only to a Ford GT in lustful thoughts for me.
Tempting at that price. Sadly wrong hand drive.
Given such a basic, simple design I wonder how difficult it would be to make it a lhd car?
150hp in 1100 pounds or so…I had a 1st gen Legend with 10% more hp and 2-1/2 times the weight and IT was pretty durn quick. I bet this thing flies
Many knowledgeable Lotus people on the internet have already pointed out all the NON-Lotus about this car…..which begins with the front suspension …. lack of frame number or VIN pictures, the dash, etc, etc
.
Most sellers of REAL 7’s will show the VIN plate and the frame I.D…that “Provenence Certifiicate” is issued without any inspection, and does not indicate authenticity or correctness. .
Without a LOT of scrutiny and verification, I doubt it’s a 30k car .. and it’s likely to be a problem getting acceptance with some of the Real Vintage Groups.
..As for driving on the roads… with my Series 1 it’s flat out on the track, but ‘scary’ when I take it down the highway occasionally and there is traffic.
True, it is a rocket, But it needs someone that at least has the 7 manual that provides all the specifications: measurements that Chapman built them to. almost all of the bits comprising the car are available with possible exception of the upper A arms and alloy cast mount for the clutch and brake masters. The rest can be fabbed or scrounged from the breakers. BTW that “orrible” 105E was THE engine in Formula Junior and 3! True, like most racing engines, it has been modded a bit to provide something like 130BHP from 1100cc’s at around 10 K RPM’s. Did OK in FP against Spits etc. also!
Hey Wagon master – the car is so darn narrow it doesn’t matter which side the steering wheel is on!
@Michael Rogers…
” Upper A-arms ” …. What ???
Sevens don’t HAVE any upper A-arms..that is one of the problems with this red car.. and that’s what a lot of the “copies” did.
Colin Chapman added plenty of lightness when he designed and built the Seven. There’s a video floating around YouTube of the descendant of this car, a Caterham, running and hiding from a Lamborghini and some other supposedly fast cars on the Nurburgring. And that’s with a large male passenger riding along in the car, which must have added a pretty good percentage to the total weight.
The problem with the Seven for me is the exposure you are under when you drive one. I would need a bit more protection if I were ever going to drive one on public roads. Make that a lot more protection. Maybe CC didn’t need to worry too much about that with the narrow country roads these cars mostly ran on back then.
I agree Dolphin, I find the low slung 7 scarry. It is just not visible enough to other road users. It has the ability to hide behind anything and go under anything bigger.
As a track day car it should be lots of fun…
Can’t be any worse than a crotch rocket………I too would want LHD but the conversion couldn’t be that difficult. What a ride this would be.
ARRR! pussie cats You become a fly darting about and keeping out of the others way. Anyone recall the Lotus 51’s with wings and lites for street?
The difference between a Seven and a motorcycle is the Seven sits so low. A motorcycle is at least visible when you look out your window, it is eye level. The seven you not only have to look at the window but down. I never found mine dangerous, but you did have to drive it with purpose and watch out more so than on a motorcycle.
i am a man, not a number!
I started importing these into the California when I was 18 years old, from London mostly. What a great time I had. I lived right across the street from Paul McCartney. So many stories. Often you weren’t allowed to race these against any other cars manufacturer wise . On the short tracks the sevens could never be beat . The T-shirt to have at that time was ” Lotus Super 7 the car too fast to race .” I still have 3 of those shirts. By the way the right hand drives are an absolute gas to drive. Always fun when you pull right up next to a hot chick and you’re just inches away. Always a great ice-breaker. Drinks and dinner are on me LOL.
Awww poor Josh….Having to “make do” with the Blakely. So sad for you. :-) Terry J
I know right, it’s so sad! Haha no, I do love the Blakely, but man this thing is just so cool. With the right upgrades, I think I could make the Hawk look just as sweet though.
Ant nobody said it so put a small block cheeeeevy in it
that car looks fast just sitting there! Josh you definitely need to buy at least one of these ASAP! :)
Umm get a big rubber band ty it to the front of the car and under the car to the back and get a big airplane perpeler wind it up than go🚀
“Perpeler?” Really?
Now you know what “Stupid Fast” in the headline means!
You really don’t need a small block in a real 7. A well tuned twin cam is good for 180 HP if not considerably more. Weight and balance of a 7 is second only to a Lotus 23B. My good friend ran down the field of 911s several years ago, just before he retired.He started 18th in a field of 23 and finished 3rd. The winner later stated he was glad time ran out of the old man would have passed him as well.
Great track car and good street car if you stay off the freeways.
I have only once even attempted to drive a “real” Lotus Seven. I didn’t fit. Well, that’s my excuse, anyway….
Caterhams have more room for the six-foot-plus driver, but much as I loved them, I never got to the point where I felt like cashing in everything I owned for one. They lack the spindly charm of the Seven, somehow.
And, for Don, can’t imagine anyone going the SBC route in one of these, but once drove a Westfield replica that had a works-installed Rover V8. I love over-powered cars, probably more than almost anyone else, but learned that day that there ARE limits!
I have a hard time believing this is a real lotus super seven, rear fenders are steel trailer fenders, grill is wrong, nose cone is wrong, leather straps for hood ?, looks like they were put on to make it look old, didn’t come like that and why in the hell would you race with them flapping away ?, roll bar is wrong, hood is wrong, frame is wrong, looks like someone got a hold of a original I’d plate and had it registered as a real one, not hard to do as my friend had a home built register here in Ontario Canada as a original lotus seven, car could of been wrecked and then rebuilt ?, poorly
Back in the day — get out your way back glasses — I had a 56 Austin Healy 100-6 with a 63 engine and 62 (3 carb head) with three Webers. A friend had a Lotus 7 and asked me to drive it around the track. After a few loops to get the gist of shifting with my wrong hand, I was able to beat my Healy lap times by nearly 4 seconds. That was with the smaller engine! And half the HP of the Healy! I’m in my 70’s and not interested in more “lateral G forces”, but I’d do them for this car!
http://www.super7cars.com – check this site for 7’s we north of the border like to go real fast
Righteous looking machine. I don’t care if it’s incorrect, improper or unoriginal. I’d shove my a** in it and drive the snot out of it. One just needs to realize and avoid other’s blind spots.
No it isn’t correct, it might not be real or it may carry modifications that made it better, but who cares? It is a Sevenesque car at the least. I used to own a Series 3 Caterham with Twin Cam and it was a blast to drive. Some days I miss having it. This one does seem a bit overpriced when a real verifiable Seven can be had for similar money. Or a Caterham like mine for just a bit less, but if you are comfortable with what ever you are able to buy it for enjoy..
Im in the midst of doing a frame up restoration on what I believe to be a late Lotus Series 3 or an early Caterham- no VIN or chassis number, frame from firewall forward not correct, most everything else is correct (radiator,fuel tank, steering, front suspension etc).Lotus ford Twin cam, Cortina transmission escort diff.
Have replaced a few frame tubes and added others as per SCCA spec. Needs allmost all aluminum body panels replaced. Plans are to sell when complete as a Lotus Super 7 SS clone- I can hear the originality police now.
Oh, and she is RHD which I would not change- what a hoot to drive
Hey Gerald, If your selling it as a copy, I doubt there will be any issues with non-originality.
But you think it is a correct S3. ?? ..have you spoken to John about it ????
Dave
There’s one that’s been for sale here in Denver for awhile with a Cosworth BDR. He’s even dropped the price.
https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/6022259599.html
I was the poud owner of a Lotus 7 Series 3 SS. It came fitted with a Lotus twin cam.
Stupidly I obtained a BRM phase 4 Twin Cam from a Lotus Cortina which I was told had been raced by Graham Hill. The engine was rebuilt into a 1600 block and bored to 1800cc. It had dry sump and went like stink.
Unfortunately the S3 chassis wasn’t up to the job and tubes snapped at regular intervals. It was downed right dangerous. A Chapman chassis was designed with a bare minimum of strength and sticking 180 bhp through it would only have one result.
I swapped the car for a Mercedes 280Sl and never regretted it.
I doubt any S3s are still driving round on an original chassis. If they are I wouldn’t want to be in them.