1963 Lotus Super Seven (series 2) Authentic Vintage Racer And Tilt-bed Trailer on 2040-cars
Topanga, California, United States
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My father vintage raced the first Lotus 26R S2 to compete at west coast vintage race events in the 1980s. When he deemed his 26R too valuable for him to race, he sold it to a collector in Japan and began restoring this Super Seven. He purchased the car from Jim Profit, of Racing Restorations in Long Beach, CA. First he stripped it down to a bare metal tube chassis. When the chassis met with his approval, it was powder painted black and re-skinned in fresh aluminum. Fenders were restored to more proper proportions. The car was built as a "street legal" (and road registered) racer in accordance with the rule set embraced by HMSA and General Racing. Original correct engine with period correct updates, original suspension configuration. A lot of thought and development went into this car. There are many subtle details which all serve a purpose. No expense was spared. Dave Vegher of Veloce Motors West engineered and built the motor (as well as a fresh spare full-steel motor which can be purchased separately). There are many ways to set up a race car ... choices in chassis set-up, spring rates, dampening, gear ratios, and differential set-up. Without giving away any competitive secrets, let me just say that this car is a well developed tool, it is fast, yet forgiving to drive. The car is so neutral handling and forgiving that it's eminent "drivability" makes even the occasional racer like me look like a "hero."
The Super Seven weighs 1052 pounds with half a tank of fuel ... Power is in the neighborhood of 140bhp ... weight distribution is 48% front to 52% rear, and 49% to 51% measured diagonally. The limited slip differential is a very special piece. It is a Hewland design that runs a 4.4 ratio and benefits from the most slick fully synthetic lubricant. Both my father and I have run different differentials ... the Hewland is magical. Since 1990 the Super Seven has always been clad in "Allegheny Maroon" ... my father raced it with a French Blue nose band. When I bought it and refreshed the entire car in 1997, I opted for a nose band of sea foam green. I am 6'1" and 200 pounds with a 34" inseam ... the Seven fits me like a glove ... it is a very comfortable work space. I am including a nifty light weight aluminum box tilt-bed enclosed trailer (single axle). It was reported built by Webb Webster for an Indy Car he had built. I bought the trailer from Don Ferguson of Paramount Forge and Ardun. The story was that he bought four or five 4 cam Ford race motors from somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, and they gave him the trailer to get them home. Weighs about 1000 pounds and the tilt-bed engineering is incredible! If you want to run at premier vintage race events in the same class with Lotus 26Rs, Ginetta G4Rs, Shelby GT350s, and 289 Cobras, then this Lotus Super Seven is both rare fun and reliably competitive ... AND a bargain price of admission. |
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Lotus Esprit cancelled? [UPDATE]
Thu, 04 Oct 2012Two years ago, we were gobsmacked when humble Lotus shocked the automotive world by wheeling out no fewer than five new models - admittedly in various stages of development - at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. The ambitious onslaught of new sheetmetal came at the behest of then-CEO Danny Bahar who aimed to broaden the British marque's appeal by dramatically expanding its portfolio. Bahar was later thrown out by new Malaysian owners DRB-Hicom in a management shakeup that seems to still be, well, shaking out. Bahar was deposed over accusations of financial wrongdoing and the controversial executive has fired back with a $10.6M lawsuit.
Against this chaotic background, a cornerstone of Lotus' revival plans hinged on the rebirth of its Esprit supercar (shown in 2010 concept form above). According to new reports, however, the Esprit has been cancelled, a victim of the company's uncertain finances and direction. Depending on which rumor you choose to believe, the two-seat coupe was slated to receive a house-built V8 and possibly turbocharging or hybrid power. That may all be moot now, however, as DRB-Hicom is reported to have scrapped Bahar's plans wholesale, a development that apparently includes killing off the mid-engined Esprit, too.
UPDATE: And this, friends, is why we have this story with a question mark and a Rumormill tag - Lotus is denying that the Esprit has been killed off.
Race Recap: 2013 Indian Grand Prix mostly calm with chances of Championships
Mon, 28 Oct 2013The smog around the Buddh International Circuit got so bad over the weekend that the FIA had to change the practice sessions. Then the soft tires that Pirelli brought to be the options were found to degrade so quickly that teams had to change their qualifying and race strategies. The only man it didn't seem to affect was - guess who? - Sebastian Vettel, who put his Infiniti Red Bull Racing on pole position.
Behind him came Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas, Mark Webber in the second Infiniti Red Bull and on medium tires, Felipe Massa in the first Ferrari, Kimi Räikkönen in the first Lotus, Nico Hülkenberg in the first Sauber, Fernando Alonso in the second Ferrari, and the McLaren duo of Sergio Perez and Jenson Button. The tire strategizing didn't work out for Romain Grosjean in the second Lotus, who didn't get out of Q1 after only running the medium compound tire and lined up 17th.
The Indian Grand Prix has been held twice and Vettel has led every single lap of both races. If nothing else, we knew there would be at least one new thing about this Indian Grand Prix: there'd be a lap not led by Vettel since he qualified on softs and would have to pit before Webber and Alonso who were both on mediums.
Caterham inks US distribution deal with Superformance
Fri, 03 Jan 2014Sort of like an automotive big box store, Superformance is rapidly becoming the destination for anyone interested in modern kit cars. Besides the normal spattering of Shelby Cobra replicars, Superformance also offers replicas of the GT40 and Corvette Grand Sport. Now, we can add an altogether different type of DIY car to the company's portfolio - Caterham.
Superformance has just been announced as the new US distributor for Caterham Cars, effectively adding the entire suite of Lotus variants to the company's catalog. While there will be a large variety of models available, according to Caterham the mix will skew toward more powerful offerings. As much as we like the affordable appeal of a Seven 160 or Roadsport, simply having the wildly powerful 620 R or Superlight R500 available in the US is a good thing for enthusiasts.
"In the last two years, Caterham has significantly broadened its reach internationally and signing a new official distributor in the form of Superformance in America is a natural extension of how our brand is expanding, rapidly, across the globe," Caterham Group CEO Graham Macdonald said. Read more in the press release below.