Kitcat

My Garmin GPS shows my speed, among other things, and that's what I used to determine mph on my street se7ens. After a while I knew what mph the rpm's corresponded to and just guess-timated speed. My Birkin's speedometer never worked and the Caterham's was off by 5-7 mph, when it was working at all. On my current track-only Cat, mph is pretty academic. My Garmin will tell me what my top speed was on any given run, so I know what I am pulling at end of the straight. When I am 10 mph slower than the guy I couldn't catch, that helps explain why (As does learning that I was 10 mph faster:)).

catsv7: If you don't know, 1turbofocus (AKA "TurboTom") is one of the elite Zetec tuners/modifiers in the US, having done many 1000's over the years. He is currently assisting my mechanic in resolving my Zetec's problem with poor running and going lean over 3500 rpms.

As Craig notes, I did drive one of his Cats with this engine a while back. At the time i had an X-flow powered Cat and the jump in acceleration was startling. Since then I have owned more modern Duratec and Zetec engined se7ens and this BDR Cat was at least as fast (not to mention also having an amazing sound).

Yes, but every time I buy a se7en I sell one, so I only have one. Still, I like the concept:)!

The BDR engine alone is almost worth the price. You X-flow powered se7eners out there who are looking for a nice power bump should buy this, swap engines, and sell the X-flow powered S4 for $20K.

Thx for all the pix, they are very helpful to us non-mechanical types.

I didn't think about it and I am still eating my heart out:). It will be another 1-2 months before track days start to be possible in the mid-west.

Don't later Birkins all use the Painless wiring system? As I (vaguely) recall, the previous system was buggy and difficult to correctly install/manage. And, as I also (vaguely) recall, many older Birkins had their troublesome wiring replaced w/Painless as an upgrade by their owners.

Dave: You have a very special Zetec. You are up there with the exotic Cosworth Duratec rebuilds, like Croc's and Yellow SS's. Without a total rebuild, most stock, or near stock Zetecs, top out a bit before 7000 rpm's. My SVT Zetec hits the rev limiter at 6800. I listened to Shane's post of your car blasting around NJMP and it didn't sound like any Zetec I have ever heard either (It was much better). I'd love to see some dyno results.

They have no trouble keeping up with comparable Caterhams at our annual track event at NJMP. The owner just needs to add a track worthy roll-over bar.

I will second the point made by CarMan above: the on-track performance of these little giant-killers is a reason many of us learn to live with their shortcomings as normal transport. Certainly it is the primary attraction for me, as mine is not even street legal. So, it doesn't have the rudimentary concessions to daily use that most other se7ens provide (doors, top, turn signals, lights, passenger seat, etc.). But most of us who track our cars have enjoyed the experience of totally embarrassing the "sports sedan" crowd at the track and their 4,000 lb, 400 hp monsters (often driven by owners with 4000 watt egos). Many of us who did an early NJMP se7ens event remember passing a certain loudmouth, big-shot Audi sedan owner who couldn't emotionally accept the reality of being smoked by our dinky little under powered "kit cars." I think he finally ran Croc off the track and then slunk away in shame (but that mite just be my jaded memory-at least the shame part:).

I got two of the multiple sets of these Pansport wheels from Beachman Racing when I bought my Beachman Racing prepared Cat 3 years ago. The pictures Bruce posted are how mine look. The wheels are in nice shape but not showroom shape. They have many laps of "racing patina". As he says, they are very lightweight. As I recall, they weigh about 17-18 lbs WITH the lightweight and diminutive Goodyear racing slick mounted (20x7-13). Don't recall the offset but they fit my '03 S3 Cat perfectly, no spacers needed.

So the engine is a Zetec?

Croc: Is the '99 Westfield above really a "pre-lit" se7en. I thought the litigation by Caterham v. Westfield ended in settlement in '87? And, as much as I like this yellow car (wh/is a lot), I suspect the ad is fibbing a bit. For instance, the seller claims the car weighs 900 lbs "wet". Maybe without the engine and drivetrain? Also claims the X-flow SuperSprint engine makes 160 hp. That is conceivable, but if it does, it is a very special X-flow (mine made 95 hp). Establishing what the "market'' price of any of our se7ens is challenging. Often they sell for amounts far less than advertised and we are none the wiser. Even if the Westfield here is as nice as it appears, $30K for an X-flow powered car seems a bit rich. I like the dry-sump, the quaife (tho it mite not be easy to potter around on the streets with that transmission), and I like the weather gear and the general presentaion. Maybe it's more realistic at $24K-25K tho?

Well, I find it refreshingly honest. It is not the usual car-magazine love-fest with the se7en (emphasizing the "purity" and romance of the experience over the incredible discomfort). I have had exactly the same reaction to driving my se7ens many thousands of miles on public roads (exhilarating, memorable, hot, cramped, etc). Then throw in the typical se7en's occassional mechanical snafu's (that would make a Miata unmarketable if it were similarly constructed) and trips CAN be a challenge. Don't get me wrong, unlike this writer, I do love all my se7ens. And the most memorable automobile trips of my life have all been in my cozy little se7en. I love the standard Cat seats and like Slomove, I have found that just a few adjustments and the trip can be much easier (starting with ear protection, then sun protection, followed by foot well insulation and sunglasses). But to a normal person used to driving normal cars, the se7en experience can initially be bewildering and disorienting.

I love that most of the Robin Hood seller's sentences end with an exclamation point! (Comes "with a heater!"). And many sentences start without a capital letter. The whole thing seems totally bogus. IF this were a '80 Caterham of similar spec, it might be worth $15-18K? Have to hope any buyer sophisticated enough to be attracted to a se7en will also be sophisticated enough to know this price is a multiple of the car's actual value.

Skip, thx! Some of the clips are epic! I havent seen so much sliding on pavement since the last se7ens event at NJMP:).

Nice top, and excellent job keeping your Cat so shined up, esp the aluminum! Looking thru your pix I realize how much more I like the character of the older cars. They were unafraid of taking a stying risk. The newer cars seem so bland (with a few notable excepetions). I'd rather drive the new cars, but would rather be seen in one of the old ones. The only exception is your se7en, which is an old car on a new car chassis and running modern brakes, engine, etc.

I share your sense of the good stuff. I noticed that one of the few Morgan dealers in the country is in Morgantown WV. Company must have liked the name:). And they have a coupla 3-wheelers in stock.

In defense of my driving style, I'd just like to point out that I give an equal amount of time to exploring the track's "outfield":).

Welcome Ted, great story. I am with you:"Yee haw!"

Or just Google the lyrics to the Hokey-Pokey: they pretty much cover the topic of getting in a se7en with the top up:).

I just saw that Caterham will offer heated carbon fiber seats on some '16 models! That should fill the show rooms:)! Apparently, they are holding off on the cup holders and cruise control....

I am counting the days:).

For my 3000th post I thought I'd start at the beginning, way back at my very first post on this Forum, almost 10 years ago. Obviously I didn't get the Elise and instead a X-flow Caterham, the first of three (and counting) se7ens. It was a great choice and it has been a great adventure. And it was an easy choice, I grew up reading Road and Track in the early '60's and they never failed to extol the virtues of the small, but mighty seven. Al was right, it is possible to drive a se7en for hours in the rain. I did that numerous times (very exciting on shaved race tires!). I ultimately wimped out and went the trailer/tow vehicle route. That extended the useful range of my se7en's use. I was unwilling to travel long distances at night on the interstate to get to events. The deciding factor was the first USA7s get-together at NJMP 5-6 years ago. The thot of my nearly invisible seven in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic on I-95 was too intimidating, even for me. The trailer also solved the ominous breakdown-in-the-middle-of-nowhere issue, with the needed parts on a 6 month back order dilemma. Unfortunately, my track-dedicated seven ended the joy of early morning blats and scaring the adult citizenry and thrilling children 8 and under (a group with which seven owners seem have a natural connection -youth is fleeting but immaturity can last forever, etc.). So I may have to come up with some sort of solution in that regard, we'll see what the next 10 years brings. At that point I will be 80 and maybe starting to slow up a bit-maybe I will finally have matured enough to get that Elise:)?