Editing Lotus Seven (section)

===Handling===
The highest part of the car is about three feet (900&nbsp;mm) from the road and it has a cloth top and side curtains with plastic back and side windows. The supports for the top and the windshield frame are aluminium. The lower chassis tubes are five inches (127&nbsp;mm) from the road, while the wet-sump, bell housing, and one chassis tube are lower, meaning the centre of gravity is very low.

The front/rear weight distribution is nearly equal and the lack of a boot and small petrol tank assure that it remains fairly constant. It is, however, more front-heavy than more modern high-performance cars.

====Suspension====
In the original Seven, the front lower [[A-arm]] (or "wishbone") of the [[double wishbone]] [[Suspension (vehicle)|suspension]] is traditional, but for the purpose of reducing weight, the upper suspension integrated an anti-roll (anti-sway) bar into a horizontal suspension arm. This approach formed a pseudo-wishbone which was semi-independent in nature. This approach worked well with early cross-ply tyres, but with later radials, the configuration seriously affected its adjustability.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}

For the rear suspension, Lotus originally used a [[live axle]] (or [[solid axle]]). This approach was very cost-effective since most production saloon cars up to the 1980s used these components. A mixture of Ford, [[Standard-Triumph|Standard Motor Company]]<ref> Lotus Seven Owner's manual</ref> and Austin components was used. One disadvantage of live axles is higher [[unsprung weight]], affecting handling and ride on rough surfaces.

====Aerodynamics====
In general, cars with non-optimised [[aerodynamic]]s tend to be free of adverse aerodynamic effects on handling, but the front wheel arches, of all but the Series I, cause lift at high speeds. Like the good straight-line performance, the car's nimble handling is limited in the speed range, and this is not usually important in a car intended for public roads.

While the car's frontal area is small, the Lotus Seven has a [[drag coefficient]] (<math>\scriptstyle C_\mathrm d\,</math>) among the highest of any known production car - ranging from 0.65 to 0.75, depending on the bodywork.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}

Additionally, the clamshell front [[Fender (vehicle)|wings]] develop lift.  This is accentuated by the slight natural lift caused by rotating wheels. Consequently, Sevens have exhibited understeer at high speeds.

====Steering====
The rack and pinion steering provide a minimum of play and friction.