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What made you buy your Seven?..

 
 
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Author WestyOwner

On country roads
#1 | Posted: 4 Oct 2013 17:48 
Just wondering what makes what quite rational and sensible folks buy a car that has no roof, sometimes no doors or a windscreen, are we all mad?.

My reasons were perhaps covered in an earlier post about my car, but for me a 7 based car is the most fun you can have with your clothes on ... I guess most Ariel Atom (and similar cars) owners would disagree with that, but it's the the purest form of driving for me, no interference from anti-lock brakes or traction control .... Whilst those two examples may well give you faster lap times are you really driving the car ???.. I got my car as I spent many many years attempting to beat them on the hillclimbs and sprints, and it was only when I had an advantage of slicks did I ever beat one....whilst they ran around on the bluebooks listed tyres...

If you could take just one aspect of your 7 and put it into your "other car" what would it be?...
Stop Junk Calls
http://stopjunkcalls.org.uk/forum/index.php

Author Mad Hatter
At Le Bounty
#2 | Posted: 4 Oct 2013 17:59 
As a biker of 25+ years and someone very experienced in driving lots of very nice fast cars like Astons, Lotus, Ferrari, Lamborghini etc
It was a revelation to be taken out in a big valved Lotus 7 in the early 80's by a very experience hooligan (it was his mothers car, black CC 7), the experience etched into my mind and i promised one day i would have my own 7.

Typical me straight in the deep end with over 250bhp and never looked back.
And my fellow 7 blatting buddies just make the whole experience a life event for me.

I tip my hat to Mr Colin Chapman.

Author Mad Hatter
At Le Bounty
#3 | Posted: 4 Oct 2013 18:05 
The answer to your last question is
600+ Bhp per tonne and a Sadev sequential gear box.

Racing Snake recently took the wheel round Llandow with the car on slicks and said the engine just dominates the experience and the gear box is superb.

Author Trotsky
In garage
#4 | Posted: 4 Oct 2013 19:46 
What made me buy my 7? the wife, she was sick to death of me harping on about it, she got me one for a weekend hire for my 30 th and the following 10 years were a constant " I need one" we met when we were 17 I was in the Navy in those days and we had a dirty weekend at my brothers in Caterham , walked past the show room and that was it I had to have one someday. That day came 25 years later when we sold our business to a big energy group , I picked it up the day after valentines day and take great pleasure in telling people it was a valentines present to myself . The 7 like the missus is definitely a keeper, the car is topless a lot more than she is these days in fact permanently , which brings me to what would I transfer to my other cars.... Brooklands aero screen! 2cv with Brooklands would be awesome the XF with no roof and a full cage and Brooklands would look pretty cool as well and the sprinter would be hilarious.

Author sequential 7
Planning a blat
#5 | Posted: 6 Oct 2013 19:58 
When I were a lad, in 1971 I used to get a lift to work sometimes in a 1500 lotus seven of about 1969/70 vintage. The guy knew how to drive it too, drifting around roundabouts and corners. Scared the crap out of me at first and of course made me lust after one, and I finally achieved the goal in 1996.
Mud

Author WestyOwner

On country roads
#6 | Posted: 6 Oct 2013 20:07 
LOL, when I were a lad..... Some great stories so far, I do wish I had discovered them 25 years ago, I had planned on building a car before the classic car came along, but this wasn't to be a 7 based car... I get the odd catcall at lights and stuff, as do most of us I suspect, but I always have the last laugh ... Some folks "get" them and some don't, that's what separates them from the usual euroboxes.
Stop Junk Calls
http://stopjunkcalls.org.uk/forum/index.php

Author CaptainPlugwash

On driveway
#7 | Posted: 6 Oct 2013 23:09 
Me? Cliched I know, but it was The Prisoner. As a lad (10ish) it just set a target!.

Fast forward a number of years, got my first 7 in '88, good old CGY! Sold her in '95, bought the bathtub in '96 and she's still there!

Just about keeps up with the leery boys on runs, but have to pedal hard Looks a bit like that sometimes

Author sequential 7
Planning a blat
#8 | Posted: 7 Oct 2013 12:52 
A liittle story, just to amuse.

When my car was about 3 years old and still sporting a moderately tuned, approx. 225HP 2.0VX, I had a Geordie lady working for me who was a keen biker, an 1100 Kawasaki as I recall, and bodybuilder, the sort of chap you really don't want to meet when he's in a bad mood,

One he said, why haven't you ever offered to take me for a ride in your car? So I duly obliged, following a well known quiet rote with plenty of roundabouts on which I was well practised, finishing up with a nice slide around the last turn.

He made no comment at all but when we got back after about 45 minutes, he got out of the car, waited until I was out, then said "well thank you very much for that, (calmly) then almost shouting "but I'm never getting in that thing again with you, you F*&$ing mad Bas@$rd!!!"

I'm still chuckling now.
Mud

Author s47

Driving through town
#9 | Posted: 7 Oct 2013 13:01 
sequential 7
The only car I ever desired - had one since 1972
Hope to buried in it too, SWMBO liked mine so much she bought one too

Author TobyCoulson

On country roads
#10 | Posted: 7 Oct 2013 18:00 
I just wanted a car that felt.
Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

Author Stuart7

Back on the road
#11 | Posted: 8 Oct 2013 21:12 
Why I bought a 7? -- Short answer: It's FUN!

Short story...

My dad took me to a Lotus 7 meet at the Feathers Inn when I was about 10 in the mid 70's, a few miles from where we then lived in Bennington. I was probably too young to take in what I saw, but it maybe made an unconscious impression. I mostly remember the 7 brigade liked my dad's Lotus Eclat, which I also remember being terribly unreliable. Maybe a young Dikko was there that evening?

Wind forward to the 80's, me and a friend would bunk off afternoon school sports, go into town to read the car mags in WH Smiths (and other mags, but let's not dwell on that). We occasionally used to actually buy a mag! -- usually Grand Prix International. One time I bought Thoroughbred & Classic Cars (May 1982 edition) where a chap called Jeremy Coulter built a Caterham Super 7 Sprint. That's when I knew I would own a 7 someday. I still have that mag.

For English O level I wrote an essay about driving a 7 on challenging roads, using phrases nicked from those WH Smith mags (so bunking off sports proved to be educational!). Despite being severely dyslexic (found out many years later -- just like JYS!) and never reading any of the set books, I got an A grade. So the 7 is responsible for some of my academic success! Digressing, this reminds me of the day I told my English Lit teacher that "Shakespeare is crap". Not a good plan.

I very nearly bought a 7 the year after I left school but couldn't quite muster the funds. I met a girl (now wife, a keeper) who loves cars and we saved to buy a 7 which we got in 94.

The above friend is still a great friend, but he doesn't like driving my 7. However I do like driving his F355 but it's not as much fun as a 7.

Author WestyOwner

On country roads
#12 | Posted: 8 Oct 2013 21:23 
One theme that I see recurring is the shear FUN aspect they are, Mr Chapman was indeed a genius ( I know i'll build and sell a race car for the road) , and if he were alive today I would surely buy him a pint... . great story Stuart, like the "other mags" bit made me lol for real, I did the same if it helps......... I recently watched that Cat7 docu from some years ago, in that Mr Nearn Jnr says a 7 is just one step up from a motorbike, how right he was....and may it stay like that for ever
Stop Junk Calls
http://stopjunkcalls.org.uk/forum/index.php

Author greenwoo
Planning a blat
#13 | Posted: 8 Oct 2013 21:32 
why a 7esque?
naively i thought my wife and i could potter out of an evening/weekend as our daughter was at an age where she was out with her pals.....reality: Wife doesn't like it one bit, never has done. I loved it at first, as i don't drive for/to work it was a novelty, which quickly wore off - lazy perhaps, but the thought of messing around to get it out of the garage and off the lanes ( 2 miles of crud covered single track ) lost its appeal rapidly, as did covering the 1st 81-miles to get into the country 'proper'.
Then i made a ton of pals by chance and all of a sudden all was good......

I still rarely drive it solo, much prefer blats in company where the driving gets augmented by the banter over an early brekkie.

What would i like to take from the Tiger into our main car - the seats! 4 of us did Lands End and back 3 years ago for brekkie, racked up somewhere around 700 miles that day and got out feeling perfect. Have used the Saab a couple of times recently to do 100 mile journeys and get out feeling like a 90 yr old.
Back in Blat

Author JohnCh
Planning a blat
#14 | Posted: 9 Oct 2013 16:10 
Philosophically, I prefer things that are designed to do one or two things extremely well, all else be damned, rather than dilute that design focus across many areas to broaden the appeal. Although the latter tends to produce items that are better for normal folks, I'm rather abnormal, so generally those items are not for me.

When it comes to driving fun, I've never seen another car that is quite so focused on that specific area as the 7.

-John
Westfield SEiW
2.0L Duratec
Throttle Steer

Author Eugene

Hotel de France
Male
#15 | Posted: 9 Oct 2013 16:13 
Personally, I've wanted one for just about as long as I can remember... to the point that I can't remember what started the wanting.

And I got one as soon as I could, and still have it
Eugene
Le Presidente

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