Kitcat

I saw this recently in Facebook marketplace.

Some driver related thoughts. Watch your mirrors. You have a fast track car but you will be on the track with folks who are very experienced and know the track and their car’s capabilities. So there will be faster cars, as your learning curve begins. No one will care if you are slow IF you watch your mirrors and give timely point byes. Rookies understandably tend to get 100% focused on the track ahead and forget about the track behind. If there is a parade of cars backed up waiting for a point bye, you will not be making friends. If you see a car waiting for a point bye but you are not comfortable doing it right then, tap your center rear view mirror (assuming you have one) to acknowledge them and that you are going to point them bye as soon as practicable. Buy brightly colored driving gloves. They will make your point byes easier to see. If you are using arm restraints (recommended), your point byes will be harder to see as you can’t extend your arm all of the way. So the bright gloves will help. Car improvements? I had a softly sprung 100 hp X-flow Caterham and its weaknesses were its strengths. I could hammer the curbs and never pay a price thanks to the compliant suspension. I had tons of lean but it became a huge safety feature. I never spun out due to the early application of power, in fact I could be pretty flat out every where. The lack of power became another safety feature. In spite of it’s obvious limitations, my Caterham was as fast as most well driven Lotus Elises out there, for instance, with lots more power and their modern suspension. The track is the Caterham’s natural habitat, even a softer street version. But you will be in a very different kind of Caterham and your challenge will be to manage its enormous potential without incident. Which is a long winded way of agreeing with the others who have said, basically, the car is already track prepared, no need to change anything right away. You can get track insurance through Haggerty. I have for decades. My optimal tire pressure was high teens. And I bleed off pressure after every session. Take a folding chair to sit on, a big hat, and lots of water. And have fun, it can be addicting. You will have an adrenaline high. The focus required to stay competitively on track will drive all extraneous thoughts out of your brain, and leave you mentally refreshed. It’s kind of a exciting version of meditation:).

Posts like this should be illegal:).

And its lap time there is? Not exactly a Caterham friendly track with all of the high speed sections.

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.

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.