Lotus Seven replica quiz
Discussion
A club of Lotus Seven replicas accidentally came by when we were visiting another event in the Netherlands.
In the meantime, all three are identified by you with a bit of help from the Lotus Seven club in Holland.
Solved: a very early Donkervoort. The S7 built from 1978 to 1984 (had a 1.6 liter Ford engine).
solved: Definitely a Caterham
Solved: Sylva Striker from 1991
Thanks!
In the meantime, all three are identified by you with a bit of help from the Lotus Seven club in Holland.
Solved: a very early Donkervoort. The S7 built from 1978 to 1984 (had a 1.6 liter Ford engine).
solved: Definitely a Caterham
Solved: Sylva Striker from 1991
Thanks!
Edited by JagJob on Thursday 24th June 19:27
Edited by JagJob on Thursday 31st March 11:49
The first one is not a pre lit Westie. The bonnet line is too high, the rear arches are not right and that funny fillet at the bottom of the screen is not Westfield. The rake of the screen is also not consistent with an early Westfield.
I think it is an early Donkervoort.
They had flared rear arches and often used Revolution wheels.
I think it is an early Donkervoort.
They had flared rear arches and often used Revolution wheels.
Pat H said:
The first one is not a pre lit Westie. The bonnet line is too high, the rear arches are not right and that funny fillet at the bottom of the screen is not Westfield. The rake of the screen is also not consistent with an early Westfield.
I think it is an early Donkervoort.
They had flared rear arches and often used Revolution wheels.
Also has a triangle support frame for the windscreen, which I don't think Westfield did. I think it is an early Donkervoort.
They had flared rear arches and often used Revolution wheels.
MX7 said:
Also has a triangle support frame for the windscreen, which I don't think Westfield did.
I had an early aluminium bodied Westfield back in the mid 1980s, which did have a triangulated screen frame. The later plastic bodied pre-lit Westfield Sevens did without the triangulated frame, though many were retro-fitted.I'll post a pic of my old Westie when I get home.
The Westfield was (from the outside) pretty much indistinguishable from a S3 Lotus Seven. The most notable features being the lower Lotus bonnet line and the Lotus style nose cone without the flat bottom lip for the number plate.
Also had sharply radiused rear arches, rather than the later more rounded Caterham style.
I now have a 1977 Caterham, which has a few differences from the current offering. Again, I'll post a couple of pics later so that you can compare the cars.
Pat H said:
MX7 said:
Also has a triangle support frame for the windscreen, which I don't think Westfield did.
I had an early aluminium bodied Westfield back in the mid 1980s, which did have a triangulated screen frame.
I know that mine, which must be about an '87/'88, has that ugly, and almost useless, lump of an ally bar.
Pat H said:
I'll post a couple of pics later so that you can compare the cars.
Ok, here are the three Sevens that I have owned.
The first is a 1985 aluminium bodied pre-lit Westfield.
This is my current Seven. It is a very early Caterham, a 1977 Seven S3.
The last pic is a Caterham Seven that I built back in 1999.
As you can see, it is very difficult to see the differences between the Westfield and the 1977 Caterham. From twenty paces, only the tall roll bar on the Westfield gives the game away.
If you can look in the cockpit, it is much easier, as the Westfield will have a Midget handbrake on the side of the tranny tunnel, which will have a flat top.
A genuine Lotus or Caterham will have the handbrake under the bulkhead in the passenger footwell. I am talking about live axle cars, btw, as the later Caterhams have the handbrake on the top of the tunnel.
More recent Caterhams have more rounded edges to the rear wings and the headlamps stick up even more than ever.
The first is a 1985 aluminium bodied pre-lit Westfield.
This is my current Seven. It is a very early Caterham, a 1977 Seven S3.
The last pic is a Caterham Seven that I built back in 1999.
As you can see, it is very difficult to see the differences between the Westfield and the 1977 Caterham. From twenty paces, only the tall roll bar on the Westfield gives the game away.
If you can look in the cockpit, it is much easier, as the Westfield will have a Midget handbrake on the side of the tranny tunnel, which will have a flat top.
A genuine Lotus or Caterham will have the handbrake under the bulkhead in the passenger footwell. I am talking about live axle cars, btw, as the later Caterhams have the handbrake on the top of the tunnel.
More recent Caterhams have more rounded edges to the rear wings and the headlamps stick up even more than ever.
Pat H said:
Ok, here are the three Sevens that I have owned.
The first is a 1985 aluminium bodied pre-lit Westfield.
It does look much more like a 7 than their later offerings, and has the triangle windscreen supports!The first is a 1985 aluminium bodied pre-lit Westfield.
Pat H said:
This is my current Seven. It is a very early Caterham, a 1977 Seven S3.
Very nice. Even though my first experience of a 7 was a S4, I can't understand why they thought it looked better than the S3. Pat H said:
The last pic is a Caterham Seven that I built back in 1999.
Fantastic looking.Pat H said:
As you can see, it is very difficult to see the differences between the Westfield and the 1977 Caterham. From twenty paces, only the tall roll bar on the Westfield gives the game away.
Yea, the pre-lit really was very close. Nice Capri btw.
Thanks.
ewenm said:
I've been flicking through Donkervoort pics on Google Images and, of the older ones I can find, the biggest difference is the angle of the leading edge of the rear wheel arch - your pic has a steeply angled arch, and I can't find a match for that.
It might be that the builder did that to make it more 'individual', or they dropped the body so they filed off the broken bits!Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff