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John's
Online
LOTUS
Museum
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SEVEN
TYPE
60
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TYPE 60 -
Seven Series 4
1970 to 1973
Production Sports
Car
Engine: Lotus
twin-Cam 1558cc-----------------------------------
Gearbox: Ford
4-Speed -----------------------------------------------
Chassis: Tubular
Space-frame back-bone with sheet-----
steel front suspension
bay, 55 lbs.--------------------------------
Front suspension:
Double wishbones with Coil Spring-
& Damper
Units.-----------------------------------------------------------
Rear suspension:
Ford rigid axle suspended on-----------
Coil Spring /
Damper Units.------------------------------------------
Wheelbase: 7
ft. 3.5 in.-------------------------------------------------
Front Track:
4 ft. 1 in.--------------------------------------------------
Rear Track: 3
ft. 9 in.---------------------------------------------------
Weight: 850 lbs.----------------------------------------------------------
The Series 4
Seven used a Elan - like backbone chassis------
with Europa
front suspension.--------------------------------------------
It was powered
by either a Lotus Twin-Cam or 1600cc Ford
push rod engine.---------------------------------------------------------------
A one piece fiberglass
body was used.-------------------------------
Lotus aimed for
the wrong market with this car, as---
the reality
was that this was a completly new car that------
only superficially
resembled a Seven. ----------------------------
Instead of the
traditional buyer for Lotus Sevens, it-------
should have been
marketed to the California 'Dune-------
buggy' crowd.--------------------------------------------------------------
It would have
out-performed any VW- powered-buggy--
on the market
at the time !---------------------------------------------
Sales were so
dismal that Lotus ceased production of---
the Series 4
early in 1973.---------------------------------------------
Caterham Car
Sales purchased all the available jigs, -----
molds, and parts
from Lotus in May of 1973, and-----------
continued production
of the car, as the Caterham---------
Seven, for about
a year.------------------------------------------------
In 1974 Caterham
threw out the Series 4 and went--------
into production
of an updated version of the Series 3---
that they called
the Caterham Super Seven.------------------
This car still
remains in production to this day, as this---
was the series
that was most popular with enthusiasts.
In light of the
fact that this is the most reproduced--------
sports car of
all time, ( the Shelby Cobra is second ),----
the sale of the
rights of the Seven to Caterham was the
biggest mistake
that Lotus ever made !-------------------------
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