Lotus Seven (Osprey Classic Marques)

The first production car from the Lotus Engineering Company was the Lotus 6. Colin Chapman's multi-tubular spaceframe chassis weighed only 55 lbs: the Mk 1 Lotus Seven employed the same brilliant triangulation and added the front double wishbones and spring/damper units derived from the Lotus 12 F2 car. The Series Two was even lighter and cheaper, and the story of continual technical refinement continues to the present day, with the Seven safe for the last 21 years in the capable hands of Caterham Cars. The variety of Sevens produced over the years is remarkable, and Andrew Morland has tracked down many rare manifestations of the original concept. To take one example, today's 250 bhp "Jonathan Palmer Evolution" Caterham special costs 64 times the price of the 1957 kit!