You could spend seven figures on a hypercar and still not have as much fun as you can driving a Lotus Seven. First launched in 1957 as a follow-up to the Lotus VI, Colin Chapman’s simple, lightweight sports car has been a handling benchmark for more than half a century, and while the details have changed over the years, it’s an experience you can still get today, brand new, from the Caterham car company.
Those early 1950s Sevens were even more basic than today’s cars though, early models making just 40bhp from their side-valve Ford engines, though the car evolved rapidly. In 1960 Lotus replaced it with the Seven S2 and that in turn was superseded by the Super Seven a year later. The S3 came along in 1968, and the unloved (or perhaps misunderstood) S4 arrived at the dawn of the 1970s, with boxy bodywork replacing cultivated curves.
The second real chapter started in 1973 though. Wishing to move away from component cars, Lotus sold the rights to the Seven to one of its primary dealers, Caterham Cars. Caterham still produces the Seven in numerous guises to this day, from models that evoke the spirit of those early Lotus examples, right through to monstrous track weapons that’ll give some dedicated race cars something to think about around the average circuit.
Q881 VOG isn’t a stripped-down early Seven, nor a track-biased monster, but is instead more typical of the midpoint for Sevens – a home-built, personalised sports car aimed purely at driving enjoyment.
The seller calls this particular car a 1975/1995 model, for one simple reason: the actual chassis itself is a 1975, but the car was only registered in 1995. In most respects it’s much closer to a 1970s Seven than a 1990s one, not least in its styling but also in its power-plant: a genuine 1.6-litre Lotus twin-cam, rather than the Ford, Vauxhall or Rover units you’d have found in a car actually produced in 1995.
There’s no official paperwork to support the chassis and body’s 1970s roots, and it’s this that led to the Q-plate the car is currently wearing, but the seller notes the design of the chassis and body itself both point to its year of origin, and knowledgeable parties should likewise be able to identify it as such. The original build date is also unknown, so it’s the car’s 15th August 1995 date of first registration you’ll find on the V5.
The car was restored prior to this and it’s that restoration that informs how the car currently sits. Unfortunately, the seller has been able to use the car only occasionally since then, having covered under 4000 miles, though the excellent condition is a sign of the Seven’s careful storage – garaged, and inside a “bubble” air chamber to keep air circulating around the car.
As the car has remained in storage for many years, there is not a great deal of paperwork present. The seller does have two MOT certificates (from 2006 and 2008) and of course the V5 registration document, but otherwise the car is currently SORN and would require an MOT. The seller also recommends that the car should be serviced before regular use.
There is one element of the car’s written history that you’ll not find on many other cars though – the seller’s full hand-drawn wiring diagram for the car. Not only would it come in very handy in the event of any electrical queries, but it’d look fabulous simply framed and hung up in your hallway...
Lotus and Caterham owners will no doubt smile at mention of the word “interior” on a Seven, because few cars bring so much of the outside world into the cockpit. There is though plenty to see here, and one or two custom touches made by the seller to improve the driving experience.
The seats and Luke seatbelts are in excellent condition, as are the headrests uniquely affixed to the roll bar, while the four-spoke steering wheel and leather-trimmed Lotus gearknob have a lovely aged feel but little significant wear. There’s a fairly comprehensive set of gauges in the crinkle-finish dashboard panel, including a speedometer and tachometer, fuel gauge, ammeter and combined oil pressure and water temperature gauge, while the various unlabelled toggle switches will give the buyer plenty to experiment with!
Peer into the footwells and you’ll see a few unique changes. The driver gets a floor-hinged throttle pedal in the revised pedal box, and just a hint more space than those familiar with Sevens might be used to. Under the dash and sprouting from the passenger side there’s also a fly-off handbrake. The footwells and transmission tunnel are painted but untrimmed, while the boot area is trimmed in a shade of red carpet to match the seats.
Unusually ahead of the driver you’ll find a full windscreen plus a pair of aero screens – you could probably choose to run one or the other based on preference, but both together certainly have a unique look. There is a soft-top (never fitted), a boot tonneau, and a full tonneau cover supplied with the car, with the latter affixing neatly to the press-studs around the cockpit and serving as quick weather protection when parked – or keeping items on the passenger seat dry if you’re caught in a shower one-up...
It’s one of the most enduring shapes on the road – low, narrow, a wheel at each corner, big fenders, and those two friendly headlamps sprouting either side of the nose. This particular car uses a Series 3 frame and body from 1975, something the seller notes is apparent from its construction and shape, despite a lack of paperwork to support this.
The car was restored prior to 1995 and registered that year, so everything present is as-is from that era. That includes the gloss midnight blue paintwork, which is in generally very good condition, aside from a few areas of crazing (most notable around some of the exterior fixings) and the unavoidable paint chipping on the rear wings. The protective panels have naturally borne the brunt of use too, but otherwise the car’s exterior brightwork is in great condition.
There’s a set of Revolution 4-spoke wheels on the car and the Avon tyres they’re wrapped in (185/60 R13 at both ends) are in good condition with plenty of tread remaining. Given how much of it is visible from outside, the suspension also looks in fine fettle, and we’d note that this is another area modified by the owner to improve the car over standard – at the front there’s a fourth pick-up point, giving the car a full double-wishbone layout at the front, and a separate anti-roll bar. At the rear there are extended trailing arms and A-frame, something the seller says improves the geometry and gives the car a fixed roll centre. The Spax coil-over springs and dampers should also keep the handling tight.
And so we come to the engine, which is perhaps the greatest selling point of this car. It’s a proper Lotus big-valve twin-cam, with an N-marked high-compression head. The block is designated F12594 LBA, with a six-bolt reground crank, new bearings, a baffled sump, bored slightly by QED motorsport, and fitted with a slightly lighter flywheel.
The head has been fettled too, with polished ports, Type D camshafts (or similar), and a pair of Weber 40 DCOE carburettors. The head has also had new valve guides and seats, and breathes out through a full stainless steel exhaust. The engine is fitted to a Ford 2000E gearbox, and the whole lot was restored at the same time as the bodywork, and has covered 3821 miles since.
The car’s MOT and tax status meant a test drive was not possible, but even manoeuvring the Seven around for photographs, the Lotus four-cylinder appeared to be in rude health, firing eagerly to life and producing that characteristic twin-cam sound with every throttle blip. As noted earlier the seller recommends routine maintenance before the car is regularly used, but the basics appear to be very good.
Hidden behind the car’s nosecone is the radiator, and an additional oil cooler, another item fitted by the owner. The battery meanwhile, which normally lives under the bonnet, can now be found under the boot floor – something done to improve weight distribution. The engine actually sits further back than normal too, apparently giving the car near-50:50 balance front to rear.
As alluded to at the start, you’ll struggle to find a car that’s more fun to drive than a Caterham. They just respond like nothing else, strip driving down to its purest form and painting a Cheshire cat grin across your face from the moment you leave your driveway.
That applies just as much to older Caterhams like this one as it does to the very latest 2020 cars, which is a sign of just how right Colin Chapman got it back in 1957. It’s the engines that can make or break a good Caterham experience though, and that’s where this car’s Lotus twin-cam comes in. You might go faster with one of the later red-top, K-series or Duratec Sevens, but little beats the sound and sensations of the snorty unit that used to power Elans and Lotus Cortinas.
While there are several personal touches on this car too, it’s clear the seller has gone to lengths to ensure he’s done things right, whether that’s that comprehensive wiring diagram or the worthwhile improvements to the engine and chassis. If you’re looking for a fun weekend toy, this would be a pretty good place to start your search.
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Although every care is taken to ensure this listing is as factual and transparent as possible, all details within the listing are subject to the information provided to us by the seller. Car & Classic does not take responsibility for any information missing from the listing.
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1975/1995 Caterham Seven S3
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