Kitcat

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 The Touareg has been replaced by the Atlas in the VW lineup with the same tow stats.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.

I may have missed it, but this car also has the Caterham 6 sp transmission and LSD. Also, FWIW, the 2 cars that placed ahead of it at the ThunderHill endurance race were Porsche Cup race cars. Hardly an even match! One of the most common questions on a Caterham BAT sale is: Will I fit? So a rough estimate of driver size limits, including shoes, might be helpful? Total vehicle mileage is also a standard question. Given its race history and absent odometer it’s impossible to know. I’d guestimate that I put approximately 2,000-3,000 miles on it during my ownership, including 500( illegal) street miles.

GLWA, as they say on BAT! The description you have given seems complete to me. It might be worth adding that it has a fire suppression system? The removable steering wheel is a minor but vital part of the car’s set up. It has an uprated brake system with (hard to source) larger rear rotors. We switched from a “returnless” fuel system to a return system, at no small cost. I think the biggest question will be what it would cost to make it street legal? I don’t know but have to assume it is possible. I’m pretty sure all of the wiring is there for turn signals, etc?

So sorry! Having experienced a bent Caterham in the past, I know it’s painful. Of course it’s great that you’re both ok. But it can turn into such a large hassle to source the often hard-to-find parts, etc. The only upside is it’s an opportunity (excuse) to make some upgrades?

After suffering through excess cabin heat during my first summer with my ‘97 X-Flow Caterham I consoled myself with the thought of how the heat would extend the driving season deep into the Fall. But when Fall arrived the excess heat was replaced by excess cold. So I turned on my trusty heater and was eventually rewarded with a small warmish spot on my right leg. After that I dressed as if I was going skiing and it worked great!

At the LOG 30, in Gettysburg PA, a few of us USA7s types shamelessly appeared in our non-Lotus7’s. It included a track day at nearby Summit Point. My instructor was an Elise owner and he took me out in my Caterham, with me as the passenger, to show me the fast way around the track. At the first turn he yelled: ”What just happened, the turn-in on this car is instantaneous!”. On the second turn he said:”I keep turning in way too early, in my Elise it takes a moment or two for the car to react to my steering input.” He was shocked at how heavy everything was in his Elise in comparison to my Caterham. FWIW: my X-Flow powered, 5 speed, Dedion on 15” tires was invariably as fast, or faster, around whatever track I was on compared to the standard Elises and Exiges there.

Why not let Josh at Rocky Mountain Motorsports give it a shot now and if no results by Spring, put it on BAT? I suspect Josh will find a buyer. I would not be surprised if he bought it himself:). FWIW: I think your Caterham is a very desirable Sigma engined Cat.

I vaguely recall that my Caterham issued FIA rollover bar, for track use, weighed roughly 20 lbs more than the stock Caterham bar (approximately 31 lbs vs.11 lbs). My subsequent Caterham's custom made full cage weighed around 100 lbs. My 13"front wheels/Goodyear slick tire combo was 19.5 lbs.

I'd ask them. Maybe stop at the inspection place, with a picture of a caterham, since they wont have any idea what you're talking about, and a copy of the back order?

When I registered my Caterham and Birkin in Ohio I had the advantage of an existing registration elsewhere as each was purchased used/titled/registered(New Jersey and Virginia). What the "inspections" focused on were: windshield, working windshield wipers, brake lights, turn signals, license plate fixture, seat belts, horn, headlights. Neither inspection lasted more than 5' and mostly consisted of the usual "what is it" questions rather than a careful car inspection. I got temporary plates in NJ where I bought my Caterham and I drove it home and later to the "inspection". I didn't do that with my Birkin so I trailered it to a parking lot near the inspection place, since I didn't want to drive it without plates.

What size wheels? Staggered tire set up and size? Dry sump or not? The engine upgrade is listed on the Caterham site as costing $6,500. Add in shipping, installation and tuning and it becomes a serious upgrade. Love the color! And, I think making these tiny little vehicles as visible as possible is a great idea.

My diesel Touareg was great. I put 130K miles on it, many were towing miles. i replaced it with the gas version when VW bought back all the dirty diesels they had sold under false pretenses. I have put 90K on the gas version. Both have been very reliable and easy to live with. However Consumer Reports gives each version poor grades on reliability. Maybe I have been lucky? Both are comfortable cruisers and rated to tow 7,700lbs. Obviously, the diesel towed much more effortlessly and got better mpg.

My first question on seeing this long forgotten thread was, what is necromancy:)! Followed by, what is a M10x1.5? Having gotten up to speed, so to speak, I can say I am relieved that necromancy is not similar to necrophillia! As far as the substance of your question, the new shifter did fit and was much better than what the car came with. It did not tear up my hand but my shifting issues turned to be a result of broken flywheel bolts gumming up the works not the shifter handle.

The future is hard to predict. But given the trend to extremely heavy, full electric cars, I think these se7ens, including Caterhams, will only become more valuable. Many would argue that this particular Caterham, with its moderately powerful Sigma engine, is truer to the original Seven's ethos than the more popular/powerful Duratec engines. It makes sense to plan for higher maintenance costs than a modern car, like a Miata. I have owned 3 Miata's and 2 Caterhams and 1 Birkin and the reliability of each was variable but, overall the Miata's were less problematic. That said, I have been stranded 2x in my '19 Miata by the mechanical/electrical gremlins that are part of today's super sophisticated, computer driven, operating systems. A bigger issue is the occasional difficulty in finding replacement parts. Most competent mechanics enjoy working on these cars, but I waited 3-6 months for the easily installed part to actually be available. Assuming that this is a fun, special occasion car, that should not be a overwhelming barrier. I bought my first Caterham at age 60 and sold my last one at age 75. And I enjoyed every minute with zero regrets.

New engine mounts fixed a multitude of problems in my 1997 1700ccX-flow Caterham. The engine was so loose that the intake stack rubbed against the bonnet cutout and pulled the webbers in a way that affected A/F ratio. It also made an incredible racket on high G turns at the race track. When I checked them they were falling apart. After that I replaced them every 5K miles and never had another issue.

The ‘16 and on MX-5’s six speed is pretty fragile, unlike the earlier transmissions. Many have failed. My ‘19 has the 5th Mazda upgrade to the original ND transmission, which debuted in 2016. Any upgrade in power (turbo, supercharger) seems to aggravate the problem, as does track use and auto crossing. Mazda built the ND version of the Miata using a “gram management” approach. So every single part was weighed (including lug nuts) and put on a diet. The result was a car that was 200+ pounds lighter and infinitely more fragile.