Warren Nethercote

The risk is that your insurer might walk in the event of an accident. If the tow was obviously overweight you might attract attention from the compliance inspectors who normally focus on trucks: in most jurisdictions they have ticketing authority. The loss of coverage is the bigger concern in my mind, not to say that I haven't been there .....

Be careful about preferring electric brakes over (hydraulic) surge brakes. Some (most?) electric brake controllers work on a surge basis, but based on direct deceleration of the tow vehicle rather than the trailer over-running the tow vehicle. Of course, the electric brake controller always offers the option of applying trailer brakes alone to damp a fish-tail, which a hydraulic surge-brake system can't do. In that regard I echo your preference for electric brakes.

I just got back from an 2800km iceboating trip where we were towing 2 DNs in a small, aerodynamic, enclosed trailer with a friend's 2001(?) TDI Golf. The trailer didn't weigh more than about 1000lbs, so stopping wasn't an issue. The real point relates to earlier criticisms of VW reliability. This is this fellow's second TDI Golf. He put half a million km on the first one and the current one recently passed 450,000 km. No reliability issues there. But I share the common dissatisfaction with downgraded tow ratings, and preference for trailers with electric brakes. It's no fun running down a long downgrade with a moderately heavy tow if you can't stab the trailer brake alone to keep the car and trailer in the correct order. :-)

I have PM'd you on Locost USA. Not the owner, but I took the photo .... no problem with posting. :-)

Going back to your first post, do you have any other pictures of your doors? The side windows look like they might go up and down .... (at least a little bit)

Depends ... new rack, possibly new steering column depending on whether the intake or exhaust systems interfere (the Birkin uses different column arrangements for LHD and RHD), but steering column support structure regardless, new dash, gut and rebuild scuttle area to provide steering column and pedal supports on new side. Extent of rewiring may vary depending on whether you will have to move the battery and fuse box: on the Birkin they occupy the positions that the column and pedal box don't. I'm sure I forgot something .... relocate adjustable driver's seat to other side, but that's in the noise.

What abour some of the dedicated rally tires? I presume they are not all designed for gravel? Regret I have no experience in that regard though ...

A couple of winters we ran Michelin X Ice snow tires on our Imprezza. They were quiet on dry pavement and great in snow and ice (which is perhaps irrelevant for 7 handling on snow-free pavement) but the Michelin literature said that after they wore below the level of the siping they would perform well as summer tires with excellent wet weather performance. The X Ice line is now two generations on, so I don't know if this obsevation is still true.