IN 1957 a true sporting legend was born.

It was not a superfast Italian exotic nor was it a high-appeal, high-performance saloon from a major manufacturer.

No, it was just a simple little lightweight two-seater that inspired the aspiring sports car owner who could not afford anything extreme.

The Lotus Seven was the brainchild of Lotus founder Colin Chapman and it was based on the success of the Lotus MkVI which gained considerable success on the race circuit.

Chapman claimed that he knocked the Seven off in a week, but this seemingly hastily penned little car became an icon

It also became a TV star in later years being the wheels of the famous opening sequence of The Prisoner starring Patrick McGoohan, something which turbocharged this little car's appeal even more.

The formula used for the Seven was simple - performance through low-weight and simplicity. The original was extremely successful with more than 2,500 cars sold and it was king of that middle ground of performance car ownership being road legal and suitable for clubman racing.

It featured a newly designed space frame chassis, rear suspension from the high performance Lotus Eleven, stressed aluminium body panels and Ford hydraulic drum brakes.

Power options included Ford sidevalve, BMC A-Series or later the Coventry Climax engine.

It was the epitome of the hairy British sports car and I remember driving one on track many years ago. This was the most basic Seven and although it was a wow to drive you have to be aware that there was no roll over protection at all at that time. Yes it was scary but what an experience!

Handling was this car's forte, as you would expect from Lotus. Although very light, it stuck to the track like glue and was one of those cars that could improve your driving skills immensely.

The Series 2 followed in 1960 and the Series 3 in 1968.

A British car magazine tested a Seven in 1958. The car was fitted with a tuned Ford 1,172cc engine and clocked up a top speed of 80.4mph with a 0-60 sprint of 16.2 seconds. Later Sevens were much faster and quicker.

Then in 1970 Lotus radically changed the shape of the car to create the much more conventional S4.

However this move did not go down very well because of its more modern looks. But the fact remains that the S4 was very well built and reliable.

It the early days of the Seven Britain was under the burden of the dreaded Purchase Tax which made car ownership expensive. However, Lotus offered its product in kit form to avoid this penalty.

For instance a typical Seven would cost in assembled form £1,157 including taxes of £386. But it could be supplied in component form for £399 plus £100 for an engine and gearbox from Ford and £27 for a BMC rear axle.

But it all came to an end in 1973 when VAT came in and offered no concession.

But the Seven in its S3 form came to an end way before VAT could strangle it with the last model being supplied in 1970. The S4 however was still available in 1973.

Afterwards, Caterham took the reins with its own take on the Seven which became very successful.

So successful that more than 160 companies have offered replicas or Seven-style cars over the years.

Some of these so-called Sevenesques have been attractive, but to me the exciting original with its bike-style mudguards and no weather protection was the best of the lot.