Falcouver

Thanks a lot for the tips on how to build a new Caterham here in Canada @jbcollier ! My question is, wouldnt the chassis I bring in from a disassembled Caterham in UK have a VIN already? How would I use the VIN of an old Capri in Canada on a new Caterham chassis in this example ?

Thanks a lot for the response Croc. Unfortunately Terry from 7cars.ca is hospitalized and his assets being liquidated by his family as he's likely not coming back. I've reached out to Birkin a couple times but I believe they're now defunct as well with no signs of activity. I'm really lost for the new seven route, I know it's not easy to build/find sevens in USA either but Canada even harder. I may have to look for used and hopefully i will be able to find LHD cars as I dont want to deal with UK RHD conversions. Did you hear about these guys at GBS Sevens? https://www.greatbritishsportscars.com/the-zero They seem to use Miata engines/parts which makes building brand new cars easier in North America. Not sure how they're comparing to Caterham but the design looks very similar unlike Westfields which lost the court case and had to change their 7 designs. Thank you,

What are the most common sites are they sold in North America? Where to see the postings other than BAT and Cars & Bids ? We surely dont see them on autotrader or regular channels to make it much simpler to buy here.

Hello Everyone, For people that can't order a new Caterham, the used market in North America is very small. As you may imagine, UK offers the most options at better prices for used, however almost all units are RHD. I realize some people in NA want RHD for a unique experience, but for those of us sticking to LHD for local traffic (as some states may not even allow RHD), is there a specialist that can do the conversion here? Not sure how common are these LHD conversions on this forum. Assuming more common on mainland Europe. Im reading various levels of complexity for LHD conversion with some downplaying and calling it as simple as swapping the steering wheel and pedals, and some say you may as well buy a LHD frame and refresh the whole thing while at it. With that being said, can you share your experience on the below: 1) Is it advised to do the LHD conversion in Britain/Mainland EUR before importing? Probably more specialist shops there. 2) I understand Caterham frames are almost modular, meaning specific sections can be replaced without changing the whole frame. Are we able to just strip the front section and change the frame to LHD from cockpit forward? And re-build only the front section? And my big question: 3) Considering the import rules allow bringing in the cars easily for 25+ years for America and 15+ years for Canada, we may as well look for a discontinued model and take the opportunity to refresh an old model we like with new parts. - If we change the whole RHD frame to LHD, would the VIN transfer to the new frame? How does the registration work for many old cars rebuilding the whole frame? This would involve rebuilding the car as in kit form but with new LHD chassis. Curious to know what defines a car 25+ or 15+ year old if we take the opportunity to refresh most of the parts while in UK before importation? Thanks for your time in sharing your knowledge,

Hello Caterham Nation, It's been mindboggling to me that UK and even USA allowing new Caterhams to be built and sold relatively easily, while the neighbouring Canada not recognizing the same rules and complicating the process. For used, Canadians got the 15 year old rule to import with exemptions which is easier to stomach than the 25 year rule for Americans. However considering new 7s with fresh parts are arguably safer to operate than 15-25 year cars, I don't understand why the Governments complicate the NEW kit building rules while allowing the old cars just fine. But moving on to my main question... Looking to get some up to date info on how to order/build/register a brand new Caterham in Canada. I'm aware of the 15 years old rule which is much easier as mentioned above, but curious to know what's out there for new kit builders nowadays. Over the years I've been reading stories of actual Caterham dealers in Canada from BC to Ontario who have found ways to import new kits. They've been ordering in different pieces and building new 7s in Canada registering in various ways ie using older Lotus 7 vins, homebuilt title etc. However many of them retired and left the community ie the Vancouver Island, BC dealer for 7s with Hayabusa engines and Newmarket, Ontario dealer that was building brand new CSRs that comes to mind. Now that I'm finally in the market for a new Caterham, what groups still exist nationally that can handle the delicate ordering/registering process? Anyone in the process of building a new one in Canada? Let's share our latest knowledge and consolidate all info for "new" Caterhams in Canada. Thank you,