Kitcat

He seems to be holding his own! Stock motor? When I was his age I was draped over the fence at Mid-Ohio dreaming of someday racing there. I only had to wait 30+ years:). Looks like a great track! Counter clockwise rotation is a switch. Nice to be in warmer weather where you can continue to enjoy your cars.

Bill: I would agree with you if this 360 price were aberrant. But a review of the BAT prices for Caterhams in the last 6 months, maybe longer, shows that auctions have almost consistently resulted in LARGE premiums, over previously established market values. A recent BAT sale to a new member here involved a late 90's spec X-flow Caterham for nearly what a new, fully assembled, engine installed, turnkey SV 310R, could be purchased for from Beachman Racing. My hunch is that BAT has provided a national buying audience to what were previously little known Caterham sales mostly on Craigslist, here, Hemmings, and as you note, at exotic car auctions. I think the knowledgeable comments, sometimes in the hundreds, mostly from enthusiastic owners espousing the car's wonderfulness have contributed to a greater appreciation for car's strengths and weaknesses. It used to be there was a Road and Track article ever few years about Caterhams. Now there are repeated testimonials on BAT, on a nearly monthly basis, stoking enthusiasm for the amazing se7en experience. Probably doesn't hurt that everyone is stuck inside due to Covid and is fantasizing about their next car:).

Price increase makes sense based on the BAT price. But to get comparable $, you might need to list it there. FWIW, as a person who has sold 2 Se7ens, my early questions to prospective buyers became: Has your wife/girlfriend blessed this possible purchase yet? If not, contact me later, if and when they do. Also, do they actually have the financing or cash? Still, there seems to be a group that loves to ask infinite questions, demand more pix, run you thru the mill, then offer 50% of listing price.... GLWS-this is a high spec/no wait Caterham.

Last year I replaced my Zetec engine with a rebuilt Zetec, for several reasons (which in all likelihood were unfounded). Soon after swapping it in, the car developed an oil leak that seemed to be emanating from where the engine's rear main seal was located. Reluctant to pull the engine to check, we did a variety of things, replaced the oil pan gasket, added oil leak stop, checked and repaired the Accusump system, drove and checked, drove and checked, followed by long periods of hoping the problem would magically disappear. Sometimes the leak was gone, but eventually it always came back. So I bit the bullet and had my mechanic pull the engine and transmission. On closer inspection, it turned out that my Caterham 6 sp was losing fairly large amounts of transmission fluid from its 3 oil seals (front, rear, top). After a heroic effort by Josh at Rky Mtn Caterham, the seals were obtained from Caterham in England. The new seals have solved the issue and the oil leak is finally banished. But, since its not cheap, my suggestion is that folks with this transmission order these seals now (they are abt $30, as I recall, my biggest expense was air freighting....). So that the next time the engine is out, you can perform this maintenance. In addition, as we discovered too late, there are several internal oil seals that I would have replaced had I been aware of their existence. There was nothing wrong with them but, as noted, being proactive can avoid unexpected issues down the road. I believe my transmission is a 2003, and the seals were probably original. Not sure 17 years is a reasonable life but if yours is over 10 years old, you might be thinking abt this.

I think the F1 rollover bar that Caterham supplies provides decent roll over protection, esp if 6 point belts are combined with a decent seat and if arm restraints are (properly) used. Ditto front and rear crashes as there is a decent crumple zone (occupied by the gas tank in the rear, but Fuel Safe has a fix for that). I have seen photos of Caterham crashes that were injury free, even when the car rolled. My greater concern is a side impact, where the only thing protecting the driver from a T-bone collision is his left elbow. This can occur when the driver spins out and ends up side ways in the middle of the track, and when another driver goes off into the grass and careens back on, out of control, at a right angle to traffic. Just watch the highlights of the Nurburgring for lots of examples. The Caterham issue roll cage is inadequate, IMHO, as it sits flush with the side of the car: the driver's arm is still sticking out, and there is only 1-2" of space separating the driver's body and roll cage, so no real crumple zone. The custom racing cage on my Caterham sticks out maybe 8-10" from the driver's body, so lots of room for it to deform, without hitting the driver. I know a cage spoils the car's aesthetics and no one wants to start hacking away in a pristine new body. Further, the weather gear becomes useless. But my cage bolts in and out in about 30-60', so it could be removed for street use. So, theoretically, it is possible to have it both ways. Just further food for thought for Croc's supercomputer-like brain to process....

For some reason, every time I try to remember your name for this Uber Caterham, I come up with"Croc-zilla."

Thx John! I will add some $ for the many years I have apparently been skating by as well.

Any suggestions for those of us whose PayPal account has gone stale and can not be resurrected?(apparently my mother has changed her maiden name, etc.). My wife has a PayPal account, can she pay for me?

Given how much road debris ends up in my Caterham, I cant imagine this on sand.

Well, that was exciting! If I were a Caterham dealer, I'd ask your permission to link my Website to this video. It could tip a few undecided buyers off the fence:Top speed 130 mph, cornering at 1.5'G's, see ya 'Vette, McClaren, etc. Only the hugely winged Porsche 911 (GT3?, GTS?) was able to stay ahead of you, and that was by virtue of massive top speed (160 mph???). And what great track! I just added it to my bucket list and never would have thought of it. Some pretty good driving too:can you say "quick hands"? And you were really climbing the curbs and straightening out the track. Without knowing, I have to guess you have some competition driving experience?

My Cat has a small oil cooler behind the radiator, like yours. A more ideal placement for mine, since it is air cooled, not water cooled, would be in front of the radiator where it gets a steady stream of fresh air. I like your set-up.

They look like great rain tires!

And, what about a "rump guard" for those with lowered floors????

Wow, that is pretty generous! Anyone here have an SV that I can borrow for a day:)?

Quite an adventure, congratulations! You put more mileage on your se7en in less than a month than most do over the period of their ownership:)! Are your ears still ringing? Are you tired of answering questions at gas stations? How much does the tank actually hold? I look forward to reading your follow-up reports, including the inevitable upgrades/improvements.

Vlad: you must have a pretty stout Zetec? When I last drove T-bolt, I just left it in 5th, where it maxed out at 7200 rpm's, as shifting to 6th was so momentary before downshifting again. Of course with my 15" rear wheels, my effective gearing was different than yours. But, per my Garmin, I was topping out at 115-117 mph (vs 105-107 mph in my Xflow).

$14,500? About 2/3s-1/2 its value, IMHO. Should sell fast. At that price I am tempted:)! Thx to the magic of Bring a Trailer (BAT), prices of this spec Cat have gone thru the roof.

What about a push-start, just to see what happens? If it really is a weak starter, the momentum of the car should do it. I used a rope for a tow back when I was having starter issues with my X-Flow Caterham: once moving (5-10 mph), pop the clutch in 2nd, engine springs to life, hopefully. Or park on a hill? We have all been there. Maybe you have weak battery?

My '03 Zetec powered Caterham uses a starter from a 2000-2004 Ford Focus w/DOHC engine and manual transmission, Denso part number 2805118. No idea if Zetec Birkins use the same one tho.

This build has obviously been a labor of love. So cool that you and Bruce are the ones making this ultimate Caterham happen. Biggest changes over the current CSR seem to be the adjustable suspension with trick shocks, traction/launch control, throttle blipper, and the paddle shifter Sadev transmission. It looks like peak power wont be all that different? I thought your current CSR made in the 300 hp range also? Or is torque way up and the torque/hp curve fatter? I didn't see dry sump in your list of specs but am sure its there. Roll over bar in a car capable of 160 mph seems pretty brave. Bruce built, or had built for him, the roll cage for my Cat and no one else's comes close to offering the protection it does (esp Caterham's). I get that you want it to be usable for the street but you have your current car for that, right? I love the color. I cant wait to see more pix. What do you think all of this will weigh (Around 1,400 lbs.?).

I am speechless! (that won't last tho:)).

Thx Croc: So "S" stands for Road and "R" stands for Sport? Makes total sense, in a Caterham sort of way:). Given that the Caterham seats are typically on sliders, the weight balance will also be affected by where on the slider the seat is. I sat in my Cat when it was aligned. Just moving the seat up or back one position totally threw the alignment off. Skip: patent pending???

Craig Chima brought home the gold in his FP Lotus 7:)! Super kudos to him. He has won it all in EP, FP and GP now. Miatas filled out the podium. Very exciting race, esp the last 2 laps after the first place Integra suffered a mechanical failure, letting Craig into the lead. The lead Lotus 7 went out early with a mechanical problem.

I will be watching! Craig always seems to get a super fast launch, so it will be interesting to see how he does this year. I am surprised that se7ens are in front of the Miatas, etc., given their aero disadvantage on this high speed track.

Krtypton: The Belmont NC tuner is a member of this forum and goes by 1TurboFocus here. He is known as TurboTom on the Focus Forums. He is a long time Zetec builder and tuner and is also very involved in Duratecs. Since your engine is so rare, I doubt that he knows of it or its spec.