What do you call your Seven?

[Timothy Keith-Lucas]

" Not all that fast but corners like a scared rabbit."

[Xhilr8n]

For the general public,    “This is a reproduction of a Lotus race car from the time I was born”    (I’m 70)

 

For friends and family “The Little Car” of just “the Seven”

 

 

Edited January 1 by Xhilr8n

[theDreamer]

As previously stated the term “kit car” congers up images of poorly constructed, weird looking fibreglass bodies bolted to old VW “Bug” floor pans and powered by a Vee Dub air cooled boxer four.

To me; Dem is fightin’ words!

First, let us clear up the terminology.

A “Kit Car” is not a complete car. It is usually just a shell and enough needed parts to get someone started on a build. It will require many components to be sourced from suppliers or junk yards.

A “Car Kit” is a complete vehicle that is shipped disassembled. A “Car Kit” is also referred to by the term Compete Knock Down or CKD. General Motors in Oshawa Ontario was known for shipping Chevrolets and Pontiacs to far off places like Australia as CKD automobiles.

In some countries like the UK you can buy a Caterham either as a complete car or in CKD form for the home builder.

However, in places like North America a completed CKD vehicle has to meet all the safety and emission regs as a factory built vehicle for the year of manufacture. Caterham Sevens do not meet these standards and so most “kits” are brought in minus major items, (like the engine) which are then to be sourced in North American.

Another term I loathe is “replica”. The Caterham Seven is not a replica and it never was! It is clearly a continuation of the original Lotus Seven. Many well-known and oft times quoted experts have stated this fact e.g. Chris Rees:

“Lotus would design a new badge for the car. This was necessary because, under the terms of the agreement, Caterham was forbidden from using the Lotus name, mainly due to fears over the product liability position of a car bearing the Lotus name but not produced by Lotus. Caterham could call the car Seven, but not Lotus Seven. An artist at Lotus duly came up with a badge design reminiscent of the traditional Lotus badge but bearing the numeral “7”. As such the subliminal association was with Lotus without actually calling it a Lotus. This badge was fitted to the last of the Lotus S4s as was the Caterham built cars to emphasize the continuity of the model.”

As to the original question:

I have a sign I place on the windscreen under one of the wipers which gives a full description of the make, model, engine, (make, size, BHP) and how this purple beast came to live with us.

If people do not have the time to read the sign they just move on. If they spend the time they always have more questions. I have a binder full of documentation I leave on the boot for anyone to look through.

Funny, I have a lot of young kids run up saying it’s a Lotus Seven and then getting perplexed when the they read the nose badge. I give them the full story and in most cases they stick around to hear me give it to the next group. Yes, many teens as well as adults ask the; how fast will it go question. That’s when I explain Colin’s theorem on power to weight. I end with: The car weighs about 1400lbs and the engine is rated at 218 BHP. You do the math!

[Xhilr8n]

When folks ask “How fast?”    I point out that her garage mate is a track prepped supercharged Elise.  Over 100 track days.  131 top ever and it did not feel fast.  Often a buck and a quarter down through turn 12 at Road Atlanta.  Good fun.

 

The Seven is scary to sane folks at 35 mph.  I have no way to ever know how fast but on paper should beat the Elise in lap times.  The Elise dynoed 225/ton

 

But, I’ve only been to 80 once in the Seven and it felt GOOD.

[IamScotticus]

One of the best Texas registrations one can get with a 25+yo car is the "antique" plate. This allows 5 years between Renewals and no inspections.  Its cheap too.  The caviat is the car cannot be a daily or pleasure driver.  The only permitted road driving is enroute to or from an exhibition like a car show or parade.

I have been thinking that I could qualify for this because everywhere I stop becomes a car show.  Any parking space is an exhibition.  I'm a one car parade, everyone is gawking and taking pictures. 

Should I push my luck with the constabulary?  It wouldn't be an issue if the registration weren't abused, but it is.

Edited January 4 by IamScotticus

[wdb]

I have two cars with antique tags in PA. Rules sound about the same. I drive them when and where I want, the exception being that I don't drive them at night. Knock wood, never had a problem.

[pethier]

On 1/3/2026 at 10:37 PM, IamScotticus said:

One of the best Texas registrations one can get with a 25+yo car is the "antique" plate. This allows 5 years between Renewals and no inspections.  Its cheap too.  The caviat is the car cannot be a daily or pleasure driver.  The only permitted road driving is enroute to or from an exhibition like a car show or parade.

I have been thinking that I could qualify for this because everywhere I stop becomes a car show.  Any parking space is an exhibition.  I'm a one car parade, everyone is gawking and taking pictures. 

Should I push my luck with the constabulary?  It wouldn't be an issue if the registration weren't abused, but it is.

What?  You have to renew every five years?  Collector plates in Minnesota are good forever.  And we cCAN drive Collector cars for pleasure.  One must have a regularly-licensed vehicle.  Driving your collector car to work every day won't skate.  The general idea seems to be that any trip is primarily about the car.  I don't think I'm likely to be tagged for dropping off at Menards for a few nuts and bolts on the way home from a blatt.

 

One bonus to Collector Plates is that if you pony up the extra hundred bucks for a vanity Collector plate, you never have to pay that personalization fee again.  I got my 74PHIL plates (yeah, two plates, even though I am not required to display a front plate) in 2008.  I sold that Caterham to Cape Cod, so the plates stayed with me.  If I sold to a Minnesota buyer, I would have had the rights to insist on keeping the plates if I wanted to, but that would lessen the value of the car since the Minnesota buyer would need to pay plate fees.  When bought a Caterham from Illinois, I paid Minnesota about 218 bucks to register the car with the same plates I'd owned since 2008.  No plate fee.  No personalization fee.  No requirement to buy tabs or replace the plates ever.

 

I recently bought a Birkin.  It was already registered as a Minnesota Collector car with State-issued plate number.  i didn't spring for personalization, so I did not need to pay plate fees.  It did come to me with two plates.  For a collector car you need to ask them for two plates, or they will only issue one.  If I sell the car to a Minnesotan, the plates will go with it, as their number has nothing special about it

 

My Cayman is not a Collector car.  It cost me a bundle to register it after I bought it in Iowa.  I ponied up the hundred bucks for rights to put KMAN 27 on the plate (the decimal point is unofficial) and I will have to pay that personalization fee and a plate fee every seven years.  I need to pay for tabs every year.  I need to display plates both front and rear, which is fine with me, as I want the car to NOT look exactly like a 911 from the front.