Daedalus

Thanks for the warm welcome guys. I've had the car for over a week and today I finally got to drive it for the first time since the test drive! It's certainly a blast around town. Just wish it had power brakes...maybe I'll have to coerce my wife into donating her Nissan Leaf toward that cause, ha. Anyone ever put electric brakes in one of these things? Took my 2 year old around the block with it, though I couldn't tell if she liked the ride. She's too short to see over the dash, of course. When we pulled up to the house I asked her if she had fun. She said yes. I asked her if she wanted to go again. She said no. So the jury's out on that. At least I can rest easy for a while before worrying about her sneaking it out for a joyride.

Now he tells me!:willy_nilly: Hello all, I am the happy and proud new custodian of Gert's Birkin. I have been lurking and looking for a fun 4 wheeled vehicle for quite a while now. A 7 replica has been on my short list of wanna-drive cars since the early '90s, when I read an article about the 7 in Road & Track's Exotic Cars Quarterly. As if the R&T write-up wasn't enough to convince me, they had pictures with flattering words from Steven Tyler and Joe Perry! Who wouldn't want to drive the same car as their rock star heroes? Well, that was 25 years ago, but I never forgot that article. Still have it, in fact, and dusted it off recently to show my wife, who glanced up from whatever she was doing just long enough to give an obligatory "uh-huh", which I took to mean she was totally stoked to ride in the same car as my rock star heroes as well. So here I am...the same guy I was 25 years ago, just with less hair, more girth, and now with a Birkin in a trailer in my driveway! Unfortunately I'm finding out the girth thing is counterproductive when it comes to these cars. Thanks to Gert and his sweet wife Rosie for passing on such a great car. Gert did a lot of work getting it in tip top shape for the next guy, even after the sale was agreed to. I know they're going to miss the car, and I will do what I can to keep it shiny and purring. The amount of traveling they've done, with and without the 7, is very inspiring, and I've told my wife we need to start hitting the road more often, especially now that we have a toddler who can benefit from seeing the country. Having said all that, I feel I need to level-set some expectations: I'm glad Gert will be hanging around, because I wouldn't be able to fill his shoes if he were to leave. His knowledge, creativity and craftsmanship are humbling to say the least...a real legend in his spare time. I'm a mechanical engineer who knows his way around an engine bay, but I simply don't have the creativity and resourcefulness that Gert does. Hopefully I can be a contributor at some point. But for the foreseeable future I'll be struggling with just pushing the correct pedals at the right time. First purchase will be some driving shoes, I think. Eventually I'm hoping to get some track time with this car and start having some fun. Hope to see some other owners around at some point; if you see the car around, please stop and say hello! Cheers, Robert

Anyone know how coolant can get into the exhaust pipes without going through the combustion chamber first? Sounds like a huge red flag. Might "just" be a head gasket, but I would assume worst case it needs either a new head or a new engine and price accordingly.

Is it just me, or does that engine just not sound quite right? Wonder why it has so few miles on it after 11 years. The CA SB100 registration is definitely a plus for anyone in CA.

That has been on CL in Los Angeles for a while now. I'm looking for a SB100 car to stay under the CARB radar, but that is a little too radical for me. I think I would enjoy a 7, but in truth I think I'm looking for a SB100 Atom. http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/ctd/4334656940.html

I'm pretty sure that Birkin on ebay sat on the market for a while before selling for a good deal less than the current bid.