1963 Lotus 7 S2 (1682) For Sale

[KOnahic]

I have decided its time for someone else to enjoy my 7, so I'm selling it. 

It is actually an '83 that has been reregistered as a '63, vin # SB1682. I bought it this way & don't know the details. 

When I bought it, it was in need of some TLC. I finally restored it, while do some upgrades. 

 

It now has:

   Rebuilt Ford Cross flow engine with:

   Norris Cam

   Weber Carbs

   Dry Sump oiling system, new Oil tank, new Areoquip hoses, remote oil filter & oil cooler

   Pretronix Distributer & Coil

   Dave Bean Aluminum Flywheel with the appropriate clutch & pressure plate

   High torque starter

   Aluminum Radiator & electric fan

   Electric Fuel Pump

   

   Circuit Breakers replaced with a fuse box

   Battery has been relocated with a electrical system master switch

   5) New VTO 15" wheels with 195/45x15 Toyo tires

   Tilton pedal assembly with dual master cylinders

   It has custom fabricated Hiem jointed front upper & lower control arms. This was all done prior to my owning it.

   Replaced all of the hardware in the suspension with the appropriate AN bolts. The rear bushings have been replaced with plastic bushings 

   

   Have the original top & doors, a bikini top

   Some spares; wheel cylinder & caliper rebuild kits, speedo & clutch cables & driveshaft u joints. 

 

   It is a nice car. The hard work has been done, just needs some detail work, new shocks & someone to drive it. 

   I'm asking $25,000, it is located in Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii. I am available to show the car via Facetime if you're interested in looking at it. It will be the buyers responsibility to arrange & pay for the shipping. I will work with you when the time comes, just don't have time to arrange it. I realize that shipping a car my be a concern for most people, but I have shipped 2 cars without any incidents. 

   Here are a couple of links to shipper that regularly serve Hawaii so you can get an idea of what to expect. 

https://www.pashahawaii.com/tools/vehicles/ship-a-car-to-and-from-hawaii

https://htbyb.com/ship-your-vehicle

https://www.hawaiicartransport.com/get-quote.php

   The closest shipping port on this side of the island is in Kawaihae. I would recommend using a container to ship it to the mainland. This way it would be inside during the whole journey. You can have one dropped at my house, from there I would have it loaded onto a flatbed tow truck & transfer it into the container where I would tie it down and screw blocks to the floor to ensure it wouldn't move. I have worked on numerous race car teams & am familiar with securing cars.   

 

   

 

 

 

 

[a4cams]

Hi, I am interested in your 7.  I am new to the forum so not sure how best to contact you.  Can you let me know if its still available and if so the best way to connect?  I would like to see some additional pictures or to take you up on your offer to Facetime.

 

Thanks,

Cameron 

Edited May 24, 2021 by a4cams

[924s]

Was the build date 1983? who built it in 1983?  There was no Lotus 7 build kits left after 1970's

The Lotus Seven S1 was launched in 1957 to replace the Mark VI as the 'entry-level' Lotus model,

The Lotus Seven S2 followed in 1960 and was supplemented by the Lotus Super Seven S2 from 1961.

The Seven S3 was released in 1968.

 In 1970, Lotus radically changed the shape of the car to create the slightly more conventional sized Series 4  , with a squarer fibreglass shell replacing most of the aluminium bodywork. It also offered some luxuries as standard, such as an internal heater matrix.

In 1973, Lotus decided to shed fully its "British tax system"-inspired kit car image. As part of this plan, it sold the rights to the Seven to its only remaining agents Caterham Cars in England

Caterham ran out of the Lotus Series 4 kits in the early 1970s

Lotus only built 2500 cars. Any other cars are continuation Caterhams or other brand replicas.

[Ian7]

Curious, VIN SB1682 would suggest a 1960's series 2, but the 1983 build date suggests some other registration .... shenanigans?

(As you say though, you got it that way ...)

What makes you say "its actually a '83..." ?

 

[coffee break]

The bracing on the dash looks to be S3.

[924s]

150 different companies built Lotus 7 tributes/clones/copies, you just have to figure out who built this one, it doesn't appear from the info that it was one of the 2500 that Lotus built. Is there evidence somewhere that this is one of the 2500 that Lotus built?

[Croc]

Its not a Lotus 7 S2 but thats how someone got it through original US state title and registration in its distant past.  Its very common on all USA-built se7ens and not worth changing now.  Purists may disagree but thats the legacy of different US state governments having individual titling and registration processes for decades.  An owner should not suffer the consequences today of past government ineptitude.    

 

For transparency, it would be good for you if you can narrow down its original manufacturer and year.  There may still be an original chassis number stamped on a chassis tube somewhere in the engine bay/firewall/pedal box area?  If it is a Caterham it is potentially worth more than you are asking

 

To me it looks like an older imperial chassis Caterham S3 in very clean condition or one of the mid-90s classic models

 

1) Does it have a live axle or de dion rear end?  

2) Pedal box design suggests imperial chassis S3

3) Overall condition suggests more recent but it could have been restored at some point I suppose? 

4) Fiberglass bits are relatively new Caterham ones.  

5) Is there an Arch Motors stamp on the upper rear shock mount passenger side?

6) Roll bar does not look Caterham but that could be the angle.  

7) Front suspension is Caterham

8) What very little I can see of the dashboard suggests Caterham. 

 

Notwithstanding the confusion over its origin, it is a very nice looking se7en.  

[KOnahic]

It amazes me that this has created so much dialog about the VIN number. Perhaps I should have been clearer about it in the original posting. This is what I know:

The car is a 1983 Caterham. I have copies of the registration going back as far as 1983, it was changed from a Caterham to a Lotus in 1984 & has been registered like that since then. I didn't ask the guy I bought it from when I bought it how or why he did that, I just accepted it. It was originally registered in California. 

I have sold the car & the new owner is accepting it also & it excited to be getting it.   

[kayentaskier]

Kurt,

Is the 7 staying on the Big Island?

Jim