Kitcat

I can play the video but no sound(:. A Kent engine is 80% sound and about 20% fury. I doubt anyone else on this Forum has piled up as many miles in the last year as you. Will be interested in your impressions of the power bump. Mike

I didn't realize how large his collection was. I thought is was 8-10 really cool cars at any one time. How many miles on Orange at this point? Mike

Do a search, much discussion in past. Also go to usa@se7ens.net for a recent (and passionate) discussion. Pluses-safety, perception of safety. Minuses-cost, reduced tank capacity, short life and must be replaced periodically, they degrade and can clog up the works, not recommended w/street use/gas, uncertain safety benefit.

My thot is that it has to be on a car at LOG 30 to count. Perhaps license plate ideas cld be a separate category?

What abt a contest for best license plate? I am anticipating some interesting ones, at least amongst se7en owners. Mike

My car was transformed when I switched from the 10 year old street tires that were on the car when I purchased it, to Toyo R1's. I did 3 track days on the street tires and learned nothing as it had no grip and what grip it had was not progressive-when it let go, it let go with a bang. Only downside to grippy tires (wh/I run on the street) is they pick up stones like crazy and sand blast the rear fenders. I have put abt 10K miles on the Toyos, including many track days, and they are still going strong. Mike

I have signed up for all as well. Bought the T-shirt too:). Staying near the Summit Point track Sunday Eve Mike

Nice to read an honest review. Hopefully the shifter was an anomaly, but there is no denying the lack of serious power. A new M3 would bury it at the track, for $20K less. IF I had the money I would consider it anyway: I love how it looks and, unlike the Cayman, there won't be one on every block.

She probably wouldn't realize that our Founding Fathers intended the Constitution to say Florida should stop counting the votes of the people there and, instead, appoint a Republican as Prez! Or that the Second Amendment's provision of free speech applied to all "people", such as billion dollar corporations, so they could spend unlimited amounts of money buying election results. The heck with the law of the land that the people's duly elected representatives in Congress have passed, the conservative Supremes are:"Supreme" (and quite activist, contrary to popular myth). By my count, they are 1 vote short of restoring the pre-Roosevelt Court's interpretation that the Congress and president are mostly powerless to enact national legislation, except in a few limited and enumerated areas. Not that everyone in Glenbeckistan would object, but it would be hard to argue it wasn't an activist move.

I have signed up, including the auto-x, wh/I have never done in my se7en, and the track day, which I have. A recent trip to Delaware in my Prius showed that I-68 thru Maryland is a wonderfully scenic, hilly, and empty way east from Ohio, with little to no truck traffic and thus perfect for a se7en. Also many scenic and little-used roads from Cincy to I-68, so the trip to LOG 30 and back should be a big part of the fun. Mike

Seems like a very nice car and worth the reserve. He reports 1'15' at Nelsons Ledges race track. As a point of reference, I did around a 1'18-19" in my se7en there last year. "The fastest Caterham in the country" was able to do approx 1'08" or so, per its ad here last year.

Watched all 3 U.S.A games. Absolutely thilling. See that NZ's "All Whites" just missed moving on, having tied 3 games, all of wh/it was expected to lose. Probly thirlled to have exceeded expectations, crushed at having missed going on by such a narrow margin. KiwiBirkin?

Given that a single Se7en is a virtual 1-car parade (kids wave, women smile, men stop and stare) I can only imagine the effect of multiple Se7en's. Interesting that 3 of the Se7en owners pictured are wearing shorts. I did that just once and kept burning my leg (short term memory issues) so have unfailingly worn long pants (and heavy socks-sort of pot holders for my feet in the toasty Se7en footwell). Looks like a great time and a great excuse to drive from Ohio to NJ (where I bought mine 3+ years ago and drove it home). I will make an effort to attend the next one. Mike

Al: You never have to apologize on this site for nuthin! As your nearly 2K posts, founding father status, and massive efforts on the 50th anniv celebration at the Dragon show, you have paid your dues. And earned a lifetime exemption from guilt, at least of the Se7ens variety. So enjoy whatever makes you happy, here or elsewhere, your contributions will always be appreciated. Mike

I have new respect for the Ultralite! Maybe the Caterham R500 was slightly faster overall, maybe not. The cars seemed pretty equal to me, esp on the part of the last lap when there was no traffic. Both you and the Caterham driver seemed to know the track and drove great lines, but I wld give you the edge there (climb the curbs, baby). Very different than the tracks we drive on in the midwest, ours have much more elevation, greenery and trees (to hit). Mike

On behalf of Bster13, I will ask about cockpit temps. Those of us w/Caterhams find that surviving that problem is one of the challenges w/long trips, esp in the summer. Doesn't help that the exhaust exits on driver's side.

Have had a coupla bad rain moments in the Se7en, even ran out of gas in the rain. Now I pick my drives and if lots of rain is likely, I take a different car. But cloud bursts, short showers are no problem. The top leaks a little where it meets the windshield, and the inside of the windshield tends to get foggy. A small towel is handy for defogging and mopping up on the fly. On a hot day, totally sealed in from the rain, it really sucks.

255's in the rear? I thot they looked huge in the photos! I swapped my stock Caterham driver's seat for a Tillet, like yours. It is wonderful at the track but not remotely as comfortable as the stock seat on extended drives. You will want to experiment with a bit of foam here and there before starting your long drive. A Lumbar pillow helps too (on both the stock and Tillet seats). In ck'g I realize I have owned my Cat 3+, not 2+ years, time flys.... Mike

Whatta car! Lovely! Congratulations! It is certainly a high-end, high-content Caterham. Will the reality of ownership match the (nearly 50 years) of anticipation? Time will tell. Your trip will be an amazing test of car and driver. I can say that every time I get in mine (after 2+ years of ownership and nearly 50 years of anticipation also), I am amazed by the car and the experience. Mike

I have just signed up for a track day at the Waterford Hills race track in Michigan on Saturday, July 10. Any other takers? It is hosted by 3ballsracing. I have done several events with them and they are great, very casual, fun oriented. Waterford Hills is a track made for a Se7en:lots of twists and turns with an emphasis on handling over power. Now if it just doesn't rain.... Mike

The Indy circuit spent $75M upgrading its facility and the last F1 race there featured all of 6 cars. Why wld any one risk the $ on a new facility and why wld any fan go after the indifference F1 showed to the fans at the last F1 race at Indy?

Ahhh, the oil lines.... Well, I just finished the oil change and pulled off the oil cooler and drained it and refilled it-I wld estimate it holds abt 2-3 oz's. Never thot abt the oil lines tho. Since I change my oil every 1-2K none of it ever gets too dirty. Mike

Thx Bart (I shudda asked 12K miles ago:)). If Martin hadn't mentioned in passing on his gas-filed engine post it never wld have occurred to me. Mike

Does the Caterham oil cooler need to separately drained when doing an oil change? Or, does the oil cooler drain using the standard technique? My understanding is the Crossflow has a 4 quart oil capacity, but I never seem to be able to get more than 3 quarts in when changing the oil & filter. Mike

There is a stunning looking Vintage 550 Spyder listed for sale at Lotustalk.com, under "Cars for sale-Not Lotus". Claimed to be 1300 lbs, 190 hp at the wheels, fully sorted, etc., $28.5K. Mite be best not to look, it is so beautiful:)!