Lotus Super Seven S3

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 The epitome of Colin Chapman’s ‘simplify then add lightness’ design philosophy, the Lotus Seven was designed with one purpose in mind – to deliver a thrilling driving experience at a very modest cost.

Built around a tubular steel spaceframe chassis clothed in lightweight aluminium panels (replaced with cheaper fibreglass in later models), it was powered by a variety of mainly Ford engines ranging from 1.1 to 1.6-litres in capacity. Weighing less than 1,000lbs the 1.6-litre version could sprint to 60mph in just 7 seconds with a top speed of 108mph. However it was the handling that really grabbed everyone’s attention and the Seven could be chucked around a racetrack at truly improbable speeds, leaving far more exotic machinery floundering in its wake.

A cult classic from the day it was launched in 1957, it became immortalised in 1967 when Patrick ‘Number Six’ McGoohan was seen driving a Series 2 model in the enigmatic TV series ‘The Prisoner’. Although Lotus stopped producing the Seven in 1972, demand for the giant slayer remained so strong that the firm of Caterham has continued to build versions of the car to this day.

This 1965 Super Seven S3 was fully restored by its previous Australian owner between 2008 and 2009. As you can see the work has been done to a very high standard and included a full rebuild of the Cortina 1600GT cross-flow engine. The braking system, Triumph suspension, Ford Mexico back axle and Escort 4-speed ‘bullet’ gearbox have also been overhauled as necessary.

The vendor bought the car about two-and-a-half years ago while living in Australia and has recently bought it back to the UK with him. It currently rides on aftermarket alloys with new tyres all round but two spare sets of Rostyle steel wheels are also included, one set refurbished, painted yellow and shod with good tyres, the other set partially refurbed with no tyres. A spare set of Weber carbs is also included along with a Ford Mexico back axle and a louvred aluminium bonnet.

Said to drive as a proper Lotus should, the car certainly fired up promptly and ran beautifully on the occasion of our visit, carrying an MOT valid until August 2015 with tax until next September. At the time of cataloguing the car had yet to be UK registered but the process was underway and should be completed in time for the auction.

Supplied with the aforementioned spares, the Lotus also comes with an original owner’s handbook and sundry bills for the Australian restoration. It is only reluctantly being sold to help fund the renovation of the vendor’s new English property.

PS: This car is now UK registered and taxed as a historic vehicle with the number FNA 412C.