scannon

+1 on the Kudos to Mazda and the rest of the founders. I've been driving the Cat all week but a cold front came in over night and the temps are in the low 60s with some rain so I won't be driving her but I plan to work on her this afternoon.

Great looking Se7en. BTW, the new Escort radar detector has a memory and GPS with all the red light and speed camera locations in it and will warn you. However, I seem to recall detectors are illegal in DC and Virginia.

Excellent pictures and descriptions of the inside of a WWII submarine. http://www.nonplused.org/panos/uss_pampanito/index.html You can look around 360 degrees and up and down by dragging your cursor around in the pictures. I took a flight on a B-17 a few years ago and I would much rather have spent the war in one of those vs. a submarine. Either one took a large cast iron pair.

Makes for an unusual fireworks display. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128170775

You are probably aware of this but be sure to check the engine for crankshaft endplay. The '99s had a problem with the thrust bearing on the #4 main journal. Otherwise that and the '00 engines are the best of the bunch for modifications.

"I have the kit, I have the wrecked Miata" Please, tell me it isn't the yellow Miata in your avatar.

Ben at Caterham USA (303 765 0247) would likely know exactly what is needed for the swap. He is a source for the T-9 transmission and other parts. The Miata Duratec uses a different transmission than the 1st and 2nd generation Miatas. Think about installing an engine and trans from a Miata as a unit. That way your original drivetrain remains intact for restoring back to original. In the meantime you gain Japanese reliability, almost unlimited power upgrades and fuel injection. As a bonus it will severely piss off the purists.

Aboard ship when I was an electricians mate in the Navy we used to send newbies to stores for a can of vacuum and a bottle of IR drops.

I worked with a guy who changed all the light bulbs and fuses in his Toyota pickup every year. It wouldn't surprise me if he changed the air in his tires as well.

When people ask what it is I tell them "Caterham 7". For the few who have heard of Caterham that is sufficient but when I see the look of non-comprehension or hear "huh" I tell them that it is a Lotus 7 and that when Lotus stopped making them Caterham bought the rights and continued on. Most of them have heard of Lotus and some of those even know what a Lotus 7 is. For short, I call her the Cat, which is what ended up on the title. According to Colorado law it should have been titled as Kit but I'm happy with having Cat on there.

My Caterham is the SV (Fat Bastard). I've never owned or measured the skinny version so I can't help you with that. I just happened to measure it earlier today along with some other measurements requested by someone.

My SV nose is 7 1/2" but that is measured to the upper surface of the nose, not the lower lip. I trimmed some of that lip off to get clearance for the cam cover. The picture shows it before trimming off about half of the lower lip.

The fine is equal to the deposit they already paid to Bernie. USF1 has said they will not appeal the decision so it is a done deal.

These could be Se7ens. Exposed front wheels, front engine, minimal frame and body work, excellent power to weight ratios. With all those nitro fumes it's a wonder anyone got out of there alive. Click on the thumbnail labeled Watch Again. http://media.causes.com/847300?m=d28b52c4

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8760109.stm

I figured as long as we were visiting with the boys from McLaren/Mercedes... http://www.evo.co.uk/news/evonews/249697/button_and_hamilton_try_mclaren_mp412c.html

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/30/video-heroes-on-heroes-hamilton-button-visit-mclarens-crypt/

Goose the throttle once and that thing will by laying on it's side. I think it is just a display piece, note the pylon under the rear axle and at the interface between cab and bed. I can't imagine tires that small supporting the 11,000 lb engine plus the weight of the stretch Mini.

Go for it! Almost any engine can be put in anything. Frankn7 is a good example. There is a Miata out there with a Jaguar V-12 engine. A friend is getting parts together to put a Suby STi engine in his Toyota MR2 Spyder. Lots of options. I saw an Isetta at a car show with an Allison V-12 airplane engine in it. No room for a driver but touted as full functional otherwise.

A little boy comes down to breakfast. Since they live on a farm, his mother asks if he had done his chores. Not yet,' said the little boy. His mother tells him no breakfast 'til the chores are done. Well, now he's a little pissed off. He goes to feed the chickens, and he kicks a chicken. He goes to feed the cows, and he kicks a cow. He goes to feed the pigs, and he kicks a pig. He goes back in for breakfast and his mother gives him a bowl of dry cereal. 'How come I don't get any eggs and bacon? Why don't I have any milk in my cereal?' he asks. 'Well,' his mother says... I saw you kick a chicken, so you don't get any eggs for a week. I saw you kick the pig, so you don't get any bacon for a week either. I also saw you kick the cow, so for a week you aren't getting any milk. Just then, his father comes down for breakfast and kicks the cat halfway across the kitchen. The little boy looks up at his mother and with a smile says: 'Are you going to tell him, or should I?’

Here's a response concerning the transmission from another forum where I posted the same review. "The transmission came from a Toyota diesel truck, and the so call sport transmission just has different 4th, 5th, and 6th gear. Oooh, and Lotus already revised the linkage...I guess there were only so much they can do."

The local Lotus club had a track event today at the High Plains Raceway. Ferrari of Denver who is also the Lotus dealer brought along a new Evora. During the driver's meeting it was announced that seriously interested people (i.e. those with lots of $$s) could get a ride. Not being one of their targeted demographic I didn't think much about it but later in the day the fellow in charge of the car was running low on fuel so I offered to trade him the 5 gallons of fresh 91 octane in my spare gas can for a drive, not to be confused with just a ride. I also mentioned it was my spare helmet he had been using all day while giving rides. He kind of put me off but later agreed so we dumped the five gallons in the tank and he handed me the key. I asked if he was coming with me and he said no! I grabbed a friend who was admiring the car and off we went. First impression was that is the WORST shifter in a sports car ever. Long throws, no feeling for whether you were actually engaged and a general vagueness. Totally out of character with the rest of the car. The car had an optional "sport" six speed manual transmission. On the track however, the handling and brakes were very impressive. Precise steering as you would expect from a Lotus and right now, OMG I braked way too soon for that corner, braking performance. I pushed it harder each lap but was not feeling like I was finding the limits. I did get a little understeer on an off camber turn, easily caught and on with the turn. Straight line performance was just OK, I was seeing 110 mph at the end of the long straight however my Miata was getting 122 mph with a slower exit off the last turn onto the straight. My Caterham has hit 130+ on this same straight. All speeds above are indicated, not clocked. The Evora needs at least another 100 hp to live up the the $80k price. Would I buy one? Yes, if they sold for $35k and they could give it a better shifter. For $80 I'd rather have a Porsche Cayman S and $20k left over.

Sounds like a turbo in there somewhere.

When he said they were shooting iron I assumed it was the steel silhouette targets. They make a nice clank when you hit them.

Before I posted the pictures of the red one I kept going back and forth between the two cars. I had the feeling that the black one looked slightly different and suspected it was a replica. BTW, that home behind the red car is actually a place to keep his cars. Other than a kitchen and bathroom on the main floor, the floor space is one large L shaped room with about a dozen cars in it. The basement is also full of cars and is accessed from the rear of the building via a short ramp to a window which leads onto a short four post lift with raises and lowers the cars to the basement floor. The owner lives next door in an almost identical home, at least from the outside. The city wouldn't let him build a shop or anything other than a home so he built this one. The first picture is one leg of the L which would have been the living room. The other two are in the basement. The area where the Elva sits is a nicely appointed workshop.