Birkin's Lotus Seven replica: Chapman would approve
Lacking the accoutrements required for road use, this Lotus Seven replica by Birkin has seen track success in southern climes. As Simon de Burton discovers, it has racing DNA in its blood
This track-only Seven copy has arrived in Britain from South Africa, but was made in Australia
Together with the Meyers Manx beach buggy, Colin Chapman’s Lotus Seven must rank among the most imitated of all kit car designs. The best-known Seven replicas (in Europe, at least) are those produced by Caterham and Westfield, but Australia’s Birkin Sportscars has an equally long and illustrious history in the field.
The marque name derives from the fact that Birkin founder John Watson is a direct descendant of the legendary ‘Bentley Boy’ Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin, who was instrumental in the development of the 4½-litre ‘Blower’ Bentley in the 1920s. Watson founded the company in 1982, nine years after Lotus Seven production came to an end.
Watson had long been a fan of the groundbreaking little sports car, so decided to build his own version for sale to likeminded enthusiasts. And his work was clearly up to snuff because, following a high-profile launch held during the 1983 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami – attended by Chapman’s widow Hazel and Lotus F1 team-mates Nigel Mansell and Elio de Angelis (the drivers had a lousy GP) – initial orders for the new car all came from Lotus dealerships.
Birkins have since been sold in large numbers from the firm’s Canberra headquarters, as either completed turnkey vehicles or as kits and, like the Caterham and Westfield variants, are popular both for track and road use.
Our racing companion is the fuel tank
This example on offer with Historics falls exclusively into the former category and has landed in the UK from South Africa (a popular Birkin market) where it has been successfully campaigned in the Lotus Challenge Series, which is organised by the Lotus Register of South Africa.
Offered in full race specification, the car runs a popular and highly tunable Toyota 4A-GE 20-valve engine that is said to have been tweaked to produce 175bhp – which, in a car weighing 540kg dry, is good for a 0-60mph time of around 5sec and a top speed of 120mph.
Having been built for the track, this car relocates the fuel tank to the passenger seat area for better weight distribution and easier access, while other competition mods include fully rose-jointed suspension, uprated wheels and tyres and a limited slip differential as well as competition shock absorbers. It is presented in a Lotus-esque green and yellow livery.
Conspicuously absent, however, is any form of road equipment – but with sprints, auto tests, hillclimbs and circuit races all being within the Birkin’s capability, who needs the highway?
2013 Birkin Sportscars Lotus Seven Replica
On sale with Historics. Auction: Mercedes-Benz World, Weybridge, November 27
No reserve