If you enjoy spirited driving in a no-frills classic car delivering big on smiles per mile, there is little doubt that you will have positive feelings towards the evergreen Lotus Seven. However, you’re not the only one to appreciate the iconic Seven, and prices have accordingly been on the rise. So if you want your dream Seven to bear its proper Lotus badge on the nose, you’ll need to dig deep into your pockets. Or will you?
Even steering clear of more modern Caterhams and Westfields, there might just be an alternative: The Lotus Seven S4. Now let’s be totally honest and frank about this. There are probably very few enthusiasts out there who genuinely prefer the last incarnation of the Lotus Seven over the earlier and purer models. But there’s also a price difference and it’s not an insignificant one either!
A quick look at Hagerty’s Valuation Tool reveals the cold truth. Whether you’re dreaming of a Series 1, 2 or 3 of the legendary Seven, you’ll be paying roughly double of what the enthusiast willing to settle for the later Series 4 car will have to part with. Now that’s a significant amount of money. The first and most obvious question is whether the earlier Sevens are even worth all that extra cash? There will of course be differing opinions about this, but maybe it is. Regardless, the next question you’ll have to ask yourself, is whether you actually have that extra money available to you? If you’re budget just won’t stretch quite that far, then fear not, as the S4 is actually a very viable option. Remember the ViaRETRO motto: Any Classic is Better than No Classic. On that note: Any Seven is Better than No Seven!
Initially introduced in 1957, the simplistic Seven represents the very embodiment of the Colin Chapman philosophy. The model underwent constant development by Lotus with the driveline and suspension being improved throughout its lifespan. But the design was largely untouched. However, by the late sixties, sales figures for the Lotus Seven were on a decline. Lotus gave its Seven another update and this time there were significant design changes to be found. The Series 4 – built between 1970 and 1973 – now had a bigger and squarer body, just as it was now all fibreglass in place of the earlier car’s aluminium panels. For the first time ever, this meant decent legroom in a Seven. There were also suspension improvements to be found, and all of this – along with a matrix-heater – made the S4 the most comfortable Seven built. Thus far all seems well. However, the S4 was also heavier which blunted both performance and handling – probably the two main reasons why anyone would buy a Seven in the first place. And then there was the styling, which now had hints of a sporting beach buggy. So in summary, one could be pessimistic and say it was one evolution too far for the Seven.
But in its own right, the S4 is still heaps of fun on a twisty backroad, it’s still pretty rapid (at least up to about 80 mph), and as an added bonus the S4 is quite rare as well with only about 600 cars produced. Furthermore, with every later Caterham or replica Seven of any sort aping the earlier and purer look, you could also argue that by owning a S4, no one will ever doubt that you do in fact own a real Lotus! Surely that’s a good thing. And finally, there’s still that price difference to consider.
All of which leads us to this week’s Prime Find: A 1971 Lotus Seven S4 in its original tangerine orange. It certainly looks the part on the pictures in the advert – helped no doubt by that fabulous early seventies colour and the correct Dunlop alloy wheels. The private seller claims the car is in good condition, and that there are only four owners from new. This Seven even has the highly coveted Lotus twincam engine, which the seller proceeds to explain has been rebuilt along with the gearbox – though he fails to mention when this happened. The advert is short on much more information than this, but with a Lotus badge on the nose, a rebuilt twincam engine under the bonnet, and those fabulous Seven handling characteristics, you don’t really need much more to have a good time.
Here are a few pictures borrowed from the advert:
Tempted? Well, we’ve even saved the best bit for last. All of that – yes, even including the Lotus twincam engine – is up for sale at £ 10.000, currently equating to approximately Euro 11.000. That’s a lot of smiles per mile at a relatively modest outlay. And considering what good 1.600 Lotus twincam engines are worth today, you really wouldn’t be paying much for the complete car which comes with the engine.
It’s for sale in the south of the UK, and if you want a closer look, you’ll need the full advert here: 1971 Lotus Seven S4
With our Saturday instalment of Prime Find of the Week, we’re offering our services to the classic car community, by passing on our favourite classic car for sale from the week that passed. This top-tip might help a first-time-buyer to own his first classic, or it could even be the perfect motivation for a multiple-classic-car-owner to expand his garage with something different. We’ll let us inspire by anything from a cheap project to a stunning concours exotic, and hope that you will do the same.
Just remember – Any Classic is Better than No Classic! We obviously invite our readers to help prospective buyers with your views and maybe even experiences of any given model we feature. Further to that, if you stumble across a classic which you feel we ought to feature as Prime Find of the Week, then please send us a link to primefindoftheweek@viaretro.co.uk