Anaximander

I can answer that one. Yes it was. They are about $3500 new.

Boo Hoo! Kevin emailed me today and said that he planned to loan his trailer to a friend and hopefully get a house where he could store his trailer. I had my sights on this jewel. Well, good for Kevin, bad for Bob. However, all is not lost. I am going to a machine shop this coming week and will have them craft some ramps for my current low-boy 6x12 trailer. It will also save Kevin and me a long road trip.

X, That picture of yours looks just like my car!!! Funny about those things. I just ordered Ross Bentley's book at your suggestion. I know that reading alone will not make me a better driver per se but I need to understand all of the concepts necessary to put them into play. One of the things I am learning from the Watts' book is the very different chassis dynamics that come into play when going around a cone. I really had no idea how many different forces are at play and developing an understanding and then practicing the techniques I think will be invaluable. Scott Minehart's chassis development in the M-Spec Stalker and subsequent XL's I suspect are going in a very positive direction. I had looked at his videos numerous times about the changes he had made to both the front and rear suspensions. The car rode surprisingly well on the street yesterday. I must say that the world looks VERY different seated in a 7 car. Door handles of subcompacts are above your head. Large SUV's coming in the opposite direction and slightly wandering over the median line give one a bit of pause. With about 300-400K lifetime motorcycle seat miles, the Stalker feels surprisingly like I am back on a motorcycle in some ways. Much like my days of motorcycling with high-performance bikes, I plan to use most opportunities in the car to learn something about myself and the machine. The goal of more active involvement in my driving is something that I had been missing for a while. I now realize from a beginning standpoint why everyone that is posting here and owns 7's are so enthusiastic about their rides. The open cockpit feel cannot be beat. Bob

X, It was a beautiful slightly Fall afternoon in North Florida/South Georgia and I decided to put some seat time in with the M-Spec Stalker. What FUN!!! It certainly has enough horsepower to keep me happy for a while. Of course, now I am dreaming of putting a LS1 Vette engine in it as if I need more power? Getting power to the ground in 2nd and 3rd can be a bit challenging if you are a fool with the throttle. The approximate 70 -75miles I put on the car on the back roads of Florida/Georgia were sublime. I did not get the car out of fourth gear at any time but know that a gendarme would love to have encountered me along my journey for some local funding. I am practicing my car handling and transition from high-performance motorcycles to a high-performance car. Different concepts to a certain degree but some are the same. I have begun reading Henry Watts "Secrets of Solo Racing" and am learning a ton of new things as they relate to four-wheeled vehicles in search of better performance. Today's lesson was how to hold the steering wheel at the 9-3 position and not rest my arms on anything. Learning to become an active driver is certainly going to require acquisition of many new skills or honing of ones long forgotten. Bob

I have been meaning to introduce myself. I am the lucky owner of a blue M-Spec Stalker #000 that was owned by Glen and Scott Minehart. It has a L33 V8 with LS1 heads, 2000 Camaro 6-speed trans, Cadillac CTS rear end (3:42?). I have a wonderfully supportive wife who is tickled for me with the new car. No kids. I have been a hardcore amateur astronomer for the past 14 years with my largest telescope being a 32" f/3.6 Newtonian reflector at a dark site in Northwest Central Florida (Chiefland Astronomy Village). In 1966, I almost bought a 1962 or 1963 Lotus Super 7 but my father talked me out of it and instead offered me his 1964 Triumph TR4. I had a great time carving the canyons of Southern California (Tuna, Topanga, Malibu, Mulholland). Since that time, I have always wanted to get that missing 7. I did briefly own a 1972 Lotus Elan S2 when I was living in the SF Bay Area in 1978. Did do a stint from high-school until now with many high-performance and some lower performance motorcycles (about 90 of them) including such bikes as Yam R1, Hon VTR1000, Duc 748, etc. While looking at Caterhams and Birkins, I came across the Stalkers and found that their manufacturing facility was close by to me in St. Petersburg, Florida. Gave them a call, took a ride in the M-Spec Stalker and was frankly blown away by the performance of the V8 and more importantly the suspension. Long story made short, #000 arrived in my garage this past weekend. Have only had three brief opportunities to drive it but I can tell that there are many smiles/miles ahead of me. It now has a license plate and insurance so I can cruise around the hundreds of miles of country roads in North Florida/Southern Georgia. Plan to join the Dixie Chapter of SCCA and learn how to be a much better driver via x-cross. I have no illusions of taking 3rd in class with it at the Nationals like Scott did when he first built the car. Just want to have fun and enjoy the 7 experience that so many of you are already very familiar with. BTW, this is a great site for learning about all kinds of 7's. As someone said, they are ALL good. Bob

Toedrag, I am a newbie to this site and a new M-Spec Stalker owner (#1). It is almost exhausting to read all of the things one has to do to build this car in the short amount of time that you have done it in so far. You seem to have the patience of Job. Lacking any major skills or patience for that matter, I am glad that M-Spec #1 came my way. However, I know I will never have even a small fraction of the understanding and appreciation of my car's various bits compared to your build. Congrats on what seems to be a very rapid and precise build. Bob Schilling

Kevin, I PM'ed you about your trailer. Thanks, Bob