These days, Colin Chapman is probably more famous for the maxim “simplify and add lightness” than he is for founding Lotus and putting that maxim into practice. No car exemplifies the philosophy of lightness at all costs like the Lotus Seven, which is so simple that it was originally sold as a kit—and still is today, under the Caterham brand name.
One anonymous builder took the Seven in a direction Chapman never intended. Under his leadership, Lotus competed in Formula 1, the Indianapolis 500, and all manner of lower-level categories. But it’s unlikely that Chapman ever considered circle-track racing, or stuffing a V8 into the Seven’s lightweight chassis. Someone did, though, building a Seven-style circle track car that recently turned up for sale on Bring a Trailer.
Seven-inspired bodywork is stretched over a tube-frame chassis with an integrated roll cage. The roof is steel but the rest of the body is fiberglass. The overall look is more circle track car than Seven. The 15-inch-wide wheels and hood bulge erase the Lotus’ dainty appearance, as does the rear end, which incorporates push bars, four taillights, and a rear spoiler with a quote from Mad Max: Fury Road. It’s an odd choice for a car set up for running on asphalt, not the dirt that would provide a true Mad Max feel.
If the circle track setup and bulging hood didn’t make the type of engine obvious enough, the “7” emblem in the grille has been replaced with an “8” nested in a “V.” Power comes from a blueprinted 409-cubic-inch (6.7-liter) Chevrolet V8. The engine is fed through a Holley four-barrel carburetor, and drives the rear wheels through a Tremec five-speed manual transmission and Winters quick-change locking differential.
The interior is a bit more dressed up than a typical race car’s. The fixed-back bucket seats have two-tone leather upholstery, and the transmission tunnel and shifter boot are trimmed to match. There’s also a custom dashboard and shift knob finished in gold, which actually goes pretty well with the blue bodywork and white chassis and roll cage.
This car was allegedly built in the 2000s, but deepening the mystery, it has a Lotus identification plate and is titled as a 1974 Lotus Elite. If you’re concerned about having to register a car that is very obviously not a 1974 Lotus Elite, know that the title is from Montana. Or you could just trailer it to a track, which is where this delightful mash-up of two very different cars belongs.