Today is the 17th October 2017, which makes it exactly 60 years… and one day since the original Lotus Seven – now known worldwide as the Caterham – made its world debut at the 1957 Earls Court Motor Show. Happy late birthday, Caterham. You don’t look a day over fifty-five.

What’s more, the Seven is actually more popular right now, in social media-obsessed, Kardashian-blotted, smartphone-riddled 2017 than it ever has been. The Seven might be sixty years (and one day) old, but it’s selling better than ever as it closes in on pension status, while getting ever faster and more sorted to drive.

Caterham’s already taken 600 orders for new Sevens in 2017, beating its previous record – set in 2016 – with two months to spare. What’s more, the retro Seven Sprint, as seen at the 2016 Goodwood Revival, sold out its sixty-strong production run in only seven days. It might look quaint, but it appears there’s no shortage of new folks falling under the Caterham spell.

So, Caterham went back for another piece of the pie this year, creating the Super Sprint racing car. That didn’t take seven days to sell out. Every one was spoken for within seven hours. Not a bad 2017, so far, you’ll agree. Join us in toasting Caterham’s resilience and to sixty more years of fly-spattered teeth and wind-ruffled hair. The simple ideas are the best.