Was the Lotus 7 built originally as a road car or a racing car?
GN: It was always both. It was originally a very light road/race car. It was a car which could be driven on the road, to the circuit, and raced with very little modification. DJ: When did it first appear? GN: The original Lotus 7 came out in 1957. So, the car has been continuously in production for 35 years now. DJ: Were you with the company when it was launched? GN: No, I was the first ever Lotus agent. I started in 1959. I fell in love with the car then. I was a young man then. It was a two-seater open car that would do anything you could want a two-seater open car to do. You could go away in it for the weekend or you could race it. You could maintain it very easily. I ended up buying the rights to manufacture it in 1973. DJ: How didMcGoohan choose the car for use in The Prisoner? GN: I’ve heard this from Patrick himself He was looking for an individual car – something that portrayed this idea of freedom. The word he used was maverick, which I think describes it quite well; something
