CJFusco

Yeah, I would be willing to bet that Se7en drivers/fans are a similar set of people. If you're like me, you probably would never want a "fun car" that there are a million of on the road (Corvette, Boxster) - being somewhat unique is important. The thrill of driving, however, is more important to you than the status/look of your ride (hence Lotus replicas instead of Cobra replicas).

JBH, thanks for the info. Yeah, I understand completely the purposes of a Seven... I wouldn't even plan on getting a roof for mine, to tell you the truth. I would probably use it in much the same way that I would use a Cafe Racer - very nice days and nights in the summer and fall where there is 0% chance of rain in the forecast. I would, most likely, keep the Porsche and the Volvo, each car serving a different purpose. My other future projects - and this would be further down the road (a few years, probably) - are a 73 Carrera RSR replica, and something like a Triumph Bonneville Cafe Racer. But I plan on building a Seven before either of these projects.

Thanks for the offer, Bruce... you might not know what you just got yourself into In all seriousness, I'd like to check out the car sometime, maybe ride along with you around the block. I live in West Hartford (grew up in Bristol), so I'm not very far away.

... and, I'm guessing since he came from Pelican Parts, Ed probably has some variation of Porsche as well. Very strange, but I guess it doesn't surprise me too much - the 951 is a pretty great car (except for the maintanence) and offers great bang-for-your-buck in today's market. To answer the question posed earlier, I am located in Connecticut; the only time I've ever seen a Se7en here is at Lime Rock Park...

Thanks for the tips, guys. Buying a kit that is still in the assembly stages might be a good way for me to go; I am fairly mechanically-proficient, but the aspect of this project that makes me nervous is the prospect of welding my own frame. I've never even held a welder before. It is rather strange that at least three of us in this fairly esoteric little group own Porsche 951s - I'm not sure if that says something about us or about the cars (Seven and 951). Perhaps it means that people like us are attracted to fast, relatively cheap cars that are renowned as "driver's cars"?

Hello all, I just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I am an U.S. east coast Se7en fan - I've been drooling over these things in evo, Car, and Top Gear for awhile now (the American magazines still seem to ignore their existence). I have lurked here for a little while, but now am considering beginning a Locost project sometime down the road. I have been a Porsche guy for a long time, though I think that one of the top "fun" cars I would want (along with a Porsche RSR) is a Lotus/Caterham 7 or the closest approximation. I currently drive a mildly modified Porsche 944 Turbo and a Volvo 740GLE. the Volvo has 250K miles and runs like a champ; I am slightly frustrated with the Porsche lately, though - although it is a blast to drive, I spent a good chunk of the spring performing a head gasket replacement (a time-consuming job on the 944 Turbo), and just a couple months later its clutch went. Oh well, now I have something to keep me busy throughout the winter, I guess... I have long considered attempting to track down a used Caterham in the states, but they are rare (and expensive) in these parts. I was recently turned on to the fact that there is a fairly large community of people that build replicas in their own garages, often using Miatas as donor cars. I think I might have found my next project... I have ordered the two obligatory books on the subject and look forward to studying them. What I want to know is: is it possible to actually register and insure the home-built Locost cars? If I were to take on this project, it would only be on a car that I could feasibly drive on the street as well as the track. Thanks in advance! -CJFusco