Al N.

dude, be crazy and go matte black for all. There's a guy down in Texas (Chris F.?) with a matte black locost and it looks menacing. Welcome aboard.

Dennis- Thanks for coming over to USA7s.org to "vet" our esteemed Club Treasurer, Charter Member, and Forum Founder/Admin Mazda E. I think the link to the Automobile mag post that Mazda provided at the Australian site should be all the documentation you need: http://www.automobilemag.com/features/0711_lotus_seven/index.html But if not, feel free to ask away over here. We'll slag him as best we can. :jester: I had never met Mazda in real life before June 2006 (when I attended a group drive he coordinated), but we became fast friends (he's faster, btw) — and have even gotten our wives and kids together for a day of fun outside of the cars. Anyone with an Elfin MS8 Clubman down there? I'm sure Mazda would appreciate seeing another V8 powered car in the metal. -Al

Martin...see the link Mazda references above...we made it an "announcement" so it's sticky AND locked.

I'm sure you won't be, Russ. But I also know that after that many miles on the road (even if I'll be trailering), I'm going to need a real bed and A/C. -Al

Dean-We're not asking for commitments just yet...just trying to get a feel for price tolerance.-Al

FYI, here is a pic of the sticker...with a quarter shown for size. It's intended as a "outside of the car" sticker, in white vinyl with black lettering in UV-resistant ink. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1659780434_USAs Sticker.jpg

Still up in the air, though the weeks of July 6, 13, and 20 all sound good....less hot (than August, at least), some folks can use 4th holiday to get a jump on travel to, etc. FWIW, we're leaning toward a mid week event — fewer tourists, lower housing costs, allows people to use weekends for travel time. -A

Jerry- I think 4 nights is what people were suggesting, given the length of travel time to/from required for this first centrally located National Meet. -A

Also note that when I wrote "USA7s will source camping and/or nearby motel options"...I meant that we will research ones for quality/location but we will not be blocking out rooms at the off-site housing sites. People will be on their own for that. -A

Jon- You are certainly correct...and I assume that some pods of friends and acquaintances will pool resources and book larger cabins/suites to share. But I also keep in mind that some folks prefer to have their own rooms and also that (hopefully) we'll have some new faces at the 2009 meet and perhaps they won't know anyone yet well enough to share living quarters. -Al

Folks, I got back some initial costs for a Branson area facility that we are considering for the 2009 meet. The resort is nicer than either Tapoco or Fontana (from the 7-7-7 meet), and the per night charges are also higher (though the low end is within the Tapoco/Fontana range). There is less difference in the meal costs, though the Branson facility is also higher on a per person basis. BTW, USA7s will source camping, RV, and motel locations within convenient driving distance from the host resort. I am of the opinion that it's good to have a nice location for the main meet — even if some of the attendees don't stay there. Please chime in.

It's kind of a yawn, IMHO, especially compared to the Levante or even the new r500, but here's a link to coverage: Jalopnik.com coverage on new Caterham

So that's like what, 3 days of hard driving just to get to Branson?!?:jester: Montana/Wyoming in 2011. Don't despair. And perhaps by then (and probs even by Branson), I'll be back in the saddle...though probs not Tilletts.

What! People would kill for that plate mount set up....hopefully photoshop or at least Morgan can reverse engineer...

I'd ask the Stalker brigade to weigh in (no pun intended!)...some of those guys were on the tall side. And again, those mofos are FAST.

I got my new copy of EVO (sans Meaden and Bovingdon, alas) and there were a few pieces featuring Se7ens. There was a nice feature of a new Westfield AeroRace that they built and are running in a spec series. Pretty car running a Zetec and full cage. And then there was the r500 going up against an Atom and Brooke Double R for some hot laps of Bedford Autodrome...the Caterham was only beaten by the Gumpert Apollo - which to my eyes is a Daytona Prototype car dumbed down for the street.

John certainly has the worst job in the world, no? :jester:

The updated USA7s Member Data Sheet should be available as a download at the bottom of this post. Thanks to Tom Westrup for his help in making it so that you can enter the fields in Adobe Acrobat and then print the file (you can't save it with fields filled in, btw) to send in. Note that we are only requesting forms from NEW DUES-PAYING MEMBERS and renewing old members who did not fill out a form in the past OR whose information has changed (for example, if you sold/bought a car) since the last time they submitted a USA7s Member Data form. Forum users who do not wish to join the USA7s Club should not submit a form. The intent of the Member Data sheets is that eventually, we will be able to have a database of Se7eners so that, for example, if a newbie is interested in a Birkin, and lives in CT...we will be able to more easily hook that person up with a current owner who lives nearby.

The updated USA7s Member Data Sheet should be available as a download at the bottom of this post. Thanks to Tom Westrup for his help in making it so that you can enter the fields in Adobe Acrobat and then print the file (you can't save it with fields filled in, btw) to send in. Note that we are only requesting forms from NEW MEMBERS and current members who did not fill out a form in the past OR whose information has changed (for example, if you sold/bought a car) since the last time they submitted a USA7s Member Data form. The intent of the Member Data sheets is that eventually, we will be able to have a database of Se7eners so that, for example, if a newbie is interested in a Birkin, and lives in CT...we will be able to more easily hook that person up with a current owner who lives nearby.

The Member Data Sheet should be available as a PDF download in this post. Please be sure to write your forum name on the form before submitting it. Note that the form is requested from new paid members of the club only. You do not have to complete and return the form if you are a current Club member (we should already have one from you) or are a forum user who does not wish to join the USA7s Club.

For the 2008-2009 membership year, USA7s will provide the following to paid Club members: 1) Coverage under the Club umbrella insurance policy — this allows members to attend events and save vs. the “non-member” event fee, as well as host local events for other Club members with some degree of liability protection 2) A snazzy Club membership card 3) 5 “Tell a friend” cards...with the forum URL printed on it 4) 1 Club logo car decal 5) Ability to participate in Club “Group Buys” 6) Ability to list vehicles in the “Cars for sale” section of the USA7s.org forum 7) Ability to start a thread in “Technical” section of the USA7s.org forum 8) Ability to start a thread in the “Events” section of the USA7s.org forum 9) Receive the USA7s Club e-Newsletter We are also working on other benefits. Club Members who have not submitted a member data sheet or whose information has changed should download one below, complete, and mail it to address shown on form. We do not sell member information or provide to third parties. Dues for the 2008-2009 membership year will be $20. We are introducing a couples membership option for $25 — this extends the Club insurance coverage to a second driver, and you also get one additional membership card. Additional Club logo stickers will be available for $2. To pay your 2008-2009 USA7s Dues via PayPal: Log on to www.paypal.com and send the appropriate amount to midlfr@yahoo.com. Don’t forget to include your Name, Address, Phone, and Forum Name along with your payment. Note that, taking into account PayPal fees, the amount you need to send make sure the club gets a round number varies. For transactions paid from a PayPal account (which you can transfer funds into via your bank account), the fee is 2.9% + $0.30 (Est.: $20 dues = $20.88, $25 dues = $26.03, $2 sticker = $2.06) For transactions paid by debit or credit card, the fee is 4.9% + $0.30 (Est.: $20 dues = $21.28, $25 dues = $26.53, $2 sticker = $2.10) To pay your 2008-2009 USA7s Dues via Check or Money Order: Send a check or money order for the appropriate amount to USA7s, Inc., 14209 Secluded Lane, North Potomac, MD 20878. NOTE: Current members who joined after July 7, 2007 will be grandfathered through July 6, 2009. We will be sending out membership packets in August 2008, after the open enrollment period closes. Remember that USA7s is a not-for-profit organization and all dues and proceeds go toward supporting club activities and materials — including the hosting of the USA7s.org online forum. Thanks again to the founding members of the Club, whose generosity made it possible to incorporate as a not-for-profit organization back in 2006: John Christensen Michael Dougherty Mazda Ebrahimi Jerry Eddens Magnus Feuer Scott Lentz Al Navarro Scott Nettleship Steve Taylor

Kind of like those scenes in movies, where the private investigator shows the husband photos of his wife leaving a restaurant in the company of another (younger!) man. :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: Except in this case, it's my ex-wife. Glad to see the car is out and about after an inauspicious first week. :cheers: -A P.S. Gert et al., now that you've seen the infamous Orange in person, whadja think?

Kick ass K & M...btw, has Kevin ever thought about going pro? I mean, he might as well....