The eagerly awaited Fourth Edition of ‘Magnificent 7: the Enthusiasts' Guide to All Models of Lotus and Caterham Seven, from 1957 to the Present Day’ by Chris Rees is now on sale.
Few cars can claim to have been in continuous production for over 60 years but the Seven – conceived by Colin Chapman of Lotus in 1957 – is the purest sports car ever built and an unchanging constant in the sports car world.
Unchanging? Not quite. In 60 years, it has evolved so much that, in the current Caterham Seven range, not a single component remains from the original Lotus.
In this new book, author Chris Rees details the rich evolution of the Lotus and Caterham Seven from 1957 right up to the current day. Every single variant of the Seven has its own entry in the book, from the very first Ford sidevalve Lotus of 1957 to the latest 2018 Caterham Supersprint.
Added into the new, updated Fourth Edition are details of every version of the Seven produced in the last five years since the third edition, including:
- Iconic Caterham models such as the Sprint, 620R and 160
- Special editions like the Superlight Twenty, Kamui Kobayashi and Donington
- Concept cars such as the AeroSeven
- Prototypes like the C120 (developed alongside the Alpine A110)
- Projects including Caterham karts, motorbikes and bicycles
Over 256 pages, no fewer than 90 distinct versions of the Seven are detailed – that’s one-and-a-half for every year of production. If you want to tell the difference between a 485S and a Superlight R, this book has all the detail you could ever wish for.
Each model listing has the in-depth inside story, plus specifications, production figures and identifying features, as well as driving impressions. Also in the book are essential guides to purchase, tuning and restoration; details of Caterham’s race cars and kit-form cars; a summary of the main engineering developments over the years (including chassis, engine, transmission and suspension); and useful contacts (including the factory, clubs, agents and independent specialists).
