mrmustang

No argument there at all, but it still is not a maker of the market as a whole, unless your entire market is now BAT. I'll continue to collect the data as I have for years......When I'm ready, another 7 will be in the garage, and more than likely, by spring, be it a Caterham, Birkin, or ???? As a keeper of many Cobra replicas, I can tell you that the flip side is the same, how it is titled can cause high asking price based on the assumption of ease of retitle and registration (California excluded), or could be a detriment, causing a decrease in the price (older PA kit car title without a year and a big RECONSTRUCTED listed on them). Again, Rick (aka: Mark IV) can attest to this if asked....... No harm, no foul, everyone earns there money differently, everyone spends their money differently, everyone views the cars differently.....It's all good any way you look at it as long as you enjoy it for what it is. Bill

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, as someone who has been going to, and buying at the live, in person auctions for a 1/4 of a century or more (Mark IV and Skip can attest to this ), an auction result does not automatically reset the entire market, nor does it "make the market". In the case of an auction, you have at least two people (hopefully, unless there are underhanded things going on in the background similar to the 308 fiasco of the late 80's) who want a specific car, add in a little consumables, or an ego issue, and you get record pricing for the sale of a car. Again, this is a live auction atmosphere, not a classified advertisement online, but live action, where mitigating factors come in to play. What we see afterwards, and the Black and red car in the classifieds is the perfect example (no offense to the seller, it's a beautiful car), is a seller now viewing the auction results and saying "well if that car sold for XXXX, then my car is worth XXXXX, watching the $9,000 bump in asking price yesterday shows this to be true. We, who have been around the longest online, call this "The Barrett Jackson Syndrome", there are hundreds if not thousands of such examples of a bump in price online, usually you see it on craigslist type adds, or higher buy it now or opening prices on ebay, before they trickle down to the forums as the sellers now "test the new market" as they see it. Of course the flip side is, someone who sees the auction says "I better jump in and buy now before the prices skyrocket" as a knee-jerk reaction....Yet those folks are far and few between, in fact, with specialty forums like this, are almost non existent these days, as we are enthusiasts first, and most do not view their cars as an investment, but a toy to use as they see fit. Just my two cents worth this morning. Bill S.

Rick, Sump guard is not an option but a necessity, I speak from vast experience :banghead: Bill S. Yes, that Bill S.

Bad ground, also bad routing of the cable. After the 2nd time I'd convert to hydraulic and be done with it. Bill S.

Make sure to warm up those tires this AM, two laps won't be enough.....Found that out the hard way at LRP many years ago in similar temps....Took the 1st apex at Big Bend, didn't make the 2nd and slid cleanly off the track to sink into the muddy grass...... Have a fantastic time this today and stay safe. Bill S.

When in a spin, two feet in, just saying :seeya: Great pictures, wish I was there. Keep the pictures coming. Bill S.

Reliable (orange trucks) and Horseless Carriage both get my vote as well as Intercity. Bill S.

I can't wait to see the finished product. Might even have to make a special trip to NJMP while I'm "visiting family" on LBI . Bill

No problem, if for some reason it's available when my deal comes to fruition, I do plan to attempt to repurchase. Good luck with your hunt, sometimes that is half the fun. Bill

Angelo, Have you see this car: http://www.usa7s.net/vb/showthread.php?12870-1998-Birkin-S3-well-sorted-and-major-updates As a former owner, given what the current owner (I sold it to him) is selling it for, after tweaks and upgrades, it's a fantastic deal. If I had the spare cash right now, it would already be back in my garage. You cannot build a car formwhat this car is being sold for x it by 2 and even then, you may not be able to build it to it's current specs and condition. Put me out of my misery already and buy it so I do not have to agonize over it sitting out on the market, while I sit here asset rich, but cash poor. Sincerely, Bill S.

A closer look shows an awful lot of hand fabrication of the diamond plate, not really an easy thing to do.

Lotus 7-MadMax Edition https://www.ebay.com/itm/1915-Lotus-replica/233691449772

Gary, Never hurts to ask Hopefully the trace and fix comes a little easier....Most of all, enjoy the ride. Bill S.

DTA can reflash and help diagnose issues: https://www.dtafast.co.uk/ link@dtafast.co.uk I've emailed them in the past when I had the car and they were quite receptive about adding a more aggressive tune had I not had my downturn and sold the car in a weak moment...... Bill S.

Soon as I saw the picture, I knew it was my old car. Still have the explorer, but the Featherlite trailer is long gone. The link to the ad tells all I have on the car that did not come in the binder with the car. Bill S. PS: Want to sell it back to me, I'll be back in the market in the next few months if I get approvals from my Dr. :driving:

Where did you but it out of (state)? Color combination? Pictures? Sounds strange, but when may know the cars origins, or maybe even recognize it as one where the owner used to be here. Bill S.

Going to need a little more information on what you have. Several aftermarket ECU's out there, none of them have OBD2 ports. What ECU do you have? (name should be on the ECU itself) Which injection system do you have? The next question is a bit simpler, have you pulled and checked all of the fuses and relays? Bill

Your day is very similar to one I had with an FFR Cobra replica in the late 90's at Pocono, chance of rain 5%, which means as soon as I unloaded the car off the open trailer, the skies opened and did not let up. No top, but a giant golf style umbrella to keep the drivers seat dry (well, sort of, it did not squish as much as later in the day).......Left the street tires on, went out and did about 20 combined laps in the AM/PM sessions....No students wanted to ride with me, I don't understand why . Only other thing I remember from that day is borrowing a rather large pry bar and knocking two drain holes in the floorboards. Who knew I ever needed them when I was building the car.... Bill S.

As my wife states: "Cheaper than a two legged mistress" Bill

No response from the seller, but checking my records, this is indeed my old Birkin, a fantastic little car all unto itself. Bill S.

I believe this is my old Birkin, it's unique "Sunburst yellow" paint job and wire tied "7" badging (I have a certain way of doing so) in the front grill, along with the custom, spare side exhaust and muffler cover are the tells. If so, fantastic, reliable build with enough power to get yourself in trouble. I've reached out to the seller "Jim" to see......HHhmmm, I do miss that car Bill

Having bought and sold both of my 7's on this site, I can say a target audience will get you a good home for the car. As others have already pointed out, BAT will most likely maximize your dollars realized. However, if going the BAT route, the car better be immaculate, as that is what most impulse buyers are looking for. As far as the side panel, me personally, as a retired body shop owner, I'd be worried about matching that beautiful color, as you cannot just panel paint it, but must blend into adjoining panels. I suspect a coil spring mount let loose to cause that type of damage, or a small shunt to that corner of the car. Still, overall, a great looking car that I would not hesitate to buy when I'm in the market again (back issues almost to that point)....Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Bill S.

Croc, I'll be over to borrow some later this morning. I promise to give it back to you when I am finished :smilielol5:

Miata buyers, at least those looking for low mileage cars, are a finicky bunch. Something as simple as surface corrosion on a few bolts can turn someone from a serious buyer, to a armchair quarterback at the drop of a hat. As someone who traveled in the sub 5K mileage Miata circle in my past, I can tell you it gets worse the more that gets listed on BAT with higher and higher mileage, or less than stellar history or condition. Typical BAT buyers want perfection......That, or a project selling so cheap, it is too good to be true, an item no longer seen on BAT in our lifetime. Bill