From the drop down navigation, select Profile, then click on the areas shown in the screenshot below to change either your Profile (avatar) or Cover Photo. 

Profile Photo (avatar)

Your Profile Photo may not exceed 500kb and must be square.  At time of upload, you will be given a chance to click and drag handles to adjust the portion of the image that will be displayed. 

Cover Photo

Your Cover Photo may not exceed 1mb and is displayed as a short, wide image.  After upload, you are given the opportunity to reposition the visible portion by clicking and dragging the image vertically.  You may reposition the Cover Photo in the future by clicking on the Cover Photo button, then selecting Reposition Photo.  Visitors to your Profile page may view the hidden portions of your Cover Photo by clicking on the image.

The screenshot below shows a completed profile page with both Profile and Cover Photos.

How do I insert an image from my device to my post?

You can either drag the image file to the bottom of the editor box, or click choose files from that same location and find the image on your device. Uploaded images are limited to no more than 20MB.  You may upload multiple images per post, but please try to limit this to no more than 5 images to aid readability and keep page length in check.

How do I insert an image or embed a video hosted elsewhere?

Simply get the URL of the image or video and paste it in the editor box.  The software will automatically embed it.  Images must be hosted on a secure site (URL starts with https not http.)  Special note for users of Microsoft’s Edge browser: The January 2020 release of Edge will by default paste the image or video title rather than the URL address. The workaround to this behavior is to right click > Paste as > Plain text.

Why does my photo appear upside down on the forum but right-side up elsewhere?

Short answer is because your phone was upside down when you took the picture. Your phone logs meta data in the photo indicating which direction you intended as up.  Unfortunately, this information isn't always transferred correctly when a photo is uploaded or emailed, and further, some source systems simply don't know how to read the orientation data.  To fix this open your photo in your editing software of choice and rotate the photo at least one full revolution, then save and upload it to the forum.  This works most of the time. If your photo is the exception, a quick hack is to use the Snipping tool in Windows to take a screenshot of the photo while it is right side up, then save and upload this new image to the forum.  How do I take a photo with my phone right side up? In portrait mode, the lens should be at the top of the phone.  In landscape mode, the lens should be at the upper left corner.

Why does my .HEIC image appear in a post as a download?

Apple's .heic format is unsupported by many forum software packages, including this one.  As a result, they come through as attachments which people must download rather than simply view inline within the post.  More recent iPhones will automatically convert an .heic to a .jpeg when either uploading it to the forum via a browser or sending it via email.  However, it appears that Macs and older iPhones do not perform this conversion and require you to first resave the picture as a jpeg.  As a courtesy to other members, if you have attempted to attach an .heic image, please resave it as a jpeg and then insert it into your post.

How do I quote a single post?

Simply click on the word Quote below the post you wish to quote (do not click the Plus sign to its left).  That post will then appear in a light blue box within the editor box at the bottom of the page.  If you only wish to only quote part of a post, you can click inside the blue box and remove the unwanted portion.  Next, type your reply in the white section of the editor box. immediately below the quoted blue section.

How do I quote multiple posts?

Click on the Plus symbol next to the word Quote below each of the posts you wish to quote.  Once you all the posts are selected, click on the little window that appears in the lower right of the page that shows the number of posts you have quoted.  Each quoted post will then appear in their own blue boxes within the editor box at the bottom of the page.  Follow the instructions for editing the quotes and posting your response explained in How do I quote a single post?  in the FAQ question immediately above this one.

How do I preview my post before submitting it?

Simply click on the last icon in the editor box (shown circled in red below)

How do I edit my post?

Click the ellipse in the upper right hand corner of your post (shown circled in red below), then select Edit. Make your changes then click the Edit Topic button.   Posts can only be edited within the first 24 hours after submission.  If you are past that window and really, really, really need to make an edit, please open a Support Request for assistance.

How do I delete my post?

Deletion can only be performed by an Administrator, however, you can edit your post within the first 24 hours and remove the content.  If there is a reason this is not sufficient, please open a Support Request for further assistance.

Why do some threads have a star next to the title and others have a circle?

The star indicates it's a thread you are following, while a circle indicates it's one you are not.  Clicking either the star or the circle will take you to the first unread post in the thread.

How do I Private Message (PM) someone?

This are four ways to initiate a PM:  

1. Click the envelope icon at the top right of any page, then Compose New button.
2. From a thread, click their username or avatar to access their profile page, then click the Message button at the bottom middle of their cover photo.
3. If you don't want to leave a thread you are currently reading, rather than click on their username or avatar, simply hover the cursor over either one.  This will generate a popup window with summary profile information.  Click on Message in lower left corner of popup
4. Go to your inbox and click the Compose New button. 

How do I access my Inbox for Private Messages (PM)?

Click the envelope icon at the top right of any page to open the preview window for your inbox.  At the bottom of that preview window click on Go to inbox.

Why can’t I send a Private Message (PM)?

If you are unable to send a PM, either your inbox or the Inbox of the person you are trying to reach is full.  When attempting to send a PM to a user whose Inbox is full, you will see an error message in red text under the To field stating "<user> cannot receive messages."  If, however, you click Send and nothing happens, then your Inbox is likely full.  To check, look for the fill bar at the upper right corner of your Inbox.  If it shows you still have space, then please open a support ticket.  If it shows you are at 100% as per the screenshot below, you will need to delete messages from your Inbox.  Inbox storage limits are 50 messages for Registered Users, and 500 messages for Paid Club Members.

How do I find my gallery or the gallery of another member?

The fastest way to do this is to go to the user's Profile page.  This will default to the Activity tab which shows their most recent posts and content updates.  Click the Albums tab next to it and that members albums and gallery images will appear below.  To access a specific album, click on either the album title or an image from that album.

Then select Notification Settings under Other Settings.

And finally under Followed Content select the Email checkbox if you wish to receive your notifications via email, or Notification List if you prefer to hear a sound or have your browser alert you.

The final step to receive notifications when someone posts to a topic is to follow the topic.  This can be done automatically for all topics you create or reply to by checking the appropriate box under Automatically follow content in the screen above.  Alternatively, you can choose to follow specific topics when you create a topic or reply to an existing topic using the Follow topic slider at the bottom left of the editor box where you type your post.

All Activity Stream

The All Activity stream which is available in the activity menu by default, will give you a rundown of all activity on the forum. You can view this in either a condensed view (one line per item) or the default expanded view you see in the screenshot below.  Note: all other streams are set to Condensed view by default, but you can change this by clicking the Expand button. The forum will remember your last selection for each stream.

Custom Activity Streams

Within the default menu structure, under the Activity menu item, you will see a My Activity Streams option. Here you will see all default activity streams, and also the ability to create your own stream (on a per user basis).

When selecting Create New Stream, you will be presented with the filters you wish to use for your new stream. Here a new stream is created for a specific forum on the site. Note you can select the cog icon at the side of any content type to select specific items under that content type. In this instance, a specific forum.

Any new streams that are created, are then shown under the My Activity Streams menu, beneath the default set of streams.

Editing Existing Streams

When viewing any existing streams, you will see a set of filters at the top of the page, which you can change to your liking. Changing these will change the data shown in real time. There may be times where you wish to save a small change to an existing stream. Rather than creating one from scratch. After making an edit to any of the filters, you will see a save button, which will then allow you to create a new stream from your changes.

• Access to Club Member forum where the club's future is discussed
• Access to Club-sponsored events
• Increased user limits

Then to Notification Settings

Then click into each category of content to change the individual settings.  In the example below, Mentions & My Content is selected and expanded.  The checkboxes on the left determine if you receive a notification by email and/or the Notification List (the bell icon at the top of the page.)  When enabled, the number of current Notification List items is displayed in a green bubble next to the bell.  To view those notifications, click on the bell, then on a notification to go directly to that piece of content.  To play a sound when a notification is received via the Notification List, click on the checkbox on the bottom left of the Notification Settings page.  

Email notifications will be sent to the email address shown at the bottom right of that page.  If you don't receive these emails, please check your junk folder and add USA7sClub@gmail.com to your safe senders list and/or Contacts to ensure these mails route to your inbox.

Important note: when you receive a Notification Email and wish to respond to the forum member who sent you a Private Message or @mentioned you in a post, do not reply to the email.  That will go to the Admin, not the intended recipient.  Instead, click on the blue button in the mail that takes you to either the message or post. 

Reading List

Dennis Ortenburger, Legend of Lotus Seven

LEGEND OF LOTUS SEVEN: Dennis Ortenburger: 9780850454116: Amazon.com: Books

Dennis Ortenburger, Lotus Seven & the Independents

Lotus Seven & the Independents: Ortenburger, Dennis: 9781902351124: Amazon.com: Books

Chris Rees; The Magnificent 7: The Enthusiasts Guide to All Models of Lotus and Caterham

The Magnificent 7: The Enthusiasts Guide to All Models of Lotus and Caterham: Rees, Chris: 9780992665111: Amazon.com: Books

The Magnificent 7 (2nd Edition): The enthusiasts' guide to all models of Lotus and Caterham Seven: Rees, Chris: 9781844254101: Amazon.com: Books

The Magnificent 7 (3rd Edition): The enthusiasts' guide to all models of Lotus and Caterham 7

https://a.co/d/1JA5hxU

The Magnificent 7 (4th Edition): The enthusiasts' guide to all models of Lotus and Caterham 7

https://a.co/d/8cTcqM3

Caterham Sevens, The Unofficial Story of a Unique British Supercar

https://a.co/d/g6XlAg3

Chris Gibbs; Build Your Own Sports Car: On a Budget

Build Your Own Sports Car: On a Budget: Gibbs, Mr. Chris: 9781844253913: Amazon.com: Books

Rob Hawkins; Lotus Seven Replicas & Caterham 7: 1973 to 2013 (The Essential Buyer's Guide)

Lotus Seven Replicas & Caterham 7: 1973 to 2013 (The Essential Buyer's Guide): Hawkins, Rob: 9781845844868: Amazon.com: Books

Lotus Seven Replicas & Caterham 7: 1973-2013: The Essential Buyer's Guide (Essential Buyer's Guide) (Paperback) - Common: By (author) Rob Hawkins: 0884931749029: Amazon.com: Books

Tony Weale; Lotus Seven: Preparation, Restoration and Maintenance

Lotus Seven: Preparation, Restoration and Maintenance.: Weale, Tony: 9781855321533: Amazon.com: Books

R. Clarke; Lotus Seven, 1957-1980

Lotus Seven, 1957-1980: Clarke, R.: 9780907073130: Amazon.com: Books

Lotus & Caterham Seven, Gold Portfolio, 1957 to 1989

Caterham Super Seven: Maintenance and Restoration Book (British Cars Maintenance and Restoration Books)

CATERHAM SUPER SEVEN: MAINTENANCE AND RESTORATION BOOK (British cars Maintenance and Restoration books): Designs, Oxyger's: 9798581915806: Amazon.com: Books

Caterham Seven 1974 to 1999, Brooklands Road Test Portfolio

https://a.co/d/9gVJDCI

Caterham Seven 2000 to 2010, Brooklands Road Test Portfolio

No Amazon link available

Monty Watkins, Ian Stent & Peter Filby, The Kit Car Collection Series: Performance Roadsters, The Enthusiast's Guide to Cars Inspired By the Classic Lotus Seven

 https://a.co/d/0by2uNA

Michael Eddenden; Why Build a Seven?  Putting a Sports Car on the Road

Why build a Seven? Putting a sports car on the road, a personal record.: Eddenden, Michael: 9780557543984: Amazon.com: Books

John Aston; Driven: An Elegy to Cars, Roads & Motorsport

Amazon.com: DRIVEN: An Elegy to Cars, Roads & Motorsport eBook: Aston, John: Kindle Store

Gary Brizendine, The Lotus Seven Inspired Sports Car Series 

Book 1 - Introduction, Basic Chassis, Steering and Pedal Box

Amazon.com: The Lotus Seven Inspired Sports Car Series Book 1 - Introduction, Basic Chassis, Steering and Pedal Box eBook: Brizendine, Gary: Kindle Store

Book 2 - Front and Rear Suspension Installation

Amazon.com: The Lotus Seven Inspired Sports Car Series Book 2 - Front and Rear Suspension Installation eBook: Brizendine, Gary: Kindle Store

Book 3 - Accessories, Wiring and Lighting, Gearbox and Driveshaft

The Lotus Seven Inspired Sports Car Series Book 3 - Accessories, Wiring and Lighting, Gearbox and Driveshaft, Brizendine, Gary, eBook - Amazon.com

Book 4 - Engine Installation

Amazon.com: The Lotus Seven Inspired Sports Car Series Book 4 - Engine Installation eBook: Brizendine, Gary: Kindle Store

Book 5 - Completing and Racing Your Lotus Seven Inspired Sports Car

The Lotus Seven Inspired Sports Car Series Book 5 - Completing and Racing Your Lotus Seven Inspired Sports Car, Brizendine, Gary, eBook - Amazon.com

Chris Rees; Caterham Sevens: The Official Story of a Unique British Sportscar

Caterham Sevens The Official Story of a Unique British Sportscar by Chris Rees published by Motor Racing Publications Ltd (1995): Amazon.com: Books (His original book)

Jeremy Coulter; Lotus Seven: Collector’s Guide

Lotus Seven: Collector's Guide (A collector's guide) by Jeremy Coulter (1995-10-24): Jeremy Coulter: Amazon.com: Books

John Tipler; Lotus & Caterham Seven: Racers for the Road

Lotus and Caterham Seven: Racers for the Road (Crowood AutoClassic): Tipler, John: 9781852238582: Amazon.com: Books

Paul Robinshaw & Jeremy Bouckley; Westfield, The Story: A Pictorial Review and Enthusiast’s Guide

Westfield, the Story: A Pictorial Review and Enthusiast's Guide: Robinshaw, Paul, Bouckley, Jeremy: 9780952808633: Amazon.com: Books

Keith Tanner,  How to Build a Cheap Sports Car

How to Build a Cheap Sports Car (Motorbooks Workshop): Tanner, Keith: 9780760322871: Amazon.com: Books

Chris Goodrich, Roadster; How (And Especially Why) a Mechanical Novice Built a Sports Car from a Kit

https://a.co/d/8HjNxFG

And a call out for long time Lotus 7 owner and Lotus enthusiast Ross Robbins with his two books on road trips:

Highways, Byways and Racetracks - Adventures on Asphalt (2018)

https://www.amazon.com/Highways-Byways-Racetracks-Road-Trip/dp/1984949594/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=ross+Robbins&qid=1614899266&sr=8-1

Road Trip!: Chasing Blue Skies on Roads that Go Forever

https://www.amazon.com/Road-Trip-Chasing-skies-forever/dp/0615771971/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1614899266&sr=8-2

From the Community Map homepage, click the Add Location button.  On the next screen, enter your zip code in the text box, then select your location from the results box that opens immediately below.  If the results box does not appear after 1-2 seconds, it cannot resolve your zip code.  If this happens, enter your city, county, and state/province instead. 

Next, click on your Map Marker,  This is the symbol that identifies your location on the map.  A small popup window will open that includes your User Name, and the Location and Se7en make you entered in your Forum Profile.  Click Read More, then Marker Actions then Edit.  You may now enter any information about yourself or your car that you want displayed on your Map Marker profile page.  Others may access this profile page by clicking Read More on your map marker.

Privacy: To protect your privacy, please do not enter your street address.  Although the system will hide your house number from others, it will show your street name, which is not recommended.  Entering just your city, or one nearby, is sufficient for the purposes of the map. 

Editing your location

Click on your Map Marker, then Read More, then Marker Actions then Edit.  You may then make changes to your location or map profile page.

Using the Map

Clicking on a Map Marker will open a popup window for that member.  From the popup window you may access their Map Marker Profile Page by clicking Read More, or access their Forum Profile Page by clicking their User Name. 

In the lobby area was an original Lotus 7 on loan from the Nearn family (no photo sorry). There was also a bare CSR chassis to see how it differs to a regular Seven chassis. There was also the new Monaco Seven model. Inside was red carpet trim – not necessarily my cup of tea when it comes to style but I appreciate the effort to keep the designs fresh.

Out back in the warehouse was where they keep the jewels. There were more Sevens in one spot than I had seen in my entire life. We think it is an achievement in the US when we get 10-15 Sevens at a major meeting. Not having been to 7-7-07, I clearly missed a major meeting but even so, the garage below was impressive:

My guide was David Ridley, Caterham’s International Development Manager, who showed me the various models, features of the entire range – something we just don’t see with our smaller Seven market in the US. I was able to sit, study, admire, drool and generally be a nuisance while checking things out. It was intriguing to see the CSR with its inboard front suspension, IRS and curvy dash:

I was also able to discuss David’s plans for the Caterham Drive Experience coming to the USA in 2011 (hopefully?).

While I was there, a proud owner brought in his new Seven race car (I think it was an Academy). Just to show that the English have a well developed sense of humor, the Caterham sales guys were calling it the fried egg car – as it was a yellow and white color scheme (white body, yellow nose cone, cycle wings, and rear wings).

To fill in time while I was there on the weekend, I had arranged to join a full day session of the Caterham Circuit Experience at Silverstone Circuit. These are a fairly big event held regularly in the UK. Other variations on the theme are the Caterham Drive Experience (an auto-x/slalom style of event) and the Caterham Drift Experience.

The format for the day is to turn up at 8am, wake up with coffee and breakfast and have a 30 min briefing on the circuit, safety factors, and generally how the day will progress. Then you are turned loose on the circuit with your instructor who takes you on an initial 3 lap demonstration to point which way the track runs, the basic layout, the racing lines and give you some basics on safety protocols (i.e. when to overtake, etc). It worked out that I shared a car with 2 other guys in the morning and in the afternoon it was sharing with just 1 other guy. You ended up with roughly 3 x 15-20 min sessions in the morning and after lunch another 3 x 20 min sessions all driven with the instructor next to you coaching you by intercom. The final element of the day was the instructor taking you out to show you how a Seven can really handle in the hands of a pro instead of a ham fisted hacker (like me!).

Some of you know that I had a large incident on a track many years back and lost confidence so I figured this was my way to get back in the saddle gently and regain some confidence.

The cars were a mix of S3 and SV chassis. The engines were Sigma 150 which are Ford 1.6L 150 FWHP standard engines matched up with the Caterham 6 speed gearbox and no LSD. Standard seats and interior with 4 pt harnesses and an FIA roll bar. From my scrutiny they looked completely stock other than no ignition key and the speedo was deactivated (so no telling how fast you were going). Tires were the standard Avon SV3 road going tires with full tread – lots of squealing.

The Caterham crew was quite large. Six cars were there of which we were using four. There were 4 instructors, a coordinator, and two mechanics all led by “Sudsy” as chief instructor.

We were using Silverstone’s south circuit (i.e. the southern end of the F1 circuit). The National circuit had a race meeting on and Stowe was being used by a Drive a Formula Ford for a day program.

South Circuit is the top half of the circuit in this aerial image of the full complex

 We shared the south circuit with Silverstone’s own drive experience program where you turn up and pay your money to drive a Lamborghini, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Audi R8 or Lotus Exige for a few laps and then get taken around by a pro. There was also an R300-400 Caterham Seven running around with an insanely crazy talented driver scaring the hell out of paying passengers. It is an amazing facility dedicated to driving. The South circuit was nicely challenging – a nice mix of flat out corners and slow tights turns. Abbey into Farm was my favorite although intellectually the hardest was Stowe – much faster than you would expect from an initial drive. Despite the lack of power the Sevens were extremely competitive with the exotics as the straights were not too long and so it was only Hangar straight where a small power advantage came into play. The R300/400 seemed to obliterate anything else on the track – no straight line power disadvantage was apparent. Naturally the exotics could not beat the Sevens for general handling and braking nimbleness.

The instructors were all professionals. Mine for the day was Bradley Ellis who has carved out an impressive list of racing achievements in a relatively short space of time.   His you-tube video of hanging the tail out of a Porsche Cayenne medic car at the British Touring Car Championship Silverstone race meet:

Initial drive session started off just circulating the course in 5th gear to simplify learning. Later sessions introduced more gears, later braking, etc. Despite being initially underwhelmed by the 1.6L engine, I was proved wrong. It was a wonderfully tractable little unit that revved freely up to 7000rpm and sounded great going down the straight. Speeds were not that high – I was seeing 7000rpm briefly in 5th gear at the end of Hangar Straight, before dabbing the brakes into Stowe corner. Later, Sudsy said that was about 110mph. Interestingly Brad was doing about the same in his demo laps. The only criticism I could make was that these cars had a small throttle opening jerkiness that made it sometimes difficult to feed power in gently plus the different pedal heights made it difficult for me to heel and toe. This was not just me as other participants made the same observations. Practice makes the problem go away as the pros did not have the same problem.

The role of the instructor is critical – to push you at times to go harder and hold you back when you are being a little too wild. Brad was excellent at pushing me harder all the time - he knew exactly my issue and how to make me overcome them. For example, there was a Audi R8 V10 that was pretty slow around corners that I ended up being strongly encouraged to overtake going down Hangar Straight as the Audi V10 started to hit stride - a drag race I assumed I could not win. Not only did I find I could keep pace up to about 100mph, I ended up passing the Audi as he started to brake at the end of Hangar Straight. As for the little wild, Silverstone has a 2 spins and you are out policy – something I was not prepared to test. However, Sudsy had a group of Eastern Europeans to instruct and from appearances they had never driven a car with a steering wheel before. If coming around a fast corner to find a Seven mid racing line facing you after it spun is unnerving then think about Sudsy in the passenger seat of the spun car thinking how do I control this student! Sudsy was heard to utter later in the afternoon “I thought I was going to die today.” Fair assessment based on what I saw from that group.

The SV model I started with in the morning was retired by 11am with cooling issues – a small leak in the radiator allowed the remaining coolant to boil itself into froth. This was the only breakdown of the day. Bonnets did not come up on any of the other cars that I saw. Pretty impressive for cars that were being thrashed all day on a circuit. Spare car coming up:

Overall, I thought it was a great day. By the end of the day I was feeling respectably fast again - able to keep up and pass many of the exotic road cars and the other Circuit Experience Sevens circulating. I certainly felt more confident and secure in my abilities and know what I need to work on going forward – I can see that my transition from braking to acceleration was not smooth enough and needs working on, I struggled finding the right gears at times (I kept on being confused by the 6 spd gear layout compared to my 5 spd T-9) plus I could see that I was sometimes misjudging the entry by apexing too early. The width of a F1 circuit is staggering compared to any other circuit I have been on – many of the corners were flat out accelerating in a Seven. Even Village corner which felt relatively slow was still a 70mph corner(so I was told).  Here is a Caterham midway through Stowe corner:

(Apologies for grainy pics - I only had a pocket camera and I was a fair distance away.)

Aside from my failings, the day is an impressive showcasing of the abilities of a Caterham Seven. All prospective Se7en owners should consider a day like this if it is available as it is only in this environment that you truly understand what giant killing cars Se7ens are. These days are not cheap and will never be when you consider we had a car provided, fuel, tires, full professional instruction, pit mechanic backup, spare cars, and un-crowded circuit hire for a whole day. When you consider the cost of a regular track day, the cost of this Circuit Experience was within proportion given the extra inclusions. Even if it was not a Seven event, having the professional coaching was worth it for me to correct old bad habits and help me find a groove.

From my earlier discussions with David Ridley and from the Caterham Circuit Experience team, some cars have been set up for shipping to the US to kick off the drive experience program to be operated with the assistance of a US motor sporting organization. This is different to what I went through as the drive experience focuses on auto-x style slalom driving around cones. They seem to be looking closely at the New York metro area for now. They are aiming for an announcement in early 2011.

I stopped by the Lotus Seven Club to check out the cars. Not many there, probably due to my timing and the unfortunate weather.

A nicely cared for classic seven with lovely patina – good to see the owner enjoys it.

This was a good looking car. I liked the red half hood touch.

Unfortunately I did not get a chance to chat to any of the owners as they were trying to escape to beat the rain.

Here is the Tiger seven Club. I don’t think these come to the US but they looked well put together:

Next stand down was the MK Indy group. These are imported via a Florida dealer – I think there was some interest lately. The yellow one had a Honda bike engine installed. The cars on display clearly had a lot of attention from their owners during construction. I thought they looked good.

Westfield made an appearance. I was a little disappointed by the sparseness of participation – they looked a little forlorn in the field by themselves with their friends:

While not a seven, it was still a Westfield – XTR. I found this example to be a really nice looking car with the Martini livery.

The largest kit car group was the Robin Hood Seven contingent - now known as Great Britain Sportscars (GBS).   Probably around 50 cars, they exhibited the good and bad influences of their owners:

I found this interesting with the 2.8L V6. I think this was the Ford Cologne motor that was used for a time in the Ford Taurus? Not sure if it was a good engine for a seven as it was very heavy and made no power despite its size.

I liked the opening bonnet on this one.

Now this show was not just about sevens. It also included a vast collection of Toyotas….err….Ferraris…..errr?

They did have a gorgeous replica Ferrari P4 which I would have bought if it were for sale (I did ask!).

There was also replica Ferrari 250 LWB Le Mans. The 250 replica was for sale at GBP 28,500 – lovely workmanship and a credit to the owner.

Time to shift from club stands to new manufactuers of kit cars and replicas. Somewhat predictable mix of seven options, Atom replicas and other tasty options.

A new Miata based coupe costing GBP4500 for a bolt on body kit using the existing miata floor pan. Some styling elements look very much like Lotus…a little too close possibly?

A Sonic 7 – not as good in person as it looks in pictures

Usual bunch of so-so Atom replicas:

Cobra replica:

MNR is another seven manufacturer which does not get much air time in the US. This is their version of the seven with the body kit on:

However, I found the bare chassis to be more interesting as a design.

A nice looking Stratos kit.

While Caterham was not present with a display, Westfield did make it with one car:

Also, Chris Rea’s well used Caterham was on display:

The British love their three wheelers. Personally I could think of more fun ways to kill myself but here is a new incarnation:

There were a lot of vendors selling parts, memorabilia and generally things that I like to browse around for hours thinking of new ways to part myself from my money.

There were 2 other cars outside that caught my eye. The first was a Morris Minor 1000 that had a transplant of a 3.5L Rover V8. Now I don’t think the Morris Minor was sold in the US which was fortunate. However, growing up in Australia, my mother had one and I very much recall the handling as evil. I also recall my father saying the VW Beetle was a much better handling car which I suppose is the same as considering relative attractiveness of women after either a case of beer or a keg of beer.

The last car was this 1960s classic Jaguar Mark II. Looks authentic doesn’t it? The creator/owner took a 2005 era S-type Jaguar with the Type R sports pack. This has the supercharged 4.2L V8. He then replaced the body with the old Mark II body shell. So you have the chassis, suspension, drive train and even interior (cabin and trunk) of the new car but the exterior looks of the old 1960s car. The S-Type was a decent sporty handling car for its time having once been terrorized by a colleague in Brussels who had one. The owner described it as a labor of love as you get the modern reliability but much better styling. I can only imagine the effort to get everything to mate together perfectly and look original. More entertainingly I can imagine some pimply teenager pulling up to the lights in his hot rod and getting smoked by this seemingly old car!