Lotus 7 Test Drive
William & Virginia from Autocourse exiting the Concorso on Friday |
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Kimberly joins Glenn (you can tell by his smile he's already taken it for a spin) |
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In July I was contacted by the California Caterham Seven dealer and offered a test drive during the Vintage Car weekend in Monterey. William & Virginia from Autocourse were going to display their demo car in Carmel at the Concorso Italiano. On Friday we saw the car, but never met the dealers to finalize the test drive until we were walking back to our car and saw the Seven stuck in traffic. We agreed to meet Saturday between 2 and 4 in Marina, about 2 miles from the Laguna Seca racetrack. The test-drive car is a ’99 DeDion rear suspension model with a 135 horsepower 2.0 liter Zetec engine and a 5-speed gearbox. You can see it for sale at the Autocourse web site. We'd like to thank William & Virginia for the opportunity to test drive the car.
On Saturday, my wife, stepson, our pet schnauzer, and I met up with William & Virginia at a park by the ocean in Marina. As we walked up a very tall man got in the car with William for a test drive. I chatted with Virginia for 10 minutes until the Seven returned. William got out and introduced himself. He told me to hop in, then asked which family member was going to join me first. My eleven-year old stepson Alex got in the passenger seat and I squeezed into the driver’s seat. It was very snug and if you’re any larger than I am I can’t imagine the car being comfortable. I had a hard time actually getting the standard shoulder belt buckled because the fit was so tight between my thigh and the center console. A four-point harness would actually be easier to get in and out of for someone as wide as I am. The foot box was also very tight but with my running shoes on I had no problem with the pedals. They are just what you’d expect to find in an open wheel racer. You certainly don’t have to move your feet very far to brake and the pedals were perfectly staggered for heal-and-toe driving. If the snug fit and low slung seating weren’t a give away that the car was sporting then the steering wheel let you know. It was a removable grand prix style 7" wheel.
Kimberly snapped some pictures as William explained how the indicators worked (a toggle switch on the dashboard) then we were off. I pulled away and we exited Dunes Drive toward Hwy. 1. Once we entered the highway ramp I pushed the cars through the first 3 gears. The acceleration was great for a road car with the exhaust noise and low seating giving the feel of an open wheel racer. We cruised up Hwy. 1 for a few miles to the next exit. The steering is incredibly responsive at speed with very little input needed to change lanes. I think the steering was probably less than 360° from lock-to-lock. Unfortunately the only chance we really had to experience the braking and cornering was blasting on and off the exit ramps. We turned around at the exit and headed back towards Marina. Needless to say Alex had a great time and gave the Caterham his highest praise, "it was really cool car, we should get it".
Alex climbed out and Kimberly walked towards the car. After checking with William on the proper technique for sitting in the Seven she joined me. Kimberly is at least an inch taller than me and she found the car comfortable with plenty of room for her legs. She had no problem getting her seat belt buckled unlike Mr. Wide Body. Her initial impression was positive and we headed out for a spin. This time I exited Hwy. 1 and took the Seven down some back roads to get a better feel for the car. I was surprised at how well it handled the railroad tracks and potholes. After blasting around for 10 minutes we headed back towards Marina to hand over the car again. Kimberly enjoyed the ride and gave the Seven her seal of approval.
The Seven lived up to all my expectations as far as feel and performance. I was glad to get an opportunity to see how I fit into the car and how much heat/noise it generated. Other than the narrow cockpit I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Seven could probably be driven on the street everyday. Well if you’re willing to "suffer" a little bit at least. I have no problem picturing myself driving the car over the Santa Cruz Mtns. on Hwy. 9 to work every day.