Kitcat

Car looks great (so do you, are you sure u r 81?). What is the new race car?

Email sent.

James, I think it was called "National Educational Television" back in the day. It seems to have lived up to that name for a lot of folks on this thread:). I blame Road and Track for my se7en addiction. It started in 1961-62 or so when I read an article there about Lotus 7's , sold as kit cars, as I recall, for around $1.2K. Not sure if that was with the engine, details like that didn't seem important then since the whole thing was a fantasy anyway (And continued to be for about 45 years).

Lovely, well maintained car at a lovely price. One of the (many) nice things about this less tiny version of the even tinier standard Caterham is there is lots of room under the bonnet for a supercharger or turbo system:). Not that it lacks power as is. The video shows it acquiting itself quite well on the track.

Per the latest Autoweek, they have sold 20,000 of these little semi-se7ens! That puts all of the established se7en mfgs to shame. It could be that the market for se7ens is robust, but the steep entry price scares buyers off? The Slingshot sells for $20K in base form, assembled AND with an engine. It tops out in the mid $30's. Not sure how they would fare head to head with a se7en on the track: one less wheel has to hurt. Still, with a 0-60 time under 5 seconds they have some scoot.

To add some detail to my post: After replacing the 3rd fuel pump we discovered a low compression problem, so did a top end rebuild. And the nature of the damage (burned valves) suggested it was due to a too-lean A/F mix. So we added a much bigger fuel pump. When the car went onto the dyno, the A/F ratios still went waaay too lean over 4500 rpm. Without the dyno data we wouldn't have otherwise known. So that's when we took T Tom's advice and went to a return fuel system and that solved the too lean problem at higher RPMs. We also added a A/F ratio gauge on the dash and I keep an eye on it on the track-it has been rock sold for the last year. BTW-we purchased/used T Tom's above-mentioned scanner/custom tune system wh/was very helpful, as was taping into his considerable knowledge of the SVT and its ECU. And a final point: yes, when you drive a se7en, you are never alone:).

Cant answer, but my '03 Cat with the SVT went thru 3 fuel pumps in the first 1000 miles(It was 10 years old when I bought it). My mechanic finally converted it to a return fuel system and added a much bigger fuel pump which solved the problem. All done per suggestion of an occasional poster here, TurboTom, a SVT guru.

Great stuff Croc! Its pretty toasty when the heat melts your shoes! How does the 620R compare to your high hp CSR? The speed jumps between 30-90 mph seemed instantaneous! What a beast. But it sounds like you expended much concentration on when and how rapidly to apply power, rather than on the fun of just wringing the car out and flinging it around, lke you can with a lower hp Caterham.

Will be sad to see you and your car go Gert! Whoever gets it will be getting one of the most meticulously prepped Birkins out there.

What about an '18 Honda type R? I had a '08 M3 and it was wonderful, tho the power was unusable on the street and mpg was terrible. Enjoy the hunt, it's part of the fun!

So very sorry to hear of your daughter's dire medical condition! I think if you want to distill the sports car experience to its essence, any se7en will do. A 30' ride in a se7en equals 2-3 hours in anything else, for pure wall-to-wall visceral thrills. If you want a bit of civilization to go with it, a Miata is an amazing car, as are all the others mentioned as alternatives above. And all of them, unlike a se7en, fly under the radar-in a se7en you are always in the spotlight.

When do you add the kids' handprints to the nosecone? That will add some much needed color!

Very elegant! No idea where you find the time to do such precise work! Obviously, you have great mechanical talent as well. What did you decide for resolving any future collapsed suspension issues? Cant wait to see the finished product. Maybe at some track day at Putnam Park, 40 miles west of Indy???

I am pretty dense but I didn't think ITB's were incompatible with fuel injection. In fact I thot they enhanced it? MichaelD had his Zetec tweaked by Quicksilver in Frederick MD, I think. He makes 218 hp vs. my SVT's lowly 160. I dont think George A. builds engines but, I may be wrong about that (too:)).

My vote is for a Storker! Why do u think it got that nick name:)?

Keep up the good work Shane/Suave:this thread will soon have 40,000 views which must be some kind of record!

Epic cars/photos, thx Bob. Not a dud in the bunch. Gotta love the sideways VW van! MichaelD looks to be threatening BBall's long term lock on the shiniest se7en! And if the Chevy ever goes missing, you will have a prime suspect:)!

Ditto on the Croc shout-out. This thread is the most read, most enjoyable and most useful for building the se7en community of all the many threads on this forum. So good on you Croc!

Thx Bob, I am smitten by this car. Might have something to do with being born in '46 and turning into a car nut a few years later and watching the evolution of car styling throughout the 50's- combined with the family cars including a '53 Chevy and a '59 Chevy station wagon:).

Love the wagon! Was it a special edition? I guess it was a Nomad variation? Can you go back and take more pictures:)?

A coupla shots of Croc's German Caterham....

As a member of the 70+ crowd, I have had lots of friends undergo knee/hip replacements. The hip surgeries seem to go the best. I think it is important to manage expectations. Most are glad they had the surgeries as they are in less pain, have more mobility, etc. But no one came close to returning to their baseline, pre-arthiritis.The recovery period can stretch out for 1+ year. And for whatever reason, many folks who have had once such surgery seem to soon need another-on the opposite hip/knee, etc. In other words, it can start to feel endless. I hate to be negative, I am sure there are many unqualified successes as my sample size is small.

I am beginning to think that the Caterham owner who derisively coined the term "Storker" should have copyrighted it:).

I love that MichaelD waives at the cameraman!

I am pretty sure forum member, and loyal NJMP se7ns gathering participant, WentMD brought back to life a damaged Birkin with more extensive damage than this one. I seem to recall he was able to salvage the gas cap, the windshield wipers, etc. So it can be done, tho it takes time and parts, and $, and the help of Tom Carlin, the Birkin USA distributor. Maybe Paul will comment?