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Lotus 7 differential

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J

JImEgan

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What differential did Chapman use on the 7? I was just watching Victory by Design on Lotus cars and the diff looked like a Triumph unit with inboard disc brakes added.
Jim
 
Look to Ford!
 
Inboard brakes on a 7? Production cars had live axles, from BMC, Standard or Ford, depending on model.

There were a couple of odd track cars like the 3-7 and 7X. The prototype 7 was another odd one, based on the Eleven, with Climax engine and de Dion rear end.
Can't remember for sure which final drive they used for that one, but it might have been a Lotus casing with BMC internals. I'll have to consult my library.
 
Perhaps the Elan diff with inboard disks fitted? I doubt anyone would've used a Triumph chunk as it'd be waaay heavier.

Roger, you'll ferret out an answer, certes. :wink:
 
From what I've been able to dig out, only the Seven Series 2 production cars had Standard-Triumph rear axles, and as I said ealier, they were live axles.
The final drive used in the de Dion cars had BMC nosepiece and internals.
BMC axles were much favoured by special builders back then due to the wide variety of ratios available, the same basic axle being used in a wide range of production vehicles.
 
Saw a Climax engined 7 at a local car show a month ago, never thought to ask the guy what diff it had under there. I was too enamored of the front-end bits. :jester:
 
Let me look at that episode again. I must have gotten the model # wrong.
Jim
 
I believe the car in the show was the Prototype which had the DeDion and 4 wheel disc brakes with the rears being in-board.
Series One production cars had drum brakes all around and a live rear axle out of the Austin/Nash Metropolitan

Series Two had the rear ends from the Standard Ten

Series 3 cars had the Ford rear end from the Escort Mexico
 
It was one of three made with the DeDion suspension and when I looked closely it is not a triumph diff. I am looking to put inboard rear disks on my TR GT6 and since I don't like to re-invent the wheel,I was hoping that was available. Oh well.

Jim
 
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