Stang70Fastback

Hello folks! Realized I never actually made an official post here, so figured I would. Kinda awkward, though, as - given I've had bad experiences in the past with seemingly thriving forums suddenly vanishing or falling into disrepair - I've actually decided to post updates on my own website as it just makes things easier. So really this thread is just going to be me posting links to my blog posts as I make them, which is lame, I know. I'll just keep updating this first post with more blog posts as they occur! Post 1: My 1993 Caterham Super Seven HPC Evolution Post 2: Winter Updates: '23 - '24

Ok, maybe someone here can help me, because I've posted about this in several FB groups and haven't yet found a good resolution. I've had my Caterham since last fall. For winter, I brimmed the tank, and parked the car, only to notice a pretty strong odor of fuel, and then... a river of fuel running across the garage floor. Long story short, I pulled the trunk cover and found that the fuel sender gasket had completely disintegrated (it's a '93.) So I bought new cork gasket material and made a new gasket. All good, right? Well, no. Because it appears that my tank is vented in the dumbest way possible: a small hole drilled right on the sending unit cover itself - and not just drilled anywhere, but right on the indented ring that normally seals against the gasket. In the attached photo, you can see it in the lower right, between the two bolts. So, I have a few questions: Is this just how it was done in the early 90s, or is this some weird hodge-podge solution? I can't find a separate vent line ANYWHERE on the tank, unless I'm missing something obvious, so I suspect this is the only venting my tank has. For the love of god, does ANYONE know where I can find a complete replacement sending unit for this tank with this bolt pattern? That's where nobody has been able to help me. Ideally I'd like to replace the sending unit entirely (since it's 30 years old), and what I'll do with the new one is drill a hole in the MIDDLE (not where the gasket seals) so that I can install a vent line with a check valve and stop this stupid dribbling of fuel when the tank is full, or when I accelerate, or when I jack up the car.

Another fun [and kinda trippy] one.

Glad you enjoyed the blog! After all the asking of questions and seeming ambiguity with no solid answers, I've decided to just call mine an Evo until someone can provide concrete info one way or the other. All I've gotten to date are wishy-washy responses that end with "I'd say it qualifies," so that's good enough for me. I figure I'm more likely to finally get a concrete answer by calling mine an Evo anyway, since that's likely the best way to piss off some all-knowing purist who might actually have the knowledge to give me a proper answer, lol.

As a member of the younger generation, I can assure you a lot of us are car people, but we just can't afford any of the interesting vehicles we've always wanted because everything is so goddamned expensive these days. I acquired this Caterham by making a rather financially irresponsible decision on the basis that I could always turn around and sell it again if push came to shove. When people can barely afford one car, they tend to buy something practical and useful, and so all of the cool cars go out the window at that point, and you're left with all of the boomers still holding the keys to things that are out of reach of anyone except other, retired boomers, lol. Yes, I'm making some generalizations.

How about I just attach the actual original image and see if that helps :P

This is all very fascinating information. For my purposes, the added value of the vehicle isn't REALLY important to me, as I'm not planning on selling it... (though I suppose ideally it would be good to ensure it's insured for what it's worth.) I'm trying to determine the "authenticity" of it more for my own knowledge, and because I just don't want to spout false information in my blog posts, or when talking to people about the car. I also wasn't clear on what made an HPC an Evolution. IF the only difference between my car, and a "super-duper-official" one is that the latter was built by Caterham (and apparently was bought by someone who took the HPC course) then I think I'll just go ahead and call mine an Evolution unless that's some sort of major faux-pas. After all, the engine would still have been tuned by Swindon, and the only reason it wouldn't have been assembled by Caterham wasn't because it was missing something, but simply because you couldn't legally import one into the US except as a kit. So it's more a technicality than a physical difference in the vehicle. The fact that the first owner might not have taken the official HPC course is hardly relevant in my eyes as well. Those details might matter if I'm trying to win some official Caterham Concours d'Elegance or something, but I feel I can tell people it's an Evolution without offending all but perhaps the stingiest Caterham purists. Seems given how hard it is TO get concrete answers one way or the other that it likely isn't that important either way. Or maybe I'm wrong... but that really was all I was trying to figure out was whether I can say it's an Evo without offending everyone. It certainly is more fun to say it is given the rarity! (Not to try and sound like the typical Corvette owner, lol. "This car is 1 of 1 made in the year 1998 in this color paint with THESE options on a Thursday!")

Interesting. Honestly I'm less concerned with what it's worth, and more with if it actually is an Evo. I'm assuming it is until someone tells me otherwise, lol. I find it hilarious that my sudden impulse buy of a car I've wanted since I was a kid just so happened to land me such an uncommon variant without my even knowing!

Sorry to revive a dead thread, but... I've read through this whole post, and that leaves me wondering where my Caterham stands. I just acquired it a few months ago, and it's actually the OTHER Caterham mentioned in OP's post, lol. After my most recent interaction with "The Archivist" at Caterham, I'm under the impression that mine might be an actual Evolution...? I'm just going to link to my blog post as it's already got all the information organized, but if you scroll down just below the brochure thing describing "The Course Behind the Car" you'll find a quite from Caterham themselves about my specific car, as well as a copy of the original purchase order. https://www.racecargobrrr.com/post/my-1993-caterham-super-seven-hpc IS mine an actual Evolution? And if so, when you say, "The really valuable HPCs are the BDR and the Evolution," do you mean significantly more valuable? Or are we talking $1k more to the right buyer? I have ZERO interest in ever selling this thing, but just curious!

Ha! I've actually been pleasantly surprised by the BRZ. Maybe it's the fact that it's garaged when it isn't being driven, or the fact that I try to wash it at least once a week in the winter, but even though it gets absolutely COVERED in salt every winter, it's been surprisingly resilient to rust issues. There is one set of bolts holding one underbody panel on that for some reason are made out of the most rust-prone material known to man, but other than those 10 bolts, you wouldn't really know this is a salt-life car looking under it! Which is wild given the insane amount of salt they use here...

Heh! The girlfriend's daily is a 2016 STi. She isn't getting rid of it, but is hoping to park a Supra next to it next year if all goes to plan. My BRZ was my year-round daily for 8-ish years until I acquired the Ranger a year-or-so ago, including many Chicago winters. She's done everything from autocross, to ice racing up on the frozen Wisconsin lakes. I basically took it out in every major snow storm and had a blast. Dedicated winter tires are borderline magic. Even lowered, and with a front lip, I never once got stuck anywhere. Currently at 121,000 miles. Just got new coilovers (RCE Tarmac2s) and a complete front end suspension refresh (I tend to go overkill when I do that stuff, so she got a brand new steering rack, new control arms, knuckles, hubs, etc...) Was going to do the rear end next until I suddenly bought the Caterham, lol. If you're in any of the Toyobaru Facebook groups, you might know me as either the guy who makes the custom switch panels, or the guy with the train horn in his BRZ

This is the silliest thing, but just figured I'd share anyway. I wanted to make the turn signal switch a little more... presentable... as the switch was old, and poorly spaced so the neck protruded more than it should. I'm also on a quest to eliminate all silver in the car for a full black-and-red theme. However, in the process of simply replacing the switch, I decided I wanted a bit more uniformity as well, and decided to fabricate a "base plate" that somewhat matched the rest of the switchgear. So I measured one of the other switches, and then used my tiny CNC to machine a baseplate out of ABS to the same dimensions. In the front, I included a depression. I then used the CNC to mill a small faceplate out of some black, anodized aluminum that I could snap into that depression. Then it was off to my laser engraver to engrave a turn signal icon into it. Placed it under the switch, and presto! Not only does it more closely match the rest of the switches, but it also serves as a spacer of the correct thickness to eliminate the neck protruding in an ugly manner!

Hello everyone! New here; just introducing myself. I had the opportunity to (with the help of my bank) purchase a 1993 Caterham Super Seven HPC... and jumped at the chance to own my "attainable dream car." I have a blog I started in the hopes of documenting my adventures with this thing, and have a lot more info and photos there (link here and below). It joins my two other cars (an '08 Ford Ranger, and a '15 Subaru BRZ), and I plan on driving the crap out of it every chance I get... when the weather permits, given that I live in the Chicagoland area and it's starting to get rather chilly... Either way, wanted to say hi! I look forward to learning about the platform as I slowly work to fix up a few minor things here-and-there. https://www.racecargobrrr.com/post/my-1993-caterham-super-seven-hpc