Kitcat

Looks like the Seven I fell in love with, all those many years ago.

OK, July 7 is approaching, where do we send our $20 membership fee?

I think its the New Jersey curse! I bought my used Seven at this time last year from a New Jersey owner. Prior owner said it was extremely reliable. I drove it to Ohio and it has not started at least 20x: the starter has been rebuilt 1x, the solenoid replaced 1x & rebuilt 2x. The ignition switch has been replaced, ditto spark plug wires, spark plugs, etc. The car is currently at the shop again because it wont start. I am telling you, once a Seven leaves Jersey it is never the same:).

I have seen the car in person several times at trackdays at Putnam Park. Very pretty car. Mike (Paul, I have the blue Caterham with red nose stripe)

Venting the bulkhead will let more heat in- putting a vent there is sort of like drilling a hole in the bottom of your boat to drain the water out:).

Welcome Avery. Fellow attorney here also, for the last 36 (yikes!) years. And last year, 3 kids in college, all on my dime. I feel your pain! I specialize in social security disability law and VA disability law. I did a lot of civil rights, housing discrimination, etc., in my early years before finding my current niche. What model Caterham do you have, what engine, year, etc.? I Have been driving mine to work almost on a daily basis. Even a tedious day at the office is great if bookended by a Seven drive! Mike

Sidescreens do help on long hauls or at high speed.-tho they get in the way at the track. But they also trap tons of heat in the car, even with the top off. You can flip the bottom 1/2 of the windscreen up and wind pressure holds it in place. That helps bleed out the heat and at the same time keeps the biggest part of the wind out. I always wear foam ear plugs and ear muff type hearing protection over that, even on a 10' run. The muffs help hold my baseball hat on too. Or I run with the top up, rear window unzipped and wind deflectors in and no side screens. Or I leave everything off & just put on my racing helmet and flaunt the law. Also it gives me a (probably false) sense of being better protected. The car is a blast at the track. A friend followed me around at my last track event and said he was amazed at how quickly I could recover from my various ham-fisted mistakes (wrong line, sideways slide, turning in too hot, etc.). But my favorite part is pointing-by people in the powerful cars on the straight and then watching their tail lights flick on as they start braking and I am still accelerating, and accelerating, and accelerating. End of first turn after the long straight: "I'm back:)" And you have 60% more power than my car, which maybe hits 100 mph with a tail wind. Your Caterham broke down? Mine has broken down more in my first year of ownership than all the other cars I have owned in the last 30 years, combined. Man, it's just part of the fun.

I have clams and race tires and get debris but not a lot. Even with clams, the front wheel width is limited. I run Toyo RA1's on my 15" wheels and with a 205 width they rubbed the clam brace under load in turns. We bent the brace back but the space is limited. Of course you could add wheel spacers and solve the rubbing problem but that throws the suspension geometry off a bit. Slngsht- Running with no fenders in the rain wld be interesting. Let us know how you fare.

Go to Rocky Mountain Sports Cars website via Google. They have a bunch of car mag tests of the various Caterham models. Be aware that there many other types of Sevens out there besides the Caterham version. See the links section of this forum for a list of some of the more popular. I know the focus here is frequently on outright performance. I have found that much of the "thrill" of a seven is not speed based but is a combo of wind, sound, sights and smell, all of which are different in a Seven with the "doors" and top off than in anything else with 4 wheels. My Miata wasnt even close. Its diminutive size also provides a unique perspective on the world. Also due to the minimal weight, and handling prowess, even a minimally powered car like mine can do quite well. I have no trouble staying with a friend's lightly race prepped '97 BMW M coupe at the track. Do you love attention? Hopefully you do because the car draws crowds. Yesterday I looked out my window at my car in the parking lot next to my office and saw a comely young thing draped over my Caterham while her boyfriend took her photo. When was the last time that happened to one of your cars? I think I got a bigger charge out of it than they did. Anyhow, don't be in a rush and enjoy the hunt. But don't wait 44 years like I did, that really was too long:). Mike

Aznatama-welcome! Bike ownership seems to be a frequent stepping stone to the world of Sevens: both are noisy, fast, intoxicating and nearly invisible to other drivers. And it mite be fair to say that their purchase is more emotional than rational. There are lots of options out there, so take your time to poke around here and ask questions, explore old threads, etc.

Hobbit7?

I drive mine to work almost daily. The parking lot attendant said someone asked if it was driven by an elf since it was so small:). That may be my future vanity plate: elf car or, maybe, elfish7.

I bought my Caterham from a NJ seller at this time last year. Got temporary plates from NJ BMV, no hassle, no fuss & drove it home to Ohio. Needed to show them I had insurance on the vehicle. My ins co (State Farm) issued ins policy in advance even tho I didn't yet own the car & I took proof w/me. Also need title transfer form. Did my research on the Internet & all was well. Hardest part was finding the BMV-located in "Westfield" NJ ,btw.

$4.25 for 93 octane. $6.50 for 91 in Ireland from which I have just returned. Drove 1000 miles, rarely got higher than 3rd gear on the twisty, narrow, bumpy, scenic roads.

My pressure is around 35-45 much over idle, warmed up. Higher cold, of course. I am using 20-50 Redline synthetic. I had 15-45 Mobile- One w/similar results. Then i put in an after market additive to make it even better and it dropped 20 lbs. So, I did an oil change and the pressure went back up.

Wow! I have that much in my 1700 Crossflow at this point.

Its a long day's drive from Cincy so I will come, assuming date doesn't conflict w/misc weddings, graduations etc., that keep popping up. Sooner the date is announced, the better for us long range planners. Track day wld be great. Folks mite be surprised at how smartly an old 1700 cc Crossflow goes when some turns are added to the speed contest:). Auto-X wld be nice too, and probably appeal to more folks than a track day. John, Al will tell you that this is a lot of work, so don't hesitate to seek volunteers to delegate certain components of the event to. Al-just back from Ireland, where a popular pickup truck is the Nissan Navarra. Mike

22 mpg road. 11 mpg track. Furthest on a tank of gas- 140 miles until I increased tire pressure from 18 lbs to 24 lbs. Now I can go 165 miles per tank, at 70-80 mph on the highway.

Ditto what Al said. As a recent buyer and long time admirer of all things Seven, the factors that influenced my purchase last year were, in order of importance: 1] Initial buy in cost-in my case $22.5K-Much easier to convince a sceptical spouse that a car that is so impractical is worth taking out a 2nd mortgage on the home (wh/I did) to buy if that mortgage isn't too big. As much as I loved Al's car, had it been available last year, the (reasonable) asking price would have prevented its purchase. 2] Resale value. Thanks to the Caterham name, I expect I will not take much of a hit if I sell it. Part of the argument to the spouse. 3] Product support. Lots of Caterham Crossflows out there, people to talk to abt problems and a skeletal dealership. 4]. Condition/looks. I was mesmerized by the Cat I bought. I looked at the for-sale photos every am right after I woke up and every nite before going to bed. I was in love! 5} Performance. Your car has the performance part nailed. Why not brag about it? What are 1/4 mile times, 0-60, lap times at favorite tracks, auto-X successes? All we know is its really, really fast. Quantify that. As you may know, I think the photos of your car are stunning. Price- make it as close to $30K as you can get and really be specific about the performance. Based on specs it should kill just about everything out there. Who wouldn't want an uber dog? That's what all of our upgrade-itis is about. Mike

Amazing result! I know 2 people in Cincy who have spent a considerable amount of time & money and never come as close as you guys did to winning the whole thing. A top 10 is terrific, a top 3 almost hard to believe.

Apparently, rain has been a factor today. Looks like it might be tomorrow too.

Nice car, very clean, good power but seems sort of plain. Maybe if it had clam fenders rather than cycle fenders it would add a little missing color?

And I had only a 40+ year dream of some day owning one:).

Lovely-the color scheme is classic 7. If you look at the group photo at the Dragon event last 7/707, that was a very popular color combo.

The 1/4 mile times do seem slow, tho the Nissan GT-R's time of 12.8 is about the same as those published by the car mags. Four wheel drive & launch control probably helped.