1961 Lotus Super Seven S2 |

Closed Auction- Unsold

1961 Lotus Super Seven S2

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Mileage~165 (since restoration)
TransmissionManual
Engine1.5L
LocationWestbury-on-Severn

AUCTION CLOSED

1961 Lotus Super Seven S2

Introduction

Jacob Boodrie

Professional Consigner

The only super light race car built for the roads you should be looking at - it's the Lotus Seven from the '60s.

The Lotus Seven is a small, simple and lightweight two-seater open-top sports car, produced by Lotus between 1957 and 1972. Designed by Colin Chapman, the Seven was considered the embodiment of the Lotus philosophy of performance through low weight and simplicity.

In the early '60s there was a heavy British tax on automobiles, one of the ways to get around this was to essentially sell your car as a kit. However, if you supplied assembly instructions they would still levy that tax upon you, so Lotus actually provided disassembly instructions that people would follow in reverse. After Lotus ended production of the Seven in 1972, Caterham bought the rights and today still produces the kits and fully assembled cars based on the original Seven.

This is a second-generation example of the Lotus Seven and is just one of many Sevens the vendor, David, owns. He has carried out a full nut and bolt restoration on this example and fitted a Ford 1500 GT Pre-Crossflow engine and a pair of SU carbs to give the car a real performance kick.

This auction listing was written from information supplied by Jacob after meeting David the owner, and having visited and photographed the vehicle.

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Secure Auctions

We verify all our sellers and buyers to keep our community safe whilst also providing the highest levels of website security.

Full Transparency

8 out of 10 people that buy cars via our service don’t feel the need to visit due to the transparency and thoroughness of our listings.

Vehicle Delivery

We're there every step of your buying journey and will even arrange pick-up and delivery of your new vehicle.

Meet the owner

Completely rebuilt and tuned by a meticulous design engineer, introducing David.

Spending his working life on projects such as Concord as a design engineer, David knows what he's talking about when it comes to mechanics. He purchased this second-generation Lotus Seven as a restoration project and completely dismantled and repaired the chassis base unit.

David also fitted a Ford 1500 GT Pre-Crossflow engine from a Cortina and rebuilt it using new parts, including a fresh re-bore, new pistons, camshaft, followers, valves / springs, water pump, gaskets, and seals.

Importantly, David tells us that he bought the car from marque expert Vince Hayden and he has also managed to speak to the original owner too. Before purchase David spoke to John Watson (Lotus Seven Registrar) to ensure it its authenticity.

David

Vehicle Owner

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Exterior
Interior
Mechanics
History
All Images

EXTERIOR VIDEO

Exterior

The silver bullet, a dashing lightweight composite race car that's simple, classy and sporty in one package.

Wheels and Tyres

David opted for Triumph wire-spoked wheels with spinners, which we're really big fans of and it works really well with this lightweight sports car.

Each wheel has been very well cleaned and maintained over the years and is presented in excellent condition. The tyres also appears in excellent condition, David opted for premium Dunlop Response 2 tyres in 2015 which he reports not even covering 200 miles on.

You'll also find a full-size spare on the rear, wrapped in Camac SC steel-belted rubber.

Bodywork

Designed with performance in mind, and lightness being a primary focus for Chapman, a very lightweight steel space-frame is covered with unstressed aluminium panel bodywork. The body panels are flat to avoid the expense of more elaborate curved bodywork.

The bodywork on this car appears in excellent condition and has really been restored to a high standard by David, the original restoration project he purchased had three air scoops on the bonnet, but David felt like it was one too many and only opted for two.

Please take a look at the exterior videos and photographs for a detailed tour.

Paint

The car was originally black, however, David opted for a more traditional-looking silver finish on this Seven, which works so well.

The finish of the paint is in excellent condition, it has a more dull-like finish rather than a glossy deep lustre; very in keeping with race cars from the era.

Please take a look at the photographs to see how good the paint is for yourself.

Glass and Trim

No issues with the glass, no signs of chips, cracks, or repairs - the rubber seals for the glass are in good condition too.

David has fitted foam along the bonnet to stop any unwanted vibrations, he also likes to fit quick release sport latches at the front of the bonnet as the original design had some faults in his opinion.

The side doors and the full tonneau cover is present and appears in great condition, the tonneau cover hasn't been used and David showed us the correct way to fold to minimize creases.

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INTERIOR VIDEO

Interior

Retrimmed in the original red leather, a simple layout with the main focus on the driver.

Seats and Carpets

David has fitted a new leather interior, finished in a vibrant red which is what this sports car deserves.

Black floor carpets are also fitted for comfort and convenience and also appear in line with the rest of the interior, i.e. in excellent condition.

Take a look at the interior media to see for yourself.

Dashboard

The dials appear a pleasing amount of patina, along with the instruments and controls.

Steering Wheel / Gear Stick

The original Lotus steering wheel is present and has been restored to a very high standard by David, along with the rubber gear stick.

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'ON THE ROAD' VIDEO

Mechanics

Performance on tap is offered from the Ford 1500 GT Pre-Crossflow block that David has meticulously fitted.

Engine and Gearbox

Thanks to the lightweight bodies of the Sevens, the cars offer outstanding acceleration which could compete with many high-performance sports cars which were much more expensive at the time.

David has gone the extra mile again, by sourcing and rebuilding a Ford 1500 GT Pre-Crossflow Cotrina engine, completely rebored and fitted with all new parts including pistons, camshaft valves, and springs.

Suspension and Brakes

During the restoration David fully stripped and repainted all the suspension parts, he reports a performance focused drive with no unusual knocks or noises from either the suspension or brakes.

For the brakes, David fitted new front calipers, pads, pins, rear cylinders and shoes along with new brake master cylinders.

The Drive

David really enjoys the restoration and rebuild process of these cars, on the odd occasion he gets to take them out.

With its nearly equal central weight distribution and low center of gravity, it will stick to the road whatever corner you decide to chuck it into.

Electrics and Other

David reports all the switches, lights and buttons work as they should. He fitted a new wiring loom for the car; ensuring everything working as it should. David also reports replacing all the lights and fittings with high load relays installed where required.

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History and Paperwork

UK RHD second-generation Lotus Seven - a low mileage and ownership example benefiting from a meticulous restoration and attention to detail by an enthusiast owner.

David purchased the Seven as a restoration project and carried out the following work:

- Dismantled the entire car, repaired the chassis base unit then etch primed and painted, stripped repairs and painted the wings and nose cones, stripped and repainted all suspension and steering parts, replaced all bearings, bushings and bolts and fitted new springs / shocks.

- David also fitted a Ford 1500 GT Pre-Crossflow engine, and rebuilt using new parts as required i.e. re-bored, new pistons, camshaft, followers, valves, springs, water pump, gaskets, and seals.

- Fitted a pair of SU carbs and manifold overhauled with new float valves and gaskets. New choke and throttle cables, stainless steel, sheathed rubber fuel lines, fuel tank cleaned and painted, fitted a glass-topped fuel pump, GT gearbox overhauled using new gaskets and seals, new ring gear fitted to the flywheel, new clutch assembly and slave cylinder, Stanpart adaptor, remote gear change overhauled with new springs bearings and seals, new 4-2-1 exhaust manifold and silencer, new interior trim and seats, road wheels repainted with new tyres and tubes fitted, new number plates, hood and boot covers, refurbished steering wheel, repainted radiator, high flow thermostatically controlled fan, new houses, new wiring harness, new regulator, refurbished dynamo and starter motor, new brakes, front calipers, pads and pins, rear cylinders and shoes new clutch and brake master cylinder, new Goodridge hoses and copper pipes fitted.

David will be more than happy to answer any of your questions in the comments below.

We've actioned checks on; Seller ID, V5, HPi.