V-Robb

Well I gave Chris a call today regarding this and we had a good, long chat. He seems like a fine bloke, had a number of amusing 7 related stories to tell, and we discussed a few things about this car and my possible purchase of it. I am working out my finances for this, so if someone swoops in and grabs it before I do that's just the way it goes - my loss but someone elses gain. I am working SERIOUSLY at getting the $$ squared away for this, though. Sure, I admit it's a bit pricier than I was wanting to start out with, but it looks like Chris has put in just about all the upgrades one might want already! Damn fine looking 7. Me likey! :drool:

I'm looking at this one most closely!! Without going into the actual asking price, what would the learned members of USA7's consider a fair deal for this one considering all the extra go-faster-stripes options being put in/on it?

Gotta love Clint! Though the actual quote from 'Magnum Force' is "A man's got to know his limitations..." Back to your regularly scheduled program.

Oooh you lucky bugger!

Steve, Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it. Those of us in Cali need to put any out of state registered car purchases on hold until the New Year since the Legislature here is contemplating a law that will make it nigh to impossible to bring in any out of state registered cars like our beloved 7's. They also are contemplating, however, increasing the paltry 500 exemptions allowed each year for registering new/built cars in Cal, so maybe lose one and gain another?

Don't worry, no sacrelige intended! :banghead: Think adjusting for different track conditions, but more due to public road issues...

Interesting thread! How much adjustability do you have in your suspension? Is this stock for 7's from a certain year onward, or custom work you've done? Not that I'd want to raise it up like a 4X4 truck or anything, but I would raise and lower my V based on riding conditions with an air system, and would like to be able to raise up the 7 when road quality demands, not necessarily via air, then drop her back down when wanted. Robert

Thanks for all the feedback, guys, especially Craig. To be honest when I get parts to work on my V I order from a Dealer in Butler, PA, and I'm used to waiting a week or two for things to arrive. So trying to use that as an excuse is not going to work!

Far out, Craig! Looks like you've got this little beastie in the performance stratosphere! And you really want to let her go? Can you tell me what you've done or do when it comes to getting parts for the Vauxhall? That's a bit of a rarity as I'm sure you're aware. You don't have a corner shop where everything's on the shelf, do you? Are there enough specialty shops around that would have most anything you might need for the engine? My cursory 'Net search is giving pretty much only UK shops..

Oh, Craig, you're killing me!!! How dare you plop right in front of my eyes the kind of machine I've been dreaming about!! And then tell me it's for sale at a price point that is excellent value and within my means. Argggghhh!!! Quite the setup you gots there! :drool: I suspect someone else might be able to jump on it before I'm ready, but if you're not selling immediately I could be in the running. I'm certainly interested!

Skip, Doug's going to have to chime in on this one. I was a bit overwhelmed during it all and so I'd probably mix and match the different bits and bobs between the cars and get it all wrong! Yeah, I figured you're all just a bunch of enablers!! Something to consider, even though I want to do the build and think I'd really enjoy it, the time required might push me towards a pre-owned model! I was able to sit in it and see how it fits, but unfortunately Morgan's got a gremlin living in his 400 that need to be exorcised badly so a ride was not in the cards that day. In fact I told him next time there's a get together I'm bringing a couple live chickens and we'll perform a sacrifice right on the hood of his car!!

It was a great day talking 7's with the guys! Once we gassed up and were getting ready to head up Mullholland Doug insisted I get behind the wheel and drive us up to the Rock Store since "that's the only way you're going to really feel the car." Way too much fun, and while we were heading up Doug was gesturing in a way the implied I should step on it and push it more. I was game, to a point - not my wheels and while he knows the limits of grip of his machine I did not and would only push so much. Still, a great time was had by all, and I now KNOW I have to have one of these machines, in one form or another, in my garage as soon as I can get it all together. One to two years I'd guess, especially if I get the kit and build it myself which I'd like to do but if the right deal comes along... A pic of the cars at the Rock Store. I drove the one with the 6 on the side. Had steet legal track tires on it, which I found out after we arrived!

I like how the Top Gear blokes are represented. Nice touch. I agree, I could afford this one...!

This is good to hear! I have a 34" inseam which isn't super stretch, and frankly all I wear on my feet when not riding are Vans!! Schweet! This means the 500 is still in the running!

Hey gang, Some of the California Caterham Club memers will be meeting up this coming Sunday to let me look, touch, and try not to drool all over their machines. Much appreciated and will be most enjoyable! I even started to mention my ideas about these crazy cars to the wife, and to her credit she didn't give me an immediate "are you nuts?" but more wanting to know what it is, why I want it, and how much room to put stuff in it there is. More than the bike, I replied...!

Hey Skip, I am planning on passing through the Denver area next summer as I'm riding cross-country on the bike to Wisconsin. Was planning on stopping by the Caterham US dealership there. Would love to link up and see your machine and what you've done to it! Robert

Hey Mondo, I appreciate all your input. The more I keep researching and getting feedback from enthusiastic owners such as yourself the more I KNOW a Caterham is exactly what I'm looking for. Which one in particular is still pending! And I'll for sure hit you up when I'm heading out to 'bakkasfield' at some point, though with my work schedule who knows when that will be??!

That's a very generous offer and I'll certainly take you up on that when I can. Right now I'm too tied to work (other engineer is in Holland so no support for me) but that's to change in a couple weeks or so. Ya, don't get me started with "He's in Holland? What's he doing?" :toetap05: Nice work on the car, I checked out the photos of the build!

You know, you're not helping...! :drool: Damn, 14k revs, must be a cycle engine, eh?

Hey gang, Thanks for all the feedback, I really appreciate it. You're all just a bunch of enablers, aren't you? Let me address your questions and comments below: I'm 6'2" tall with size 12 skis on the ends of my legs, so that's the main reason I believe the 500 would be too much. Or more to the point, too little... This will mostly be a street car, but that's not to say I wouldn't hit the track or an AX sometime. I don't ride my bike like grandma and wouldn't do the 7 such an unjust act either. My bike is actually a revver, and for a Harley doesn't have that much oomph down low, so a big torque monster at low revs isn't something I'm usually doing anyway, but any suggestions in this regard would be appreciated. Yes, I'll be caught in the rain, though rarely here in Cali. I already ride in the rain with the correct gear, so I'd want to be able to do so also in the 7. And as mentioned above, I'm in California and as such have a whole extra set of nonsense to get through with regards to emissions and registration. I am very mechanically inclined, and in fact look forward to building my 7 if I don't happen to find a used one I can't live without. Anyone here remember building their Heathkits years ago? As to money, well I'm no millionaire but not a bum either. I'll be able to wing just about any model, except perhaps the full-on 500; that Cosworth engine alone is $20k if I read the pricing correctly... Tom, having the Harley for the last 7 years I'm already quite afflicted with the dreaded upgradeitis. Though I tend to stay with the more functional, and hence usually more expensive, type of upgrades! And I've tried to register on the California club site but there seems to be some problem with the registration image (numbers/letters) keeping the spambots out. You know an admin there that could look into it? I look forward to meeting up with some 7 owners at a rally or something so I can see and smell some up close! The cars, not the drivers! Now THAT'S what I'm talking about. 7 years and 100k miles later and the bike still gets me excited when it's time to ride. And that's coming from a daily commuter, so to hear that you can get the same kind of reaction from a 'cage' is something I thought would be unobtainable... This is sounding better and better...!!! Very similar to the waves/thumbs up I get and give when on 2 wheels. Count on it...

This is trouble. You know what I'm talking about. You see a machine that is of such engineering purity, form following function, that you must have it. You can't stop thinking about it. Take for instance my V-Rod, the black sheep of the Harley family. When I saw the engineering behind it, the purity of it without a lot of fluff, I got this feeling of "I gotta have one of those." Wouldn't go away, kept getting worse over time. Eight months later I'm on a one-way plane trip to El Paso Texas and ride home my baby who's now pushing close to 100k miles. All ridden in less than 7 years. Let's say I do like to motor, preferably on 2 wheels or so I thought... But then a little while ago, admittedly on BBC's Top Gear, I catch whiff of these amazing cars known as Caterham's, as pure and as bare as you can get with a street legal machine and made to perform like a race car but yet within my budget. Uh oh, I start to get that same "I gotta have one of those" feeling I had back in 2002. And it's getting worse as time goes on. I suspect some of you had the same reaction, hence a web community like this. So I'm here to get as much advice as any care to give, and will be joining your ranks of nutter drivers out on the road in our 7's soon enough. Oh yes, count on it. This is merely a question of when, not if. Frankly right now it's all about figuring out which one would be best for me (would love the new 500, but that's a bit too maniacal methinks -- maybe not...??) "Maybe not"? See??!! Thoughts like that are going to get me into Trouble!! Anyway, I look forward to learning as much as possible before plunging in. And in I will plunge headfirst. Because, as you can see from my cycle story, once I get it in my thick head I need to do something like this, it's pretty much a done deal and nothing's really going to dissuade me...! V-Robb, soon to be C-Robb, or maybe 7-Robb?? Robert