Kitcat

Sounds like a dream come true (my dream:))!!! Color? Sequential just pours gas on the fire, who will be faster at a track day (other than the V8 Stalkers:)? Being so close to Bruce is like living in near the Caterham shop in England. Probably better (IMHO). I think Dave LeBrun, if he is the builder, has been doing Caterhams, on a very small volume, for decades so should know his Caterham spanners. His partner in Caterham crime, Tony Vacarro, is a long timer as well. Welcome and enjoy your car. I am sure the wait for the build will seem endless.

Thx Shane, that's right up there with our constitutional right to arm bears:). The Fifth Amendment is packed with stuff, not just the right to avoid self incrimination. IMHO, the single most powerful protection offered by the Bill of Rights is in the Fifth, as follows: "No person....shall be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law...." Due process is generally defined as advance notice of the government's plans, and an opportunity to a hearing in which you can submit evidence to contest their planed action (such as immobilizing property that may or may not at some future time, be used as a weapon).

Hey Shane. Unlawful taking of guns is a Second Amendment issue, unlawful taking of property (without due process first) is a Fifth Amendment issue. The police dont have the freedom to take either guns or property based on possible future abuse. My concern about taking of property (by slashing tires) that may or may not be used in a dangerous way at some later date is that it is a cousin to locking up people now, because they may become dangerous at some future unknown date. Both abuses were concerns of the authors of the Bill of Rights incorporated in the first ten Amendments.

Shane: First, I will observe that if all police officers had your temperament and judgement there would be no police protests. Second, I think giving the police the ability to confiscate, or destroy, any property that could, conceivably, be used to commit a crime in the future is pretty dangerous. For instance, why couldn't the police use this to order everyone to turn in their guns?

Impressive car! I'd say the car to the right is a Jag XK120-150? What is the car on the left? Maybe an early T-bird? And the orange car to the far left?

Regardless of recent use, if Lotusman1951 is right, and this car is now $25K, it is a steal.

First, kudos for a great thread name! And, like others, I find the green/gray combo surprisingly attractive. And it tells me that all those owners of bland silver/gray se7ens need to add a BRG racing stripe (I am talking to you Croc).

Thx Bob! Cincinnati's C&C is tiny in comparison to this but was open yesterday for the first time. It was packed with people and cars, a few masks, no social distancing. It's squeezed into a small space so participants couldn't social distance if they wanted. On the other hand I went to a track day Monday and it was also packed but the huge paddock venue at Mid Ohio made it easy to be 6' apart. Also, 100% masks in use, purely voluntary but everyone was on the same page. Participants had to bring their own food and water. Drivers' meeting was virtual via smart phones. They took everyone's temp as they entered. Really a model Covid gathering.

Haggerty charges me about $200 per track day for coverage with a $5K deductible, as I recall. Depending on what car I am tracking, I typically buy it for peace of mind. And, somewhat counter-intuitively, I am a bit more cautious as I dont want to have to report I Fked up to a 3rd party....

Wow, that's huge damage! Since I briefly owned and tracked a Honda Type R last year, I visit their forum too. One of the members is an instructor and was at this same VIR event. He somehow talked Randy Pobst, who as you note was there, into driving his Type R. He beat the owner/instructor's best lap time by 10" on the first lap, and had lots of ideas on how to improve handling. All the time talking & laughing. The Honda owner said the car was always just on the verge of an apparent crash, he called it controlled chaos:).

Graham: So the big 3 car pile-up occurred on the waiving yellow parade laps? If so, that's not good. I can say that some of my worst moments on track have occurred on cool down laps, yellow flag laps, etc., when I over-relax and lose focus.

Too funny Croc, you know you are talented when you can successfully pilot your car as a passenger! The Caterham is looking good! But it needs a patina of squashed bugs and black rubber streaks to look right. Graham, the VIR experience sounds memorable! You are correct, the back straight is endless. It's better when they include the cut through the infield, the configuration that Car and Driver runs at their annual Lightening Lap. Chin is big time/high end, nicely organized.

Vlad: 8 years x 666 miles a year is 5328, not a lot but not all that unusual. The hp of 220 is possible but at the upper limit of a Zetec. Maybe it was built to a higher spec? My SVT Zetec makes about 160 hp at the wheels. I am sure the 220 hp is a flywheel #, so maybe 190 hp at the wheels? Anyhow, it is a great looking Cat, in great shape and the SV spec is a bonus. If it doesn't sell here, maybe wander over to Bring A Trailer. Caterhams have done exceptionally well there.

They dont look all that bad to me. What engine/suspension/transmission does it have (i.e., how likely is it to become a track car?). As you note, the seats will be a replacement item if it will see significant track duty.

Shine it up and fix the seats. People judge books (and cars) by their cover:). How many times have you seen a worn looking car for sale and the comments are always negative,e.g.: If it looks that bad, imagine what the condition is of the stuff you can't see, etc. IMHO, of course....

I like: "budget blown as usual"! We all understand that sentiment:). FWIW: I read your "project car" plan exactly as you intended: bringing a tatty worn out CSR back to life. I look forward to the pics.

I had a similar Tilet seat set up and same problem in my Birkin Paul. I was able to make it work even with pull-up belts, but it was tight. Once they were adjusted correctly (with me out of the car), that was good for countless track days. But if I needed to shorten, or lengthen them, that was a process, not something done sitting on the grid waiting to go onto the track. BTW-per your photos, your belts expire next month:).

Shane: you really need to add some color to that car.....

I had a similar thought Shane. Except my flashback was triggered when I saw the mammoth bear toothed, seven-destroying curbing on the turn at the bottom of the photo(:!

I agree with the advantage of being able to "stretch" a gear with a higher RPM limit. At our annual gathering at the Lightning circuit at NJMP, I am able to hit the 7200 RPM redine in 5th gear, half way down the front straight. This is in my 6 sp Zetec powered Caterham. So the question is whether it is worth an upshift, and then a downshift before entering the big right hand turn at the end of that straight? The answer, after much trial and error, is no, it's not worth it. Instead I lift up on the accelerator a bit and keep the revs at 7000. Then a single shift down to 4th before the turn (rather than 2 shifts into 4th before the turn) simplifies things. Lightning's front straight has proven diagnostic over the years. On my original engine, following a tune, I was able to get into 6th at the beginning of the straight. That was nice! Later, when I had trouble getting into 6th by the end of the straight, I knew there were power issues. (First O2 sensors, later compression loss). When I came back following an engine swap and was only able to use 6th gear 1/2 way down the straight, I knew the new engine was missing some hp.

JB: 9K RPM's? We are all looking forward to the dyno results! Tom: what's redline on your orange Cosworth Cat, maybe 8.5K? My Zetec starts to cough around 7.2K.

FWIW: The Dunlap Direzza ZIII (catchy name, no?) tire comes in a 14" size and is supposed to be a good street/track tire compromise. Toyo makes a pretty aggressive 14" tire as well, the Proxes R888, that is more track oriented. Not sure either will be suitable for your use. Also FWIW: I have tried 15" and 13" tires and haven't noticed a performance advantage, although I would defer to Croc who has done many more Caterham track day laps that I have. I am mostly making his point that the differences are subtle. Currently, I am running 15" on the back and 13" on the front as that is the way the suspension was set up for my track-only car.

Birkin, like Caterham, makes a slightly larger model called the XS (extra space) that is like the Caterham SV. Gherkin has a standard Birkin (AFAIK) and how he fits into it I do not know:at 5'9"/160 lbs I found my '09 Birkin, even with ultra-thin Caterham Tilet seats, just barely roomy enough. I don't doubt that he fits, but if you are tempted by a Bikin, which I found to be at least the equal of my Caterhams, I'd try it on for size as well.

Knifey: Shoe size is also an issue, both length AND width. Wear driving shoes or be prepared to drive in your socks. You will definitely be on the tight side, assuming you fit at all. Getting in and out, esp with a fixed steering wheel, can be challenging. Stomach protrusion can be a factor as well.... And, imagine doing it with the top in place, or better yet, maybe one of the generous volunteers here will have the top up for you to sample? Also, the lowered floors put your butt just that much closer to the pavement. Since these have about 3 &1/2" ride height+ whatever height the seat offers, there is not a lot of room to work with. The Tilets do really open up the usable room, I have had both configurations. Stock are much more comfortable, but Tilets aren't bad and are much better for track use. MoPho: long time!

I am starting to think that brain surgery would be simpler than a Duratec rebuild!