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One family has lived life off-road for decades in the U.S.
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Films:
This Lotus Super Seven Adds Lightness
To be a bit pedantic CKDs were different from kit cars. for example numerous rootes group cars such as imps were exported to numerous countries such as here in New Zealand where they were assembled = Complete Knock Down. I think the kit car term is a slightly different concept. Great car though, got to be the ultimate driving experience or close to.
it’s certainly not “.. just a cheap sports car ..” its a cheap effective sports car that many, many owners use as an entry to club motorsports. In each era it continues to be VERY effective on track – as well as riotous fun on-road. Thats the genius!
anyhow – this guy needs to keep more revs on the tach. and enjoy the DDC lighting down-shifts so the we can enjoy more aural thrills from the barking Webers 🙂
Looks familiar as I have a 1962 Super 7, ex-SCCA national car with a 1500 punched out and converted for the road so I can vouch for the smiles per mile. Once in the car, it’s only a few feet of driving that brings on the smiles and whether city or country driving everyone always loves the car plus the fun factor of being right hand drive. Great video and awesome car, I’ll never get rid of mine.
@ GS, that is true! But it is called a “Donkervoort”. An impressive little car http://www.donkervoort.com/nl/
Lotus 7’s were also originally sold primarily in the UK as ‘ kit cars ‘ [ if you can call them that ] for the same reasons . Avoiding gobs of taxes VAT licensing fees etc along with saving Lotus a bundle in the process . To this day Catermam 7’s are still available worldwide but especially in the US in ‘ kit ‘ form as well [ Caterham purchased the rights to manufacture the 7 when Chapman misguidedly decided the car had reached the end of its sales ]
As for the Lotus 7 ? My initial introduction came from ;
” I am not a number … I am a man ” .. which to this day has influenced my very being to the core … Mr Lange will know of what I speak … 😉
[ ” The Prisoner ” TV series for those of you too young to remember … worth a watch … it’ll teach y’all something about genuine individuality … read the book ” The Prisoner Handbook ” and you’ll understand it was not just a TV script …. but the deeply imbedded philosophy of everyone involved in the series from the producers / writers right on up to the star of the series Patrick McGoohan . Genuine and authentic individuality . A very rare and all but extinct commodity these days. Suffice it to say genuine individuality does not come out of a checkbook ]
But honestly … if you want the most advanced 7 available today you’ll need to look over towards the continent and Holland … and the absolutely insane race winning , Supercar destroying … Donvervoort .
PS; And to end on a fun note . LEGO has just announced a Lotus 7 kit for later this year ! From seeing the prototype it looks like a real winner .. not to mention a soon to be addition to my bookshelves .. LEGO and 7’s .. doesn’t get much better than that in my never ever so humble opinion
Mr Lange ; DVD’s , Netflix . Hulu etc .. give it a watch .. its some of the best TV your country has ever offered . No … I’ll take that back … its some of the best and most meaningful TV ever … regardless
FYI ; I am for better or worse old enough to of watched the series when it finally made it here in the US in the 60’s * … bought the full DVD set once it was available … and its on biannual rotation at my household lest either of us ever forget the wisdom/message imparted by the series . Fact is …. like Huxley’s ” Brave New World ” … Robert Hughes ” The Culture of Complaint ” etc … it is more relevant today than its ever been .
But … avoid the contemporary remake like the plague .. its a farce on the best of days
And err .. Mr Lange .. apologies for assuming you and I were closer in age … no insult intended . For the record without giving away the game .. I’m a mid boomer … sigh ..
* I was a weird kid . Reading Hesse .. watching ” The Prisoner ” listening to Firesign Theater / Jefferson Airplane when I probably should of been reading things a bit more appropriate for my young age then .
