7 FANS` BLAT FOR BIG 50

By Kate Young - Friday, April 20, 2007

David Bateman, left, and Fleur Bateman, with their Caterham 7 car at the Wight Blat 07 rally at Atherfield Bay Holiday Camp. Picture by Laura Holme.

ALMOST 50 Lotus/Caterham 7s converged on the Island last weekend for a special event.
Known as Wight Blat 07, the rally was the brainchild of Northwood-based Alex Moore, who wanted to hold a celebratory event to mark the marque’s half century.
A total of 47 cars came from the Island and mainland, with some driving from as far away as north Wales and the West Country.
Alex said: “When I came up with the idea of an informal rally on the Island, I only expected about ten to 12 people to attend, so I was amazed at the response.
“I was so thrilled people pulled together for a fantastic weekend and I have had lots of positive feedback.”
Most visitors arrived at Atherfield Bay Holiday Camp last Friday night, where they enjoyed a fish and chip dinner and music by She Said. The following day, they assembled for lunch at Arreton Barns and in the evening there was music from the Pete Walkden Roadshow.
Last Sunday saw a drive to the Wight Mouse Inn at Chale for lunch, prior to drivers and their cars leaving for home.
There was only one mishap during the weekend, when a mainland couple broke down in Ventnor.
Their car was recovered and taken back to Atherfield Bay Holiday Camp, where fellow 7s enthusiasts spent the rest of the day fixing it.
Although the couple missed a day’s sightseeing on the Island, they struck it lucky in the raffle. They won the top prize of a RIB ride around The Solent.
The first 7 was built in 1957 by Lotus and was the brainchild of Colin Chapman, who was convinced of the advantages of small lightweight racing cars.
He said the design was something he had dreamed of creating since he was a boy and called it: “a four-wheeled motorbike”.
The first 7s cost £587 and were powered by a 40bhp Ford engine, coupled to a single dry-plate clutch and a three-speed gearbox.
The design proved to be an instant success and in 1958, Graham Hill became the first driver to race the 7.
Over the next decade, the transmission and suspension were improved and power increased to 84bhp.
In 1967, Caterham Cars became the sole distributor and has continued to develop and improve the car.
In 1976, the RAC banned the 7 from racing because it was too fast, so fans developed their own racing championships.
The quickest Caterham, the R500, has a 0-60mph time of 3.4 seconds, a top speed of 146mph and once beat a Yamaha R1 motorbike and several of the world’s fastest cars, including a Lotus, Porsche, TVR, Mitsubishi Evolution and Nissan Skyline, in a comparative track test.

The Lotus 7 Club will be holding a national celebration to mark 50 years of the Lotus/Caterham 7 at Norfolk Showground, near Norwich, on September 14-16.

7 FANS` BLAT FOR BIG 50

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