| Based
on © Kit
Car Magazine, June 2003:
Sevens:
Lotus-inspired kits are eye-catchers
on the track and down the street
Original text by Darrel Arment
Colin Chapman produced the first
of his Lotus Sevens in 1957, and
much to the world's surprise, that
basic car has remained in production
for the past 46 years in one form
or another. The Lotus' engine, drivetrain,
chassis, and suspension have all
seen multiple upgrades over the years,
while the body has retained much
of its original look. However, the
really neat part is that through
all the changes, the Seven is still
very much what the original concept
was all those years ago. That concept,
simply put, is to give the club racer
and enthusiast an economical way
to be actively involved in the hobby.
To accomplish this, the Seven was
designed as a small, lightweight
package that could be pushed to high
speeds by a relatively small powerplant,
and to keep costs down, most were
sold in kit form. Of course, all
the frills were left off; weather
protection was rudimentary at best,
and power options were nonexistent,
but none of this did anything to
quell its following.
So successful was this basic, no-nonsense
Lotus formula that, by 1995, there
was something like 29 imitators worldwide,
all vying for the Seven market (On The
SuperSeven Links Page you can
find more than 85!). Like the original
Lotus version, most can be purchased
in kit, component, or turnkey attire,
and the weight-to-power ratio ranges
from the quick range to downright
scary.
And that's where our story begins
- there, and at the track. The look-alikes
we saw at last year's Run And Gun
all share the basic Seven size and
shape but take drastically different
approaches to getting the car down
the road.
The World Class Motorsports Ultralite
is statistically the fastest of the
bunch (based on results from the
'02 Run And Gun), capable of putting
down numbers that make your average
big-block really sit up and take
notice. This one comes to us from
Lancaster, Texas, where Brian and
Jerre Anderson operate World Class
Motorsports.
This car was built in their shop
and is a shining example of just
what a customer can expect when dealing
with them. On the surface, the car
looks much like the other two, but
when you pop open the bonnet, the
entire world is changed.
Tucked neatly into the engine compartment
is a bone-stock '02 Honda S2000 2L
engine backed by a close-ratio Honda
six-speed transmission. That doesn't
sound too exotic until you stop to
realize that this thing is cranking
out something like 240 hp and 1571b-ft
of torque while only pushing 1,240
pounds of vehicle weight. This thing
is a real wolf in sheep's clothing,
and it's capable of surreptitiously
eating snakes for dinner. It is capable
of 11.87 e.t. quarter-mile times
at 122 mph and can achieve a blistering
top speed of 144 mph. Best of all,
it seems to do it effortlessly.
Sevens possess a low center of gravity
and a wide stance, so each of them
handles extremely well. The amount
of available acceleration and braking
varies with the sophistication of
the elements used in the buildup
and the WCM Ultralite finished price
ranges from $22,750 to $29,000.
Like everything
automotive, speed, power, and the
number of accessories available
to you are dictated by the amount
of time, effort, and hard cash
you are willing to invest. In the
end, when all the wrenches are
turned, the paint applied, and
that final tune put to the engine,
they all share one overwhelming
characteristic, and that is the
fact that Sevens are a pure blast
to drive. KC
© 2003-2006,
Kit Car Magazine
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