By Tim Odell
For some songs, the remix/cover eclipses the original. Such is the case with the Lotus Seven. Lotus produced the original series from 1957 to 1972, selling about 2500 units. Since then, Caterham took over production of near-complete kits. As the Caterham kits proved too expensive for some, the “Locost” and “Locust” came to be, as well as other kits. Today’s example is an “S1 clone”, and it’s not clear if they mean it is an S1 clone of the original Seven (from noted clone/replicar maker Superperformance) or just a clone of the S1.
Simply put, the looks are a bit off. The tapered fuselage and curved windshield might offer some aerodynamic advantages over the original shape, but they end up more on the fiberglass-kit-car-ordered-from-the-back-of-Motor-Trend end of the spectrum than continuation classic.
All that said, with a Buy-it-Now of $8,500 (and presumably a reserve a little lower), this might still be a great bargain. For that price, you get a Toyota 3TC motor good for mid-high double digits hp with the T50 transmission and rear axle that accompanied it in its original late-70s/early-80s Toyota donor. Unless constructed of depleted uranium, the chassis weighs next to nothing, so that Toyota drivetrain could still deliver a great driving experience for the price…so long as the conversation doesn’t shift to used Miata prices.
“1967” Lotus Seven Clone – eBay Motors