Silber

@JB455 You are awesome. I'm really grateful you tried this out and confirmed it works. I'll need to double check that my fenders are cut out the same way yours are, and once that is done I'll order some lights and grommets and replicate what you did. I'll report back here when I'm done. I'm sure the pictures don't do it justice, but the standard running light is so pitiful. I'm excited to try this out.

@JB455 Can I ask you for the links for what you purchased? That looks like a great alternative to the original Birkin lights.

Looking forward to seeing how they turn out. I may copy your setup if it works out well.

I'm following this topic to see if anyone comes up with an affordable solution. My Birkin lights are also as @JB455 described, mediocre at best. I put in LED turn signal bulbs which helps with that, but the taillights are incredibly dim, if they are even working. One socket is really fiddly with how the bulb sits in and often goes out when driving. I've looked but haven't found an off-the-shelf solution yet, but I'll take another look at Amazon.

Eventually I'll take the time to post a proper update, but for now some videos from Bones' first track outing:

Define "older" please. I have a 2009 Birkin and from my experience they are everything a Caterham is, nothing lacking.

I've heard good things about the A052, but I'm cheap and can't stomach the cost when I'm not actually competing for anything. I've really liked the Kumho V730s, even if they may be a few tenths slower on an autocross course. If money weren't an option I'd probably just run DOT-rated slicks like the Toyo RR. We don't get a lot of rain here in Utah, and I'm not putting enough mileage on the car to worry about tire wear, as the tires will likely heat-cycle out before I run out of rubber.

Today I met up with @Frankie for a drive along East Canyon Reservoir. Great weather and a nice, leisurely drive. https://maps.app.goo.gl/tfgTPuN7eFgVYyoq7 A couple of pictures from my dashcam, and Frank may post some video after he goes through it:

I really meant to update this sooner.... I did enjoy driving the car late into the year. Even took it out on Thanksgiving day because we were having such a mild November. Then parked it until about March. A couple of updates: I finally got around to ordering a really expensive cable to be able to plug into the standalone ECU. I don't know anything about tuning, but there was one thing I wanted to address. When I first purchased the car the redline was set to 6500 rpm or something, which was lower than what I wanted and felt the engine was capable of, so when I had the car dyno tuned I had the tuner set the redline to 8k rpm, based off of the specs for the Crower cams and valvetrain. No problems running it up to 8k, but long story short I realized I don't actually know for sure what components are in the engine, and if the bottom end has been touched at all, so to err on the side of caution, I bought the cable to be able to set the redline to a more conservative 7200. Mostly have been occasionally commuting to work and doing little drives here and there. Went to a casual cars & coffee at my work with my three-year old. I also bought a new shift knob. I wanted something taller for ergonomics, and the JGTC-style knob from my old Miata wasn't actually the right thread pitch. Pictured is the Lotus branded knob the car came with, the JGTC-style knob, and the new one: I'm satisfied with the purchase so far, and keeps up the tradition of buying a shift knob for every car I buy. Fixed an exhaust leak from where a gasket blew out, including replacing two sets of four stacked washers being used to fit these bolts with some proper spacers. I pulled the muffler heat shield off and gave the muffler a quick polish. I kind of like the look, and might keep the heat shield off (until I burn my leg).

I also have hooded sun shirts when I don't need to wear something nicer (e.g. for work). Same principle as a sun hoodie, and can get them cheap on amazon. I still do the same baseball cap and neck gaiter combo with the sun shirts.

I like to wear sunglasses, a baseball cap, a lightweight hooded jacket with the hood over the hat, and a neck gaiter over the top of everything. The neck gaiter provides sun protection for my face and keeps the jacket hood from flapping, and the hood keeps the hat on my head. Ear plugs underneath it all and driving 70+ mph is comfortable. This is with a windscreen and wind deflectors. Without the windscreen I wear a full face helmet.

I'll be second in line if Origin7 doesn't want them.

Checked on this today. Registration has opened: 2026 LUG

For what its worth, with my Birkin having a Duratec and my FPR a different unit, the location is the same as yours: This is an old picture I pulled from my other thread, with an arrow added to point out the FPR.

The cupholder puts a smile on my face. I've never wanted one in my 7, but I guess even an entirely impractical car needs a little bit of practicality?