TheDingo8MyBaby

Wayne has a lot of good points. There seems to be a relatively niche market for people looking for "real" Lotus sevens. It would be great if you could get confirmation from the historic lotus 7 register that the number stamped on your chassis matches the ID Plate on file in the original records. That goes a long way in proving the provenance of your car. Here's a couple of thoughts: ebay/hemmings both have a pretty broad reach and you do see a lot of original lotus sevens on them (or at least cars claiming to be original). I don't see too many sevens actually sell on ebay, though. There are a few consignment options (e.g. fantasy junction, gullwing motor cars, etc), but they charge a premium simplesevens.com is probably the most specialized site for original lotus sevens out there and can list your car for a fee, but probably has a limited reach: people looking specifically for lotus sevens. bring a trailer has a pretty broad reach as well, but most of the sevens on there don't seem to hit market value. a 1964 car should be eligible for many vintage racing organizations, so another thought is to list it through a vintage racing classified site (e.g. victory lane magazine) I'm not saying this website is a bad place to list it as well, but I don't think a lot of people come to this site looking for lotuses. I gave similar perspectives on this thread here: http://www.usa7s.net/vb/showthread.php?11149-7-values-the-BAT-1962-LOTUS-7

Standard Caterham Brakes should be Girling 14LF. They are also the same as the common later triumph spitfire. Measure your pads and compare before purchase. I haven't used performance friction, but I've also heard excellent things about them from a racing perspective: https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=PF044 (or maybe Bruce can beat that deal). I just recently purchased Mintex 1144, but haven't yet installed them. They come recommended across the pond as track day pad that's also good on the street. I purchased here for $60 shipped https://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/p/mintex-racing-brake-pads-mgb533-m1144-for-ford-lancia-vauxhall-triumph-talbot-girling-mgb533-m1144

Teflon tape isn't meant to seal, but instead is a thread lubricant. Are you sure they are NPT fittings? If so, Teflon tape should help (possibly solve the problem), but I prefer loctite 545 which is specifically intended for this purpose. I wouldn't worry about the ground. The threads will shear the teflon and there will be metal to metal contact.

Another Pre-Lit for a good price, in my opinion: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/5830275293.html

Sean - maybe you should have this one built by freestyle as well. I predict it will be ready next year, but if it's anything like your car it will be done very nicely. I just got mine as well and am looking forward to putting it together.

I've been using the iPhone app "BRZO". For $0.99, it's a really nice search interface

The series 4 suspension is completely different than the earlier cars... http://i.imgur.com/pBZ2Rmb.jpg I think you'll need to have some custom fabricated a-arms made up.

I think Steve is describing the upper ball joint found here: (3rd item down) http://www.leechapmanracing.com/lotus7.htm I'm not aware of any adjustable arms for a series 4 7. I have only seen how it is done on a series 2-3 seven with the top link in the photo below: http://i.imgur.com/GBhXFrF.png

Too good to be true? https://austin.craigslist.org/cto/5717861649.html

This one looks to be a deal, especially if the motor is good: http://simplesevens.org/1481/1481.htm Or - if you have the space for 12: http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/news/a29967/heres-your-chance-to-own-a-dozen-caterham-sevens/ I wonder if Mr. Beachman would be up for another mass purchase...

That red S2 was sold on ebay back in May for $22k. It was raced by Bob Roy (according to the ebay ad) of Montreal. I'm not sure the race "history" of the car really adds to the value in this case - especially given the condition and originality of the car at present state.

Dean, So sorry to hear this. From our family to yours, we offer our deepest condolences. Make sure you focus on the positives and the great memories you have and should cherish with her.

I remember when this car was for sale the last time, there was quite a bit of discussion about how beautiful that nose was. Six years later, that still holds true. Beautiful car and good luck with the sale.

I've owned a 1999 Caterham supersprint and now own a 1963 Lotus Super 7, both pretty close in spec. The supersprint was a 1700 crossflow, live axle and wetsump. My 1963 is a 1700 pre-crossflow with a dry sump. The caterham weighed about 200 pounds more, but was a bit more cushy as well. There seems to be a few reasons one buys an original seven over a lower spec'd caterham: 1. One wants to go racing/be eligible for various vintage events 2. One wants a highly original car (or at least some of the attributes of an original car) 3. One cares about the provenance/history of having a real Lotus. 4. One views it as a better investment than a caterham as there are a finite number of "real" lotuses. The buyer of the BAT 7, I assume, will fall in to category 3/4, unless they want to rebuild it into #1/2. It seems there are fewer buyers in category #3 as there are in 1/2/4. Im actually surprised the seller posted the frame number as most seven owners keep this close to the chest. (To prevent copies. Cars are worth more if not in dispute, which is very common with the series 1 cars). As to the question of which one will sell for more - I imagine the BDA powered car would sell for high 20's/low 30's (though it doesn't sound like the seller would let it go for that) while the the BAT car would sell in the mid 20's. I guess we'll find out soon enough with the BAT car. If the BAT car were closer to an original car (correct motor, correct fenders, taillights, etc), I'd say as much if not more than the BDA powered car. In any case, congrats on the TC purchase! Those are fun little cars!

Very nice trailer. I wish I had the space for it myself. Another way to get more exposure is to post on apexspeed.com. Seems like a perfect open trailer for a formula car as well.

I wouldn't read too much into the dust on the tires. There are a lot of factors that can influence this, including tire wear and how level your floor is. Your ride height may be affected by many things - including the lack of passenger weight as you pull into the garage. In order to get the cross weights even, the person cross-weighing the car may have added more ride height to the unloaded slide. In other words - to really know if the setup is correct you would have them corner-weighed and aligned yourself.

I may be a bit biased towards red sevens with flared front wings, but this one just got a $2k price drop: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/5514437869.html To me - it was a pretty good deal at $24k given the nice crossflow spec and uprated brakes. At $22k, I think this is probably one of the better bargains out there. I've never been a big fan of the prisoner wheels, but that is a cheap change. The 4 speed and (I'm assuming) live axle are also demerits, but overall a really nice seven. I wonder if it will sell now.

Thank you. They are Lucas 576. They don't put out much light, but I prefer them to the 7" headlights you typically see. If I ever really drove the car at night I would probably fit something else.

Actually it was only 2 guys, but they worked pretty efficiently. They basically used a 4K camera attached to a slider dolly for the still and pass-by shots. They suction mounted the camera to their FJ for the lead/follow, but they had to use a regular go-pro for attachment to the car due to the lack of window or strong enough bodywork. hey used an inspire 1 for the drone footage, but they had just bought it and it was their first time using it. The camera was controlled by and recorded to the director's iphone which sits atop the inspire 1's controller. It was funny to watch one of them control the drone and another control the camera - all while trying not to crash it. One of my favorite shots is the one from directly overhead. You don't see sevens from that angle very often.

The video was shot in a single day in early November. Due to the shorter day, it was a bit chaotic, but still lots of waiting for setup, etc. I probably only did about 15 minutes of filmed driving. We drove to the morning shoot location at 5:30am, got there at about 6 and filmed statically for the next hour. We then did some footage (flyby's, lead/follow, in-car) in the backroads there. We ate lunch around 11AM, filmed the interview in my garage about 12pm, did the side-by-side shots around 2pm and drove out to the coast for the sunset in the final shots. All the photos can be found here:

I put the brooklands on in april of last year. The one in the video is a genuine brooklands. I also have a fake one that I haven't installed yet for the passenger side. I'm still not 100% sure I like my mirrors, so I'm waiting to figure out what I will do with the mirrors before installing on the passenger side.

Thanks Rahul. It is a series 2, though I find the series 1 the most beautiful. Hope you guys enjoy it!

In the Golden Gate Lotus Club's chapman report: For Sale: 1970 Lotus 7 S4. This is the last genuine (made by Lotus) generation of the iconic 7. This example came with, and retains, a Lotus Twin-Cam engine. The VIN is LS42946TC--chassis numbers reportedly started at LS42650, which would make this the 296th car produced of about 700 made. While not as rare as the Series 1 or maybe the Series 3, the Series 4 is a very rare compared to the series 2 and more real and rare than a Caterham or any of the other pseudo-sevens. The S4 is longer and wider than its predecessors. I am 6'1" and do not fit in the S2/S3 cars, but I don’t have a problem in the S4. There is more leg and foot room too! This car is ready for café runs or to go to Peet's for coffee, as well as for Laguna Seca, or any other track. I did a body-off reconditioning using many new and re-built parts. Many additions for the track, such as driver safety equipment, and a fuel cell and a dry-sump oil system. All track additions are wrench removable and the factory stock items are included in the sale. This carhas wear and tear for sure, but also many improvements, especially for track use. Looking for offers no less than $16K. Many photos available. Con- tact: Stawsh at "Stawsh–at– Corsiglia.net" or (408) 264-6812.

on a kent, the starter is not near the exhaust, so not likely heat related. It would be helpful to know what starter you have fitted to help diagnose. The old Lucas units are unreliable, but the denso based super-starters are actually pretty reliable, so long as a rebuilder hasn't fitted rubbish parts during a rebuild.

Assuming this is a pre-crossflow since you have a series 2, getting the headers to seal is not an easy task. Keep in mind, it is just as important that the flange thickness of the exhaust manifold and intake manifold match since they are both held by the same fastenener and you want an even an even load across them. I've sometimes added shims to either the exhaust or intake side depending on what was leaking to get it to seal properly. It's also important to retorque regularly with the pre-crossflow. -Geoff