Will Nighswonger's 1962 Lotus Seven America
SB1233
California USA

On June 2, 2024, Lotus Seven America 1233 made her debut at the Huntington Beach Concours, winning first in class!

Will Nighswonger here and I am the fourth owner, of 1961 Lotus Seven America 1233; having purchased her from Dann Shively, who purchased her from Greg Larson (see previous history below). Greg did a fine job of resuscitating 1233 after 35 years of storage and early good use by the original owner William Keller. To my fortune, Dann was a good caretaker and didn't keep her long; I made the winning bid.

1233 is my sixth Lotus and second Seven. I went on Bring a Trailer in November 2022 to view the sale of Lotus Elite 1308, which I had previously owned for 46 years. And as I was looking around on the BaT site there was the Lotus Seven America 1233.

Initially I had thought to up grade her with all the usual stuff; disk brakes, 1275 engine, maybe a Datsun 5 speed, but when I got her home, I was really astounded by how original she was; to the point that I went the other direction. . .

I rebuilt the original starter and generator along with the Chronometric tacho, as well as sourcing the correct AC temp gauge. Refinished the steering wheel.

I also reinstalled the mechanical fuel pump, leaving the existing electric pump as an over-ride. While I was at it, I installed a float switch in the fuel tank that sends a low fuel signal to a light on the dash when only 1 gallon remains.

The smooth case transmission was feeling a bit tired and in need of syncros, so I sourced a rebuilt early rib case. Also, the rear end case was dripping at the previously repaired crack. I sourced a reinforced Standard case and decided to up grade the pumpkin from 4:55 to 3:64 to accommodate driving in Southern California; this required changing to the larger diameter axles.

While the French blue paint by the original owner, literally; it was of course was not original and was very rough. This brings up an interesting philosophic question. Concours goal is to achieve "As it left the factory" condition. 1233 left the factory in boxes. . . so is it now to the guys who assembled her? I digress. . . I decided to repaint her BRG. Once I invested in new paint, the level of restoration needed became apparent. Since, I was removing major components for painting and repair anyway, I couldn't resist cleaning and refurbishing as I went.

I tried to remove the worn black paint over the lamiplate, but to no avail; hence the dash and side cards were covered in poppy red vinyl. Carpet and hardura boot matt cleaned up the interior.

Some safety improvements were made including easy fit seat belts and a compact air horn. The period Amco wind wings are a nice touch. The original numbered engine is enjoying the period bonnet air scoop.

Previous owner Greg Larson reports:

I am the second owner of this 1962 Lotus 7A America. It is right hand drive. According to John Watson at the Lotus Seven Registry in the UK., SB1233 was built in August 1961. It was originally polished Aluminum with Yellow nose and wings. It was delivered to Briggs Enterprises in California. As far as I can tell, this company was not related to Briggs Cunningham who was established in SoCal at the time. This car has always been in Southern California.

The original owner was an aerospace engineer. It was his daily driver. It was never a race car. As such, it is a numbers matching car; a statement rarely associated with a Lotus Seven. It still has virtually all of its original parts including 948cc A-series (serial plate on vehicle matches serial plate on engine), smooth case transmission, SU H-1 carburetors, 4 wheel drum brakes, Wood rim steering wheel, 5 gallon gas tank, and so on. It even has the original muffler, although I had it repacked. I also have a straight thru pipe that appears to be never used. I don't know if it came from Lotus or if the original owner had it made. It fits exactly on the same mounting points as the muffler.

I have owned the car for 13 years. When I bought it had been completely disassembled and sitting in the original owner’s garage for approximately 35 years. I have the picture. The blue paint was applied by the original owner except for the right rear wing which was damaged in storage and had to be repaired and repainted.

It has never been in an accident and proudly wears all of the scratches and dings befitting a vehicle that is almost 60 years old.

I had the engine rebuilt to a slightly higher standard by world renown A-Series specialist, David Anton at Advance Performance Technologies in Riverside, California. The transmission was disassembled and inspected by a local British car specialist, Harry Appleby at Viking Motorsports shop in Costa Mesa, California. The seats were reupholstered. I used black piping instead of white because I thought it looked better. The rest of the car was assembled and sorted by myself in my home garage.

I made a few easily reversible upgrades:
- Pertronix Electronic Ignition.
- Denso alternator. I still have the original generator with tachometer drive.
- Electronic tachometer. I still have the original Chronometric mechanical tachometer.
- Gear reduction starter. I still have the original starter.
- Brake master cylinder with correct bore and larger reservoir.
- Clutch master cylinder reservoir extension.
- Updated air filters. There may be one of the originals in the "box".
- Electric fuel pump discreetly mounted in the back of the car with a pressure regulator and filter. The original fuel pump location on the engine has been covered with a crankcase breather plate.
- A section of the Aluminum floor under the passenger seat was replace by a local fab shop. As you will see in the photos. They did an excellent job. I believe the original owner must have stored the battery on the passenger floor because the Aluminum was corroded in that area only.
- The differential housing has never been braced. The original owner applied some brazing on the back of the differential which was seeping oil. I covered it with an epoxy patch about 10 years ago and it hasn't leaked since. You'll see that in the pictures too.

It is driven frequently, every other week when schedule permits. It's a lot of fun to drive in the canyons and along the coast. I have no doubt the new owner will enjoy this car as much as I have for the past 13 years.

I've never seen another one like it. Anywhere.

I have many pictures and a stack of receipts. Of particular importance are the receipts detailing the engine rebuild. Included in the sale are the original parts that are not currently on the car, generator w/tach drive, Chronometric tachometer, and starter. I also have the original convertible top which I kept just in case I needed it as a pattern. It is unusable and gives new meaning to the word "Ragtop".

I posted a walk around video here: https://youtu.be/a4sFkWH1g9U
I posted a cold start video here: https://youtu.be/MuUhmnW5YlA
I posted a short driving video here: https://youtu.be/y9PeL8YLaL4
I posted a longer driving video here: https://youtu.be/U69m3FQv7cQ
I posted a dyno day video here: https://youtu.be/A8EIupT-k0c