rider

Is the wind buffeting from the back? Guessing you have windshield and side curtains? If you wear a full-brim hat, would help. S3 is narrow. You think you would be comfortable in SV?

That's pretty awesome, @Stevensonjr! Pretty hardcore mix of rides. Totally agree, those vehicles are definitely keeping you sharp! Yes, it's all about ageing well. Fitness and a diverse life style, among other things, are critical. Thanks for sharing.

Fair point! If you don't get out, you can stay in and keep driving.....! I really hope insulation exists and works! Hot foot-well, especially for the passenger, will be a big problem! I drove a 420R for about 10 mins in cooler ambient and higher elevation. So, have no idea how it is in more representative driving conditions and situations. The reason I wanna avoid removable steering wheel is to eliminate yet another point of failure. Over time, it'll develop a play, simply from usage. I'll be spec'in Trackday Rollcage. I read it helps a lot with ingress/egress. Thanks CBuff. Glad to hear insulation exists. Do your pedal box and passenger foot-well get warm or hot? And, is there space to add additional layer of insulation? Also, do you feel heat from the Transmission Tunnel? If you do, is there space to add insulation in there?

28k with assist? Very impressive! I'm guessing you're able to get in/out of Miata. At least you still have open-top driving. Keep it going as long as you can safely.

Thanks, theDreamer. Your experience is inspiring. When we're young, we all do some stuff that come back and bite us in later years of our lives. But, you're able to make it work. If you had Trackday Rollcage would have helped with ingress/egress. I'll be spec'in it. Driving the Seven could actually be helping you to keep your spirits high. This forum is great. Have had a ton of great feedback from members. I've decided to go all-in! This is one of the reasons I'm bit torn on classic cars per se. Aside from the "feel", the handling, etc. have moved on to a different planet! Another score for Seven: classic car looks and feel with modern handling! Wow, despite these challenges, you're still rolling in the Seven. Impressive indeed! I've no excuse! Thanks again for sharing.

Yes, having a kit onboard for a long travel will make a big difference. Will add to the list. Thanks. Agree on the LED lights; will spec them. Will check on the sailing jacket though have many jackets (and related gear) for different use cases and temps. Besides living in Frozen Tundra aka MN makes you prep for a wide temp variation...! I actually understand that sentiment and can relate....! It's all about diversified experiences! That's one of the reasons Seven is still thriving. Only the mandated sunset of ICE will make it go away.....! (An EV Seven isn't a Seven....!) Guessing you have a Countach? Super cool car!

Sorry gentlemen, for the delayed response. I was traveling for business; had no time at all to do personal messaging. Your statement reaffirms what I've learned spending enormous amount of time on various forums, reading through tons of posts, over the years: Seven's reliability is extremely sensitive to who and how it was built and maintained! 'evo' magazine picked up their new. long-term 420R from the factory. On their way home, the fuel gauge failed! Brand freakin' new car, built by the factory!! So, no, I wouldn't touch someone else's Seven with a ten-foot pole, as a buyer! Thanks for the tip on A-Frame. Added to my list. Will post up a separate thread on this topic (Common Failures and Remediation). As a long-time rider of Gen 1 MV Agusta F4 (Gen 2 is a softie, relatively!), and a few other bikes, I can relate to your comments with respect to bikes. Constant exposure to wind noise is really bad for the ears. We'll pay a price beyond certain age. Ear plugs could cut down 20-30 db. But, if you're starting with a high #, due to Aero Screens, no door/Side Curtains, even with Ear Plugs, the noise level will remain higher than safe limit. Your seat makes a big difference too. Heated leather seats will work in your favor over fiberglass....! Sounds like your Seven is setup for an "extreme" experience! If it hinders enjoying in more scenarios without stressing mentally, you could consider toning it down. In my observation, out of the box, for the street, near-stock specs seem just right. It is easy to get lost in mods and setup tweaks. Yes, being visible is a start. But, many drivers are so zoned out, they look at you but don't "see" you! Their minds are elsewhere. Lack of focus is the real problem. Seven is so low to the ground, it needs even more careful placement/positioning than a motorcycle, which is much taller. I'll be spec'ing Track Day Cage. So, I expect ingress/egress to be lot easier. Cabin, particularly foot well, heat is my biggest concern. During about 10 minutes of driving I had, I don't remember feeling any heat. But, I would need more than 10 minutes and in traffic conditions. It was a cool morning at a high elevation. So, not true representation. Would carbon fiber side panels, on the inside, help? Stock 420 is well insulated, I was told. I won't enjoy hot foot well or cabin, especially for my passenger. This is a real concern for me. So, you don't have doors and side curtains. Combined, will make a huge difference. But, I hear you about having to keep your arm tucked in. Since yours is S3 (I think), makes it bit uncomfortable. My spec is SV with arm support on the doors. So, I'm hoping I should be fine. All good points, John; thanks. If Seven were a normal sports car, I probably wouldn't be so obsessed about it! For a regular sports car, I really don't think there is anything better out there than a Porsche! I'm a Porschephile! As a package, there is no substitute! However, thankfully, a Seven is not a Porsche! Yes, let's celebrate it!

Agree; there are number of things we can (and should) do to keep active as late into our life as possible. yes, keep enjoying and never to stop! Good to hear Carl. Isn't having Rollcage helping to get in/out? I do plan to spec Trackday Roll Cage. Thanks for sharing. I'm in MN. Few questions: - Heat: I see you've '21 Birkin. I was told current Caterhams have heat insulation. So, your Birkin is different? - Wind Pressure: Have you tried ear plugs? With Windscreen and door, Seven is no different from any other Roadster, right? Only wind buffeting is from the back. All my cars but one have been Roadsters. I wear ear plugs to minimize wind noise/pressure. - I'm guessing you meant, "things 'don't' fit". Could you elaborate on this? Thanks Vovchandr. Could your challenges be due to the following? - Aero Screen instead of Windscreen - Do you have doors? - Are you running harder suspension setting? I'm trying to stack up your experience against others who do road trips in their Sevens. In fact, right below, jbcollier has different experience in his '69. Love it! I'm a big road trip guy. Taking the Seven over long distance trips sound super cool. How is the reliability?

Thanks everyone; appreciate your sharing, experiences and views. Seven-driving seems to peak between mid-60s to low-mid 70s. Few hardened diehards still dancing into 80s. Given my obsession with fitness and driving/riding, I can see myself driving a Seven into my 80s. It's all about diversified experiences. Seven is like no other. By choosing cars and motorcycles with different experience, I can maintain a fun, visceral and exciting driving/riding life. So, Seven is "GO". No more validations needed. It's gonna be a fun journey spec'ing then waiting.....!

Wow, impressive John. I bet you stay fit. Key is never to stop doing whatever it is you're into. You could slow down a bit; but, never stop. Thanks for sharing. Your experience and others' would be part of the model I would follow in years ahead.

Thanks Kitcat. If only the noise, wind, vibration and cabin heat did you in, I should be fine! I was told current models have good heat insulation. Except for the first car (which I promptly dumped after just one year for a NA gen Miata), all my cars have been roadsters; and, combined with riding motorcycles from my early 20s, I'm thoroughly conditioned. Track-prepped Miata sounds fun! Miata in stock form is pretty average or less; has potential to be great with right kinds of mods. Thanks CBuff. I did read that thread. Just re-read again. From the responses, it is clear majority fall into 60s to early to mid 70s age group. With my fitness and obsessiveness, my life with Seven should stretch into 80s, at least. Funny! :-) Think of it as preparing for the old age! I'm doing everything I can to age well and prep for the life in ripe old age. Most of it comes down to preparation and taking care of the body, in my view. You're right; everyone ages differently. That actually makes my points! Wow, that's a long time from a test drive (in the town of Caterham! great story!) to pulling the trigger! I can totally relate to your sentiments regarding driving: driving and riding (motorcycles) are huge parts of my life style. That's exactly why I started this thread! I need to make sure I'll have 4 cars and 2 motorcycles, providing different driving/riding experiences well into my ripe old age! Since ICE-only vehicles will be gone soon, preparation is rather urgent. However, we also need to mentally prep ourselves for the fact, at some point, we'll have to give up the keys.....! That's the responsible thing to do for our own safety and others'! Nice! Your cut-off is whether it still makes you smile not any of the physical challenges. A Seven never fails to make one smile while driving (not broken down and stranded in middle of nowhere). So, you're in for a long haul....! Wow, your wait is probably the longest. But, you did it! I can relate to, waiting to realize the dreams, riding, dread the idea of giving all up at some point, etc. Life happens! Riding a Vespa from AZ to San Francisco is another level of madness....! Of fun variety...! Sounds like you'll see through your family tradition of functional longevity; the Seven will see you through....! Thanks Steve. Absolutely correct: the Seven (and, a few other things) are definitely motivational factors to make sure we stay fit and take care of our body! I'll continue to work for it.

Hello gentlemen. I just got the deposit in for a 420R Kit. The build slot is in 12/24. But, I'll try to push for 6/25 if no price increase for MY25. It'll be built by Rich at Kampena. He is the best sales person/dealer I've ever worked with. Super knowledgeable and great to work with. I'm one step closer to realizing my Seven-Dream. This has been many years in the making, even to the point of dropping the deposit. I had a short, about 10 minutes of drive in a forum member's 420R. Absolutely loved it. Would have loved longer drive before making my decision. But, couldn't find a drive. There is one question (actually, a few related questions) I'm struggling to answer: How will I be able to handle the very physical nature of Seven in my old driving age? Particularly, will the unassisted clutch hinder the pleasures of driving, especially in city traffic? I can handle the unassisted brake and steering fine. The very nature and attraction of Seven are it's very physical driving characteristics, among other things. But, those virtues make older drivers to drop out? So, here are the questions for Senior Drivers of Seven, present and past: - What age group you're in? I'm in mid-50s. (I'm fit and slim, by the way) - How late into your driving life you plan to be driving the Seven? - If you stopped driving Seven, what made you to stop? Would highly appreciate your honest and candid responses. If you don't want to share in public, you could send me a message. Here are the reasons for me to be absolutely certain: ICE-only models are being sunset. In fact, certain once-desirable sports cars stopped being so due to stringent regulations on sound, emissions, etc. Some of them are already phased out. In a few years, remaining desirable cars that meet my criteria will be gone. So, I'm scrambling to consolidate/collect 3-4 cars of different use cases to last rest of my life, within next few years! So, I can't buy something like a Seven if I can't use it for rest of driving life; that money can rather be used on something old-age friendly! On that note, I need to get an ICE-only SUV/Crossover as well for the old ages when my body becomes unsuitable for low-slung sports cars!! Thanks.

Good idea. Will think this through. Next spring, as I solidify the plans, will send you a message for a consult. Thanks again, Mike.

This is awesome, Mike! Thanks a lot for the details; appreciate it. You're super resourceful! Yeah, visiting Britain and making a vacation out of these would be cool. Let me plan for the next summer. I can have the deposit in soon after the exploratory trip. I'm already excited about this prospect! In the meantime, I can flush out the details on dealer, reg, specs, etc. One challenge would be, RHD. I've driven a car with RHD just a few times for short distances many decades ago! Shifting with left hand is gonna be interesting. I suppose I can adjust pretty quick. And, yeah, KEEP LEFT! Touring the country in a Seven would be super cool. Need to plan about logistics such as where to stash the luggage that won't fit in the Seven, etc. I bet Caterham would have Factory Tour by next summer. My "Forever Everyday Tiny Collection" would include 420R and Atom 4R. So, would you mind sharing your Ariel contact, please? You can PM if you prefer. Thanks again, Mike.

Thanks Mike. Your explanations make perfect sense. I also got the impression, for dealers here, Seven business is just a side-kick. Caterham doesn't make it easy either! To be fair, most of the non-traditional, smaller entities seem to be whimsical, unstructured and unreliable! Ariel is no different; at least, it's US partner TMI. Italian motorcycles brands take it to next level.....! Yes, I'm glad USA7s exists! You guys are awesome. Without these forums and helpful owners, it gets a lot harder. Just this morning, I was thinking about taking a vacation to Britain. When I'm there, visit the factories of Caterham and Ariel. Take a tour if they offer and request for a test drive; check out specs, etc. I've some ideas. Will make a thread and solicit ideas and opinions. By the way, I wasn't comparing the Seven to a Porsche. Closest to Seven would be Atom, though I haven't driven one, yet. I was just comparing the purchase experience. Agree, CBuff. I'm enjoying the process! To buy a backpack (or, anything!), I spend weeks, researching options. Cars and Motorcycles are huge part of my life; so, you can imagine the amount of time and effort I would put in. I just don't buy anything random either. Yes, the journey is a huge part of the experience. And, to me, so is the destination! Well, I'm greedy; I want them all....! By the way, as for more power, well, going forward, an electric sedan from a marque name plate could have a 1000 hp! But, it'll never be able to replicate the driving experience of, say, a Seven. For that matter, a Seven has no parallel for that visceral, purist, mechanical and physical experience. To me, the 420 is the perfect balance.