Alaskossie

Here's a clever mish-mashs of two iconic concepts:

I wanted modern power, and lots of it -- but with an in-line 4. i wanted my late-model Seven to be in the same category, performance-wise, as the Seven had been since 1958, compared to other contemporary cars on the road. Simple as that.

Here is a scan of Dennis Ortenburger's article in Autoweek in 1982 about Hugh Haskell's 1962 Lotus "Seven 1/2." It had IRS from a Lotus 20 FJ car, with the parallel leading arms from the cockpit through the rear wing. This car was later restored to a high standard when it was owned by Stu Baumgard in California, and was feature in a "museum-quality" photo spread in a Paul Oxman "Classic Sportscars" calendar.

Is that the Caterham Pinocchio model?

I'll have to register as a pro for the I4 and a con for the V-8, at least for myself. My objective was to stay as close to Colin's original inspiration, in both mechanical layout and size, as was possible with a new car -- hence my 2007 Caterham S3 with 2.3 Duratec. I have only ridden in one Stalker (a V-6), and it seemed to me that there was so much storque -- excuse me, torque -- that a transmission of any type was almost superfluous. It could have just as well had a slushbox.... Now I wouldn't kick a Caterham S3 with an RST V-8 out of bed, so long as it was an S3, and not some larger clone. (I have no prejudice against V-8s, in the proper car. I drive an Audi S4 V-8 wagon as my DD, and I'm presently having a 2004 Miata "reinvented" with a GM LS 376/525 power plant).

Is this the Ferrari Testa Rossa 250 look for the Seven? The two parallel arms back through the rear fenders are the locating arms for an independent rear suspension that the fellow has installed on his Seven. Several early Sevens (including the well-known -- at the time -- "7 1/2" racing Seven) had the fully independent rear suspension from a Lotus Elite grafted on, replacing the stock live rear axle.

A Seven with a V-12 engine, anyone?? See: http://thekneeslider.com/honda-cbx-v12-by-andreas-georgeades/

I believe that is the super wide-track aftermarket suspension that used to be available for the S3, from a supplier in UK. The rear deDion set-up is taken from the SV. Sean on this list has a similar set-up on his S3, but i believe without the extra-wide rear wings

Here is an overall photo of the Dubai V-8 (complete with exotic license plate). I apologize fior adding to the auto-porn overload....

How does the Hartley V-8 compare to the RST V-8 in (1) power; (2) weight; (3) dimensions; (4) price; and (5) availability? Anyone know off-hand? Also, i believe there is an RST V-6 that has been developed, or is under development right now.....

Here is the second batch of the Dubai V-8 photos. Drool........

Here are six photos of Mike Biddle's Dubai V-8 Seven, which I took in the parking garage at Vail during the Brit's' 2005 "How the West was Driven" tour. The engine was not running right at altitude, so I never did hear it at full song (it did fill the underground garage with the strong odor of unburned fuel, though). I understood that Mike flew a mechanic over from UK to get the engine running right. Note the ultra-wide rear wings on this Seven! I'll split the photos up and attach two batches.

rnr, I'll try to do that.

Sean, I guess there has been some personality-driven drama on this forum that I (thankfully) have not been following. It's all news to me. My understanding has been that the 2015 PBB was not to be a Lotus/Caterham-only event (or else it would be cutting its entry list by half, or more). I believe Terry's Grizzly Bear Blat last August was an "all-comers" event, and that the PBB would be the same. John is correct that updates re the PBB have appeared on BlatChat. They also appear on Terry's own website, http://www.7cars.ca/polar-bear-blat.htm.

I am proceeding with planning on the Alaska end, and have had no indication from Terry or anyone else that PBB 2015 is no longer on. How did that rumor arise?

I'll cast my vote for the "kit" version of the Caterham, to honor the heritage and tradition of the original Lotus 7. The Seven, Elite and Elan were offered for sale by Lotus in kit form (buyer's option) in UK to avoid purchase taxes applicable to fully-assembled cars. I assume the Seven was offered to US customers in disassembled form to lower assembly costs, and packing and shipping expenses. My primary motivation to finally realize my long-held dream, by ordering my 2007 S3 through Caterham USA in late 2006, was to get this car just as it was initially offered by Lotus to US buyers back in the late 1950's, i. e., as an unassembled car with all necessary components, including the iconic Arch Motors chassis, arriving in 2 or 3 large crates. Unfortunately, it took me 46 years, from 1961 to 2007, to realize my dream. But the magic thing about my dream is that while the Lotus and Caterham 7 had kept pace (and how!) with other sports cars' increasing performance standards over five decades, the enjoyable details of buying a Seven and getting it on the road had -- literally -- stood still. I can't think of another instance where a youthful automotive dream can be delayed 45 years or more, yet still be fulfilled in just the way it was initially imagined.

Sean, Obviously the offending sentence from the Caterham press release is this: "Caterham Cars and its iconic Seven will be officially sold in the USA with a new US distributor as of January 1st 2014." We 7ers know that Caterham USA was the former "official" US distributor, and that Superformance is now the "official" "new US distributor." But AW's Graham Kozak has, without any justification in the facts, interpreted (or "inferred") that the Caterham press release was announcing, for the first time in recent decades, an "official" Caterham distributor for the US -- obviously implying that the earlier Caterham USA efforts were those of a grey-market, back-alley or otherwise shady enabler of US drivers who needed their Caterham fix (and consequently, that perhaps this firm was skirting the edges of, or taking questionable advantage of, US laws and regulations). Any savvy car person who reads about a new "official" importation of a limited-production car from Europe (with all of the mouth-watering unobtanium residing over there and seemingly just out of reach) had got to wonder what US laws were bent or finessed to permit entry of the Caterhams that are already here. I hope that Caterham USA can set AW's Mr. Kozak straight.

AW took their article directly from the Caterham press release, which said and implied the same thing -- clearly giving the impression that Caterham USA has been importing Caterhams illegally all this time. That's the clear implication from the article. Someone should set AW straight. I'm assuming that even with Superformance involved, they cannot offer both the roller and the engine from UK, but that they will have to require the buyer to source his own engine. This is the administrative two-step that allowed Caterham USA to legally import a non-conforming "roller," which the buyer then mates to his chosen engine. if the Seven came over as a complete car (even in parts), it could not be legally imported due to US EPA and DOT requirements. Even Caterham USA could not supply the engine (whether imported or domestic), but had to let the buyer deal directly with the engine builder (in my case, Cosworth USA). I assume it must be the same with Superformance. I wonder how long we can count on this interpretation of the federal regs?

Mike, That should be "re-locate".

Mike, What sort of kit did you use to re-locte your spark plug coils? Where are they located now?

Well, it was in fact "first think," as well as being "first thing..."

Odd that Caterham UK would sign on as its US distributor a company that has been actively assembling and marketing its own Seven clones....... So Beachman Racing is an "Authorized Caterham Dealer" -- is it part of Superformance's "established dealer network"? Who exactly make up the Superformance "established dealer network"? I got my Caterham and accessory parts through Caterham USA in Denver in 2007-2010, when Ben Wofford was running the show there, and I was always pleased with their advice and service -- particularly when I had a rear wheel bearing go out on Saturday morning of the 2010 Monterey Historics, and Ben had delivered replacement parts to my motel by first think Monday morning..... Sorry to see Caterham USA apparently become history.

I'll recommend that Terry should carry two 4-foot 2x6 boards in the support vehicle, to bridge any steep angles on the ferry off-ramps. Thanks for thinking of this potential problem. Tom

That's a darned narrow goat path!

Gert, I'll second your analysis of why this forum can be so darned helpful. In addition to track days, the opportunity for a wide range of 7 owners to get to know each other through organized blats and similar adventures (Tail of the Dragon, Black Hills Tour, Grizzly Bear Blat, etc.) should be mentioned. (Just a plug for USA7ers to start making plans for the Polar Bear Blat from Vancouver, BC to Anchorage, Alaska in August 2015....!). It should be an epic adventure worthy of the group, the cars, and the scenery.