Kitcat

The Tesla is super fast, short distance, like at an auto-x. Ask Brightonuk about it’s brakes during a track day though.

Congratulations Birkson, what a beautiful se7en! You are a patient man:). What are your car's specs(XS, Hp, street focused/track focused)?

What about posting your dilemma on the FocusFanatics Forum? They have tons of experience with Zetec SVT's. And a word search for Pectel showed a number of threads.

Looks good! I would have bet $ that the windblocker would be useless:). Bigger side deflectors have been tried and also seem to work. Keep us posted on your progress. Nice looking Caterham and very stout cage.

Good point Taber10, tho I read Croc's comment as totally tongue-in-cheek rather than as a statement of actual fact. To me, what is amazing about Tom Carlin's current position as Birkin entrepreneur, par excellence, is that it all started with the desire to assemble a single kit, which he did, AFAIK, and was thence bitten and has not yet recovered.

As I recall, from my few years of owning a '09 Birkin, it was supposed to enhance handling to have the suspension set for about an inch of rake. Having multiple breathers on the engine was needed for hard track work, as was having a trap-door added to the otherwise track competent Raceline wet sump. I blew an engine due to oil starvation and then learned of the necessity of this mod for heavy track use. Probably not needed for auto-X?

Bruce Beachman (Beachman Racing) installed the fuel cell on my Caterham, so may be a useful resource. I recently had it rebuilt. All customized as it is a 21 gallon tank. Not cheap. For instance, the top of the tank alone, with the filler cap was $1,800. I think the total cost, including installation (2x as there were glitches), was around $8K. That included a new tank, liner and foam. It does not include the cost of redoing the fuel system which was a separate adventure ($$$$) Off the shelf parts would have helped.

Long time Forum member/Caterham owner, BBall, lives it St Louis. Maybe he will share his experience regarding your titling questions? Beautiful Cat and great spec! In all honesty, in spite of my worshiping at the alter of "more power", the 310 R seems truest to the balance of the early-and mid-cycle Caterhams with their X-flow engines. Forum guru, "Croc" (Mike Johnson) who Caterham dealer, Bruce Beachman, swears has a black belt in Caterham, highly recommends the 13" wheels as they, apparently, are what the car was designed around. I think his is a more track oriented focus though, so....? I can certainly second your enthusiasm for working with Josh at RMC. He has always gone above and beyond in helping me. As has Bruce Beachman.

A 2011 salvage title Tesla Roadster(Lotus Elise with a 1,000 lb., battery) sold for $130K on BAT today. Maybe there is more hope for this electric Caterham concept than I realized. Even with a 1,000 battery pack, an all-elec se7en would still be a feathery 2,200 lbs, light by anyone's standards, apart from those of the members here.

We just had this topic here and someone posted a shot of their damaged windscreen that saved them during a deer strike. I used Brooklands on the street, unless I was headed out on a long trip. Car ran much cooler in the cockpit and, as Vlad notes, there was much less buffeting. I always wore a full face helmet with the clear plastic shield in place. The windshield (air brake?) is a giant barn door that knocked about 5-10 mph off top speed in my X-flow powered Cat. Getting to top speed was noticeably faster with the Brooklands in place as well. And marginally better gas mileage occured.

My Caterham came the way you have modified yours. Some only have side mirrors if the "doors" are in place, which seems pretty dangerous. I drove my street Caterham, door-less, most of the time. These little, low, nearly invisible cars are already compromised from a safety aspect, why make it worse? Glad you have remedied this on yours.

I think someone shrunk your Caterham

BruceK: I have been reading car magazine writers struggle for the words to capture the se7en driving experience forever. Some of the greatest auto-scribes have done their best to put it into words. No one has done better than your comment about a warm, sunny, top-down day in a se7en : "....that's a feeling like you could lean back and drive right up into into the clouds." I wouldn't be surprised if I start to see that in future descriptions (including my own:)).

Problems with the BAT sale?

I went from a "slow" rack to a faster one. It was a big difference. On different Caterhams so the replacement Cat may have had some other issues as well? I finally added a larger, quick release, steering wheel-which solved the problem, tho it rests on my legs now.... At the end of a 25' track day run, my arms were mush with the small steering wheel and my ability to control the direction desired was disappearing. Sort of like doing 200 push-ups, when maybe 25 is in my comfort zone. Perhaps taking out some caster would have helped? I never tried that tho.

Hi Steve. I don't recall who the organizer was, but 3Balls Racing is likely. They run a pretty loose event, which I usually like, but the failure to impose consequences on over-confident, clueless, drivers for poor track sportsmanship was a bummer.

Thx Steve, I agree, my dislike of that track seems to be unique:). Maybe it was because folks in my run group couldn't be bribed to give a point-by? So I was always stuck behind a slower driver, lap after lap, all day. The organizer was oblivious.

Hmmm, a kit car EV. Is the engine going to be separately sourced and installed? Will the vehicle have to comply with all federal safety and environmental requirements, including crash tests? I cant imagine a good outcome for Caterham here, as a company. Or for the resulting vehicle. An electric Caterham will only be lightweight in comparison to the behemoths now being created, en mass, by the mainstream mfgs. It's too depressing to think about.

Ditto Skip, tho I just used plexiglass safety googles. I also used ear plugs, earmuffs over the plugs and a Tiley hat (which has a chin strap). Or, I just used a full face helmet.

Waterford Hills is a great little 1.5 mile racetrack with a bit of elevation. It was one of the few tracks where i was super competitive in my 1700cc X-flow Cat.The lack of a straight stretch played to the car's strength. The facility was a little run-down when I was last there 3 years ago. Nelson's Ledges, near Akron, is maybe 3 hours away. Like Waterford Hills, it is an older, historic, facility but the new owners have repaved the track and all reports are that it's in great condition. I think it's the fastest track in the US, or was at one point (highest average mph). Also a natural for the Caterham. I recall a CSR 260 pushing Corvettes out of its way on one trip there. I like Gingerman but hate Gratton. At Gratton, which looks like a golf cart path to me, I was never able too find a spot to pass, except for the long straight when all the slow, but high hp cars which held me up the whole way around, took off and left me in their dust. Once was enough there. Autobahn is nice but flat as a pancake. Putnam Park is a nice fit for Caterhams and, at 2 &1/2 hours, the closest track to me, so I have done it many times. Mid-Ohio is definitely worth the 2 &1/2 hour trip. It is a big time track and facility. PittRace (Pittsburgh International Racetrack) is a newer facility that has 2 distinct tracks that can be linked into one large track. Its about 4&1.2 hours from you. Basically, the Midwest is a hotbed of road racing tracks so you will be well entertained. And Ann Arbor is one of the cooler little towns in the Midwest. It is to Michigan what Asheville is to N Carolina. And as Croc has noted (in spite of a price spike over the last 12 months), housing is about 1/3-1/2 of comparable housing on the coasts I often sign up with AutoInterests, which sponsors many Midwest track days, ditto 3-Balls Racing.

Looks like a straight road, but wet. Its tires look new. I agree with SF4018, perhaps the belts weren't being used as the cockpit structure looks pretty intact. The Polo driver apparently is ok. It was clearly a huge impact, the Polo shows at least as much damage as the Caterham. And I think I'd prefer a rear impact to a front impact. So the drastic results for the Caterham occupants are a a mystery

Very ingenious! As a self-appointed member of the trailer safety patrol, I am not a fan of the open hook tie down you are using. The problem is, if the strap stretches or the buckle loosens, there is a danger that the hook will come off. So, a closed end tie down is preferred. It may set you back $40-$60, but? Otherwise, be sure to double check tightness occasionally, esp after the first 50 miles or so as that's when things most often loosen up.

Civic? Why not stay with Lotus and buy a Evora GT? It costs 5% as much as the EVIJA, so it is a relative bargain!

What a beautiful Caterham! It looks brand new. My take on the BAT auctions of Caterhams is that really pristine cars do well, regardless of spec. Since yours is pretty high spec, that should put you that much closer to your EVIJA. GLWA, as they say on BAT:).

What keeps it from rolling around on the trailer? I have 4 D-rings fastened to the frame and spaced about 12"-18" from the front and the back of the car and I use a crisscross tie down pattern to locate the car. So I use quite a bit more space to secure my car in my 16' trailer.