I'VE wanted to drive a Lotus Seven ever since I first saw Patrick McGoohan racing one down a deserted runway during the opening credits of cult 1960s TV series The Prisoner.
Apparently, McGoohan chose the Seven as he was looking for a suitably 'maverick' motor to match the personality of his character 'Number 6' in the superbly surreal programme: a nameless spy who attempts to resign only to be snatched up by his own side and whisked away to a mysterious, inescapable village for 'deprogramming'.
"We needed a car for our hero – something out of the ordinary, a vehicle to fit his personality," McGoohan explained in 1991.
"The first time I saw the now-familiar KAR 120C, I had that certain feeling. It sort of looked me straight in the eye. I test drove it. This was it. A symbol of all The Prisoner was to represent; standing out from the crowd, quickness and agility, independence and a touch of the rebel."
Happily, I'll soon be able to get a taste of what the late great actor was talking about courtesy of Se7ens Car Hire, a family-run company based in Ballynure who have their very own Caterham Seven Supersport – the modern day descendent of the original Lotus Seven – available to book for a weekend of motoring fun on the open roads around the Causeway coast or Fermanagh lakes.
Visit them online at se7enscarhire.com and look out for a full report on my Caterham Seven adventure in the weeks ahead...
