Rob J.

I know that many of you have seen my thread over in the general forum so forgive the duplication. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this project, here’s the brief story: My father in law passed away several months ago. When my wife went down to his property, she found a 2005 Caterham SV parked, wasting away. She knew he had some kind of car (which they called “the Lotus”) because he had always talked about giving the car to my stepson. As it turns out, he wanted nothing to do with it, probably because it had been sitting outside for 15 years. My FILs health had declined over the years and he just didn’t have the ability to take care of it. My wife sends me the pictures of the car from her first trip to the property and I immediately fell in love. What’s a gorgeous car! I told her I absolutely wanted it if nobody else did and she made sure that happened (knowing I love cars). After several delays due to weather and the fact that the brakes are seized, I finally made arrangements to have it picked up and delivered 110 miles away to its new home - my garage. I’m so lucky to have this as a project and even though I’m not anything close to a mechanic, I’m going to give it my absolute best. Looking forward to the journey of getting this beauty back on the road where it belongs.

I’m super excited, but admittedly don’t know much about restoring something that’s been sitting for so long. I’ve always been into modifying cars, but this is totally new. There’s a huge learning curve, but I’m up for it. I think my FIL would have been happy to see someone bring this beauty back to life.

Surprisingly no! It did have a small nest inside the rear area under the tonneau, but that was it. Given the circumstances, it actually looks really good. It needs a lot of work, but it could definitely be a lot worse!

Well, she made it home. I ended up having to pay a tow/recovery service after finding out that the brakes are locked up. Either way, it’s in its new home in my garage. I’m making a list of things I know I’ll need and Josh at RMC is going to help me source some things. First question - anyone know where I can get a center cap lock key?!

Here you go! SDKLDK5NS50050457 @Vovchandr @Croc

Thanks! It's helpful to know what others have run into so I can avoid some of these issues up front. In the meantime, I did get my hands on the VIN. I was hoping someone could help me decode it!

Yikes, that's bad! Now I know to definitely arrange for a proper trailer or transport. Thanks!

Right now, I’m just hoping the engine will turn. I’ve never even been in one, so I don’t know what to expect in terms of power, although I know it’s super light. It’s also worth mentioning that my primary car, although not driven much, is a hellcat. So, I do at least have an outlet for my speed addiction.

You got it! We had everything lined up to make the pick up on Saturday, but 8"-10" of snow came down the night before. Considering the location and the back roads that need to be taken to get there, we decided it just wasn't safe. Unfortunately, my father (who had borrowed a really nice trailer from a coworker) is having surgery, so we're probably looking closer to March for a pick up.

Oh wow - I was not even in the ballpark. I was thinking somewhere closer to maybe $5k in its current condition since it's been sitting out in the elements for so long. As another member noticed, there's even a small tree working its way up through the bonnet! It does look to be in reasonable condition given the circumstances so I'm anxious to get it back to my garage and really assess it for rust and damage. I'm cautiously optimistic that it'll run again without a TON of work, but like I said - it's a first for me. And if all else fails, I can drop a new motor in it and start from scratch if I have to. I'm really in no hurry and really looking forward to the process of getting this beauty back on the street!

Thanks so much! I'm really looking forward to getting my hands and eyes on it during our next trip down in a few weeks. I should be able to get some much better pictures, a VIN, etc. So hopefully we can really nail down the details. I'm a car guy at heart, but I've never really done anything like this before. I've own plenty of modified cars over the years, but none would compare to something like this. I've tinkered, done basic wiring and installs, and some easy maintenance, but this is a whole new level for me. That excites me though because I'd love to learn how to do more so this is going to do me a lot of good. I actually wouldn't mind even doing something like a "resto-mod" (even though it's really not that old) and really giving it a modern look at some point. We'll see! I was trying to look around online to get a general estimate on value, but numbers seem to be all over the place. Without knowing anything about these cars, I'm kind of at a loss in that department. Any thoughts on a possible value? I know that's impossible to do accurately without going over it in detail - it's more for my own curiosity.

Awesome info, thanks! We were thinking early 2000s as well based on the timeline of the family’s travels and moving history, so it sounds like we were on the right track. It definitely needs some love, but I’m really excited to get it working again and back to its former glory. I wouldn’t mind modernizing it along the way too based on some of the newer models I’ve seen too. Heck, I’ve even seen some crazy LS swaps out there!

It’s definitely been sitting! We are estimating that it’s been there for around 15 years. The tree growing through the bonnet made me chuckle! Definitely has the Caterham badges, but that great to know about the drivers-side exhaust. Once I get my eyes on it, I can get some much better pictures and details.

Good afternoon all. My father-in-law passed away last month and my wife drove down to his home to assess the property and begin the lengthy process of determining what’s what. They have some acreage and this beauty was sitting on the property! I have no details on the car outside of these pictures as I’ve yet to see it in person. My brother-in-law still lives on the property and claims that it did run at one time. Thought I’d post it up and see if anyone had any insight based on the pictures. It’s looking more and more like it’s going to find a new home in my garage and become a project for me! I’m beyond excited!