Kitcat

I make it a point never to disagree with Croc, esp on the issue of Caterhams and how to set them up. But really, about anything. But... my (maybe)150 hp Zetec SVT S3 Caterham has 6x13 in front and 7x15 in the rear for a non-square and staggered set up. It works great at the track(track only car), very neutral and balanced.

In chatting with other sellers, putting the car up here in the For-Sale section gives you a bit of control over who the car goes to. I have sold two se7ens here and neither went to the highest bidder, but both went to a great home. If maximizing $ received is your goal (and I applaud that) BAT seems to be the place, assuming that they are willing to list it. Since they were recently bought out, they appear to be listing more cars. I agree a reserve of $20K seems (very) low, given what Caterhams have gone for there recently. Chris T (Sevens and Elans) is about to list a near-identical Cat to yours on BAT, per his Facebook site.That may be instructive. Where I live, you can get a dyno pull for $100. Probably worth doing that as it may up the buying price considerably (tho not as much as inspired photos). Please, no I-phone shots in the driveway with your reflection in the car, next to the garbage cans....Hire a pro, if you must. The SVT quasi-Caterham that sold recently for $47K(?) was notable only for its iffy authenticity and fabulous photos, AND driving video which, I guesstimate, added $10K-$20K over retail, to the ultimate price.

I paid $1,200 to have a pro put protective clear vinyl on much of my like-new Birkin, years ago. I added it to the sides as well. Someone here asked why I bothered to put it on the sides. To which someone else, I think Croc or YellowSS7, pointed out that, as anyone who had spent time with me on the track knew, my car spent a considerable time traveling sideways. So hurtful (and true...).

Congratulations! Someone got a great car.

I think a solid black racing stripe down the middle to the black lipstick stripe on the nose cone would be ideal. Or multiple black/red stripes. That would keep it bold and simple and would compliment the car's other black components, like the headlights. I think the black and white stripe looks busy and disjointed, especially when it meets/crosses the nose stripe. I think the silver disappears in a sea of red. Of course, I have been told my sense taste is limited to my mouth....

My former Caterham, listed at the very bottom of Croc's Canadian group, has a price this week. Translating Canadian $ to U.S. $, the price is roughly $29K. Might be worth it in today's market. I sold it for $21.5K, I think. Also the new Hemmings 1.6 Cat is being offered by a apparently new authorized dealer in Daytona Beach Fl. They are only showing artist's renderings of the car,so seems like it has not been assembled. Looks like same spec as the Beachman SV with a 1.6 Sigma power (but at least $10K more....).

A corollary to my car-fantasy life is a trailer-fantasy life. And my favorite super cool, overpriced, trailer is the very lightweight and aerodynamic, Bowlus Road Chief. In connection with that, I have followed a blog of one of their owners who tows it with a Tesla 3, and averages around 165 mile per charge. Takes a certain amount of patience and planning, but their trips have lasted many thousands of miles.

Per the current stock price of $1400, Tesla, which sold 368K vehicles in '19, is worth more than Toyota, which sold over 10M units. And almost as much as Toyota and GM (which sold 7.7M units in '19) combined. I think Tesla has a pretty cool product, and know there are many happy owners here, but that valuation seems absurd. And the prediction is the stock may go to $2100, before gravity starts to pull it back to a more realistic valuation ($300-$700 per share?).

Croc: ban politics? So what are you going to do with all of the "Trump 2020 MAGA" stickers you were going to put on my car at the USA7s meet up in NJ this Oct:)? And I assume Tom (Yellow SS7) gets an exemption, by virtue of his age, seniority, geniality, and basic incorrigibility:)?

Croc: So what is this Fiat you have been referencing of late?

Man, so many memories from LOG 30! First Norm, who was the head tech (and I think set up the auto-X course with help from Scott and Michae lD), failed me on inspection. My front A-arm was loose, thanks to a impossible to reach nut, on the inside of the frame. So I employed my lawyerly skills and convinced him that, since I had just driven 700 miles to the event, it must be ok. He gave me a massive eye-roll and then let me. But I could not remember the course. So Boxologist jumped in and started barking instructions and pointing: "Turn left here, NOW, OK, slow up for that right-hander, NOW", etc. And I finished without DNF'g and actually has a fairly competitive time (top 5 or 10???). I'm pretty sure Norm won the whole thing. I was in awe of Ross and his incredible Lotus 7 trip to the event. Too bad his inclusive view of se7ens did not prevail. We all were looked down upon. I had so many Lotus folks walk by and compliment my "Lotus 7", only to walk off in scorn when told it was a lowly Caterham.... But as Croc notes, it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship among all of us orphans and lead directly to the annual Se7ens gathering at NJMP-where everyone is disrespected equally:)! In other words, bring a sense of humor.

What wemtd is referencing is that I gave him a ride in that car, and let him drive it, and he promptly went out and bought his own se7en kit (Birkin) and built it:).

Thx Croc, great pix, great memories. One of my all-time fav se7en memories was at that LOG event, 10 years ago? I got propositioned in the parking lot the night before the LOG trackday event. A comely young woman insisted on helping me put the car cover on my seven. I said thx, I needed your help, and she said something like:"Honey, I am just what you need:)!" And she was not subtle. I again thanked her and walked into the motel and called my wife and said: "you wont believe what just happened:)!". Such is the power of the se7en! One of those unforgettable moments.

Thx Croc, yes that is the ex-Kitcat Seven! MANY great memories! And one of the prettiest Caterhams ever, IMHO.

Datsun: I'd say that if you are fairly new to track days, then the 310 might be the perfect learning tool. It will force you to concentrate on maintaining momentum by being extremely precise with braking points, finding the best racing line, etc. And it will not punish you instantly if you overdo it with the throttle. The softer suspension will allow curb climbing, as will the thicker sidewalls of the 14" tires. The 420 is a big step up as a track car, as Croc notes, and as I can attest to, having tried in vain to hang with them in my SVT Zetec Caterham. And the M-Spec Stalker is a huge bump up from the 420. It's really not a beginner's car.

Coupla additional thoughts. This car was assembled by Hilllbank. They offered Jamie Kitman, of Automobile Magazine, a loaner to test. It broke down numerous times due to shoddy assembly. And this was the car they were confidant enough in to lend to a journalist. Given their track record, I'd be leery of anything they built. OK to buy, just be aware that some sorting and fettling may be required initially. And speaking of "built", the 310S SV for sale by Beachman that you reference Croc, is $43.5K, turnkey (assembled, and engine and transmission both included in that $43.5K). See their thread here titled "FS:New 2019 Caterham 310S....". Which I consider pretty amazing, given the long history of hyper-inflated cost of new Caterhams. It used be the kit was mid-high 40's and the engine, tranny, and assembly added $20K.

We have a tiny little C&C here in Cincy. It's going full blast: "What, me worry?". Since it's a small place, everyone is jammed together and walking shoulder to shoulder and, of course, no masks. Our Saturday a.m., bike ride takes us directly past it (we stick to the far side of the road). I doubt anyone is over 40 years old, most are early 20's-early 30's. Did I mention Cincy has had a 5x increase in its infection rate, ditto the surrounding counties?

I actually like the standard Caterham rear lights. Their rectangular shape matches the rectangular shape of the rear of the car, unlike the round lights. Also, I think they are the only remaining part of the Caterham that was also on the original Lotus Seven Series 3? Croc can correct me on that. And I think Lotus sourced them from a pop-up camper (caravan?) in wide use back in the late 60's.

I have had 2 SVT engines in my current Cat. The first, well tuned one, made about 162 hp and 148 lbs torque, on a chassis dyno. The second, as of yet untuned one, made 148 hp and 136 torque, per my faltering memory. Basically, the SVT falls a bit more than half way between the stock Zetecs, which were lucky to get more than 124-135 hp on a chassis dyno, and the Duratec, which I had in my Birkin and which made around 169 hp and 155 lbs torque, on the same dyno, again per my faltering memory. Forum member, 1 TurboFocus, an expert on Zetecs, says, for all practical purposes, the SVT was a different engine than the stock Zetec. Anyhow, it is a nice, torquey, easy to drive engine that red lines around 7200. It weighs maybe 35 lbs more than the Duratec, in standard form and isn't as amenable to tuning as the Duratec. Because of its broad torque range, it matches well with the 5 sp transmission (no need to keep it on the boil). As a reference point, my '19 MX-5's (Miata) ultra-modern "Skyactive" Mazda 2.0 liter engine is rated at a bit more power than the SVT on paper but on the dyno the numbers are similar or less, than the the SVT. That's progress:). Or maybe emissions and mpg issues???

Sounds like a great plan. My thoughts on this, having done one long (1200 mile) trip and lots of shorter trips: 1] Ear plugs AND ear muffs (like you use to operate a lawnmower), or earplugs and a helmet, tho as others have noted, the helmet isolates you from the sights and smells that help make the trip pretty amazing, 2] Cell phone AND a Garmin. The cell can do Google maps, play music into your ear buds if you choose, etc. THe Garmin provides directions when there is no cell coverage, which is likely to occur during parts of the trip. 3] Sunscreen and a big floppy hat, like a Tiley. 4] Light weight clothes, it is hotter than hell in a Caterham, even when it is cool out. You are basically sitting in the engine bay, with the exhaust on your left side. 5] A portable bag/small backpack for all of your valuables. Unlike any other car, or even cruiser bikes, there is zero lockable storage in a Caterham. So unless you are a very trusting person, you will not want to leave phones, wallet, Garmin, etc in the car when you go into McD's (BTW, you wont be using the drive thru, it will be 2' above you) or when you take a bathroom break. I also used a small 4' steel wire bike lock to tie everything else down. It will not stop a serious thief but will stop someone from reaching in and grabbing a loose item. 6] A small tool chest and duct tape/gorilla tape and some string and wire. I have fixed broken accelerator cables and falling off rear wings with the tape. Since you wont always have cell coverage you may be forced to fix things yourself. My accelerator cable failed in the middle of the Smokey Mountains as dusk was fast approaching. It was totally deserted, no cell coverage, and I had owned the car 1 week and had no idea how the cable worked or why it failed, but I learned fast! And I am as mechanically challenged as anyone on this forum. 7] A flashlight and a "miners" light that fits on your head so you have both hands to fix whatever goes wrong after dark, using both hands. 8] Some spare fuses. And be aware that some are more essential than others. So perhaps if you lose your headlights in the middle of the night you can pull a less essential fuse to fix it. 9] If you have the "full visibility" or "high visibility" top, it converts into something close to a bikini top. Take out the side curtains and unzip the rear window and its very close to being a bikini. BTW, the side curtains fold upwards in half. So you can leave them in place and once you get going, shove the lower half of the drivers side up and wind pressure will keep it there, letting tons of cool air in but , with the top half up, protect your ears from the wind buffeting. As I type this I still have tinnitus from my first road trip in my Caterham, 13 years ago. 9, pt 2] The top and side curtains fit in the "boot". Of course, if you have all of your clothes there, it will be full. Maybe take your cloths etc in a duffel bag and bungee it on top of the "boot" when the top is down. With the top up, it will fit behind the seats and the full boot. 10] A Triple A card. 11] A positive attitude towards people. At first the fact that the car attracts non-stop attention is fun (What is it, is it a kit car, what is the top speed, what did it cost, etc., etc.?). Eventually you may just want to be left alone, after reciting the same info at every stop, every day. Too bad, folks simply can not help themselves. At one point I thought about printing a handout with all the info to give to then endless inquiries. And I consider myself a friendly guy. 12] One or both of Ross's Lotus Seven books to read at night. And remember the se7er's motto: when plans fall apart, the adventure begins:). Enjoy (I'm jealous)!

So the undated Zetec powered, 5sp., Caterham, without a Caterham mfg plate, just sold for $45,500 on BAT. It was a nice late 90's/early '00's notch frame Cat with 8K miles on the clock. Worth every bit of, say, $27,500. Maybe a bit less. So, how did it get to $45,500? More than it would cost to buy a new, turnkey SV from Beachman Motors, with similar power, and all new everything. It was beautifully photographed and a traditional BRG color with a yellow racing stripe. And it had a driving video that blew everyone's mind, except those of us who have se7ens and can say, yep, pretty accurate. So add a few bucks for that, but $45,500???????

Ferrari came out with its first Superamerica in 1957, Lotus was probably just trying to hang with them:).

If mostly street use, be aware that the only place to put your left foot in the extremely tight S3 foot well is under the clutch pedal. And it doesn't pop back out all that easily. I put 10K combined street/track miles on my first Caterham with this arrangement so it's not a deal breaker, just something to be aware of.

I read a brief blurb about this car in Top Speed. It runs tire sizes, front and back, nearly identical to my Miata (I run 245/40x17") front and back, this runs a 245 in back and 235 up front. What size tires are you running Shane? The diffuser is said to add 176 lbs of down force, and the front nose design adds 110 lbs of down force. That is a beautiful thing, but I suspect it is at top speed and doubt that it would allow the relatively skinny tires to generate 2 G's. I am sure someone will actually test this claim soon, then we will know. By serious aero, I am thinking of a Sprint Car type set up with a huge wing up top. I am pretty sure that's how the fast Stalker ran such an impressive time at VIR a decade or so ago by former 7's member, Midgetracr. His V8 power probably didn't hurt either.

Right 2.0:)! With no real aero, wings, etc. I need to get some Hankook tires apparently. I just hope they dont stick so hard to my driveway that I can't lift them into place....