JB455

Those are definitely an upgrade from what came on my car! They look substantially stronger with the channel and extra angle brace, compared to mine which were basically made out of flat stock. If you were interested in selling the clamshells and associated brackets I could be interested in buying. I kind of prefer them for a vintage look. The carbon fiber cycle fenders on mine now look sporty, but definitely take away from a vintage feel.

I had a nice day of driving around northern CT with the LLG yesterday. It was a little cool (45 degrees) when I headed out in the morning, but it warmed up nicely, up to around 70. We stopped at the Saville Dam in Barkhamsted- it's a quite scenic location and the lot was full of people out enjoying a gorgeous fall day. Most of them came over to admire the cars, with the Seven being especially popular! The best part of the day? I put almost 200 miles on it without my newly fabricated fender mounts breaking! I made new ones out of 3/16" steel in place of the lighter gauge of the originals (and my first replacements) and they are sooo much more solid.

My car also has the R888s on it and I haven't even fully worn through the paint stripes on them after 600+ miles.

I don't know how proficient they are, but I was driving past Joseph's Garage in Norwell when I spotted a red Caterham in their old showroom. This place always gets my attention as they have a cool old Pontiac neon sign out front and I also have a few old Pontiacs. Anyhow on this day the little red Cat called out to me so I stopped in. I was told that it's Steven Tyler's.... yes, that Steven Tyler, and it was in for servicing. So they at least know what a Caterham is.

We'll have to meet up sometime for a drive. There is a Litchfield Lotus Group drive this Sunday morning starting in Granby.

GMT is only a few miles from my house- I wouldn't have thought to check with them, but since they're so close.... There are a few other shop around me that do roll bars/cages that would probably be more cost effective if I have to have one built.

I'd like to do some track events in my recently acquired 2000ish Birkin S3. Being 6'1" there is no way I'm going to pass the broomstick test with the standard bar on there. Just throwing this out there to see if anyone has anything that might work for me before I buy new or have one made. Preferably in the northeast as shipping could get expensive! On a related note- how do they do a broomstick test if you're running an aero screen or something similar?

I'm in Newtown (and occasionally New Preston). I'm fairly active with the Litchfield Lotus Group, we have a few Sevens that join us on occasion. I'd love to meet up with some other Seven owners in the area. I've been going through the car, checking, adjusting and fixing as needed. No major issues, just a few little things have needed attention. Except for those damn fender mounts! 🤪

Here's a clearer picture of what my originals look like. If I can source the updated Birkin parts I will give them a shot.

That must be an updated design since mine were built, it looks much stronger. The remains of one of the originals is the top piece in my picture. Just flat stock welded onto the threaded stud. All broke right next to the stud.

It had almost 30 psi all the way around when I picked it up. Literally brand new Toyo R888 tires. I immediately lowered them to 20 psi- I was afraid to go lower with a low profile tire- 195/50/15 on the fronts. Seeing as how they have virtually no wear after 600 miles (haven't even worn off the paint marking on the tread!) I guess I could go a little lower.

So I am going up on full month since I brought my Zetec powered Birkin home, taking the garage space of my recently sold Lotus Esprit Turbo. It has, for the most part, been a good experience... except for one thing! The weather has been great. Getting it properly registered at the CT DMV was easy. It runs great... after tracking down a massive vacuum leak. I've racked up about 600 miles on it so far- the wife was even good with riding along for a trip up to Lime Rock- about an hour each way. Kids stop in their tracks to take pics or video as soon as they see it. They seem to know what it is from video games. Curioulsy, young moms seem to really like it- Of all of the cool cars I've had, I don't remember that demographic responding so enthusiastically. Most adults don't seem to know what it is, but they are very interested. The driving experience is like nothing else I've owned, but then you all know that already, don't you? Everything is very tight and connected. Every move is instantaneous, with no play anywhere. The shifter has shorter throws than anything else I've ever driven, and took a little getting used to. The Zetec provides sufficient motivation for brisk acceleration or powering a drift through a tight corner. The car does not have a limited slip rear, but it desperately needs one! The gearing seems too low- I blast through 1st, 2nd and 3rd screaming towards the redline.... and then glance at the speedo and I'm only going 60. Not a deal breaker though as the car is most enjoyable below that speed anyhow. The noise and wind buffeting is actually less bothersome than I expected, but then I used to ride motorcycles without a helmet when I was young, so the wind doesn't bother me much. The exhaust exits out the back, which seems like it would be quieter than side exit, but the outlet still only coupe of feet from my ears. The exhaust note isn't offensive, though I am surprised that a muffler as big as this doesn't seem to do much at wide open throttle. I wouldn't mind it having a lower, more "throaty" sound. Now for that "one thing'. The front fender mounts are driving me nuts! I remember reading somewhere on here that they break and it's just something to accept. That's fine, but mine seem to break... a lot! Now this car came to me with 40,000 miles on it, so it's been driven. I was told one owner drove it cross country- twice! Within a coupe days of bring it home one of the brackets broke. I welded it up and reinstalled. A week later one on the other side broke on the way to Lime Rock. I taped it up to keep it from rubbing and continued on. On the way home the one I welded broke again. Taped that one too. Welded both of them up again, both broke again-- right next to the weld. Decided to make some new ones out of virgin material... those haven't broke... yet. The one of the upper mounts broke.... So of the 4 mounting brackets 3 have broken. I know some of the roads around me aren't the best, but this seems ridiculous. How on Earth did they last 40k miles and break so easily now that I own the car??? I am going to fabricate some heavier duty pieces and hopefully they last. I've noticed that Caterham (and others) use a simpler, more robust, design with fewer parts. The Birkin design seems flawed in that it has flat sock pieces that actually mount to the fenders that then bolt onto the uprights that mount onto th front suspension. Any idea if Caterham parts could be adapted onto the Birkin?

Both of my Yellow cars. I knew the Seven is small, but this pic really shows just how small it is!

The front is definitely too low for my location. The oil pan skid plate is only about 2" off the ground... and I live on a dirt road. The muffler guard temp is not an issue- the problem came from putting my shin right on the header as I pulled the hood off immediately after driving. Just not paying attention to what I was doing. 😳

@11Budlite Thank you! That's just the info I needed!

Been a member here for a while, but just yesterday I brought home my first Seven. I've put a few miles on it already. Fixed a few minor issues, have several more that I need to address, including adjusting ride height. Front is too low and the rear seems a little high. I've discovered that it's a good idea to remove and install the hood from the passenger side... especially when you're wearing shorts. 😜 The fresh burns on my left shin helped me learn that lesson! I know you guys like photos, so here's a couple. Parked next to my daily/work truck, the top of the roll bar doesn't even make it up to the door handles and I think the whole car is shorter than just the cab.

I just picked up a 2002 built Birkin with Zetec engine. Previous owner was on the smaller side and I'm on the bigger side. When I picked the car up the adjustable pedal setup was set nearest the driver seat and everything worked fine. I moved the pedals to the furthest spot of the three settings, to provide the most legroom. All seemed fine as I set off on a test run.... but it became apparent fairly quickly that the shifts were more difficult. It seems the clutch pedal was hitting the bulkhead and was not fully releasing. I moved the pedals back to the middle setting and all seems well again. My question is this- It would seems if Birkin had designed the movable pedals with 3 locations that the pedals should properly operate from all 3 locations. Is there something amiss with my clutch pedal? Something that could be adjusted to allow it full travel? Fluid reservoir is properly full, but I suppose it's possible that it might need to be bled. Aside from that, anything else I should be looking at?

Damn- that was a steal! Looks like a nice car that needs a little TLC. Marked pending already. I'd have jumped on that in a heartbeat... if it weren't literally on the complete opposite side of the country.

Pretty car! Any pictures of the underside or engine bay?

Same car was listed in June and “sold” at $55k. Buyer backed out due to a fuel system leak. Must’ve been a hell of a leak to kill the sale.

Looks like most of a car! Leaves you to get creative with the motor/trans without guilt. 😉 Really, it looks like a bargain to me for what you're getting. What's there looks savable. If it were close to me I'd check it out.

Can the trans be pulled out without removing the motor? Or at least moved far enough back to get to the clutch? Doing a clutch is no big deal, but removing that motor with all of the turbo piping and EFI stuff looks a little daunting. 😳

Absolutely beautiful car! Impressive power from the Twin Cam! Even more so- the torque! Must be a blast to drive. What part of MA are you in? Was up south of Boston yesterday, caught a glimpse of a Super Seven in the showroom of Joseph's Garage in Norwell. Stopped for a closer look- I asked if it was for sale and was told that it was Steven Tyler's and not for sale.

Just came a cross this ad on Hemmings, a big project for sure! - https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/lotus/super-seven/2591673.html Same owner since '73. Has quite a story to tell in the ad!

I really rather like that! Has a nice vintage feel to it- the wire wheels help with that. Looks quite a bit more luxurious than a Seven.