Yahoo Autos At $20,000, Is This 1964 ‘Lotus Seven’ An Insanely Good Deal?
In the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita, Vishnu announces, “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” With its V8 engine, today’s Nice Price or No Dice Lotus Seven-style roadster fully embodies that apocryphal Mantra. Let’s see how destructive buying it would be to one’s bank account.
Not only did last Friday’s $4,300 1992 Olds Cutlass Supreme convertible hail from the arcade game era, but its 88 percent Nice Price win pie chart looked remarkably like Pac-Man. That made for a nice way to close out the week.
Video arcades are not as popular today as they once were. That’s probably owed to home gaming being vastly more mature in the modern era, letting players enjoy immersive adventures on the sports pitch, battlefield, or even the race track. Of course, no matter how good a video game might be, it’s a pale comparison to the visceral excitement the real-world activities offer.
This (quote) 1964 Lotus Seven (unquote) looks like it would be a barrel of monkeys to drive, and as well as though those monkeys might rip off your limbs and eat your face with your eyeballs as the amuse-bouche.
That implication is owed to the 4.0-liter 1UZ-FE Lexus V8 around which the light-bodied roadster has been wrapped. That means somewhere around 250 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque in a car that weighs little more than a yet-to-be-snotted tissue. The engine is paired with a six-speed Mazda manual driving the rear wheels, and while the car has been fitted with Wilwood brakes, there are no electronic nannies to rein it in when it’s about to bite.
According to the seller, that makes this a street-legal race car, although they recommend changing out the tires for something with more tread if the road will be its primary prowling grounds.
Aside from there being one massive external exhaust on each side of the Seven’s narrow body, there’s nothing externally to warn about the impending doom foretold by what lurks in the car’s coffin-shaped nose. Everything else about the car appears Seven-simple, right down to the cycle fenders in front and the flat glass windscreen. The simple cabin rocks Porsche seats, which look comically big in the little car and barely duck under the roll bar. A Momo steering wheel on a quick disconnect sits before the left throne.
As hinted, this is a home-built car; hence, while it has a clean title, it’s listed as a “Replica” under Oregon law. It has lights, mirrors, and seatbelts, so it can be legally driven on the road. The track, however, is probably where this car would be most happy.
Mileage is listed as 925 and the car doesn’t look overly beat-on, although, being an amalgamation of donated used parts, some wear and tear is evident.
Overall, though, it looks pretty amazing with the hood vents, dual exhausts and sweet multi-piece Aodhan 17-inch wheels piling on the Lotus Seven’s near-perfect aesthetic. Of course, this is a true hair shirt of a car, and its tiny size contrasting with an excess of grunt along with it having no provision for inclement weather means it’s not a daily driver contender unless that daily drive is on the track.
As a street car, then, it’s going to be more of a weekend warrior and appears to be a turn-key candidate for that role. The car apparently sold on Bring A Trailer (full of money) not that long ago but is now offered on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace—and maybe elsewhere. The asking price is a flat $20,000.
That’s a lot of cash for a toy, but it’s safe to say that such a beast could not be easily replicated for such money. And for the right individual, it could prove to be the perfect plaything.
What’s your take on this crazy car and that $20,000 price tag? Is that a reasonable asking for so unreasonable a car? Or would you simply not toy with it at such a cost?
You decide!
Bend, Oregon, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to RevUnlimiter. for the hookup!
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