Kitcat

Car looks great, tho I always hate for-sale photos featuring garbage cans as the background:). Is it a 4sp, or 5sp (gear shift knob seems to show the classic 4sp H pattern). What are rpm's at 70 mph? And, is it Dedion or solid rear axle setup? Price is very realistic, IMHO. Very affordable price for entry into the world of 7's.

Wider front tires? Or, same size but stickier front compound? Why not play with the rear sway bar-that is the classic way of dialing out push? Assuming the bar is adjustable, just stiffen it one setting. If it's not, you can likely find an adjustable rear bar. And, maybe this a beware-of-what-you-wish-for deal: a little push is much safer than over-steer?

A standard Caterham S3 windshield will not fit a standard Birkin S3. I tried that when I owned both and it didn't work. The 2 cars are visibly very similar but dimensionally somewhat different. So, parts and components are not necessarily interchangeable. I was able to put my Caterham carbon fiber seat in my Birkin but it was so tight it would not move on its sliders, it was really wedged in. And the bottom of windshield frame, where it fits over the cowl and bolts in, wasn't even close.

Talk about putting lipstick on as pig. This tries to be the opposite of what a Caterham actually is. Seems like a waste of a perfectly good Caterham 420, not to mention the fact that all that extra $ that could be better spent on a higher spec version. Of course if it sells out, they are all geniuses:).

Sounds like the perfect vacation! R300? Cant wait to hear what effect, if any, the reduced hp has on your speed/enjoyment as compared to your CRS. I think the R300 is on par with my Cat Superlight w/Zetec SVT, with regard to power?

Reading this thread is like reading an Agatha Christie novel: lots of suspects, false clues, red herrings, and occasional small break-throughs. I "tune in" every day to see if the suspect has finally been caught:)!

Croc: The Dennis Bruton Super Stalker is for sale by Gator Motorsport in Indy. They have a number of other interesting cars, including some new Zenos and 7 or 8 new '16 and '17 Lotus Evora 400's. They are also enthusiasts and sponsored a track day a month or so ago at Putnam Park outside of Indy that I attended. They brought a new Zenos, which matched up nicely on the track w/my Cat. Didn't see any Evora 400s out on the track, so no idea how sporting they really are. They cost a lotta $ but I'd love to have one!

Great info and insights Craig! I suspected you had role in the development of some of the sevens there. Didn't you win F Production at the Runoffs there in a Ginetta some years ago? Glad to hear the driver of the wrecked seven is recovering well.

Beautiful car and wow, that's an impressive 0-60!

I watched that video and said "What a looming ClusterFek". The whole reason racing was sent to dedicated tracks and away from city streets in the '50's is that inevitably some pedestrian or 2 were mowed down. Here some were not even watching, so they were in no position to dodge harm if a driver lost control, had a blowout, hit spilled oil, etc. The great lesson I learned in 10 years of auto-x is what can go wrong, will go wrong, stuff you never even imagined happening can happen. Croc will say :"Oh you attorneys want to ruin everything!" But this is a disaster waiting to happen, IMHO, of course.

Congratulations to John Walker in his '65 Lotus Super 7 for knocking off all those Miatas! Another Lotus driven by Peter Morton was 5th. Quite an accomplishment at Mid-Ohio, a track that favors aerodynamics.

I love that se7en, all of the retro tweaks really work well together and evoke an earlier era, IMHO.

Current price on that car is way low. If it goes for under $22K I wld consider it a steal. Esp since another poster on BAT says he drove it recently and it was a solid car. My standard refrain is the only thing better than a new Caterham is a well used one (because all the bugs have been worked out). As we all have posted many times, se7ens make poor daily drivers so the Jeep may have to serve that purpose.

Not sure how the Birkin set up works but I did long trips in my Cat with the doors off but the top up and the rear window zipped out. Sitting in the open sun can be pretty tiring for days on end. So the top gives shade but the open doors (with wind deflectors in place) made for a nice balance of flowing air away from the sun.

Helmets help quiet things down (but still use earplugs) and a layer of safety. A full face adds additional protection to your face wh/will get pinged by errant pebbles, etc, even with the windshield in place. Some express concern over possible legal violations. I never had an issue using a helmet in my 1000's of miles of road use of my se7ens. A bit like not putting on the front license plate here in Ohio. Yes, that breaks the law, no, I never got a ticket for it.

I think forum member Craig Chima does (or can) custom fabricate that part. See attached.

Take ear muffs or headphones to put over the ear plugs. I still have ringing in my ears from just using ear plugs when I picked up my first 7, using your same plan of action. Take a very small tool kit and elec tape and duct tape. I am sure you will have your cell but be aware of possible limited-no cell coverage in remote areas. Add the car to your AAA plan, add ins coverage to your car. Be prepared for the ruckus your car will cause at every rest stop, gas station and restaurant (Is it a kit car, how fast, how much $, etc.). Ask the seller to show you how to set up the top & side curtains before you leave the seller's place. I can still remember my trip home in my new X-flow Cat back in '07, all positive. I agree with others that 1600 miles in 3 days is really pushing it in a 7. It is a go-kart, with all the pluses and minuses that implies (bumpy, noisy, incredibly hot, etc). Also, it is not unheard of to have a mechanical problem in a 7:), and allowing a bit of time to work thru that mite make sense?

Love the color! Between that and the car itself, you will soon know what Oprah feels like when she goes out in public:).

Sevens and Elans was the largest importer of Caterhams for many years. They were in Ayers, right next to you, I think. The owner, Chris Tchorznicki, has semi-retired and moved to St Augustine FL. But he may know of Cats in your vicinity to look at, or drive and maybe even buy. I have always found him to be friendly and helpful. He built the first Caterham I owned and supplied me with parts for 10 years. You can google sevensandelans for his current location/phone, etc.

Tom, I promise: I willl not engage in any on-track "rubbin", as we Nascar/Talledega types like to say:)!

I am putting LOG 37 down as a definite maybe. Track time on Talledega and on Barber Motorsports track are definite draws. And it is a much closer haul for me from Cincy than the annual se7ens gathering @ NJMP. In addition, the May 19-22 date is separated by 6-7 weeks from the '17 NJMP event so the timing is good for attending both.

First, drive one. You may be shocked at how different the real world experience is than the imaginary world of 7 bliss penned by crazed auto mag scribes. It is noisy, hot, low, and a constant magnet for attention. Also no real storage, certainly no lockable storage and very hard to talk to your passenger, if any one rides with you. Not so great in cold/hot/rainy weather either. Of course, you already know about the good stuff: you wear it, driving it risks sensory overload, the engine sound is intoxicating,it is incredibly responsive, holds the road as on rails, etc. All true, and them some. So it is a mix of extremes, but it helps to be aware of the negatives. Depreciation is steep on new purchases. After that it seems to be pretty negligible. So if you buy a Birkin that was $50K 8 years ago for $25K, it is likely you will sell it for about that. The real cost issue is what will you spend on 2 separate items while you own it: Upgradeitis. Nearly impossible to resist, we all need stickier tires, more comfortable seats and, invariably, just a bit more power. So you could easliy spend $5-10K making the car "better", a cost you are unlikely to recover on resale. Repairs/maitenance. This is the great unknown and can be a black hole. As a general rule, these handbuilt cars are far less durable or reliable than a $25K Miata. I bought my current Cat for around $23K and have spent nearly an equal amount fixing all the things that have gone wrong obver the last 4 years(engine rebuild, clutch replacement, half shaft failure, steering wheel failure, 4 fuel pumps expired,fuel liner replaced, fuel system failure, wheel bearing failure, just to truely name a few of the repairs). Since I am not a mechanic, I hired all this work out. If you can do the work yourself, cut this cost in half. And I now, finally, have a reasonably reliable Cat that has run flawlessly for 6 months. How do you know what problems are lurking? Wish I knw, but I like cars with lots of miles, whih means they are working, rather than cars with almost no miles which can mean they have never been sorted. Unfortunately, in my case, my car had too many miles. I also like cars that have been built by the owner as they typically spare no expense and no time in getting things right. Tom Carlon's Birkin shop would be an exception that comes to mind tho. Happy hunting. Feel free to send any of us a PM for info, if you are interested in a particular car. We are much more likely to be candid when we arent risking hurting the seller's feelings.

As the former owner of a Duratec Birkin, I can affirm it is easily the equal of the 2 Caterhams I have owned, in terms of handling, stopping, acceleration, etc. And if you build it yourself you will avoid the issues I had, tho everything I have read and everyone I have talked to says Tom Carlin's shop does an exemplary job on turn-key Birkins. Tom says there have been a number of important upgrades since the '09 S3 Birkin I owned. The Birkins cockpit was quite a bit smaller than the Cats but, as you note, you will fit nicely. And maybe interior space is one of the improvements?Also, the seats were horrible (IMHO) and I think that has been addressed as well. If not, it is easy to fit aftermarket seats or even Caterham seats (Wh/I did).

Some of us mix a gallon or 2 of 100 octane unleaded gas in with our otherwise premium (91-93 octane) gas. I have two 5 gallon jugs of 100 octane in the garage. At $12.00 a gallon, its not cheap, but it gives me a sense of protection.

I thing the Cats in the R&T article wld have to be disassembled and brought in in pieces, w/o engines, no? Or used only on the track? Otherwise, a great price on a per-car basis.