Al N.

Wow. I'm pretty sure Brian is bringing one of these to 7-7-7.

Saw this post via radiose7en.com: http://www.iwcp.co.uk/News/On_the_Road/7_FANS_BLAT_FOR_BIG_50_1.aspx At the end of April there was a meet on the Isle of Wight to celebrate the 50th...thank goodness we aren't the only ones not gathering on the "official" date. But I wonder if anyone called the IOW gathering "a Hollywood production"?

I'm definitely in for this on Saturday for most of the day, including lunch...should we set a rendezvous time and FRS radio channel ("7" naturally!). I'll have the kids with me. Anyone else thinking of coming? Mazda...maybe we can crash the Deman booth without telling Dino who we are, be a couple of tire kickers..."Now, is this thing faster than a Cobra?"

Scud-I'm sure that had something to do with it...pretty sure that the smaller diameter wheel/tires have less inertia, so they can get up to speed more quickly given the same input force. I also remember reading something in Grassroots Motorsports about a test between 13, 14, and 15 in rims that bore this theory out. Also, those Magnesium 2 piece wheels on the R500 are pretty damn cool.

As a car engined owner, I'll say that bike-engined cars are bad ass. I think they are the closest one can get to driving a formula car on the street, in terms of revs and sonic impact.

That's got to be one of the more "famous" Se7ens on the internet...did you see that Richard has put it up for sale. I emailed him to see what might be taking its place and he said that he's taking a short break from cars for a while. He did add that "I'll come back to it all in a few years".

Just wondering. (After seeing Mazda's reply...I will caveat that your target price should not be below the current price for Super Unleaded!)

We have a lot of hot air balloons in our area, and there's even a festival of some kind. Last year, we heard the same roaring and ran outside to see two balloons nearly touching down in our field...they changed their minds at the last second (only a few feet above the deck)...kids loved it.

I was logging on from home over the weekend, and Laura asked me "What are other wives and/or kids planning to do while you are out driving?" I confessed that I really had no idea. Which is why I started this thread... FWIW, my in laws are coming down so that Laura can spend some of Saturday with me driving. Friday, I pretty much am going to stay at Tapoco all day for registrations, etc. I bet my family goes to the Biltmore or perhaps back to Franklin (the mines) or perhaps the National Park on Friday, and then probably do another day trip on Sunday while I am out wearing 10% of the tread of my Avons down.

Welcome to the Forum Al! Are you a dealer, owner, enthusiast? In terms of retaining value, based on the black SLR that Jeff Sloan (BritAuto) sold recently, I can assure you my Superlight has depreciated quite a bit from the price I paid for it and what I've put into it so far. I don't think anyone thinks of our cars as "investments".

Even a new ZX3 crate motor is cheap...check out wirewheel.com, I think Hayes Harris has one or two. You could then build it up with Raceline's head...or the FocusSport/Cossie head. Wonder if Duratec blocks are easy to find....

Bruce...thanks for the input. Did you retain the stock 2.0 Liter waterpump wiht the Raceline water rail? And no worries about not having an easily visible coolant level?

Steve-You bastard! I thought we were going to dive Thelma and Louise style into this thing as bona fide novices. That's it, I'm going to compensate for my lack of ability and training with horsepower mods and tire warmers. I keeed of course. What little spare change I have this year will be dedicated to the trailer. Very cool to have that opportunity Steve, and to get Jeff U. as your instructor. If you beat my times, however....:cry:

Hmm. I'm bringing a huge Ninco slot car track, 150 tote bags, 150 ID badges, 150 lanyards, a lot of paperwork, a folding table, a 10 x 10 pop up tent, laptop, a laser printer, our two cats...:crazy:

Another 2 cents...when I bought my car, it was between the one I have and an older chassis with a new Duratec... Keep in mind that I was shopping for a fully built car. But the solutions available a few years back weren't really factory-authorized (as they are now) and I was, admittedly, afraid of the risks of sorting it out between myself and the builder. Since I think you're leaning toward Zetecs, keep in mind that there are a few..I don't have an SVT, but the older Zetec Supersport. One thing I know is that my car has individual Throttle Bodies whereas the SVT does not (I think). At last year's Skyline East cruise, Scott L. brought his SVT motored Superlight and I'm pretty sure it has an air intake to the aft of the engine that stays below the bonnet. Whereas my air fiter goes right over the trumpets and sticks out a cut out in my bonnet. And the induction noise is pretty hairy. Here's another suggestion for you... Buy a chassis less tranny and motor. And check out Raceline's motors. Perhaps a Quaife sequential box. This route may be cheaper than Caterham's "turnkey" solutions. And you can fit an alternative motor... just check out Skip C's Miata motored SV. Or consult with one of the bike-engined guys here. Or...if you want to be our hero, get one of those RST V-8s (which will surely complete consume and obliterate your budget!)

I have the Caterham USA Zetec "Supersport" package...which came with throttle body fuel injection and supposedly a hotter cam. I may pull the head soon to see if any of my little "cooling hose" mishaps (3 to date, all months apart) may have caused damage to the head gasket. (Or I may just get the fluid tested for exhaust gas.) And I figured...IF I'm going to pull the head, why not put a hotter head on? I'm sure the TBs and injectors would be up to it, with a little ECU tuning. Is there anything else I need to worry about? Am I stupid for thinking of doing this? Has "Power Envy" clouded my judgement?

Skip- When I did the wiper route (after I found out that the aeroscreen does not get you past the DMV in NJ!), I asked Rex to get everything for me. He happened to be in the UK at the time. I'm assuming you need the motors and everything too, and not just the arms and wipers...if you need just those bits, I'm sure someone here (perhaps even me) could just mail ours to you for the sake of inspection.-Al

It's maybe a little Caterham/Birkin centric for you, IMHO...but does have some good folks on it, after all, that's where many of the folks here first met. Of course, you can always unsub.

Welcome aboard Kar and Dave. I do appreciate your introductions here, as it gives people a picture of you beyond your car. Dave, I take it you are the former Serotta custom guy? Very cool.

Speaking of tire pressures...I went down to 21 psi all around vs. (the number stamped on the tire, which is higher than my age!) and I could instantly tell the difference. Before, if I'd squeeze the throttle making a 90 degree turn onto a cross street, I could easily spin the rears in first and second. Now it just sticks. Going to try 18 in the front and 21 in the rear...once I get that darn cooling hose clamped up better.

Jeff- Here is the link to sign up for a number of lists coordinated through se7ens.net...I used to subscribe to a few, but now just do the USA one. And in truth, posts have died down over there as USA7s.com has grown...some things are more easily discussed/communicated via a forum vs. a list-serv. There's obviously a place for both. http://mailman.se7ens.net/mailman/listinfo Thanks for sharing the backstory to your video...it was truly hilarious and I even shared it with my wife...who once again rolled her eyes and said something to the effect of "You Se7en guys are all little comedians, aren't you..." -A

Skip-I'm logged on from my dial up home, so I can't watch until tomorrow AM. But congrats and best of luck with the registration/inspection! It's been really fun watching your car come together!-Al

If I could steal a Brian James trailer here in the US, I would have probably already done so!

KitCat-I'm sure Mazda will be adding back functionality as time allows. Additionally, some folks should be penning short blurbs on each marque - to help alleviate the overwhelming nature of it all.

Dave-I really loved Montana when I went out to fish a few years back. One day was a drift boat run on the Madison, we encountered rain, snow, bald eagles, and of course, HUGE fish. Take a minute to introduce yourself on the thread entitled "Tell us about yourself" and also..how'd you find this site?