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Additional Details:
(VIN: MVIN208619IND),
black with aluminium accented body, 5-spd. manual trans, 1,750 original
1-owner miles, Chassis # SPS0007.
We are proud to offer
this 2001 Superformance S1 for sale. This car has 1,750 original
miles and is registered as a 1965 Lotus Super 7
in the State of Indiana - meaning it is 50-state legal and exempt from
all DOT emissions requirements. The car is #7 of a total
production
run of 56 cars. The car was manufactured by hand in South Africa
on the same assembly line that presently makes the Noble sports car
(which retails for nearly $100,000). This is not a “kit car” in
the traditional sense in that the car arrives in the U.S. fully
assembled except
for the engine and transmission, which were both professionally
installed at Dynamic Motorsports - the Superformance dealer where the
car was purchased.
The Superformance S-1
roadster is a modern rendition of the 1960's Lotus Super 7. The
S-1 was specifically conceived to accommodate
a larger bodied driver - up to a 6 foot 4-inch, 250-pound frame, a feat
that few Lotus 7 replicas could accomplish. Apart from the
increased
interior size, the S-1 has several useful and beneficial features,
such as a weatherproof soft top, hard sided doors with plexiglass
windows,
adjustable foot pedals, a heated front windscreen, primitive
interior heating, and a 5 cubic-foot lockable trunk. The front
suspension uses
double A-arms, while the rear uses a solid axle controlled by a
"Mumford link," with bel-crank operated coil-over shocks. The
S-1s are
generally powered by a version of Ford's 2.0L Zetec inline-4 cyl.
engine, and are usually naturally aspirated, although a few supercharged
examples were produced. A type-9 Ford 5-speed manual transmission
is usually installed. The production run of the S-1 ended in March
2004, after a total of 56 cars had been built.
As befits a sports
roadster with a classic heritage, the carbon fiber dashboard features
full VDO analog instrumentation - an oil pressure
gauge and tachometer are in front of the driver, with center dash
mounted white-on-black speedometer / odometer and smaller gauges
indicating oil and coolant temperature, a fuel gauge and an analog
clock. Yellow and red warning lights indicating low oil pressure
and
ignition status, as well as toggle switches for the headlights and the
rear fog light are mounted behind the steering wheel. A lockable
glove
box completes the dash layout. The headlight dimmer switch, horn,
and turn indicator switch are dash-mounted and a small center console
houses a variety of toggle switches to operate the windshield wiper and
washer, hazard lights, air blower fan, and windshield defroster.
So why is the S-1 a
better Lotus 7? Let's start with the tube frame, which is made of
square tubing and is very rigid. Superformance wanted
to make a light car (less than 1,400 lbs. with the engine and
transmission), but they also wanted it to be strong. The body
work is a very high
quality Carbon-Kevlar reinforced fiberglass & aluminum, with very
tight seams (better then one sees on many production cars)! The
suspension
is very well engineered with more ways to adjust the front end then
anything short of a pure open-wheeled race car. The rear
suspension is
a solid rear axle located by a sophisticated Mumford link system that
keeps the weight and center of gravity very low in the car.
Furthermore,
Superformance was also very detail oriented: the oil sump is protected
by a Carbon-Kevlar sump cover, and the entire under tray of the car
is clad in aluminum with a fiberglass rear diffuser that integrates
beautifully into the rear body work. The interior floor is
covered in diamond
plate aluminium, and car also has a good sized trunk (5 cubic feet -
bigger than a Miata), with a solid locking cover. There is also a
lockable
glove box, fresh air ventilation & heat with a two speed fan, and a
windscreen with an electronic defroster. There is also an area
for a radio,
although I can't imagine wanting or being able to hear the radio while
driving this car! On top of all this the S-1 Super 7 has hard
doors with
sliding plexiglass windows that slide up and down, as well as a top
that is so well engineered that it can be used as a t-top or stored in
a bag
in the trunk. The doors can also be removed for the ultimate
open-air motoring experience (they also fit in the trunk). The
interior has a carbon
fiber dash with gauges for oil pressure, tach, oil temp, water temp,
speedo, and a clock. The removable steering wheel is 10 inches in
diameter.
The seats are very comfortable and have very supportive 4-point Willans
harnesses. The interior is well finished with aluminium and carbon
accents throughout. The seats do not move in the S1, but the
pedals are on a carriage and they move with the turn of a large
aluminum knob
under the dash. The car looks very aggressive in it's 2-tone
black and titanium paint, chromed headlights and exterior carbon fibre
accents.
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS:
Chassis: Lightweight squared
tubular steel space-frame with integral rollover protection.
Body: Hand crafted in
aluminum-alloy body with Fiberglass/Carbon/Kevlar reinforced panels.
Front Suspension: Double wishbone
control arms with caster and kingpin angle adjustment, optimized for
roll-center height control. Billet machined aluminum-alloy
uprights with independent camber adjustment. Adjustable coil-over
damper units. As the S1 is intended for road and competition use,
the innovative design allows for independent camber, castor and
king-pin angle adjustment similar to modern Formula One cars, using a
unique two-part billet machined aluminum upright. Front-to-rear
roll center height and spring/damper rates are designed to give weight
transfer to the rear during cornering. This eliminates the need
for anti-roll bars and a limited slip differential.
Rear Suspension: Live axle located
with four trailing arms and state-of-the-art Mumford linkage, giving
optimum roll center control. Rising rate bell-crank linkage with
adjustable coil-over damper units. The compact suspension package
much improves rear trunk space with enhanced handling, performance, and
ride comfort. The Mumford link is used to get the best handling
and ride characteristics with the live rear axle. This link
controls the lateral movement of the axle and has the distinct
advantage of offering the best available roll center height control,
keeping the roll center at optimal height, irrespective of the rear
axle load. A four link system controls longitudinal movement and
is designed to give optimum anti-dive, anti-squat and roll-steer
control. To minimize the negative effect of high unsprung weight
associated with live rear axles, a rising rate bell-crank system is
used to actuate the coil-over dampers, which effectively increases the
suspension stiffness as the rear axle load increases.
Steering: Rack and pinion
steering (non-power assisted). The S1's steering geometry is
designed to minimize bump-steer while giving sufficient Ackermann angle
compensation in tight turns. A non-assisted steering rack with
three turns lock to lock gives the S1 a 27 ft. turning radius with very
little effort - ideal for city traffic, auto cross, and the racetrack.
Pedal Box: Rake adjustable
pendulum pedal set incorporating brake balance bar.
Front Brakes: Ventilated discs with
lightweight Wilwood 4-piston calipers. Dual Wilwood master
cylinders with brake bias adjustment.
Rear Brakes: Solid discs with
Wilwood 4-piston calipers. Wilwood spot caliper hand brake.
Transmission: Ford Type-9
Five-speed close ratio short throw manual gearbox. Superformance
cast aluminum bell housing, aluminium McLoed flywheel for quick
spin-up, solid rear axle, 3.91-1 open rear axle.
Aerodynamics: Aerodynamic features
include a raked and curved front windshield and a closed under tray
incorporating a Kevlar sump guard with downforce generating hot air
extraction and rear defuser.
Weather Protection: The removable side
screen doors minimize wind buffeting and downward opening windows
control air flow into the cockpit when the soft top is up. The
soft top is completely weather proof and when not in use, can be stowed
in the lockable trunk.
DIMENSIONS
AND CAPACITIES:
Fuel Capacity: 10.6 gal / 40 L
Dry Weight: 1,430 lb / 650 kg
Gross Vehicle Weight: 1,980 lb / 900 kg
Length: 128 in / 3.250 m
Width: 68.5 in / 1.740 m
Height: 40.6 in / 1.030 m
Luggage Volume: 49.44 cu. ft. / 1,400
L
ENGINES,
WHEELS, TIRES:
Engine: EVO3 160 bhp Ford
DOHC 16V 2.0L "Snakebit" Zetec engine with Pectel closed loop lambda
engine management, Piper fast road cams and an Eprom upgrade, milled /
ported / polished Focus cylinder head with valve work, Superformance
JetHot coated ceramic equal-length header & black side
exhaust. Weber LP7000 Webcon Alpha Gold multi-throttle fuel
injection.
Rims: 7.0J15 alloy wheels
fitted with 195/50VR front and 205/50 VR tires rear
Tires: Bridgestone Potenza
S-03 Pole Position
HP / Torque: 140 hp. @ 6,000 rpm.
/ 128 lb.-ft. torque @ 5,500 rpm. (redline is 7,100 rpm.)
Acceleration 0 - 60
mph: 4.5 seconds
Top Speed: 125 mph
Fuel Consumption: 38 mpg @ 60 mph
Braking 60 - 0 mph: 2.7 seconds
Picks:
Vehicle is literally like new inside and out, barely driven, never on
the track, no dents or body flaws other than an extremely
small amount of touched up rock pecks on the lower nose, no
curbed rims, always garaged, coms with all purchase and build
records
and documentation, a turn-key track
terror and very fin street car, nothing else to
reasonably fault.
Numerical Condition Evaluation:
(1 denotes Very Poor / Item needs replacement, 10 denotes Excellent / Showroom New)
PAINT: 9.5
BODY: 10
CONV. TOP: 10
RIMS: 10
TIRES: 9.5
WINDSHIELD / GLASS: 10
LEATHER: 10
INT. CARPETING: N/A
SERVICE RECORDS / OWNERSHIP HISTORY: 10
*Vehicle is located at BMI - more
information or photographs are available upon on request. While every
reasonable effort has been made
to ensure the accuracy of the above data,
mistakes regarding hp ratings, options, etc. can be made. I have also
done my best to be very
honest and very critical about the cosmetic
and mechanical condition of this vehicle. Of course, it is not possible
to pick-up on every single
detail or flaw. Please keep expectations
realistic as this is a pre-owned vehicle, and I have personally found
blemishes on brand new
undriven vehicles. If you are an
exceptionally detailed oriented person, please contact me to verify any
information directly, and I will do my
best to specifically photograph anything you
request and to answer any of your questions to the best of my ability.
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