The Lotus 907 was an original design, dual overhead cam, 16 valve all alloy powerplant. It displaced 1973 cc and developed approximately with dual sidedraft Dell'Orto carburetors. Nicknamed "The Torqueless Wonder" for it's lack of bottom end but good high end horsepower.

It is said that when Vauxhall unveiled its new slant-four engine at the 1966 Earls Court Motor Show its bore centers were exactly the same as those proposed by Lotus. Colin Chapman immediately negotiated a deal with Vauxhall to buy some of their cast-iron blocks so that development of Lotus’ own aluminum cylinder head could be sped up to produce the 907 engine.

The Lotus 907 was the first production variant of the Lotus 900 series engine.

Jensen-Healey

The Jensen-Healey was the first production car to receive the Lotus 907.

Lotus Espirit

The original Lotus Esprit was fitted with a 907 engine. Developments to this engine resulted in the subsequent type 910, 912 and the V8 type 918

Problems

Oil leakage was commonplace in the first few years of production, though the problem was eventually addressed by aftermarket cam cover gaskets made from reusable rubber.