Kitcat

My se7ens would always get hung up as they bottomed out at the angle where the ramp connected to the trailer. I used a set of lightweight Race Ramps to add length to the trailer ramp and reduce the angle into the trailer. A winch to pull the car into the trailer is a nice option (especially when the car is not drivable).

Yes, that pretty little Caterham seems familiar:). I recall parking it, top down, next to a large flower garden on a sunny day. I discovered when I returned that the garden had a sprinkler system that not only kept the flowers well hydrated, they also soaked my interior. Just another adventure in se7en ownership.

I did it years ago in my Birkin. It was pretty bumpy:).

Science fiction is becoming reality.

I replaced the relatively large stock Birkin seat with a thin Caterham carbon fiber seat which really helped. I am all of 5’8” and 150 lbs and thought it was snug(size 8.5 shoe and had to use racing shoes to fit my feet into the foot well). The “long cockpit” Caterham S3 I owned had noticeably more legroom.

Chris and Seven’s and Elans is still very busy, see attached Facebook photo. He relocated his business to Florida some years ago and he is no longer a Caterham dealer. But he has a wealth of knowledge and parts related to Lotus and Caterham 7’s, as well as Elans, etc.

I recall an ancient comment (urban legend?) to the effect that inside wheel spin can help the car rotate better in turns? At least on mildly powered cars. My Xflow had 96 hp and occasional inside wheel spin at track days, with wide, sticky track tires. It seemed to suit the car’s softer street set up and did not hurt lap times. And it added lightness….

Most trailers come with cheap bias plied tires that are prone to flats. So always carry a spare(or 2). My first trailer upgrade was replacing its standard bias plied trailer tires with high quality radial ones. Also, many trailer tires have a maximum speed rating of 65 mph. It’s worth checking that rating before choosing a replacement or, when renting a U-Haul.

I used a VW Touareg to tow my Caterham. It has a rating of 7700 lbs and the footprint of an Accord. It was the only tow vehicle my wife would drive. The Touareg has been replaced by the Atlas in the VW lineup with the same tow stats. The tow package option is a must.

Bruce: that is one clean engine bay!

As a member who transitioned from 15 years of 7 ownership to a Miata, I have to say: I agree with James and could not have said it better (tho I could have said it worse, and probably would have…), My ‘19 Miata(MX-5) is infinitely easier on my 78 year old body, especially at the track (where it is 5” a lap slower than my Caterham). And that’s after upgrading its brakes, suspension and adding super wide track tires. And Mr M, that’s a great topic, but it needs its own thread, it’s going to get lost here(IMHO).

You probably can clarify with Josh. Good luck with the sale. It is quite a car! Edit: the price there is now $89,900.

Currently listed on consignment at Rocky Mountain Caterham for $85K.

My ‘97 Caterham’s x-flow would go about 5K miles before the engine mounts were shot. So on hard turns at track speeds the engine would shift. This would cause the intake stacks to press against the cutout in the bonnet (hood). That would cause an air leak in the intake system. That would cause sputtering that would resolve as soon as the curve ended. Only took about a year to diagnose:). I think forum member BBall came up with this diagnosis in the course of chasing a corner sputter in his X-Flow. All in the FWIW category.

As the (admittedly biased) former owner, I think I can confirm this is great track car. Its superpower is safety. The cage is incredibly stout. And unlike the Caterham branded cage, it extends about 6” from the body on the driver’s side. So there is built in crush space on the driver’s side (essential if you are T-boned). And on most Caterhams your left elbow is actually slightly outside the body of the car! The FuelSafe gas tank provides protection against rear end collisions, unlike a stock(bumper-less) Caterhams). The final layer of protection is the fire suppression system. It may need a charge, as Croc suggests. When I bought it, it was a worn out race car. So I spent a sizeable amount of money bringing it back to par. I used to joke that the only thing I hadn’t replaced was the battery, and then I replaced it…. The 6sp transmission is original but I spent $$$ trouble shooting and resolving various shifting glitches. The only feature not included in the description (I think) is the presence of an oil cooler behind the top of the radiator. It takes premium gas(92-94 octane). I ran race gas when I was able to find it. Obviously it’s totally dialed in for the track and can give the mighty Duratec engined Caterham 420’s a scare.