a brief history of the Lotus7

Today’s Caterham Super 7s, with their blend of traditional styling and ultra modern components, trace their lineage to an original 1950s era Colin Chapman design.

Born in London in 1928, Chapman studied structural engineering, earned his pilot's wings with the Royal Air Force, and went on to become one of the great innovators in motorsports design.

A highly successful race driver, Chapman founded Lotus Engineering Ltd. in 1952. Chapman’s vision of light, powerful cars and performance suspension guided much of his development work, and in 1957 Lotus debuted the 7 at the Earl’s Court Motor Show in London.

Entering production soon afterwards, the first Lotus 7s were priced at $1643 and weighed only 725 lbs.; fast and responsive, the Lotus 7 was one of Chapman’s masterworks, an advanced machine that surpassed the earlier Lotus 6 as a vehicle that could perform beautifully on the track and be driven legally on the road. The 7’s basic design was to stand the test of time, continuing in its popularity for the ensuing 50 years.

After its birth in the 1950s, the Lotus 7 continued to be a widely popular sports car for race and hobby drivers. The 7’s evolution continued when, in 1973, Caterham Cars obtained manufacturing rights from Lotus. 7s from then on were dubbed the Super 7 an apt name, as it was becoming clear that the car’s fundamental design was nearly impossible to improve.

After dominating open class races for decades, a one-make championship for Caterhams was introduced in 1986 and has since expanded to include club and competitive races in the United Kingdom, continental Europe, Canada, the United States and Asia. The Super 7’s size was changed only once, when in 1999 Caterham introduced the SV chassis, an expanded tubular frame designed to accommodate a greater range of drivers.