Kitcat

Looking forward to it. Nice to see T-bolt on the schedule: a whole new series of corners for me to slide off:)! Isn't this the "seventh" iteration of this annual event:)?

Fascinating report Bruce. Comparing a se7en to any other car is almost an apples to oranges process. I love the 4c, but for the power deficit, which your car seems to have remedied. I find they look much better in person and that pix don't do them justice. The Evora 400 (and now 430) are on my wish-lists, but my $25K Cat cost 1/4 as much $ and can probably run with them on a track and I have an SUV for mundane driving chores. Don't hesitate to let us know your impressions after 6 months of life with the Alfa in the real world (and on the track!).

Tom: I have to say, you are a great judge of people:):)!

Skip: What happened to the whole "goodwill toward men" part of the X-mas spirit? I've read your post 2x and I dont see it in the holiday message attributed to us Dems, or in your Republican holiday message:). So I will say it: Peace on earth and goodwill towards men. Your Democrat friend, Kitcat

Global warming and local/regional weather are, by definition, different. The eastern 1/2 of the US had had subnormal temperatures for the last 15 years. In that same period, the average temperature in the Arctic has gone up 7+ degrees. And with no signs of slowing up, the massive ice melt will eventually be knocking on the front door of a lot of shore properties. Like YellowSS's:).

This is a classic Skip:).

I have been following that auction also. I have appreciated the comments of SJ Morgan, a car nut (and seven nut) of Croc-like proportions.

The stock Caterham gray cloth seats are very comfortable. Because they are mounted on sliders, they have fore/aft adjustment so your wife can position them to her liking. Rake of the seat back is not adjustable but I found it to be perfect. I added a gray lumbar pillow from Auto-zone and found the seats to be the best part of doing long cruises/trips in my car. They are grippy as well, so at the track your butt doesn't slide around as much as on leather. And they are very light weight, maybe 10 lbs each, maybe less. And of course, they fit perfectly, no fetteling needed. The stock fiberglass and composite seats are nice but not nearly as comfortable, I tried all three versions. I have hated the bench seats on the Cats I have driven that were so equipped: they are too erect, too far from the pedals and steering wheel, and the seat cushion seems to be thicker, so you sit higher. I really hated them (tho not as much as the stock seats in my Birkin, which would likely fit a Caterham).

Dan: And I thought I was clever by going with "Kitcat" (Kit Caterham:)).

So you drive a family car:)?

Some years ago I promised my long suffering wife that if she gave me the green light to buy a new BMW M3, I'd sell my Caterham. I sort of kept my promise: I bought the M3, but ended up keeping the Caterham and getting rid of the M3:). As nice as it was (and it was very nice!), it just didn't engage me the way the Caterham did, especially on the track. I am sure won't keep the Caterham forever, but as long as I can climb in and out over the roll cage, and can afford to drop massive amounts of money on maintenance, its a keeper.

Shane: your photos are interesting and educational (at least for the mechanically challenged, like myself:)). Only a true optimist, or a person with a keen sense of humor, could call that wiring system ''painless". The plumbing for the Accusump looks dangerously low-what keeps it from harm in the event of a bumpy off-road excursion?

Or, to quote Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca: "You will regret it. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life:)" (And worse, you wont always have Paris....).

Lovely (More pix!). It looks brand new!

As does the whole car, wow!

Hmmmm, I am developing serious garage envy here. Its like an advanced case of trailer envy:). Your post makes this so simple Croc. Now all I need is $$$!

Yes, buyer beware!

Love it, and the color! It's going straight to my short list of fantasy cars (replacing the M2). I have done 1 auto-x in my 10 years of se7en ownership. It was last year and despite being generally clueless (so what's new?), I placed 5th out of about 70 cars. The top dog was driving a GT350R. Unfortunately, the R costs quite a bit more than your version and you have to be approved by Ford to buy it. And it lacks some of the amenities that make living with a vehicle as a daily driver more tolerable. So the GT350 seems like the perfect comprimise.

A variation of the Type R turbo 4 is going into the all new '18 Accord. It makes 252 hp and 273 lbs torque. Should be a lot more of those wrecked over time than will be wrecked in the 2 cars per dealer allotment of Type R's. And maybe easier to buy in crate form?

It sure doesn't like bumps! Power is crazy (in a good way). I like the idea of finding a substitute for the T9 transmission as it is harder to service and seems to be getting rarer as it ages, unlike the Miata transmission. I am impressed with the effort you are putting into this Ecoboost model. Seems like it might be hard to fit it all into the engine bay of the standard chassis? What do you estimate turnkey cost will be?

Don't show him your current front tires Tom:)!

For those who do not know, Craig is one of the preminent Lotus 7/Caterham experts in the U.S. He rebuilds Lotus se7ens, restores them, races them in Vintage and SCCA racing etc, etc. He has a large shop in Akron that I have visited many times. I have always been impressed with his skill and attention to detail. He typically has 5-7 projects going at any one time, not all Se7ens, plenty of other mainstream and oddball English cars of similar vintage.

I like how you roll:). What are the tire sizes on your Ultralite-they look huge. I think the fastest car I have ever driven was Romans Ultralight, and that was just poking around near the paddock. Love your hot rod 911, but am also pretty smitten by the green 356 next to it! I am 70+ years old and Lotus 7's and Porsche 356's were my "gateway" cars in my early teens. I still cant get them out of my head....

My Birkin stoped easily with standard brakes. I suspect something is wrong with your setup (pads are glazed, master cylinder is shot, bias bar needs to be adjusted, etc).

The route map looks great! Ditto the hash! How many total miles? Any photos?