Croc

:rofl: Congratulations Ron! It is beginning to look like a Sevens "arms race" in this NY metro region. Are you having Ben build it for you?

Ortenburger p88 "RM Classics of South Africa produced two versions of the Lotus Seven and they were the RM 7 and the special equipment RM 8. Both versions called for the same engine, the Ford sierra. Both cars featured stainless steel front and rear bumpers, petrol tank, wing stone guards, roll bar and sidewinder exhaust. Both versions had a plush padded dashboard and full carpeting. .... RM 7 was the standard version while the RM 8 was built to a more luxurious specification. These included a slightly longer and wider cockpit fitted with leather seats. Both cars used the familiar double wishbones in the front and a rigid axle in the back but the RM 8's front suspension was completely adjustable. The RM 8 was visually different as well due to the fitting of ten inch wide wheels front and rear. The RM 7 had clam shells in front but the RM 8 used cycle wings." RM Classics was also tied in with the Caterham and Westfield litigation when those two companies sued Tiger Company who at the time were importing fRM cars into the UK.

Go on Bruce...you have to buy it...you know Nancy wants a heater in the Seven! A bit more space never goes astray. No more frost bite coming back from NJ Seven drive days... I will even drop my price if you prefer yellow....:seeya:

Here is the link: http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f162/2003-caterham-sv-w-duratech-engine-california-registered-97088/ Well....as someone unenthusiastically trying to sell an SV, I will say that the seller has keenly priced it below mine. For the spec, this is the best SV deal (bar one) that has been available in the last 4 years based on the SV sales I have tracked. Ignore my ad and jump on this one. Off to revise my ad's asking price I think...:leaving:

Brilliant photo - really does look like the backroads of nowhere. Yet again this reminds me of what a huge roadtrip you achieved with your Seven - monumental achievment! Back to the discussion topic - I think you are right. Cosworth does say it will take a mix of regular octane and premium octane for short periods but the motor should be in unstressed conditions. Not something I would want to intentionally go for. Did you use an octane booster for any fill ups on your trip?

Yep heading east into NY area if the rumors are true....

I have faith he did not mate with his gearbox....:jester: My suggestion is compromise on the CR. You want a track and road hybrid. The extra compression may be just nice on the track but the incremental benefit it gives you is minimal. If it were my trade off I would aim to get an engine that can be run on premium and is still fun on the road without being too peaky.

The orange Seven looks like Mopho?

You are right and wrong. The basic pricing strategy as you describe is correct. The engine ancilliary package is within the R500 kit price and you only buy a bare engine and a gearbox. Now a Caterham 6spd gearbox is UK Pounds 2550 plus shipping ($350?) to US. Running it through my pricing model from my car you come up with: R500 superlight kit on Caterham USA is $67320 plus bare engine $3k plus Caterham 6spd box $4250 and shipping $350 is $74920 CSR kit at $46125 plus engine and geabox and other items to match the R500 kit spec on Cat USA (e.g metallic paint at $2435, etc) prices out at approximately $74100 CSR Superlight kit at $50250 plus engine and gearbox and other items to match R500 spec prices out at approximately $78000 Give or take a couple of hundred dollars in the exchnage rate at time of engine and gearbox purchase then the R500 is pretty close to a regular CSR in pricing. The CSR Superlight adds a premium over those two.

Yep that stacks up with what I was told. The standard package does not include it but it is an available option that a lot of people elect to go with but probably is not necessary other than for meeting sales targets. The roller throttle bodies that I saw match the looks of the Cosworth catalog. I bet Caterham buys them slightly down spec'ed from Cosworth and rebrand them. Caterham is not in the business of making throttle bodies but clearly someone else is and I doubt they copy a Cosworth looking design without Cosworth having a hand in it somewhere. Interestingly the Caterham UK email I have does state them as Cosworth. To get from 250 to 260? Probably exaggeration. Most of the advertised engine specs from Caterham have always been slightly optimistic. If there is any real gain then it is in the ECU software programming.

I was confused about the crankshaft initially based on the same catalog I thiink you are looking at. However Caterham UK sent me something that said it was in the spec. Short of opening up the engine I have to trust that. Secret sauce? Mmmmm.....if I tell you then it would not be secret!

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. Hope you were unhurt? Which circuit was this at? Fortunately, the damage looks fairly easy for someone skilled like you to fix. Did the floods get you at all?

That is exactly what it feels like. Very weird sensation. Surprisingly there were no RHD cars on the road. They were all LHD brought in from the mainland.

:smilielol5: No diffuser needed - I think they look silly on a Seven because they have to hang so far off the back it looks like you have a crop harvester. Rear wing? I suppose I can use it as a drinks stand in between sessions at the June track day? Sequential - I did give this one some thought. Having driven one on track before I thought it was :drool: then I took it out into traffic. I also got very confused as to which gear I was in. So I am safer in a convention "H" pattern gearbox. Is there an option I missed? I doubt it....I did spend a wet Sunday afternoon and evening in London while there on business last year prowling the Caterham parts website catalog, Fluke Motorsports, Cosworth, Demon Tweeks and Carbon Bits for ideas that I could order for this car. And video/datalogging? Gee just great! Why not buy something that will memorialize my spin on a track day or more likely getting pulled over for speeding on a Lotus club drive...

So I do not forget this and I save it somewhere, the final spec settled on: CSR Superlight kit Cosworth Duratec CSR 260 engine package. This takes the standard 2.3L Duratec and (as I have it listed from Cosworth) uprates for the following Cosworth parts: forged pistons with CR at 12:1, piston rings, forged connecting rod, billet crankshaft, level 2 race camshaft, cam friction washers, race valve springs, cosworth polished cylinder head, high flow fuel injectors, high capacity fuel rail, modine oil cooler, high flow oil pump, stage 2 dry sump, roller barrel throttle bodies, carbon airbox with foam filter, new ECU with Caterham specific map, carbon coil cover, lightweight alternator (40 amp) [*]Caterham 6 spd transmission [*]limited slip differential (3.62:1) [*]inboard front suspension [*]independent rear suspension [*]ventilated front discs and 4 pot calipers [*]15" Caterham motorsport wheels and Avon CR500 tires - 6.5" front and 9" rear [*]Quick ratio steering rack [*]Carbon front cycle wings [*]Carbon rear wings [*]Aero cross section front wishbones [*]Integrated ("curvy") dash (comes with lowered floors, momo wheel and push button start). It also comes with column pod for self-cancelling indicators, wipers and headlights. [*]5 point harnesses [*]Track day roll bar [*]Paint is Titanium silver with Platinum silver stripe and noseband [*]Black pack (headlights, windscreen, carbon-look sills) [*]Brackets for quick change over of windscreen to aeroscreen [*]Spa carbon mirrors with convex lens [*]Carbon indicator pods (with clear lens) [*]Battery master switch [*]Leather seats (I was unfortunately not comfortable in the alacantara carbon tillets - pity as they were superb to look at and drool over) [*]Heater (I know - its not superlight...but it does get cold in my part of the USA) [*]Aero filler cap [*]"7" grille with mesh grille [*]Cool touch exhaust muffler [*]Tonneau [*]weather kit (sidescreens, hood, hood sticks) [*]SBFS half hood with double easy entry in [*]Aces change up lights - will be mounted on the underside of the scuttle above the tach/speedo [*]secret sauce kit good for an extra 10 hp There are other miscellaneous things that I am adding now - 12 volt plug, fire extinguisher, half doors, Hella horns, wind deflectors, high level rear brake light, sump guard, door pockets,mirrorsforsevens wink mirror, etc. To protect the carbon it is being clear coated front and back and will also be 3M clear bra'ed front and rear wings plus nose. For the aeroscreen, I am yet to make a final decision but this one is calling my name right now as it can be configured with the quick change brackets to be a 10 min conversion job: http://www.fluke-motorsport.co.uk/carbon-fibre-contoured-lip-aeroscreen-suitable-for-caterhams-p-30.html

Japan and India also are right hand drive although in India it was more you drive whereever you want to :ack: My favorite is the US Virgin Islands - left hand drive cars driving on the left hand side of the road. Such a weird feeling to be so close to the kerb when driving. The US bought the islands off Denmark if you go back in history. This Belgium driver must be from there!

Part 2 - rear suspension http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/CSR/DSC00623_edited-1.jpg A gratuitous motor pic http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/CSR/DSC00625_edited-1.jpg And an interior - long way to go here http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/CSR/DSC00622_edited-1.jpg Bring on spring - I have had enough of snow, ice storms, freezing cold weather

Here are some photos of my part way built CSR Superlight. I am fascinated by the differences in the suspension to my current SV - really neat evolution of the design. http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/CSR/DSC00618_edited-1.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/CSR/DSC00619_edited-1.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/CSR/DSC00620_edited-1.jpg http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/CSR/DSC00621_edited-1.jpg

Nice find! That is my idea of a good Sunday afternoon drive! However, I was not as impressed with the amount of time spent on the wrong side of the road or straddling the center line sometimes on limited visibility corners.

I dont think this has been posted before but I stumbled over this with the morning coffee and thought it looked good: YouTube - Lotus Exige S vs. Caterham CSR Super 7 Test

:ack: This brings back some bad memories of doing something similar in a rental Toyota Starlet in New Zealand many years ago when youth and inexperience outweighed common sense. Fortunately I did not have a heckling crowd laughing at me as they were in the last crash clip. :blush: I thought the crash at 3.07 had the perfect solution for getting another Volvo 240 off the road.

That is very funny! If it is any consolation I have never come across a parkling lot pro before. Obviously Tom and John are far more worldly!

Will Boxologist be back on the road by June in "Snake Bought it" so that he can participate?

My fire extinguisher is mounted on the floor in front of the passenger seat. Quicker to access there instead of hiding it in the boot. My boot contains: - assorted screwdrivers - allen keys - metric and imperial - pliers - regular and electrical wirestripper variety - multigrips - adjustable spanner - velcro - fuses - inflatable tire foam/puncture repair - WD40 - cable ties - electrical tape - silicone tape (great for cooling leaks) - duct tape - quart of oil - jack and wheel brace - mag lite - small socket set - assorted electrical wire - multimeter - tire pressure gauge - a set of "ocky straps" (not sure what you call them in the USA - bungee cords?) All of this fits in a small tool bag I got at Home Depot and does not take up much room. For a while I was also carrying a bottle of coolant for when I would have hoses pop off although that has stopped thank goodness. This kit has solved most road going issues for me. Some good ideas also from Angus&Tessa's website at: http://www.mycaterham.com/36715/index.html

Personally, I fancy ménage a trois in October.