At its 1957 origination, the Lotus 7 was built with a tubular space frame steel chassis, a key component in Colin Chapman's attempts to maximize the car’s power to weight ratio.
- Size comparison - SV on the right
In 2001, Caterham Cars developed the SV (special vehicle) chassis, an expanded frame that accommodated larger drivers, allowing for adjustable seats, improved leg room and increased comfort for both driver and passenger.The new SV frame provides 80mm of additional cockpit length, 110 mm of extra cockpit width. The pedal box is now 55mm wider and 25mm higher; the windscreen and top are both 25mm higher. It is a tubular space frame, with aluminum honeycomb side impact protection and aluminum honeycomb trunk floor rear impact protection.
Super 7 Cars Inc. uses an imported Caterham Super 7 SV left hand drive chassis, manufactured specially for Super 7 Cars Inc. by Arch Motor & Manufacturing Co. in the United Kingdom.
Builders of 7 frames since the original Lotus models, Arch Motor has provided race and rally car components for Caterham, Lotus, Lola, Ford, Brabham, Chevron, Tomita Auto, March, and numerous others.
- SV on the beach
The Super 7 SV is built to accommodate the tallest driver - complementing its track performance, the SV’s increased trunk space and interior climate control make it an ideal high-end vehicle for weekend motoring getaways.