My Seven History:

It all started in 1967...........I was living in Bath and was on my third MG Midget ( a stage 3 Downton tuned beast) and as usual we had trundled out to Castle Combe for the evening drink or two along the superfast back roads past Colerne airfield and there it was parked outside one of the pubs - a brand new BRG Lotus 7.  Never seen one before and it looked absolutely wonderful.

Later investigation showed that you could build one of these cars for under a grand (£1000) - actually quite a lot of money considering my last new car was an MG Midget with all the extras at a total cost of £720!!! but.....this was something a bit different AND it was a LOTUS.

Being a tad naive in those days, I asked my local garage to find me a secondhand Lotus 7 and a few weeks later my entry in to the world of Lotus was here. A multi-coloured series 2 "rollerskate" stood on the forecourt and it was mine for the princely sum of £680.   The insurance: "What is the cost for changing from the MG to a Lotus 7?" "You haven't already bought it have you?" "ummmm, yes" "Oh dear, it isn't on the books - it is classed as a road racing car............." The next few days were a roller coaster of smiles and tears,  crikey it was fast but playtime and no fuel gauge meant running out of fuel twice in one day! (Not used to these Italian carbs and a fuel tank with a dipstick)  Bare aluminium, basic seats, a bonnet that had been "adapted" many times in the cars short life to accommodate various engines and carburettor configurations, some idiot had put the speedometer in the wrong place so I was always getting earache from my passengers that I was going too fast J . Where was the comfort of my beautiful MG with its wind up windows and carpet and radio? What on earth had I done?

Ok, I had made my bed etc., first job was to get a suitable fuel gauge and sender from a scrapyard, then make up an external fuel filler. (remembering this is always funny to me - my latest 7 I converted from an exterior filler - as it always was slow to fill - to a "lift the tonneau and pump it straight in" method which I have been using for some 16 years!!!!!). Then some carpet - my clothes were getting black marks from the alloy - not trendy at all. Flashing indicators?  all the rage in the USA and now available in accessory shops. I just had to have some of those. Must be somewhere to fit a radio - yup under the scuttle - can't hear it when I'm playing but it's OK when I park the toy towards the sun and relax.

Right - so now I am a believer. This thing sticks to the road like glue, goes like a scolded cat, keeps a stupid smile on my face and allows me to get away with "murder".  "I am afraid that you will have to move your car which is parked on those newly painted yellow lines" "but surely it is well disguised being yellow and black?" "yes that's true but it is the crowd around it that is causing the obstruction!" (this is where being the shy and introverted bod that I am becomes very painful - loads of onlookers - twin 40's and the Mirylees pratt floods his carbs!!!)   What a fabulous car......................but....beware! they are easily stolen as I found out to my dismay whilst enjoying a party with friends in Bath.  Major panic only to find that my "friends" had lifted  the car and moved it around the corner - B*****ds L

The Pics: RME 696F -  note the added external fuel filler, speedometer moved to drivers side, added flashing indicators, radio etc. (....apologies to the purists but I have never had a "standard" 7 J )  The final shot is the car, not long after its arrival, outside my grandmothers flat with the Royal Crescent in the background.

Click here for the next instalment, click the pics for a larger version.

 

 

 

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