bigdog

A bit spendy for a salvage title.

I think the drive for engine size comes from a few areas. 1, In the early days of cars in America, the topography & rural nature of America lends it's self to a more wide open non-sports car driving style. I.E. bored kids on a Friday-Saturday would cruise main street and drag-race. 2, Prohibition, It created the mobsters & Moonshiners that needed a fast get away car. Which spawned a plague that we are still stuck with in America. Nascar:puke: 3, The afore mentioned cheap fuel, cheap cars, low tax on said cars, disposable income & or easy credit. 4, We Americans are slow learners & love living in the past. We resist any change and only change when forced to by necessity or new laws. Quickness & agility through weight reduction is a foreign concept to most Americans outside of this forum. The size matters bigger is always better American attitude also applies to SUV's and our homes. And yes our arses.

New Caterhams are expensive here as well. Plus you can tack on the European wide 19% VAT in addition. For some reason though used Caterhams/ Westfields in the UK are cheap as chips. We had a saying at the two bike shops I worked at about the lust for HP and the lack of skill to use it (generally speaking). "Brochure wars" is what we called it. My tow vehicle will have 140HP. I'm looking at trading the wife's 328 for a VW Jetta turbodiesel.

That would describe my 1973 Chevy Nova. It had a 427 big block in it. It sounded brilliant, But it had no go at all. That engine simply over powered the suspension & tires. Cornering? Fu-getta-bout-it. It was a waist of a good engine being in that Nova.

Xflow7 I only say that the 160 would be a sales flop due to two things about the American market. 1, As one can see on this forum, One will see more posts about big engines, big power, & racing than most anything else. Just look at the post about the new Zenos. A member very thoughtfully posted a list of the best cars within the 7's genre. The factor that got the heaviest weighting was power to weight ratios. Secondarily or tertiary was cost. Ease of use, Ease of maintenance, Availability didn't seem a factor. 2, Most (but not all) 7's owners seem to be in a more financially secure zone. So they tend to indulge the Tim Allen "more power" side of the 7. I'm more on your side xflow7. I balked at spending more than it cost to buy my last two cars (2006 BMW Zed4, 2008 BMW 328i) to get a Caterham that leaves a Ferrari for dead. I don't live to beat people and so I do not require "the fastest" I do like to drive fast, unique cars though. That's why I have a xflow.

I'm not deriding anybody for the way they build a seven. It's just a general observation of the very different general national attitudes about driving & what engines they use based on my having lived in Europe for the last 3 1/2 years, And Japan for 5 years. And of course I refer to street cars, Not dedicated race cars. The European petrolheads I know, (mostly British) Look to the west and simply shake their heads at what we do to a very nice lightweight sports car. They wonder why we just can't push away from the supersize habit we have. Of course should you guys start having to pay European prices for fuel. ($10 per gallon) One might start eyeballing the duratech engines again. As for me. I apparently see sevens in a far different light than most on this forum. I'm a fan of curves not terminal velocity that I'll rarely see on the road. If a four cylinder 311 HP R620 that does 0-60 in 2.8 seconds isn't fast enough, Then I'm just simply sat here scratching my head. When I was doing autocross. It was in 1978 with a 1975 Camaro running an LT1 that a friend & I built in a USAF auto hobby shop when we weren't fixing ICBM nukes. It dyno'd at 430 HP. The car was fast. I never felt the need to go any bigger to go faster. I could get better time slips through: 1, Weight reduction. 2, Proper suspension setup. 3, Improving my driving skill. Or I could go down the American road to being quick. Throw 1,2,&3 out the window. And buy a 572 crate engine, prey for lots of straits, and call it good. suum cuique.

Are these allowed into Canada? I think the car is brilliant, And harkens back to what a seven has always been about. Unfortunately it's not coming to the USA. Just as well because I imagine it would be a flop in the USA.

Respectfully, When I took the time to call RMSC's parts departments phone number from GERMANY (where I happen to live) No answer, Called again, No answer, Called again, No answer. The USCaterham web site only provided the Colorado phone number as the POC for parts. Your dealership was not listed under "parts" on the USCaterham web page parts drop down menu. When I googled US Caterham parts suppliers, Your name did not show up. So from my prospective there isn't or at least wasn't a viable nor reliable parts supplier in the US. I didn't know you existed as a Caterham spares supplier till this thread started. Who's fault might that be? It certainly wasn't my fault. I actively called USCaterham and then sought out an alternative US supplier and had no success. Till I called redline. But as you are taking up the challenge to supply spares, I salute you. And I will support you with my business when I return to Walla Walla. In fact I will give you guys a go before that. Provided you can send parts for a 1983 S3 to a military APO Box. If you can't then you will have to wait for my business till I return in late 2015. Kindest regards & the very best of luck to your future success.

I would think the Radical SR3 might be over done in the bang for buck column. Last I remember it can't be street registered in the USA. So it then becomes a narrowly focused tool, Maybe this is a track centric list though.

Thanks for not flaming me. I'm just an old git that has no interest in racing, on or off track. I'm like that kid in the Honda bike adverts. "i just wanna ride" The seven is the king of cool no matter what makes it go.

Believe me, I'm in the same camp as you & Jezza. I cringe & gnash my teeth when a builder mentions the fact that they developed a new "street" car at "the ring" like it's a good thing. I only mention the ring as I had driven my Zed4 there in 2010 and was briefed at the front desk when buying laps that it was verboten to drive like an American Nascar driver during a non-race "track day". There are several US military bases within a 90 minute drive and the Americans are known for trying to "win" a track day at all costs. Which to be honest was quite embarrassing that our (US) reputation as not being very good and yet rather aggressive drivers is well known to Europeans. So I must apologize to the forum members if I seem a bit down on US drivers for always wanting to go for big HP V8's (just for the sound) in such a small car that has none of the electronic nannies that we have grown accustomed to and have come to rely upon. As we have had those nannies for so long, We have mostly lost the skill set of knowing what the limit is. We just push the gas or the brake as hard as we can and let the computer sort it all out. So I think that putting 430HP in an unaided street seven is not the best way to try and relearn those skills. Just a little to much right foot exiting a corner will have one meeting a tree or an oncoming car ass first. It has been a real eye opener living in Europe, one does not automatically get a license when they turn 16. The test is very, very difficult and most folks have to go to a driving school to even have a chance at passing. I live near a town of 100,000 and there are 37 driving schools within the city limits. As a result the drivers here in Germany are very, very good. So I guess I'm a little spoiled now. In truth I'd like to see the same standards in the USA that the Germans have. However, The "ring" is a blast to drive.:driving: I have now put on my flame proof suit. Sorry for the thread hijack as well.

After looking at photo's of that autobahn track I can see why an LS3 would pass everyone. That's a pretty wide open autobahn type track. Just an observation after having lived in Europe for a few years now. It's kind of funny to see how different the two counties are when it comes to track days. In Europe most take their street based car and use a track day to learn how to improve one's driving and to generally have fun sans cops. In America it looks to be just the opposite. One buys a barely streetable mega powered car to use on a track day to make sure they stick it to the other guy. Even though track days are not a race. A timed autocross is a great way to have fun with low risk. And it will teach you how to really drive your seven. Nothing wrong with either scenario. Just something that makes me go HMMMMM! When I drove the Nurburgring. They briefed me that one will get kicked off the track for aggressive driving or passing. As it was a track day, Not a sanctioned race.

You might be surprized in the fit. My wife and I went to London on holiday this past August, While there we stopped by this dealer: [/url]http://www.hallmark-cars.com/index.html We went to look at the 1991 westfield SeiW, The wide bodied car. It was rather snug. Reason being, Yes it is wider but on the westfields the trans tunnel is very wide. We then tried out a 1996 Caterham narrow body. It had more room than the westfield did as the Caterhams have a very narrow tunnel. The prior owner of my S3 Caterham is 6' 2". When I have the seat in the rearmost position, I can only tip toe the pedals. It has the nicely padded cloth seats as well. (which are rather thick) One could make even more room with a race style seat This is the shop I ended up buying my Caterham from. http://www.mikeabbasclassiccars.co.uk/index.htm He has some really nice cars. Esp that 1953 Austin-Healey 100/4 on the for sale page 1. It's a 6 figure car and flawless.:drool: Can't believe he let me touch that car and lean into it to check it out.

Kitcat, it must have been your heater. My 1983 1600 x-flow puts out plenty of heat, I've had it out in the rain at just a few degrees above freezing and been rather comfy. I'll also be the odd man out with regards to engines. I prefere to stick with the Chapman formula. A peppy four cylinder will certainly make one smoother by forcing one to maintain momentum. When I rode motorcycles. I delighted in pestering the big CC crotch rockets in the corners while riding a single cylinder Husqvarna super moto. I was always of the opinion that any gorilla can pin the throttle on a straight, but the real drivers shine in the tight stuff and must use the transmission. I get more fun from curves than max velocity. But of course that's just my opinion, and I don't begrudge folk that see it differently.

Have you tried dealing with the modern socialist US government on anything. Were lucky to have even a small Caterham presence in the USA. It's not quite as bad here in Germany. Both governments just love bureaucratic red tape. I have run two parts departments at motorcycle dealers. It was horribly difficult & expensive to get setup and running. And that was with Suzuki, Kawi, Yamaha. It was worlds more stressful dealing with Aprilia, Piagio & Vespa. Then there were the owners of said bikes. Who seem to think that a parts department should look like Walmart and have Walmart prices as well. Now try that with a car company that sells only about 500 cars a year worldwide. If you want good parts support, call or email the guys at redline components. They are the main supplier to Caterham UK. Caterham UK stocks very few spare parts. When I needed the LHD headlamps for conversion from RHD lights. Caterham said no can do not in stock. I called redline, They said they normally have them in stock. [/url]http://www.redlinecomponents.co.uk/

Have you contacted the guys at redline components in the UK? Caterham proper has a rubbish supply system. Redline is the main supplier to Caterham. they are very helpful as well.

And then a long cold Bozeman winter! Congratulations!!!

Of course belief in and adoption of Christian values are two different things. Our Muslim tour guide Mr. Mamhet on our trip to Eastern Turkey just an hours flight from Syria. Said the following. He has great hatred for his Muslim brothers that kill in the name of Allah. His life long Muslim faith has taught him that all life is to be respected. And that it is disrespectful to Allah for one to harm their own or others bodies. So the Muslim belief that to drink, smoke, harm one another, not to steal, Etc, Etc as being an affront to their deity, is very much the same as Christian values. I suppose one could call those types of values. Universal values. Additionally, The birth of Jesus was just a few sentences in the bible. The word Christmas never appears in the Bible. It was an invention by the Catholic church 300 years after his death and is not from the teachings of the Bible. They used this date because it was already part of the celebrations of pagans called the Saturnalia. The church figured that if they injected Christianity into this pagan holiday it might help spread the word. http://www.antipas.org/books/xmas/xmas2.html

Not much said about the car or her. One of the finest cars engineered by Janne Bronndal, car, Cartoon, is a replica of a Lotus Super 7 class is anyway more exciting than ever, with several new cars and many newcomers.

Funny how it always falls back on the papal leaders of old to gauge Christianity in the present. Wasn't the last Christian crusade 740 years ago? Yet most seem to forget that the very first religious crusade/ conquest predates the christian crusade by some 400 years. And was started by Mohammed in the 7th century. The Muslims got all the way to the Pyrenees and into Austria. It was the spread of Islam to Europe and the resultant blockade of pilgrimages to the holy land that originally prompted the first crusade. Of course corruption and abuses were present on both sides. So in summary, The Christians crusaded from 1096-1272 a period of 176 years. The Muslims crusaded from 634-1800 a period of 1166 years. Yet the Christians catch all the shit when it comes to crusading. Go figure.

Depends on what you call a relatively current car. If you define it as newer than 1989, Then it's a moot point, as it will not be allowed on the street. And it will not make it past customs at the port of entry. Maybe it's just me. But I fail to see why you would be concerned with a RHD model. It'll be unique. It will take just a short time to adapt. I'm 56 and just bought a RHD Caterham. You will adapt. I think you are just over thinking the issue. It's far more difficult to get in my Caterham (hood up) than driving it because of being a RHD version.

I would say that while I would love to return to a more constitutional based government, I don't think we nor the politicians can change the system even if we/they wanted too. We collectively have ventured to the middle of a tunnel only to discover a fast train approaching. In to deep to run away, Yet not far enough in to get to the exit. Back in the days of the American revolution. We and most other countries that wanted a reboot could do so because of the isolation of communication, transportation of that bygone era. We grew our own crops & livestock. These days, Everything is instantaneous & heavily interconnected, no place on earth is more than 3/4's a day apart. We no longer have the ability to be self sufficient, Especially given the large population. We are locked into the grid and are not likely to be easily taken off it.

I'm an American living in Germany. You will need to buy one that is at least 25 years old. (I bought a 1983 Caterham) then there are zero restrictions. No import duties, but you might need to pay state sales tax. Personally the RHD vs LHD issue is purely a mental one. Most that drive a seven are a drivers driver and shouldn't be bothered. Sight lines shouldn't be an issue as the car is so slender that you can almost lean to a LHD view even belted. If you take the SO they can be your guide as well.

true. But with the big private banks controlling the public money to the point they and not the government make all the decisions does not bode well for the folks. Even if said folks become aware and decide to do something about it, I fear it would be to late, As who would fund such a revolt? The people that run the corporations that make the goods (weapons & ammo) are already making big money. Why would they essentially revolt against them selves. In addition our sense of what freedom really is has been changing due to the influence of the big apparatus. We seem to be rather comfortable with allowing the government & the corrupt cronies that control it to administrate our lives almost completely. While I'm absolutely NOT against capitalism, we need to (somehow) get back to a constitutional government.

Here is an interesting link. Man we are such sheep aren't we. [/url]http://www.apfn.org/apfn/reserve2.htm We should have listened to Thomas Jefferson.