Kitcat

My diesel Touareg was great. I put 130K miles on it, many were towing miles. i replaced it with the gas version when VW bought back all the dirty diesels they had sold under false pretenses. I have put 90K on the gas version. Both have been very reliable and easy to live with. However Consumer Reports gives each version poor grades on reliability. Maybe I have been lucky? Both are comfortable cruisers and rated to tow 7,700lbs. Obviously, the diesel towed much more effortlessly and got better mpg.

My first question on seeing this long forgotten thread was, what is necromancy:)! Followed by, what is a M10x1.5? Having gotten up to speed, so to speak, I can say I am relieved that necromancy is not similar to necrophillia! As far as the substance of your question, the new shifter did fit and was much better than what the car came with. It did not tear up my hand but my shifting issues turned to be a result of broken flywheel bolts gumming up the works not the shifter handle.

The future is hard to predict. But given the trend to extremely heavy, full electric cars, I think these se7ens, including Caterhams, will only become more valuable. Many would argue that this particular Caterham, with its moderately powerful Sigma engine, is truer to the original Seven's ethos than the more popular/powerful Duratec engines. It makes sense to plan for higher maintenance costs than a modern car, like a Miata. I have owned 3 Miata's and 2 Caterhams and 1 Birkin and the reliability of each was variable but, overall the Miata's were less problematic. That said, I have been stranded 2x in my '19 Miata by the mechanical/electrical gremlins that are part of today's super sophisticated, computer driven, operating systems. A bigger issue is the occasional difficulty in finding replacement parts. Most competent mechanics enjoy working on these cars, but I waited 3-6 months for the easily installed part to actually be available. Assuming that this is a fun, special occasion car, that should not be a overwhelming barrier. I bought my first Caterham at age 60 and sold my last one at age 75. And I enjoyed every minute with zero regrets.

New engine mounts fixed a multitude of problems in my 1997 1700ccX-flow Caterham. The engine was so loose that the intake stack rubbed against the bonnet cutout and pulled the webbers in a way that affected A/F ratio. It also made an incredible racket on high G turns at the race track. When I checked them they were falling apart. After that I replaced them every 5K miles and never had another issue.

The ‘16 and on MX-5’s six speed is pretty fragile, unlike the earlier transmissions. Many have failed. My ‘19 has the 5th Mazda upgrade to the original ND transmission, which debuted in 2016. Any upgrade in power (turbo, supercharger) seems to aggravate the problem, as does track use and auto crossing. Mazda built the ND version of the Miata using a “gram management” approach. So every single part was weighed (including lug nuts) and put on a diet. The result was a car that was 200+ pounds lighter and infinitely more fragile.

Love the Anniversary edition Miata Skip. That’s # number 50 or 60 Miatas so far? Lost 10” of height in the last few years! That has to be a record? Not sure about the newer Caterhams being well insulated to resist heat. Is that a option? I have read about individuals adding insulation as they assembled their kit (Didn’t you do it Skip?) but not sure it’s an option and, if it is, whether it is well designed and effective? My X-flow powered Cat measured 115-120 degrees around the driver’s ankles on a85 degree day. It was 15 degrees cooler on the passenger side. Since the Duratec engine sends its exhaust out on the passenger side, that makes the driver’s side more tolerable.

I bought my Caterham at age 61 and sold it at 75. The noise, wind, vibration and cockpit heat were eventually more than my aging body was comfortable with. My final Cat was track only so what few concessions a stock Caterham makes to comfort were eliminated. I probably could have lasted longer in my original street version S3 with its lovely little X-flow engine. I had no trouble getting in and out, working the controls or otherwise enjoying the unique se7en character. My replacement is a lightly track prepared ‘19 Miata, which is like a Rolls Royce in comparison with the Cat, in both good and bad ways.

Deal or steal, one of those two! I love the ominous yellow cat eyes.

I suspect Al Navarro, a founding father knows who came up with the symbol. Or Mazda (our first administrator not the car brand). It shows a “7”, representing the many iterations of the Lotus 7 and the curved arrow shape representing the twists at the Tail of the Dragon highway where we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Lotus 7. The event, as well as this Forum, were noteworthy for welcoming everyone who had a Seven inspired vehicle (Lotus, Birkin, Caterham, Westfield, Stalkers, etc). There was no “purity” test(Lotus only). Surprisingly that was considered a big feature of this group although now it’s no big deal.

I put 10K miles on my first Caterham using Proxes R1’s. Mostly street use but many track days as well. Good rain tire when new. Much improved grip as the tread wore down, though rain performance suffered. The Yoko Advan AO52’s are excellent for combination street/ track on the much heavier Miatas that they are often paired with. Ditto the Falkens you mention. I liked the R888R on my Caterham as well for street/track. Their decent tread makes them driveable in the rain and sticky rubber makes them good at the track(when warmed up, which doesn’t always happen with street use). Also will deposit much road debris in the cockpit….

As they say: Youth is fleeting but immaturity can last forever:). A perspective that helps when you have mid ‘40’s birth year.

Well, it was 16 years ago and the memory is still absolutely fresh:). I learned that adrenaline makes it possible to do almost anything. I launched myself back out of the footwell, upside down and while holding my breath, in under 10 seconds. It took much longer to clean out the spent fire retardant. Just one of many indelible Caterham memories!

In my first month with my Caterham I was in exactly that position on the passenger side replacing a fuse. And I thought to myself, I have no idea how I am getting back out. And then I set off the fire extinguisher mounted in the footwell next to my ear…:)!

Like Steve, I have seen this pretty little Lotus 7 several times. The pictures don’t do it justice. I also followed its build, as detailed over many posts here in the past. It is a gem. What does it weigh Al? A standard issue Caterham seems to be around 1225lbs. I would assume this is a bit lighter? i think that Lotus/Caterham expert mechanic, Nathan Down, helped with the rebuild? In any event it is one of the cooler Lotus Se7ens around, built and maintained by a perfectionist:).

Just went through part 2. I am at a loss for words to describe the unforced carnage wrought by the Porsche drivers! Actual racing doesn’t typically cause this level of destruction. How to explain it? Maybe a total lack of track experience combined with indifference to the money consequences of wrecking as a result of having so much $? The cumulative damage to all cars on track during of my 30 years of track days doesn’t equal this several day event.

Magazine quality writing and photos, enhanced by featuring high end cars, especially Caterhams, on a historic race track. Ya gotta love a track with corner names like Double Gouche, Pif-Paf, Paul Frere, and Bus stop. I will definitely reread this one!

Eligible for the annual USA7S event in 2 weeks:)?

The ‘62 “Lotus” in Hemmings looks like a home built special. Everything about it is off; the body surrounding the rear wheel arches is totally weird, ditto the roll bar. The gauges on the dash are round, but they don’t look like those in a ‘62 and their placement is very different. Plus the name Lotus” is plastered everywhere, which is what non-lotus folks do. Finally, there is no manufacturer’s plate shown. And, even if there were, I still would have lots of questions.

Hmmm, my Caterham got its fender gash when I bumped into our snowblower:). This car seems to have been given significant love: $11K in maintenance receipts from Kapana in ‘18 and a subsequent $9K BDR rebuild. It is far from perfect but seems to have been well loved. I agree the dyno results from the rebuild could add a lot to knowing how to value this. For instance, my “135 hp” 1700cc X-Flow made all of 98 hp on the dyno. I suspect this BDR was mid 120’s(similar to a stock Zetec). Maybe more depending on how comprehensive the rebuild was. As I recall, Stuart/Jeffs’s similar older blue Cat with a BDA/BDR sold for roughly $50K last year on BAT.

I never had a problem running without a front plate in Ohio. In fact I always ran my untitled track-only Caterham on the street without any plate, front or back. I was only stopped once: “Sir, I like your car a lot but now you have to drive it home and park it”. No ticket. No guarantees, of course.

Per the seller, your Birkin comes with the standard Birkin wind deflectors, as a starting point. Like the stock Caterham deflectors, they do help quite a bit (change it from intolerable to tolerable).

With the presumably stock Zetec engine (making maybe 115-120hp at the rear wheels) the 168 rear wheel hp powered Birkin is the superior car(IMHO). I would love this Superlight with the Birkin’s Zetec! Given how well sorted the Birkin is, that makes it even more attractive. It doesn’t have the cachet of a “Caterham Superlight R”, but is the better se7en(Again IMHO).

Attention lurkers: the above ‘02 Superlight Caterham just listed for $25K in Massachusetts seems seriously undervalued? Definitely worth looking into.

Small world:)! Yes, I do recognize myself in the photo(or at least the Rhinegeist t shirt…). And when you say late 70’s, smile!