Kitcat

I like: “OCD trigger”:)!

Great thread, thx for sharing! Nice to see the family so involved. Not surprised to hear Josh at RMC was helpful, I think he likes helping folks sort their builds at least as much as selling kits. Also nice to see folks here jumping in with help. Now I am going to look up chamfered....

It gave this Forum a shot in the arm as well, since we 3 have stuck around and added our bits of enthusiastic blather on a semi-regular basis. My trip there was around 500 miles. All back roads. And I could only go about 100 miles before both the car (gas) and I needed a break (heat exhaustion, noise exhaustion, vibration exhaustion). So there were frequent stops. My car did develop a strange self-steering trait that i was able to sort before the track day(TG). The carbs occasionally needed high RPM’s to clear a combo cough/hesitation. But that was it I got profoundly lost in the pitch dark in the mountains of Eastern KY on the way home. All part of the fun!

1200 miles round trip from Cincy to LOG 30 in Gettysburg PA and back, with a side trip to Summit Point for a track day. No mechanical problems, but I did fall in with a bad crowd there(Croc and Yellow SS), and have been suffering the consequences ever since:).

Sorry Bruce, no pics until I get the car back. The work is being done by Rocky Mountain Caterham and pictures weren’t part of our deal. Since I am using unpainted black fiberglass fenders and nose cone, the finished product will be much plainer than your lovely high end carbon fiber clad Cat.

Hard to squeeze out the Silkaflex? Maybe its the cold temperature of your work room/garage? Just speculating.

IAM: As the former owner of a clam-shod Caterham, I agree. But no $ in the current budget. Maybe a future fix? It came with clams in 2003 and the holes for the rivets are still there. Bruce: I never experienced any of the infamous front end lift with clams. Perhaps because my mighty X-Flow struggled to get it over 100? Anyhow, a Caterham with clams (and Brooklands) looks so cool, who cares about the rest:)?

Why not just do track days and avoid the bureaucracy, cost and carnage of racing? The SCCA is highly regulated and the Caterham is pretty restricted there. I will let others who do race them fill in the details. Whatever you decide, you have a great car to enjoy on the track!

I tell them its a kit car to shut them down. Anything else and they have sooo many more questions and are still not satisfied when I am done (I just want to buy my gas and go....).

And: How fast does it go and, How much does it cost? So: It’s a kit car, It goes 125 mph, but it feels like 200 mph, And, under $100K:). At every gas station, and every stop.

Hey Bruce: I towed the car to the Caterham experts at Rocky Mountain Caterham to address an accumulation of mechanical and cosmetic issues. Cosmetically, the result will bear a strong likeness to your R400. Lots of mechanical matters are being addressed, but a revised suspension is at the top of the list. The rear shocks were frozen solid at the last NJMP event which made it nearly impossible to drive, so they are being replaced. Once it is done with that spa treatment, I will do a track day in Colorado as a shake down and another at my home track near Cincy and then make a decision as to whether to sell the Caterham or the Miata. Interestingly, the Miata has had some issues with reliabllity, leaving me stranded twice. Not what I was expecting. And in the FWIW category, that is something my Caterhams have never done. In spite of Croc’s hairdresser jokes, this lightly track-prepped Miata, on race tires, is decent track weapon: not as fast as my Caterham but just as fast as my Honda Type R, when it was on race tires. Long story short: stay tuned.

Drive it back:)! Members here have done crazier things(NJ to Juneau Alaska comes to mind:)). Just kidding, the car that went to Alaska was well sorted. You should fit perfectly. The Morgan is a pretty good approximation of the se7en experience.

I will let more knowledgeable folks than me chime in. Personally, I am an admirer of the pre-lit Westfields. A typical first question, even before: has your wife blessed this, is will you fit? I think the pre-lit Westfields are similar to the original Lotus 7, which means that it’s not a given that you will fit if you are much over 5’10”. Caterham offered the “long cockpit” version starting in the mid 90’s(i think), and it offers 2” more leg room. Shoe size is critical too. I wear a 8&1/2 and cant drive in running shoes, i need a driver’s shoe. But where there is a will.... Your mechanical skills will help. For many, thats a big part of the enjoyment of a se7en.

There are lots of options, including the pre-lit Westfield. All of the X-flow powered Caterhams and Birkins fit the bill of simple, momentum type se7ens. The newer ones can be incredibly powerful. Ideally, you are either mechanically inclined, or have an old school mechanic nearby. While simple (crude?), these cars seem to need a lot of extra TLC, so that should be factored into your purchase decision. Happy hunting!

Congratulations on overcoming adversity! Minus zero temperatures, 20” snow, medical problems, construction issues by Westfield, etc. I am waiting for better times in the Spring. BTW: I think an empty gas can is still dangerous if there are fumes in it (maybe even more explosive?), though I am no expert.

w650, all good points! I think you will have to do a lot more than express a reasonable point of view to get kicked out here.

I ordered one 2 years ago as mine was bent when I lost a wheel bearing, and then the wheel, while on track. I mentioned viewing the A-frame as a wear item to Bruce Beachman when ordering a replacement and he said he wasn’t aware of them giving problems. And that applied to their Caterham race cars which get much harder use. In any event, having had both rear bearing hubs fail at different times, with attendant dramatic and $$$$ consequences, followed by endless waits for replacements, I would add them to the list of items to replace on a semi-regular basis. Whoops, just noticed I have made this point earlier in this thread. Oh well, maybe it bears repeating:).

Add me to the list of sceptics. The price is unrealistically low, as has been noted. The wording of the ad is occasionally off, as if english is not their first language, and they seem to be making your right to inspect contingent on first sending them (or their agent) the asking price. So at a minimum, I’d ask for a chance for you, or someone on your behalf, to inspect the car, before $ is transferred. It would be useful to know the history of the car and details of the seller’s ownership. Perhaps ask questions that might demonstrate that this seller does not understand the vehicle (e.g.: how much power does its Duratec engine make- since these all came with Zetec engines, etc.). Happy hunting!

It seems to be a Caterham, based on the hood emblem and other details. The small tree growing through the front bonnet opening suggests it’s been sitting a while! As does the faded paint. The driver’s side exhaust means its a X-Flow engine or maybe a Zetec. The wheels were standard on Caterhams for a period of time. This should be an interesting project!

All so cool, keep the photos coming!

Still looking good! Smart to add insulation to the foot wells. They get very hot in warmer weather.

Rodnok, I am glad Chris T at Sevens and Elans was able to help and I look forward to seeing the finished product!

Welcome jordway, what a beautiful Caterham! Not many supercharged Zetecs out there. bball7754 is a long time Caterham owner, USA7s member and Caterham enthusiast, located in St Louis, he could be a rich local source of Caterham info. And, pretty cool Rodnok!

Sorry I murdered your last name, Chris! For a retired Sevens and Elans guy, you still seem pretty busy with them:).

OK, will you agree Sevens and Elans have at least sold a lot of Caterhams over the years:)? Who does Caterham UK say is, cumulatively, the largest purveyor of Caterhams in the U.S.? In its recent Caterham build article, Road & Track described the owner of Sevens and Elans, Chris Tzchorzeneki, as a “legend” in Caterham circles. So the place is at least knowledgeable as to Caterhams. When I visit their site, they typically have a pristine used Cat for sale. That’s why I listed them on this thread as a supplement to your much more comprehensive list. They just sold a beautiful blue SV with Zetec power that looked new. My impression is their prices are a bit on the high side but comparable, or less, than the BAT prices for Caterhams.