Lotus Seven

The Lotus Seven is a lightweight two-seat sports car that Lotus Cars built between 1957 and 1973. Colin Chapman designed it as the entry-level Lotus to replace the Mark VI, and it became the plainest statement of the Lotus idea of performance through low weight and simplicity. Early cars used a Ford sidevalve four-cylinder engine, with BMC and Coventry Climax units also offered, and many were sold in kit form because of the British tax rules of the time. More than 2,500 cars were sold in total. When Lotus stopped production in 1973 Caterham bought the rights, and Caterham still builds cars based on the design today.