Bruce K

i have spoken to chuck - great guy. your car should be special, because chuck is known to maintain his cars at a high level. your manual will be sent by separate email. there will be additions regarding oil accumulator and surge tank later this month. good luck with your trip - sounds like lots of fun!

Here's another thought: I converted my car from the flat windscreen to the two small screens that are apparently already fitted to your car. I would never go back. You lose all-weather capability with "Brooklands"-style individual screens, but these are NOT all-weather cars. As noted in earlier posts, I have now owned three different Super Sevens. I erected my top and installed the doors ONCE, up at a cottage during the middle of summer. On the ride home, I nearly fainted from heat stress, and the noise! It was like being trapped inside Charlie Watt's kick drum for an entire concert! I personally prefer the windscreens for the manner in which they present the car (aesthetics); for the improved visibility and therefore safety; for the endless sun and wind in the hair; for the marginal aerodynamic improvement and more. If it rains, I find a tree or an overpass and park beneath for a few minutes. If your screens are scratched or foggy, have a shop cut you new ones to shape from lexan (use the old ones as templates). Clean them with nothing stronger than a couple drops of dishwashing detergent and clean water.

[/b] US Texas: Just though about something. We have a manual in production for the WCM S2K. It is about 60 pages in length and touches on many upgrade, repair and maintenance issues. If you want a copy of our work-in-progress, just send me your email. Make sure your email can handle a large file attachment.

Thanks for the offer, US Texas, but I've sold everything except the wheels and race rubber. I have an enclosed trailer in my sites, and that means I will have future use for the slicks and rims, too. Therefore, all gone, but good luck in your search!

Thanks for the pic, Mondo. That must be my car. I just replaced the motorcycle side view mirrors this winter. Wheels, exhaust, paint - all the same. Must be my car when VERY new.

TIMAX, I challenge your presumption that the fellow in the old Porsche, while being lapped by the driver in the new Porsche, is wearing a silly grin precipitated by spectacular enjoyment. If he is even trying to catch the new Porsche, that expression is a death mask anticipating his demise at the next hot corner. In a Caterham, I once swapped ends, took a shortcut across the infield, and ended up on the line backwards on the far side of a hill! The wide white eyes of oncoming drivers, and the contrastingly narrowed aperture of my sphincter, are experiences I will never forget. In a vintage Porsche, pushed hard, these are familiar sensations. I do not argue that pushing an old Porsche can be a raw, visceral experience, but so is cutlass fighting, and I'm not fond of that, either. Bigger (because of legal requirements, tire width, aero and HP) is not always better, but it's not necessarily something you say no to just because the bar lights came up. You can still have fun with bigger, and I'm not taking this line any further. If you're like me (and therefore certainly no poser), you prefer the handling of Sevens. But a decent Seven of any vintage does not regularly substitute east for west just because of a little throttle lift in a hot apex (discounting my once-in-a-lifetime experience, which was exacerbated by tires wet from morning dew). Sevens are as direction-dependable as a modern Porsche, if not more so, and that's essential to their fun.

Amen, brother, and for all of our other blessings, as well!

from what is the rear axle sourced? is it lsd? ratio? and what is the overall weight of your car? besides a super build, car looks like it was hand-wiped with antiseptic swatches. thanks!

Can't totally agree with your conclusion. While the current 911 is undeniably larger, a significant percentage of the increased track is due to highly evolved and WIDE tires. The wide track and sticky modern rubber, together with suspension sophistications and PASM, have essentially eliminated the violent oversteer endemic to earlier Porsches. As power evolved, speed increased, and with it the need for aero. Aero requires a longer shape. The longer shape was additionally dictated by the wider track, again to improve handling (unless you think it would be fun to pilot a rear-engined turbo Legends car). Now, toss in safety solutions including federally-mandated crush zones, damage-resistant bumpers, multiple air bags, seat strength requirements, collapsible steering columns and the like, and you have a further need for more power and increased cubic volume to contain all of these "enhancements" without reducing passenger compartment size, luggage capacity or performance. Have Porsche engineers overcome safety issues to produce a more-capable vehicle? The answer is obvious: The modern Porsche will lap vintage units in any short race, while providing unprecedented driver protection and near-freedom from oversteer anxiety. Regarding expensive options, many or most are performance-oriented, including ceramic rotors, carbon fiber, improved exhaust, Recaro seats and the like. Yes, fancy leather and nav consoles are also offered, but these are meet-the-market items available in all extreme performance production sporters. In short, Porsche, Corvette, Aston, Ferrari and others have all grown up in a similar environment, and have all become physically larger and incredibly more potent. Where Porsche is smarter than most is the Boxster. The Boxster's mid-engine, two-place design enables more compact packaging. While Porsche, for obvious reasons, has never supported the effort, a properly engineer Boxster should out-perform a 911 in every regard. Thus, Porsche can provide all things to every driver, from modest light-weight performance to ultimate heavier-weight performance. Porsche has not "lost the message". They've built a car for every sporting taste, within modern federally-legislated limits. With the 911, they've retained and perfected an inherently inferior design, while offering the Boxster as a lighter-weight option. Ignore the badge for a moment - they're all still Porsches. Regarding Caterhams, WCMs, Bruntons and the like, God bless 'em! I have owned two Caterhams (arguably three, since my last was so radically redesigned), plus my current WCM S2K. Because they are free from so many federal mandates, Sevens remain true to their initial design premise, and provide an unexcelled driving experience. They are the perfect cross between a motorcycle and a sports car. That's why I will always own one, until the day I can no longer drive.

No amount of HP is over the top, unless it is your wallet speaking. And a convertible, too - my favorite. The car looks awesome - the bulges remind me of Schwarzenegger in his prime. If you are bald, wear a toupee while driving, unless you don't care who knows about your midlife crisis. And keep the car in a straight line - without PASM, and with all that power, apexing will have a new description: "slow reverse rolling while staring backwards into the wild eyes of oncoming traffic". I don't know what you paid, but I'll bet you got all that delicious after-market hardware for quarters on the dollar. That's how I usually do it, and I congratulate you on your acumen and your purchase.

hey, cobra. really wierd that TWO private messages disappeared! anyway, here's the gist of what i recommend: REMOTE PURCHASE: find a sportscar repair facility local to your buyer. access the internet and vet the facility for satisfactory feedback. require your purchaser to take the car to that facility. hire the facility to completely check out the car: check motor (leakdown, belts, plug condition, charging, more), check for driveline leaks, check tranny, check diff and u-joints, check steering shaft joints and rack, check wheel bearings, check brakes+rotors+pads, check suspension (hiems and links). after the rack work, have them drive the car for a while, so they can report on general performance and all components after getting warmed up. these evaluations typically cost me between $250 and $300. MAINTENANCE: change all fluids. i now use amsoil racing for engine and diff, and the stock "green bottle" honda lube for the tranny (stock honda lube gives the smoothest shifts, protect synchros). can't remember, but check to see if your car has an LSD diff which may need a friction-element lube. flush and fill coolant. flush brakes and refill with dot4 hi-temp fluid, so you can push the car without fear of boiling the brake fluid (DON'T use dot5 silicone). your car was never tracked, has low miles and is pretty new. therefore, your hiems and links should be in good shape. if you need any of these parts, search this forum for several sources. lastly, you should 4-wheel align the car including corner weighting for your dressed driving weight. after several bad experiences, i never trust the alignment on any new or used car that i purchase. make sure the shop has a laser-guided rack, can align all four wheels, and know how to align a street/track car. i can send you some good alignment specs - let me know if you need them. UPGRADES: many of the WCM S2K owners (myself included) have fabbed and fitted a crosswise differential nose brace to their cars, and upgraded the u-shaped diff /tranny brace which comes stock with the cars (it fits just forward of the crosswise brace). the more recent S2K's have both of these improvements already installed. examine your car. if these are not installed, and you plan on spirited driving, track days, etc., then plan on having them fabbed and installed to prevent failures that will create MUCH more work (see RNR's posts). search elsewhere on this forum for more info on these upgrades. i can send you some pages from a manual jim rankin and i are creating, with the entire fab-and-fit process well-detailed for you - let me know. also, the higher final drive ratios are ok for autocross, but won't give you great acceleration off the line. if you want better performance including 3.5 seconds to 60, you will need to fit a limited slip 4.11 or 4.54. having fitted the 4.11 to mine, and tracked it, i consider 4.11 ideal for both street and track. it provides 2 gears to 60 with room to spare, and on the track you are primarily using 3rd and 4th, which are MUCH easier shifts than 4th and 5th.

cobra - i twice sent you private messages regarding remote purchasing, maintenance and upgrades for your great new car. however, they have disappeared from my private message list. did you ever get my messages?

just used passport for shipping my backdraft to new york. they have laudable equipment and personnel. to locate transport, search the internet for "auto transport". this will put you in touch with brokers. vet those brokers for bad feedback, etc. then choose a couple to bid the transport for you. specify to the brokers (who work with and know many small and large transport companies) that you want a company with a good reputation, a covered transport, bonafide insurance and the lowest rate possible. your cost will be less if you allow more time for the transport, as that allows the broker to include more pickups and deliveries along the way.

Was that the Caterham RS Levante? The black car 2.4 liter Hayabusa-derived race motor and the quad headlights? I wasn't aware that RS built more than one. Are there pix anywhere?

Odd that you make these disparaging statements. In your earlier posts and blogs, you noted that the R500 was only able to gain distance on your S2K in the straights. You even provided video evidence, which I viewed. You concluded that the lighter weight of the Caterham enabled it to out-accelerate your heavier S2K in the straights. You proffered that you would need more power to catch the R500, which seems reasonable. Your post, blogs and video are part of the reason for my position: that with additional offsetting power (such as head, cam and fuel management work), the R500 and S2K should run evenly. The other reasons for my position emanate from familiarity with Caterhams due to prior ownership of two examples, including a mighty Cosworth. I have only enjoyed one track day with my S2K to date, due to extensive time required to rehiem and relink the suspension (I bought it with 9,000 autocross miles on the odo). In that single day, on 17" street Toyos, I was running times just behind those clocked in my Cosworth Caterham. With future development including smaller wheels and race slicks, I am optimistic about the car's performance. I am not discounting Caterham performance, especially future performance with their RS speed shop partnership, the possible Formula One linkage, joint production of several possible cars with Renault's performance division, the Aeroseven and more. Their deep-pocketed new ownership is opening vast new vistas. A lot of Caterham's past production, and most of their current production, was and is bound by heritage and budget limitations. What other excuse for the overlong production life of that anachronistic Dedion IRS? The S2K, on the other hand, was cleverly-engineered from a clean sheet of paper. It makes use of reasonably-price components from popular passenger cars (Subaru, Honda), plus tough, affordable and generic racing components (hiems, links, fuel pumps, Sparco wheels, Wilwood brakes, Tilton pedal set, Duratech exhaust and more). By including the product of so many successful speed companies, WCM effectively borrowed their engineering departments, and in effect became a much larger company in terms of design resources. You want to rebuild a Caterham, with it's numerous proprietary parts (wheels, brakes, suspension links, bushings, complete exhaust, steering wheels, on and on), be prepared for months-long waits, expensive customs and shipping fees, innumerable wrong parts sent and worse. Don't get me wrong - I love Caterhams. I always looked down my prominent nose at the several clones, including Stalker, S2K and others. Now I know better.

Holy cow - I am going to have to parse my language more carefully on this site! XCARGUY and COBRA are both correct: XCARGUY - The Stalker (great car!) is a physically larger seven-style sporter that was engineered to accomodate supercharged V6 and various V8 motors. It exploits these powerplants efficiently, as witnessed by the captioned Emod Solo National victory and other victories, as well. When I stated that Sevens benefit from lighter, smaller 4-cylinder power, I should have stated Sevens designed for 4-cylinder power, including the Caterham, Westfield, S2K and more. I am a victim of generalizing from my point of reference. Larger seven-style cars like the Stalker, originally designed for heavier, larger powerplants, might suffer reduced performance from many 4-cylinder motors. COBRA - I have never driven any mass-produced sporters refitted with V8 power, though i have read good things about the monster Miata and others. These cars are not germain to the discussion about seven power, however. At this point, I agree with your conclusion that an S2K is a great choice for a variety of reasons, especially concerning value for the dollar and performance for the dollar. In my estimation, a new S2k with a little head/cam work should run with a Caterham R500 for about 60% of price new. An S2K with a supercharger should run with the new Caterham R600 model for about 55% of price new. Those ratios appear viable for the used market, as well. These are broad assumptions based on past ownership of two Caterhams and current ownership of an S2K, but I don't believe I am much mistaken.

Good point. That's the 2.4 liter engine that results from the stir-welding of 2 Kawasaki Hayabusa motors. That is a racing motor with a water-cooled block but air-cooled heads - not for everyday play, especially since that motor alone costs more than most Caterhams. It is produced by a special tuning house car and is not a regular production model, which was my point. On the subject of the 3.5 liter Rover motor, that was the powerplant fitted to the Westfield SEight that I noted earlier. If I recall correctly, there were monster 5 liter variants of that motor that were fitted to these essentially dragster Sevens. The 3.5 liter Rover motor has never been offered in a stock Caterham as a production unit.

I'm with Underdog and Exigent (sounds like a couple of pro wrestlers!) I've owned 2 Caterhams, both used - they're awesome sporters. But if you want value AND performance, and must purchase new, convince Lorren (owner of World Class Motorsports) to build you an S2K. Caterham has never had a motor to touch the Honda S2000, and I've owned a 2-liter Cosworth-powered Caterham. There's as much cockpit room in the S2K as in the new CSR Caterham, and most driveline parts are available at the generic corner auto parts store. Dealer specific parts can be obtained at Honda or Subaru dealerships, and the Tilton / Wilwood brake and pedal parts can be ordered online at Summit and dozens of other domestic sources. Once I paid about $6,000 for a Cosworth BLOCK for a Caterham. I could buy TWO used Honda S2000 DRIVETRAINS for that kind of dough. Contact Lorren if your need for speed requires a new purchase - he's WestTexas S2K on this site.

Fortunately, no such animal as a V8 Caterham. The new R600 with the supercharged Ford 4-cylinder is the new hot Caterham. A V8 Caterham would be equivalent to a Westfield SEight, which is largely a straight-line Seven and unfun in the curves. Too much athleticism sacrificed to the front-end weight of a V8 - high-powered fours are the way to go in a Seven. Cobra remarked earlier that the original Caterham styling was his preference. I shared that opinion earlier, but have come to appreciate the "double-bubble" look and the near-instantaneous all-engine accessibility of the WCM S2K design. I have owned 2 Caterhams, and if the WCM suspension proves as durable as it is competent, I will judge it superior to the Caterham Dedion. There is a revised all-independent suspension in the new CSR Caterham series, with which I have no experience - this suspension may prove to be a better match to the WCM S2K. I bent another 2 links this summer, but we had committed a fabrication error during the rebuild, so I will know more about durability by the end of next summer.

very nice-looking 2009 wcm s2k for sale on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lotus-Super-Seven-Ultralight-S2K-2009-lotus-super-7-wcm-ultralite-s-2-k-/151147325633?forcerrptr=true&hash=item23311528c1&item=151147325633&pt=US_Cars_Trucks exceptional caterham for sale on ebay. this is one of the small-cockpit models, you may be interested only if you are under 5' 10": http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tamiya-1-12-Masters-coach-work-series-Caterham-super-Seven-cycle-fender-Special-/181236971298?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a3290b722

with the walbro gsl392 pump (recommended by loren) i installed a russell 650133 competition filter with a small cleanable screen. the filter is mounted inline on the top of the tank. here's the summit racing link: http://www.summitracing.com/search?keyword=rus-650133&SortBy=None&SortOrder=Ascending

i agree: one compendium of wcm s2k knowledge. i will grab the rahulnair text off the blog. jim, if you can send your text in word or other compatible format, i will get it into the manual and organize all (my email is bruceakopitz@gmail.com). when that's done, i'll create a new thread on the forum and get more owners involved. rahulnair, a future wiki posting could be really cool, but don't you have to prove your citations? i don't have a bibliography except for "loren said" or "roman said". in any case, we would still need printable versions of the manual, so you can walk it over to the car, get it greasy, write bolt lengths in the margins and so on, but a wiki page would have the advantage of promoting the car and (perhaps) persuading loren to build more of them.

i am accumulating the manual in Word. maybe i could send it to you, and you could add your info. maybe other owners might want to do the same, and especially loren. when everybody is done, i can finish it with final edit, table of contents, fancy cover, etc. could be useful. let me know your thoughts. if positive, send me your email. thanks!

thanks, jim. did i mention that i live in michigan? merely 3000 miles to get to your tracks! on the heims, be prepared to replace the links if corrosion has set in. i provided a link on the heim thread for a racing supply company that sold me every link on the car for about $200, and delivered in 2 days. the heim source provided by roman (a great guy named gary) is all you need for those parts. order f1 (tight) or f2 (porridge just right) fit for the heims. on heim noise, be aware it never ends. these are essentially race cars for the road, so you always hear mechanical noises of every kinds - engine, trans, suspension, tires, brakes. i wear foam earplugs when i drive open sporters (cuts down on wind noise, too). the ear plugs reduce the noise intensity to a pleasantly informative level. i refer to it as my car talking to me. i prefer those sounds to radio or cd when driving a sporter. i have put together a manual of all the info i have collected during the rebuild of the car, including some great alignment specs, instrux on brace repair/construction, wheel sources and more. closer to fall, i will offer it to anyone interested (complimentary basis, of course). hopefully, it will save time and provide some good tips.