iluvlotus Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 I am considering a westfield- any thoughts on comparisons to Caterhams? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seschroeder Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 I am considering a westfield- any thoughts on comparisons to Caterhams? I have a Westfield Eleven and a Birkin. The Birkin is the fastest of the two in a straight line, 2.0L v 1.3L, but the Westfield handles better. Both are fun to drive however if one had to go it would be the Birkin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVP66S Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 To my knowledge, you can't buy a new Westfield if you are in the U.S. Are you thinking of a kit or a used car? The Westfield SEiW is more akin to the Caterrham than the 11. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seschroeder Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 To my knowledge, you can't buy a new Westfield if you are in the U.S. Are you thinking of a kit or a used car? The Westfield SEiW is more akin to the Caterrham than the 11. Manik Technologies (Tom McClintock) is the US Westfield dealer. He is at 972-358-1460. Great to deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poorichard Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 I have a Westfield Eleven and a Brunton Stalker love them both......get a "7" first then a "Eleven" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotusman1951 Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 11s in general are noisy from interior reflected sound and panel rattles-compared to sevens. With early westfields you get MG uprights and hubs verses Spitfire stuff used in Caterhams-so you have to love kingpins. Westfields have a stronger/smarter frame and front suspension than lotus s3 7s and early Caterhams. Some 11s have Alfa and Lotus engines-so much better than A series austin/mg-the MG transmission in Westfields is yuck compared to a ford/cortina unit. So a Westfield with ford uprights and discs, backed by a twin can with CR ford gears-going thru a Datsun B210 rear-and you need 15 inch wheels. That's the way to go IMHO. Former S1/7 Westfield owner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NVP66S Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 Westfields have come a long way recently. The factory assembled cars are Ford based, but the kits have several options. I built mine in 2014 and it used double A-arms all around that are designed by Westfield and supplied with the kit. There is a selection of shocks depending on whether you want a street or track car. I chose the Miata based car that uses the drivetrain, electricals, uprights, and brakes from the Mazda. That version is supplied through Flyin' Miata, who do the builder support. https://www.flyinmiata.com/westfield/specs.php All US Westfields are imported by Manik, and if you get any option other than the Miata, they also provide the builder support and you deal directly with them. http://www.manikllc.com/ The Honda S2000 is an easy horsepower upgrade, or you can use the turbo Mazdaspeed, but you would be doing more head scratching on that. FM's demo car is a turbo. But all this talk is about the sevenesque cars. Your OP header suggests you are more interested in the eleven. Which is it, and where are you? There are lots of friendly folks on this forum that would let you kick the tires on their various cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvlotus Posted December 23, 2015 Author Share Posted December 23, 2015 Great info! I currently have a Caterham and would like to have a Westfield replica- I may sell my Caterham if i like the Westfield- I really do not want to wait and have one built so if anyone knows where there is one for sale i would greatly appreciate that. Or if some one may consider my caterham towards a trade and of course i would be paying the difference in value- Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotusman1951 Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 I sent PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davemk1 Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 I've lusted after the Eleven for so long and would love one but fear that being 6'4" tall would mean there would be more of me sticking out of the car instead of being in it! I have a Westfield Mega S2000 that I fit very well in so life isn't all that tough dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanG Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 The Westfield XI is going to be much more like a series 1 Lotus Seven than any Caterham, especially one built in the last 20 years. With a period engine (BMC 948 - 1272, Ford 1172 flat head, Ford non-cross flow or Climax if you want an engine that is worth more than the rest of the car) it will be 1100 lbs and rocking 50-90 HP. Its better aerodynamics will let it reach 100 mph and run the quarter mile in about 20 seconds. Skinny tires will give less grip than an MGB. If Westfield hasn't corrected the problems of clubman XI's (straight axle) or series 1 Sevens it will: - Have a significantly better turning circle to the left than the right - Grind the rear U-joint against the frame on hard turns in at least on direction - Have an exceedingly narrow footwell & tiny pedals - Have scary drum brakes Since many of the parts are interchangeable with a Lotus XI there it is unlikely all the idiosyncrasies were addressed. On the other hand it will break away gently and lurid slides will be easily recoverable. If you want style and classic driving get the XI. If you want performance go for a modern Se7en. I admit that I have never driven an XI. I do have significant time in a series 1 Seven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvlotus Posted December 24, 2015 Author Share Posted December 24, 2015 Thank you for great info- I do not plan on racing but just a casual drive here and there- There are alot of great 7's for the ultimate driving experience- Ok now i got to find that westfield XI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davemk1 Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 Bring-a-trailer has a few listed - http://bringatrailer.com/search/?s=westfield dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iluvlotus Posted December 25, 2015 Author Share Posted December 25, 2015 yes-Thank you- however they are old listings and are sold- great reference guide- Thank you for responding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptrxly Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 I had a Westfield 11 in the late 80's. The 1275 A-Series engine with twin SUs had surprising amount of pull a low revs but it still lacked the power one wants in a sports car. The main reason I sold it was that it did not have a roof so I bought a TVR. But now I am back to a bike engined Lotus Seven type car still without a roof, but lack of power problem solved. The Eleven just cries out for a bike motor. -small, light and much more HP than the 65hp A-Series. Cornering g's are limited by the size of the tire that can fit under the bodywork. There is not too much 175-14 performance rubber out there. The big plus to getting an Eleven is aerodynamics - light years ahead of the Seven even though it was built before the 7. It had great pull at 80mph+. Even with the low plexi wind deflector, buffeting was very minimal.The Street version of the Lotus Eleven had a taller glass windscreen, so I added one from a Ginnetta G4 replica that used a VW Super Beetle screen. Along with higher plexi side windows, it gave much more protection than with the deflector. Be prepared to get asked questions every time you stop, which rarely happens to me in the Seven. Would I get one again? If I could buy one for what I sold mine for ($9,500) I get one in a flash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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