IN THIS FEATURE An image of power and sophistication It's little short of riotous Colin Chapman started it all

In the 'Sixties, top TV star Patrick McGoohan was twice offered the role of James Bond - he was first choice ahead of Sean Connery and, later, top of the pile of replacements when the Scots rogue jacked it in - but twice he turned it down. A staunch Catholic, McGoohan never liked the loose-living, womanising ways of Ian Fleming's superspy. However, whilst never getting the opportunity to bed women of dubious virtue or thwart the plans of insidious master criminals, he became synonymous with another of the decade's icons. The Lotus Super Seven.

Each week, in the opening credits of cult TV classic, "The Prisoner", viewers were treated to the sight of McGoohan speeding through London in an open-topped sports car (registration KAR120C). It was an indelible image of power and sophistication, a quirky alternative to the complacence and safety of a Jaguar or an Aston Martin. Here was the first racing car that could look just as good down the high street as it did on the test circuit. Even in today's market of status symbol motors, the Super Seven has held its ground as a distinctive, edgy choice for those who like their car to mark them out from the crowd. Patrick McGoohan said: "The Seven was the symbol of all the Prisoner represented... standing out from the crowd, quick, agile, independent and with a touch of the rebel." Not surprising, then, that it has a huge following on the Internet.

Basic design of Caterham the same as 1957 car

In 1973, the exclusive production rights for the Seven were acquired by Caterham Cars, who had been turning out the marque for the ailing Lotus company over 16 years. When they opened their web site in early 1999, Caterham was so inundated with orders that they had to remove the form after a month in order to catch up. But that hasn't stopped thousands of devoted owners from setting up lavishly detailed websites in its absence, each one painstakingly recalling the hours put in to assembling their Seven from scratch. Oh, didn't we mention? Unless you're exceptionally flush with the readies, you have to build this little beast yourself.