Al N.

JBH...I notice that your center mirror is a bit of jerry-rig (IMHO)...looks like they took a normal windshield one and flipped the adhesive mount down. Check out the Spa stalk mount center mirror when you have a sec...Pegasus has them or Caterham. Note that you'll have to drill into your scuttle if you DON'T use the "interchangeable" deflector, which snaps to the two bosses on your scuttle right now....you then mount the mirror to the deflector.

JBH...if you are considering a new aero, check out the one made by "Richard in France". Richard in France's Carbon Bits It's in the "interchangeable style" which wraps down the sides more, and bolts in using the holes for the regular windshield stanchions. I'm pretty sure that RiF's was designed to give MORE protection than the standard Caterham issue one (regardless of material)...it comes up a bit higher or has a different curve. From a pistonheads thread: "it is much deeper than the Caterham one and deflects the air better according to users." Pistonheads aeroscreen thread And while you're at it, check out RiF's all carbon car...kind of a dark alter ego to Sugino's...

I sent you an email. I think I am the most recent NJ registrant. It wasn't that simple, alas.

What with our Atom party-crashers, and Dermot running a Fury, and all of us getting along like kumbaya style... Who does everyone think about trying to coordinate a multi-car type meet for light cars like Se7ens, Atoms, Furies, and maybe even Elises? Like a meeting of the various tribes. I mentioned this idea over on the GRM article thread. I would think it would have to be track-based...perhaps a TT format?

You know...I looked at my car from the side a few weeks ago and Yes, it does cant forward a bit. Though not as much as some of these others appear to in pix...could be the angle that emphasizes/de-emphasizes the lean. BTW, I'm swapping my current bar out for the Caged FIA thing, if anyone feels like buying it.

Mazda- Have you joined some sort of "bizarre crashes caught on tape" forum?

From the people I talked to, early July (like, around the 7th... ) is better than August...August is the truly peak season. I have to stop fantasizing about the 2009 meet, or else it will soon become an ALL ENCOMPASSING OBSESSION...not that I know anything about that sort of thing.:lol:

Bruce- I think Jim Gunther, Stalker owner, lives in CT. I will send you his contact info and perhaps he can tell you the best way to rig up some bumpers. Also, for anyone who is going to get inspected in NJ any time soon, I have the "exhaust cover" you'll need to shield the 4 into 1. -Al

Bob-THere was a Manta Mirage at the Lime Rock Sunday car show. That thing is CRAZY. Is yours running and terrorizing the streets? If so, I'd really want to check it out. And if not, I'd still really want to check it out.

Wait, I thought that only happened in Atoms...:jester: Good to have Maverick & Randy aboard, btw.

Another thing... The thing about a "national" meet, IMHO, is to get as many cars there as possible. More cars, more visibility, more tires to kick, more stories to hear (you know, I just heard the one about John Gault's fire incident!...recounted via Ken G. at Lime Rock), more scenery for the non-parade (Sevens in my windshield, in my mirrors, out the wazoo), etc. When the Automobile journalist interviewed me down in Robbinsville, he asked "How many cars did you need to commit to the event to make it worth it?" To which I honestly replied "Well, I really wouldn't have cared if just the guys from the Skyline meet came out. But then when got to 30 handraisers, and Michael D. started talking about getting 50 or more....I knew it would be bigger than that." I think 50 cars should be the target for any national meet. We had 61 at 7-7-7, and that was on the East Coast. Heck, we had 10 just at LRP. And I'm sure we'll get close to 25 if the Mid-Atlantic guys do a regional meet at VIR in 2008. So why not 50. Man I'd like to think we could pull 100 cars sometime in the future. Every single damn Seven in the country should go to the USA7s National Meet. --- [sFX: Al getting off soapbox and going back to his day job.]

PHOTOGRAPHIC PROOF!!! http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/752310397_8Steve.jpg Mrs. Rowe's MUST be among the MEET UP points for any East Coast meet! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

I was at work at my former employer in Princeton NJ area. We didn't have TV, so Internet and the TV of a co-worker's mom played over the phone was how we got our news. We were sent home before the towers fell. For some reason, I went to a bar with co-workers before going home...and we watched the towers fall on TV. A co-worker who live in NYC at the time (and downtown, too), gasped audibly. When I first heard that a plane crashed, I didn't think much...there have a been a few light plane accidents in NYC (most recently, the Cory Lytle crash). But then when I heard it was a commercial liner, and then two...I honestly thought, "This might be beginning of the end of the world." Maybe that's why I went to have a drink?:crazy: We used to live in NYC and have good friends who still do. None of them were injured (physically), and I didn't know anyone who died in the attacks. We flew to California about 2 weeks afterwards for a friend's wedding. You've never seen a plane so empty. I also remember getting stared down by a non-so-undercover airmarshall as I walked to the bathroom. He had a steely gaze, close cropped hair cut, muscles that stretched his new Continental polo, and a "Trainee" badge. He sat all by himself in the rear of the plane. Seriously, I've never felt safer on a plane. Then, when we reached California, you wouldn't think anything significant had happened. The chilling effect was much more palpable on the East Coast.

Thanks for the kind words Martin...too many blogs, not enough time. BTW...has anyone checked into the price of early 911s lately? YIKES!!! Pricey 1973 911S

Okay, so I'm not the best passenger. I need to take down that video some day....:jester:

I'm out that weekend, gents. Traditional extended Navarro family trip...this year to Lake George.

michollock - I was in your shoes about 6 years ago. I swore I would buy either a V-12 Ferrari (the cheaper kind), a Mondial (I happen to love the lines and the 4 seat capacity), a 356 (the 62 B S90, preferably), or a 67-73 911 (pref a 67, 69, or 73). But then, on the way back from a family trip to DC, my wife let me swing past Mid-Atlantic Caterham to test drive an SV. And from the second the guy pulled out on to the road and I said "you don't have to kill me, you know"...I was hooked. Early 911s are great, classic shape, Steve McQueen fantasy cars. I also like the fact that buying an older one keeps you out of "trade it in for a new model" cycle. But a Seven is really a different matter. If you truly enjoy driving and pure road feel, there will be no other for you. Some reading you might find informative... Al's Car Story - Part V

Dude, you is crazy....:jester:

Oh Jon, don't fool yourself...Skyline East 2006 was just the starting line....a mere side of the road/barroom conversation...to sort out the 7-7-7 meet it was a lot of phone calls, a lot of emails/posts, a lot of in person meetings, a few recons, etc. But this thread is a good start. Regarding distances...Gert, Montana is over 2000 miles and nearly 34 hours of driving from NJ. But I'm up for it. I didn't buy the trailer because it looks good in my garage. I would do much the same as you...or haul ass cross country on one of the legs just to get to the great wide opens or home. I'd have to talk to my wife. I'm sure we'd lose some folks from both coasts at those distances, but that is to be expected. Getting to the meet would be at least a 3rd of the fun...I remember how for 7-7-7, we'd start to see more cars and/or trailers the closer we got. That whole "ever meet a perfect stranger and know he was a brother" thing. I definitely think we'd do a 4 or 5 day thing next National. Perhaps Cooke City (good hub for Beartooth Highway) for 2 nights. One night in Yellowstone. Then head up to Glacier for 2 more? Though some of us have records in the National Parks system (I've got that warning letter somewhere). What I learned about a national is that it takes a small group of people to be SUPER PASSIONATE about the meet. And perhaps even one person to take it on as their primary non-work/family focus...oh, for about a year. Also, the organizers have to truly want to go to the meet area. I think wherever the meet is held, there should be one uber-road as a target — with one goal of the meet to let Seveners get to experience it. The non-parade at the Dragon, as well as the early morning blats, were really special drives for me and I think the others who participated. To try and do that sort of thing again on a road like the Beartooth...:hurray: Again, keep the suggestions for centralized meets coming and we'll put it to a vote in Jan 2008. That will give people time to do a recon, figure the $$ out, and announce the meet at least a year in advance.

You know, what the heck, Jon...if we're going to go that far, we might as well try a coast to coast, right? --- FWIW, I would tow out to any meet that far, effectively serving as a support vehicle for anyone from the East brave enough to try and leg it that far in a Se7en.

Brad...focus power is in NC...their web site is down at the moment, but they seem to have a good rep on the Focus/Zetec Forums. Those forums are a good (or bad, depending on how you look at it) place to get tips on Zetecs. Stick to the all-motor forums, as most of the Focus "kids" want the most bang for their buck...and that means forced induction.

I say find a good Zetec shop, try the head/cam swap...and see if you can live with the results. Or go the supercharged S2000 route. Skip Cannon or Keith Tanner's turbo miata cars are also quick. I personally like the "all motor" aspect of my car, even if it is down on ultimate power vs. some of the other cars here.

Mazda's Rotus, rightfully considered one of the scariest, quickest cars in the hobby, is powered by a GM LS1 V8 and tranny. The LS7 is the new V8 in the latest Z06 Vette.

Again, it's all pie in the sky thinking right now. Gert brought up SD as a possible location, and I did a little research into it. We'll eventually put it to a poll early in 2008, so the organizers have enough time to plan. The way I see that working is one set of organizers does the event itself, and then the regions work to come up with "to and from" routes/plans. • South Dakota • Montana • Missouri • Minnesota All of these sites could potentially draw from both coasts, in addition to having strong appeal for the center of the country. Also, none are potentially Texas hot in the summer.

Roman-I would make Gary from Ohio an offer on that Birkin he just bought....seems like he's craving more HP already.-Al