Kitcat

I have a hunch that part of the explanation for the accident involves the leaves on the road. Damage seems very minor, fortunately. Mike

Al-No I didn't know. Thx a lot! I think that from a purely aesthetic perspective, the classic-clammed S3 Lotus/Caterham is one of the nicest. And adding Brooklands seems to really round it out. I do know I fully expected to win the prettiest car contest at the Se7ens event at the Dragon in '07:). Then I showed up and saw all the other amazing cars and resigned myself to being just another lovely Se7en(:. I look forward to seeing photos of your completed car. As you can tell from my photo, it is essential that the color of your gloves match your nose band! (In my case it was pure coincidence-but I like it in the above photo) . Mike

Jack: The Brookland screens were great. They really livened up the car's performance. I was able to hang with a Honda 2000 down the straight, and that was a first. Of course it was all over for the Honda at the first breaking area into turn one: He was on the brakes while I was still accelerating. Downside-I nearly froze to death getting there. I had a shirt, 2 sweatshirts and a winter jacket on and gloves, etc, heater full blast and man it was cold! Worth it tho:). Mike

At Putnam Park racetrack, Nov1, 2009. Courtesy of a (talented) friend of Jack Banker's, who was there. Mike

Their website shows a lovely like-new car with 480 miles. Zetec w/185 hp. Buyer's remorse? Mike

Only on a Se7en site would an Elise be referred to as a "practical" car:)! Your new car looks wonderful. At my favorite track I have found that they are typically a hair faster than my car-tho it's pretty close. At the auto-X its a different story. Enjoy your new car, change is good. Mike

I use foam ear plugs and wear a ball cap and wear sound deadening ear muffs to hold the hat on, keep the noise out. I avoid interstate travel in rush hours. I dont know abt your car's set up but if its not the most incredibly rewarding driving experience on earth, something is wrong. Maybe bum a ride with another Se7en owner in your area and see what you think. Perhaps its your car and not you? Too much sun and I will put the top up, unzip the back window and leave the doors off. Taking a Se7en break is a good move. If you are not dying to get back in after 2-4 weeks, maybe it's time for a different car. There is no shame in enjoying your 7 then replacing it with something else. I drove my car 325 miles yesterday, round trip, to a track day, where I drove 125 miles on track. It was wonderful, and great end to summer. So for me, the thrill is still there. Mike

Ditto, I sent an e-mail to Dick for specifics re power/weight/performance/cost. If he responds, I will add here. Seems like a lot of car and it may have significant price advantage over the new Caterham models.

Thx, you are livin the dream:)! I agree abt timing laps. I am quite content to just try to catch the guy in front of me. Occasionally someone else will tell me what my time was. Like you, I don't want that to be my focus because it mite cause me to attempt something "manly" (stupid). It is interesting to hear that the low-powered se7ens are fairly competitive, I wld have thot the straights wld offset any cornering advantage they enjoyed. Redline in 6th? I can redline my 5 sp in 4th but never made it to redline in 5th (overdrive). I need to find a bigger downhill:). Not sue what speed that wld be but my top speed so far has been just around 112 mph and that felt like 200! Looking forward to my last track day of the year this Sunday, tho in my BMW, rather than the Se7en. Mike

Try a search here of "tire".

Very informative Ron. Were you racing the Academy car, or just running laps for fun? What was the top speed in your underpowered car? What were your times (8'30"-ish??)?How many laps there have you done? Mike

Where in central KY are you? I am in Cincy and wld be happy to do a ridealong, tho will be out the next 2 weekends. It is an excellent idea. I was shocked at how raw the car was during my first ride/drive (noisy/bumpy/windy, etc., nothing is filtered out). Mike

Your hp is almost double mine and mine is still pretty speedy. When you factor in the perception of speed (wind, noise, vibration, people pointing in amazement, etc.) 50 mph feels like 100. So it's never dull. Great looking bunch of cars, BTW. The Birkin will definitely push the performance envelop up a notch! Mike

I am exhausted just reading about this! We all can identify with your problem tho. I think bankruptcy is the only proven cure. Should be quite a car when you are done. How much hp are you hoping for? Mike

7'36" lap is amazing. And he's on full tread tires. Any car that breaks 8' flat is impressive. It also makes you appreciate how narrow the track is-hardly any room to pass, and the Porsche doesn't exactly let him by. The jump is terrifying (bump oversteer?).

Nice! 1000 miles on a kart track, wow! Miles? I thot everyone measured distance in kilos these days? Car looks great but you need a taller roll-over bar:). Mike

My experience is that the se7en attracts people in the following order: 1] Boys under 6 2] Boys under 12 3] Boys under 18 4] Boys under 100 5] Homeless people, both genders 6] Cute girls 7] Attractive women 8] Unattractive women 9] Cops If that makes your decision any easier:). I will say you will NEVER be a stranger. Wherever you go, someone is going to want to chat about your car.

Sounds like an unforgettable day. Always a good sign when the first moments of se7en ownership are so positive. The car looks great. And that's some serious race rubber on it! They must have been dedicated racers back when.

I'll echo Croc's remarks about buying a "lightly used" Seven. Mine only had 13K in 10 years, but needed a new___________(fill in the blank-tires, plugs, windshield, seat,tune up, engine mounts, fluids, etc., waaay too much to list here). It was a bit shocking and drove the price closer to what a new car wld have been-in large part because I paid someone else to do the work. On the other hand, a heavily used car that has been maintained might actually be in better shape (and cost less). Mike

Yes, very nice collection of cars. No se7en tho, poor guy:).

Do a search for "Canada". Try your other key terms too. Look in the for sale section too. There has been discussion along these lines before:). Good luck w/your endeavors, Se7en ownership is wonderful! Mike

When I was in the market for a "hot sedan" last year, I looked at the CTSV. But it was list cost+$5K dealer add on= $70K plus. And lots of dealer attitude. Now the same dealer is offering CTSV's for $18K off. There are 4 available for $54K. No attitude either.

Steve-your 7 is looking good. You obviously spent some quality time with your can of aluminum polish! Are the red cars in and near your photo Loti? They have a distinct Ferrari/NSX look tho may be Espirits. Mike

That's it, and I may only get thru the 1st step before giving up:)!

Aww, jeez, he just played the "panties card". One of the nice things (maybe unique things) about this forum is the civility of posters, in general (Just don't bring up politics:)).