Widebody S4 Lotus Seven

[Paul Wilkinson]

Gosh, its been so long since I drove one rather than just owned one.... When I used my white one as a daily driver I could fit my foot under the clutch pedal and stretch my leg out. Not appropriate for round-town traffic but good for the open road. The S4 has a lot more room than some 7's, my Leitch was a nightmare in that regard...

[Kghaas]

Hi Paul,

Nice to see your thread back on track.
Any pics of the rear axle, suspension etc? Is it standard stuff or some trick stuff?

My restauration is going as plannede. Had the car for an MOT for the first time in 10 years! It fail!! On one point only: Hand brake to loose. I will se how i fix it since I have converted to disks...

Car at as it sits today:

[Paul Wilkinson]

Hi!

My rear suspension isn't factory standard but it's 'standard' in that it is a basic 4-link + panhard-rod design. I imagine it was done to stop the axle-tramp inherent in the original design. It isn't particularly well fabricated and it is yet another thing I'll have to go over... I don't have any decent pictures unfortunately. We're getting ready to move house too so I probably won't get under to take decent pics for quite some time!

[Graeme Farr]

I had a Super 907 frame a few years back - and an S4. The S4 had not been driven since 1978 - and when I picked it up was suprised it came with a spare TC engine.

Haven't read the earlier posts but I think the Steels bought the licence to make 50 cars - and bought 50 engines. Those were all Big Valve but the last 50 odd had the earlier small valve engine - they came from Australia unused from the Escort production. Because mine was a 'first 50' it was a "genuine Lotus" one. I think Steels just kept on making them after the 50 and I doubt either them or Lotus really cared.

Good luck with the new car - as your say very ugly! Aghhh..

The McGregor Seven guy from Chch had the moulds for the Super 907 I think.

[Steve Holmes]

OK, call me crazy, but I actually reckon these are good looking cars, and especially this one with the wheel combination it has. They're a fairly typical '70s design, and there was a lot of good stuff to come out of the '70s.

My First S4...

[Paul Wilkinson]

I really like them too. That white one was my daily driver for years while the sensible car sat abandoned in the driveway... I think they were a product of their time and are a great 'time-capsule' of the 70's.

I have a bit of a dilemna at the moment. I think the standard bodywork is there underneath the rear wing of my car. The wing is factory and it is the only car made with one. However it's so ugly I'm seriously thinking about carefully picking it off so the car has a stock rear body. One part of me says it should be left as built while the other part reminds me how much nicer it could look...

[Steve Holmes]

I think if it were mine, I'd have two bodies, and keep the black one with rear wing set aside for one day should you decide to sell it, or if you decide you do like it afterall, and want to fit it again. I guess thats part of the problem with owning a historical car, it might not be to your own tastes, but it is what it is, and to a certain degree, you're just a caretaker, preserving it for the next generation.

I guess I only say that because I also have an interest in pre-1960 historic hot rods and kustom cars, many of which were simply aweful. But they are also historical, and its nice to see them restored or preserved to how they once were.

[Steve Holmes]

Of course, having said that, I also have no idea whats involved in swapping bodies on a Lotus 7. it could well be too big of a job.

[Paul Wilkinson]

The fibreglass tub is essentially the car so I couldn't switch. I could only carefully remove the wing in a way it could be returned later. You are right though and I won't remove it - I'll always be thinking about it though! If I want a standard car I should sell this one to someone who would appreciate it and buy a standard car....

[Steve Holmes]

Its a curious design addition is that wing! I guess there was supposed to be some sort of tie in with the F1 cars? Do you know why it was created? I like that its been done, its different, and, like you say, is quite fitting of the time. Today they'd just add a wing mounted on a couple of alloy struts, but this is pure '70s excess, so its quite cool in its own way.

[Paul Wilkinson]

I don't know why they did it, maybe to match the flared trousers of the time? One story is that it was intended as a racer from the factory. I suppose it would have been a good candidate as the widebodies are capable of carrying a fair bit more rubber. Why you'd want extra grip at the rear of a car that's likely to understeer I don't know.... The black with the pinstriping was obviously to mimic the John Player Special cars of the time. I've actually removed the pinstriping as it had been redone differently from when it was new and some of it was missing, some was asymmetric etc. I might look at replacing it true to how it was from new. I should probably get it going first...

[Paul Wilkinson]

[BWilliams]

Hopefully all shall be revealed soon on your car Paul.

[Paul Wilkinson]

My theory is that someone had a 'good' idea for restyling the back of the car that turned out to look not-so-good and they didn't do it again! By coincidence it ended up a racer all its life and as a result we assume it was built as a racer - how else to explain the spoiler?

It had a bit of notoriety back in the day thanks to Randall Edgell's engine building and Aldas Palubinskas' fast but loose driving. So far I've been told that Murray Biddick owned it before Aldas and of course Aldas traded it to Charlie Conway for a Pantera. Charlie lost interest and parked it up (having switched the Edgell engine for one out of a Brabham). That's where I come in 15-20 years after it was parked.

[nalracer]

Hey Paul, I came across this thread by accident, I am Rex Nalders son, The old man had this car when I was a teenager I am now late 40s. The car was purchased early 80s from a prison officer in Turangi, The old man did some research, and found out that the car was built as a factory show car by Steele bros, was approx 2in wider than stock and was plain black, only one of its kind. Car also handled like it was on rails, as he had suspension strapped down (literally with wide leather straps) he had all the rear spare wheel mount filled, no holes - was raced on wide 13in hotwire mags. Engine was a stock 1600 twin cam (mild work). He took it to wigram and was second fastest car (fastest, 930 turbo porsche) punched it off start, big oil surge, destroyed engine! Jamie aselby(rotorua) rebuilt engine, dry sump, 48 weber side draft carbs(not on exaust side),headers custom built through side of car 1pc, wild cam, built to run at 13:1 comp I think he was also running double valve springs combined with competition alpha romeo pistons .Car was later sold to some clown who was gonna "drag" it in Auckland - he would have owned car approx 3-5yrs and old man is a perfectionist,so car was mint, was also sold on a custom made single axle trailer in mint cond. He then purchased a 1970 Pontiac firebird 455 b/block. Repowered with a 454 LS7 nascar engine, spent a fortune on race specing car, I think he still holds “P” circuit lap record in Tauranga. That car went to Auckland too, and has since disappeared =cheers

[nalracer]

PS, does it still have the soft top with it??

[Paul Wilkinson]

Wow, thanks for that post Rob. It's great to have another piece of the puzzle. I had heard that the engine had been built by a well-known builder in Rotorua before it was sold to Auckland. I was told it was then sold to Murray Biddick who had the engine rebuilt and sold it on to Aldas. This must all have happened pretty quickly though as I am sure I can remember Aldas racing it '85ish at the Pukekohe club circuit. The factory show-car bit fits in with another email I've received from someone who worked in the Steel Brothers operation.
Did the car have its 5-link rear when your Dad had it or was that done later I wonder? How about the tubular front arms? It doesn't have the soft top any more unfortunately, nor does it have the hood bows or the drivers seat. I imagine the hood will be slightly different to standard as it would clip over the wing - it looks like it would have leaked like a sieve at the back! I am trying to track down a standard hood to modify, I know where the hardtop moulds are so that may be an option too.
I don't suppose you've got any pictures of the car from back in the day? I'm also looking for 'proof' it was road registered eg pictures of it with number plates etc as Charlie lost the paperwork.
Thanks again for taking the time to help me out.
Cheers, Paul.

[nalracer]

Hey Paul, yeah car was definitely road registered, dad has photos of it when he raced it at pukekohe hanging on his study wall, I will have to ask him. 1978 seems to ring a bell for year of manufacture?, from memory, the old fella always had trouble with traction with the car, as when he first got it racing it used to axle tramp horrifically leaving dotted lines down the track!! hence the strapping down, but I dont think he actually changed any of the factory running gear. I didnt have my drivers licence when he bought the car, so he must of purchased it 79-80? After the last radical engine build, the car became quite tempremental, and would constantly pop things, so dad got fed up with it, but when it went right was orsome. We got into competitive sailing, and car was left in garage until sold. If you can imagine putting a rubbish can on your head, getting someone to belt the hell out of it with a bat, that is about how loud that thing used to be when riding in it - the induction noise was like a commercial vacuum cleaner !! - cheers, Rob

[Paul Wilkinson]

Sounds like my idea of fun Rob! I think that a lot of work has to go into the standard rear suspension design once the power gets too high, otherwise, as you say, they just get terrible axle tramp. The McCarthy's have got theirs sorted but that car has been developed over a lot of years. One of the owners after your Dad obviously got sick of the whole thing and bunged in a 5-link rear. It's a bit rough if I'm going to be honest and will need to be tidied up and further modified, although the car used to handle fantastically from what I could see.








Charlie also replace the Howires with Simmons V4s and having taken them off today and having seen the spacers and the reduced 'bite' of the wheelnuts, I think I'll be making some mods myself before I drive it!

[nalracer]

yes it used to corner really well, he had it strapped down so tight, the inside wheels would lift off the ground like the v8s today, thats why he went to quite wide rubber to compensate ha ha