To celebrate the British International Motor Show this year we picked our 100 best British cars. Check out our selection to help you choose your favourite home-grown motor.
|
91 Lotus Seven (page 16 of 25)
|
Colin Chapman conceived the now-legendary Seven as a fun car to keep his team occupied outside the racing season. A lightweight aluminium-panelled club racer built around a tubular-steel chassis, it was launched in 1957 and cost just £536 as a DIY-assembly kit. With 40bhp Ford side-valve, BMC A-Series or 75bhp Coventry Climax engines, a solid-beam rear axle and drum brakes, it was simple but effective. Exports to the US saved cash-strapped Lotus, and more powerful later versions sold even better. It was never very profitable, though, and Lotus was more concerned with higher-cost sports cars and F1. It sold the production rights to its distributor, Caterham, in 1973 and the ever-faster Seven lives on.
