Kitcat

My break-away box has a plastic trigger connected by a braided wire to my tow vehicle. If, God forbid, the trailer popped off its hitch AND the safety chains that connect the trailer to the tow vehicle also failed, the trailer wld be left behind. In that event, as the two units separated, the separate wire to the safety box wld trigger the electric brakes to be activated. On mine, there is a small motorcycle sized battery on my trailer that powers the elec brakes. I take it out and re-charge it before every trip. Also periodically pull the wire while stationary and then get in tow vehicle and try to pull my still hitched up trailer. If it doesn't want to move, elec brakes are working (I tend to do this on gravel/dirt driveway as threshold for dragging trailer w/locked brakes is much lower).

The Divas is kind of a blend of se7en and Cobra. But it works for me. If I can only have one of the above tho, I will take the Rover engined cat and challenge you Duratec guys in the straight line wars:). (I cant believe YellowSS7 hasnt bought this guy's engine yet).

NVP: If you manage to build your Westfield in 3 months and then drive cross country to Carlisle from CA, you will have to change your user name to MVP:).

I am looking forward to seeing this winged Stalker at NJMP in July. I think the wings are why some call it a "stork"er, right?. Just be sure you stay on track" that beautiful front wing won't last long in some of the rockpiles they call run-off areas there!

My '09 Birkin had "Lotus" printed on its seatbelts, rugs, cam cover and everywhere else they could think to put it.

Hmmm, the Blatchat info is sobering. The Dedion tube sounds like another part that should at least be routinely inspected, if not replaced, with some regularity. When it fails, the term "catastrophic" seems in order. At least that's what I call it when a car makes a 90 degree turn, all on its own, while pointed straight.

Yes, it's a bit unnerving to realize that back in '61, when I "fell under the spell" of the Lotus 7, it was a 4 year old design(:. If only I had aged as well!

K-69: I am (very) impressed w/your tow mileage. My diesel Touareg mpg drops from mid-30's at 70 mph, to 11-12 mpg when towing a similar sized V-nose trailer w/my Caterham at 70 mph. My all time worst was 9 mpg for an extended 80+ mph trip (time saved speeding was offset by frequent stops for fuel(. Best towing was abt 13-15 mpg at 60-65 mph. Best unloaded was 38 mpg. BTW, I paid $4.5K for my 16' enclosed steel trailer which weighs abt 2200lbs, empty, maybe 3700 lbs loaded w/Caterham and race junk.

Two years ago, I paid a dealer $23.5K for my '03 Superlight spec'd somewhat like yours. Have seen others go for into the mid to upper $30's.

Other advantages I have enjoyed with a fully enclosed trailer: A place to hang a change of clothes and a private place to change into those clothes, while standing up, after a day at the track. Regardless of the ambient temperature, I manage to sweat thru whatever I am wearing during the day on track. Making the long drive home in a fresh set of clothes does wonders for my mental health. It is also nice to have a place to sit out of the sun/rain/wind on those (all-too-frequent) days when the weather gods are not smiling. A set of RaceRamps will solve most clearance problems into the trailer.

Speaking of U- boats, anyone who has not watched : "Das Boot"(subtitles of course), is missing one of the great war movies of all time. Go to Netflix ASP:)!

Interesting thread which, thx to being so old, I'd forgotten all abt:). Anyhow, I see in 2007 I was 60 and had 3 kids in college and no se7en. Now I have no kids in college and I have had 3 se7ens (including my current one).

Interesting front cycle wings on the last car. I never saw a lipped cycle wing on a Caterham. First car is being sold by Park Place Motors, a high-end dealer in WA state. I bought my current Cat from them. Nice selection to choose from: lurkers, Spring is just around the corner:).

Thx guys.

My car is apart for winter maintenance. My mechanic is replacing the existing foam in my 21 gallon Fuel Safe tank (at my request). Looks like the official Fuel Safe foam is incredibly expensive (approx $800.00). What is a good substitute, if anything? Not trying to cut corners on safety, but if there is a adequate substitute for a more reasonable price, I am all for it.

I cant wait to take photos of you getting in/out:)! Better be doing yoga this winter....

Excellent car and looks to be in excellent shape. Feel free to add lots more pictures:). Google: simple sevens, for a site dedicated to original cars like yours. Looks to be something else interesting behind it in the garage. What car is it?

Best tire? Derserves its own thread:). It's like asking what the best oil is. But...,I ran 205x50x 15' Toyo RA1'a on my X-flow wh/weighed a bit less and made less power and the tires were perfect on and off the track. They weighed a ton, BTW. You dont want super grip unless you have a dry sump/Accusump set up as the grip advantage is soon offset by oil starvatin and a dead engine(:.

I just got an e-mail from Simpson Racing w/a link to their new You-Tube video:"15 minutes can save your life". Very interesting. Stuff like how to best protect ''the male organs", that one got my attention. Also noting driver weight dictates belt width. Chock-full of advice, explanations, pictures, diagrams, etc. I would call it must-watch/read for those of us who do track days. And well ahead of driving season, so safety items can be added, upgraded,etc. I will count on someone else to add the link.

In this month's issue of Grassroots Motorsports: A nice ad for a aluminum trailer, complete w/photo, followed by "must sell ASAP" then "first offer takes it". I am tempted to offer a penny and hope I am first:).

Amazing crash video, esp in slo-mo. He had very little crash protection:roll-over bar was stout but too small/short, no side bars, no arm restraints, so-so seat, no HANS, etc. But he survived, mostly because his belts (wh/look like they are both improperly anchored at the same spot on his rollbar) kept him in his seat and because it looks like the car never landed real hard on the roll-bar (tho hard to say), it just spun mostly in the air and then eventually landed on its side.

Klassic and TW: I think yr both right. Diesels are popular in Europe due to high cost of fuel. And, they care about emissions, but they dont care as much abt soot as US does. So their diesels, wh/can produce a lot of soot, still pass their emissions tests but not ours. However, the latest diesels from VM and Mercedes do pass our higher soot standards, in part because the US has upped the nature of diesel fuel commonly sold for pedestrian cars (You never see the thick plumes of black soot coming from passenger diesels anymore). The newest diesels are totally quiet as well, no more "diesel clatter.". Diesel fuel is still more expensive, some times 10 cents, some times a buck. Gas prices are all over the map, diesel pump-price seems to be more stable.

I think the only reason I don't get airborn there is I am so much slower! My car does get very light through that spot tho.

ER: Are you implying that the "defective driving unit" is in approximately the same location as the driver:)? Your V10 Touareg is a much stouter vehicle than my V6 vehicle, no? It has substantial skid plates, an air suspension, etc, right? In the real world, it is likely able to tow more than mine can, regardless of tow rating. And it has serious off-road capacity, also lacking in mine. OTOH, my highway mileage is superior, at least when I am not towing.

Z3 Stalker: I have the turbo diesel 6, 3.0 liter. Not the V10 on the prior version. The newer Touareg weighs abt 500 lbs less than the prior model as well. I think mine weighs around 4600 lbs and w/me, tires, tools etc seems to have enough heft to stand up to the loaded trailer with out any problems. I have over 10K of towing miles. I also recently bought, but haven't installed, a brake controller for the trailer. I have not had any stopping issues but that is more a result of defensive and cautious driving. One early panic stopped showed it stops, and ABS works fine, but the distance is definitely longer.