Kitcat

As Josh (Colorado7er) says in post #9, and as Croc notes, the CSR is available per special order. Josh is also a new Caterham dealer(Rocky Mountain Caterham), though he and his family are long time, hard-core Lotus and Caterham fans. So if you are intrigued, give him a shout. I think he even has a CSR kit in stock, so no waiting. The CSR is quite a car, as Croc, who owns one can attest. It has the SV's larger dimensions but also has a very modern race car suspension (when compared to the standard Caterham). Also, as noted by Josh, there is a sequential 6 sp still available for Caterhams (at around $7.5K I think). Faster shifts, and no missed shifts, seems like a huge plus to me (if $ were no object). Confused? Come to NJMP in 10 days for our annual se7ens event and see and ride in all iterations of se7en, Caterham included. Tbox will be there in his super cool Birkin and, as the US Birkin dealer, he can answer questions and build you your dream se7en.

One of the annual highlights of the drivers' meeting before this event is the head saftey guy imitating us trying to do point-byes with the arm restraints. It always gets a laugh and I guarantee he will kid us this year also. Basically, you have enough play in the restraint to allow your arm/hand/finger to extend out just a bit, but it's not a full out point bye. The bigger problem is drivers who never/rarely look in their mirrors and cause a huge train of cars held up behind them: but that's a different issue:).

Great looking se7en! And over-the-top power! Your ownership reminds me of one of my favorite sayings (mentioned in previous posts): "Youth is fleeting, but immaturity can last a lifetime:)"! Since I am older than you, I know of whence I speak.

More hp= faster on the straights. That's not a minor thing, tho easy to minimize. The problem with a low hp Caterham (and I have had both relatively high and low), is you are usually (way) faster everywhere but the straight. So my low hp experience was I'd have to endlessly harass more powerful cars to let me by on the short straights in the middle of squiggly parts, (With the resulting nick name:"The blue enema":)). Then all that effort would be lost on the straight where they would again pass me, and then hold me up all around the track again. Very frustrating! With the added hp I cld stay ahead of them on the straight, or stay close enough to easily out brake them going into the next turn, and not have to give up my hard earned advantage.

What a beautiful 7, and what a price! I almost didn't look, the price was so low I thot it wld be a fixer-upper. Instead, it's terrific.

Or, during tech inspection: For the brake light test, just switch on the tail lights when he says step on the brake (like some people who shall remain anonymous for his own protection do). Brilliant plan to convoy down with a guy and a trailer who can haul your car back if, God forbid, some gremlin make the return trip impossible!

Vovchandr: I'd add NY Times v. Sullivan (1964) to your Sup Ct free speech list. That case established a different and higher standard for winning a libel case against a public individual (say the U.S.Prez), as opposed to John Q citizen. That decision insulates the publisher of falsehoods about such a public person, unless actual malice is proven (good luck with that). In other words, incorrect statements, honestly made, are not actionable. Which is why Trump complains about the "horrible" N.Y.Times decision constantly in his daily "fake news" laments (as he is constitutionally permitted to do:)). The made-up internet political hit-job stories that have become so popular of late probably are examples of actionable, not protected speech. There isn't always a bright line between what is and isn't protected. In NYT, the court opted to err on the side of encouraging open, if flawed, debate.

Mind your rear fenders: they may not survive a cone strike.

All very interesting but the First Amendment is irrelevant to your points. For instance: Google, Facebook, Twitter are not government entities. So they can ban whatever they want, including "hate speech" and we can all stuff it. However, if the government said to Google, you must regulate "hate speech", then (since the government IS the ONLY subject of the First Amendment), that ban might run afoul of the 1st Amendments protections. Ditto loud, impolite speakers: the First Amendment has no position on them, tho common decency might. But if the President ordered that no one could shout their loud support of AOC in Washington DC, then, again, since he's the government his order would violate the Constitution. The Founding Fathers were mostly concerned about government over reach. (And such things as keeping religion out of government, and protecting states rights). They did not address the degree to which private citizens and organizations imposed rules on themselves. My basic point is simple: the First Amendment is incredibly limited-it just applies to the government.

And how frequent is "frequent service?". Every year, every 5K miles, etc? My Google suggests that Quaife dog boxes are pretty stout. And, from experience, the Caterham 6 speed isn't bullet proof. I am intrigued by this item. It's for sale at a price that's $1K-$1.5K less than new and I suspect shipping is less than it would be from the UK.

As I recall, rake is adjustable, ditto camber, in addition to toe.Toe "in" makes the car more stable, toe "out" adds jittery-ness but makes it easier to initiate a turn (good for track days and auto-X). As is negative camber and lots of rake.

More like 21 days Croc, assuming it takes a travel day to get there. I am going to need all 21. My car, having just gotten a rebuilt engine, new clutch, flywheel etc., has sprung a transmission leak and likely rear diff leak. Hopefully parts will be available and are not on "back order". It could have been worse, the original diagnosis was a rear main seal problem.

I wonder if Craig's car is as fast when someone else is driving:)? His Mid-Ohio time is quicker than I have achieved there in my theoretically superior Caterham. And 160 hp from a 1500cc pre-X-Flow! I wonder what a replacement engine costs??? Great car, wish I could afford it!

Hotel space was tight when I signed up, so folks should not wait til the last minute.

Tom: This is a timely post. As mentioned, off forum, my car finally came together today and is sitting in my trailer, ready to pounce. Or, at least putter around the paddock. I have a newly rebuilt engine and have to break it in. That starts tomorrow (tho not easy since it's not street legal. Who's going to notice a Caterham tooling around with the driver in a helmet, huge #'s on the side and back, roll cage, no windows/windshield, etc., etc? I'm hoping no cops....). Anyhow, first time I have driven it since the "wheel fell off" in Oct. So rebuilt rear susp, brakes, hub, anti-roll bar, half shaft, radius arms, washers, bolts, wheel lugs, and rebuilt engine , bespoke clutch, resurfaced flywheel, new oil pump, alignment, tune, etc. Every part, including the many not mentioned, was its own adventure. Even the lug-nuts and washers! Bottom line: I just registered for the event, including the kart and/or Ax throwing contest:). I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to get to this year's event, but the racing gods have smiled (at least for now, you know how they are....).

Ditto the "props" to RM Caterham: they have been instrumental in my recent repairs. Also Beachman racing and, when all else fails, Caterham, UK, as Croc noted. But Cat UK is not a sure thing. I just got an email from them saying that my uprated rear brake parts were (finally) back in stock. But I was able to get them months ago, thx to the US Caterham contacts just noted.

Whoops, you are right Croc! I like the K series engine for its uniqueness. I suspect similar spec (weight & power) as 1.6 X-Flow? We need pix!

Welcome Andy. Many of us here have been following the auction. Great looking car and a nice price! Sounds like you are handy with a wrench-that is a big plus as these cars need a certain amount of TLC. Obviously do a nut/bolt check fairly soon. And dont take any long trips until you shake it down locally and make sure everything is working properly. Ear protection and eye protection are musts. Don't recall status of your car's tires, but since these are so light they typically have lots of tread, often long after the rubber has fossilized and grip is marginal. Enjoy!You will soon be the center of attention wherever you go:)!

Since I have had one wheel bearing break and one half shaft snap, in maybe 2,000 miles of track work, I'd add them to the list. Maybe not yearly but every few years or "X" number of miles. I was able to drive onto the trailer with the bad wheel bearing, the snapped half shaft was catastrophic (on track, so zero control since I only had 3 wheels, surrounded by traffic at high speed, damage to disc, wheel, hub, radius arms). And many of those parts require a long wait-this was Oct, and the last of the parts are now arriving).

I saw this A-arm issue listed as a known failure area by Super7Driver in the current BAT auction of the '83Caterham. So I added it to my list of things to check on my Cat. Now I have even more reason to do so! Given my history, I am surprised mine hasn't broken yet.... Andy-that sounds pretty ominous. Even more reason to check this part!

Definitely ask Rocky Mountain Motorsports. Send an e-mail today, you mite get a response today. They have been very helpful to me so far. Ditto Beachman Racing.

Bob: And here I always thought you were an astrologist:). Who needs a telescope of that spec? Is it for an amateur or a professional star gazer? 2000 miles on a trike? Bumpy, hot, noisy? Is it reliable? How does it compare to the Stalker as road transport? In the meantime, looks like mayhem at your place! Your menagerie is clearly protesting this sale. If I were you, I'd head for the basement of the Alamo before it gets any worse!

Thx Bob. My Caterham weighs about that, if not more, when gassed up. My very heavy roll cage and other safety equipment, not to mention the 21 gallon fuel tank, pack on the pounds (roughly 225lbs over stock). But you have 90 more hp:). Someone is going to be very happy with this car.

Beautiful car! Looks meticulously built/maintained. Remind me, what are approx hp/torque #'s for that spec engine? And let me be the first to ask what the orange-ish seven-ish vehicle is that we get a glimpse of in one of the garage photos (maybe a trike?).

Great pix, thx Jerry! I had been a Caterham owner for all of 5 weeks before driving it down there (mostly on interstates....). Croc: When your behemoth decided enough was enough and it just wasn't going to turn, and so signaled by starting a lurid, slow-motion slide in protest of your abuse, I was frozen: time stood still, my life passed before me..... I tried to remember where I'd put my will and if I had thought to kiss my wife good bye the day before:). It was esp thrilling since I had no earthly idea where your car was going next: would it veer back on track and wipe me out, would it put a wheel off and roll, would it ever stop, in my ever shortening lifetime? Nothing was obvious, so the term "panic stop" took on new meaning for me (as did flat-spotted tires). And in the process, another great memory was made:)!