Caterham Seven
Colin Chapman's 1957 idea, kept alive ever since.
The story
When Lotus lost interest in its bare-bones Seven, dealer Graham Nearn bought the rights and carried on building it. With so little weight to move, even a modest engine makes it startlingly fast. The basic shape has never changed.
Inside
Two seats, a flat panel of dials and no doors to speak of. You can touch the road from the driving seat.
In period colours
Tap a colour to respray the drawing.
A Lotus Seven starred in the title sequence of The Prisoner.
On screen
The Prisoner TV, 1967
Number Six storms into London in a Lotus Seven, registration KAR 120C, at the start of every episode.
Meanwhile, in 1973
Britain joined the Common Market, and an oil crisis brought queues at the petrol pumps.
Best-selling single of 1973: Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
Before you buy a 1970s car
- Rust is common in sills, wheel arches, front panels and the bottom of the doors.
- Check the wiring and electrics carefully, as they age badly.
- Many volume-selling cars still have good parts support, but badge-engineered and low-volume models can be harder to source.
General notes, not specific to this model. Check the model's own history before buying.
Rivals of its day
Picked automatically: cars on sale at the same time with similar size, speed and price.
See the real thing
These open in a new tab: the car on Wikimedia Commons, the interior and the badge as Google image searches.