Birkin with SVT Engine for Sale

[slomove]

Oh well, I have (reluctantly) decided to sell my Birkin. I have owned the car for 15 years of fun and drove it on many memorable group trips with USA7s friends (USA 2005, Pacific Northwest 2007, Rocky Mountains 2009, Black Hills 2011, NorCal 2012, Grizzly Bear Blat 2013, Montana/Idaho 2015).

Nowadays I just don't use the Seven enough anymore and I need to make space for other projects and a likely future move.

 

 

Price: $24,500

 

 

For now I have included a few older pictures (see below) but will take and post a complete set of photos when the current restoration job is finished (see link further down this thread).

 

 

This is a '98 live axle Birkin S3 that has a lot of upgrades over the years and an almost new Focus SVT engine. I bought the car with only 600 miles on the clock in 2003.

Total mileage is approx. 57,000 for the chassis, 40,000 for the gearbox and LSD, 25,000 for the wide-track front and 2,500 miles for the engine.

Color of wings and and nosecone is intense yellow (Toyota Sun Fusion code 5A3). Other surfaces are highly polished aluminum.

I used the car with the previous engine occasionally on the track until 2010. Otherwise it has been mostly driven on long distance tours (up to 2 weeks/4000 miles) and many weekend trips and it is equipped accordingly.

California clear title as "1969 Birkin Lotus". The original owner had it titled as such first in California and later in Florida (title copies available) and I transferred it back to CA in 2003 without problems.

 

 

Engine:

Focus SVT engine (installed 2015), VCT hydraulic removed, adjustable cam pulleys installed.

The engine came out of a brand new Focus that was totaled en route to the dealership and stored until 2015 when I installed it with new clutch and throwout bearing. Now approx. 2500 miles.

An almost identical SVT sister engine (installed in a Caterham) showed around 175 rear wheel hp @7000rpm on a precision hub dyno.

 

 

Following a list of upgrades and noteworthy items. I think it is fair to say this car is quite well equipped.

 

 

Mechanical, intake, exhaust, ECU, tranny, cooling, etc.:

- Jenvey 45mm individual throttle bodies

- Intake box with integrated trumpets (uses Chevy HHR size air filter, K&N version installed)

- Penney & Giles Hall Effect throttle position sensor (contact-less magnetic sensor)

- Emerald ECU, upgraded to K3 version with baro compensation

- Lightened steel flywheel

- Underdrive front pulley and optimized serpentine belt routing

- Quantumechanics semi-close T9 gear box, top oil change plug added.

- Quaiffe LSD

- Raceline wet sump with "no-mess" Aeroquip quick disconnect oil change plug

- Laminova oil cooler (oil/water heat exchanger)

- Remote mount oil filter

- Aeroquip push-on oil fittings and hoses

- Raceline cast aluminum water rail with front accessible thermostat

- All silicone coolant hoses (2 years old)

- Header wrap

- Raceco muffler with titanium shell, re-packable

- Gustafson gear-reduction starter

- Lightweight small alternator

 

 

Chassis, suspension, wheels:

- Wide track original Birkin front suspension upgrade

- Short steering arms (original steering arms included)

- Camber infinitely adjustable with left/right hand threaded bushings: takes only minutes without removing rod-ends or a-arm bolts

- Eibach springs 350lbs/" front, 215 LBS/" rear

- Protech shocks with special valves for lightweight cars

- QA1 Heim Joint rear trailing arms with protective cover washers

- Birkin original 15" alloy wheels (I run 205 wide tires all around but used to have 195 front and 225 in the rear on these rims as well). One spare rim is included.

- 4x Toyo Proxes R1R 205/50R15 tires approx 75%-80% tread left

 

 

Safety:

- Fuel Safe custom fitted fuel cell with check-valve box fuel pickup (avoids fuel starvation when cornering).

- Newton "Aero" flush fuel filler cap

- Solid state capacitive fuel level sender.

- Rear outside access aircraft style fuel filler cap

- AFFF fire suppression system installed (nozzles for tank and engine bay)

- Solenoid operated battery disconnect with dash mushroom button (zero battery leakage current when turned off)

- Hand fire extinguisher can be mounted under driver knees for touring or between seats for track events

- Rear end chassis tubing reinforced for tank protection

- Tunnel reinforced cage with multiple propshaft hoops and stringers.

- Brake light flasher module

- Ballistic nylon bellhousing shatter shield

- Tall roll bar (chromed) with modified mounting for quick removal

- Skid plate with armored front rock catcher/cruncher

- Slim center high mount brake light included but not mounted at the time

 

 

Cockpit/electrical:

- Brand new windscreen glass installed

- Completely rewired with "Painless Performance" harness, all color coded, numbered and tagged PEX wires (all original wiring was removed).

- ECU, fuse box and relays easily accessible on hinged panels under dash

- Lightweight Odyssey PC625 battery

- Heater core and fan was removed (useless and dead weight)

- Brushed and black anodized custom aluminum dash

- In-dash gage-style Whistler Cruisader radar detector, receiver mounted in nosecone

- In-dash Innovate wideband AFR gage wired to ECU for data logging and optional closed-loop operation

- "Idiot Light" for low oil pressure (105 C)

- Bright 4-LED white shift light in dash (center of view)

- "Longhorn" compressor signal horn

- 12V outlet for GPS, phone etc.

- SPA Alpha suede small diameter steering wheel, removable with quick disconnect

- Billet aluminum stopwatch bracket on steering wheel hub (fits Hanhard classic stopwatch, not included)

- Brazilian rosewood shift knob (wood keeps the shift hand cool)

- New removable and heat insulated tunnel cover panels (stock was riveted fiberglass shell)

- Cobra "Roadster7" seats, driver side lowered. The seats are 14" wide with good side support wings. Should approx. fit people with up to 38" jeans size.

- G-Force 5-point 3" wide belts (sub belt is 2")

- Scuttle mounting features are modified and fluid reservoirs moved away for quick scuttle removal (to get easy access to the back of the dash)

- Complete wiring schematic and wiring table available (except later additions: "Idiot Light", Radar and wideband AFR sensor wiring)

 

 

O.K., just noticed I exceeded the 10,000 character post limit, so description to be continued in following post......

 

 

 

 

Edited September 17, 2017 by slomove

[slomove]

Continued description:

 

Outside:

- Special louver in bonnet with air transfer box for driver side footwell venting (avoids boiling feet)

- Custom small headlights with Hella hi/low beam projector modules (SAE version), integrated LED day running lights and turn signals

- Custom billet aluminum rear lights (LED, red/yellow/white)

- Folding polished aluminum boot cover

- Brand new Line-X polyurethane rear wing rock protectors

- Custom slightly convex side mirrors on stainless stems (stems also act as pivot for the gull wing side screens)

- Custom transparent "gull-wing" half-doors/wind deflectors included but not mounted at the time

- Roll-up sun-roof/birkini top (also effective for rain) included but not mounted at the time. This can be closed while sitting in the car, no contortions required.

- Detachable rear end luggage rack for touring included but not mounted at the time.

 

 

 

Finish:

- The painted surfaces (new paint in 2009) were covered with paint protector film (ClearBra)

- The aging film was removed recently and the paint is still in almost virgin condition.

- All bare aluminum surfaces are freshly mirror polished.

 

 

Also available:

- Lots of car specific tools, spares, materials and accessories included for free if needed/wanted (e.g. intake vacuum balancer, timing light, leakdown&compression tester, spare front wings, fluids, alternator etc.)

- Custom lightweight enclosed tilt-bed trailer with electric brakes, el. winch and interior AC/DC lighting (3500 lbs GVW, does not need ramps) - $1000

(I used the trailer for car transport and occasional track side camping)

Edited September 5, 2017 by slomove

[HOTTTCAR]

Great write up!

Gale

[MightyMike]

Don't sell it!

[xcarguy]

slomove,

 

Hate to see you sell. One of the most well sorted Birkins out there. Someone will get a heck of a deal on this car. If I remember, the mirrors are custom as well. Didn't see those in the write up.

[slomove]

.... If I remember, the mirrors are custom as well. Didn't see those in the write up.

 

Hey, you know my car better than I do ;-)

Yes you are right. Must have overlooked that one and I just fixed it in the original post. Actually the mirrors just got a new paint job since they were a bit dinged from the road grit.

Edited September 5, 2017 by slomove

[TheDingo8MyBaby]

Gert,

 

Best of luck with your sale. I'm glad we got to take a few drives together and I wish you luck with those future projects. I hope you stick around the forums, if it does sell.

[Taber10]

Gert,

Ditto what "...Dingo..." said: Glad we got to travel with you, and I'll never forget how jealous Joan and I were of all your "modifications" during GBB. That has to be one of the best "touring" LSISs ever imagined, and so well sorted! Hope you continue to contribute your great knowledge to this site.

Taber

[slomove]

Thanks for the nice words guys! As you can imagine it took me a while to make this decision, given the memories and all the effort (and money) I put in over the years.

But the decision is made, the car is in excellent shape and IMO I have set a very fair price. Let's see how it goes...maybe nobody will buy it and I just keep the car :smilielol5:

[Loc-Nar]

Gert! I'll never forget my first ride in your car! I just registered a few minutes ago as I am on the hunt for my old Birkin. I ended up with an Esprit SE after selling mine to Stan (soareyes) a while back.

Hopefully it's sitting around in a garage and being unused as I miss it dearly. That being said... if I can't find it... hmmm... maybe you would like to try the Esprit out...

Steve.

Here is the for sale thread with my old car in it. I'm going to try and contact stan, maybe someone here knows where it currently resides?

http://www.usa7s.net/vb/showthread.php?30-Birkin-For-Sale

[slomove]

I would like to make it official now that this car is ready for sale. Restoration is complete and everything shiny. I have added a few items to the description in the first post that I forgot.

You can find a photo collection on Dropbox here (hope that works): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ik1yhleohj5ay8i/AAD1wMo4vg_5uGe6fqJCFIasa?dl=0

Included are a bunch of new pics that I took today.

 

For now I am listing at a fixed price of $24,500 for the car and $1,000 for the trailer.

 

Let's see what interest there is on the usual Sevens forums. In a few weeks I may go to Craigslist or commercial sales/auction sites. For some strange reason I don't mind if it takes longer to sell the car...

Edited September 17, 2017 by slomove

[Kitcat]

Will be sad to see you and your car go Gert! Whoever gets it will be getting one of the most meticulously prepped Birkins out there.

[slomove]

Sale pending....

[Croc]

And I am not surprised by that! A beautifully sorted, engineered and well presented car at a very reasonable price was always going to get good attention from buyers.

 

I hope you stay around the forum Gert - your technical expertise will be sorely missed.

[slomove]

....I hope you stay around the forum Gert - your technical expertise will be sorely missed.

 

Yes I will hang out here

I got into the habit of checking the Seven forums first thing in the morning and such old habits are hard to change.

If I see something where I think I can contribute I will do that.

 

GB

[slomove]

Car and trailer are sold. The buyer is a quiet member of this forum and local to El Segundo, CA

[slomove]

Gert! I'll never forget my first ride in your car! I just registered a few minutes ago as I am on the hunt for my old Birkin. I ended up with an Esprit SE after selling mine to Stan (soareyes) a while back.

Hopefully it's sitting around in a garage and being unused as I miss it dearly. That being said... if I can't find it... hmmm... maybe you would like to try the Esprit out...

Steve.

Here is the for sale thread with my old car in it. I'm going to try and contact stan, maybe someone here knows where it currently resides?

http://www.usa7s.net/vb/showthread.php?30-Birkin-For-Sale

 

Hey Steve, good to hear from you! I do remember your visit and the test drive.

Stan sold your car (no idea to whom) and bought another one with a bigger engine. Sold that one as well.

 

I will probably buy another sports car but not as radical as a Seven. And, probably not as maintenance hungry as an old Lotus....

 

GB

[Daedalus]

And, probably not as maintenance hungry as an old Lotus....

 

 

Now he tells me!:willy_nilly:

 

Hello all,

 

I am the happy and proud new custodian of Gert's Birkin. I have been lurking and looking for a fun 4 wheeled vehicle for quite a while now. A 7 replica has been on my short list of wanna-drive cars since the early '90s, when I read an article about the 7 in Road & Track's Exotic Cars Quarterly. As if the R&T write-up wasn't enough to convince me, they had pictures with flattering words from Steven Tyler and Joe Perry! Who wouldn't want to drive the same car as their rock star heroes? Well, that was 25 years ago, but I never forgot that article. Still have it, in fact, and dusted it off recently to show my wife, who glanced up from whatever she was doing just long enough to give an obligatory "uh-huh", which I took to mean she was totally stoked to ride in the same car as my rock star heroes as well. So here I am...the same guy I was 25 years ago, just with less hair, more girth, and now with a Birkin in a trailer in my driveway! Unfortunately I'm finding out the girth thing is counterproductive when it comes to these cars.

 

Thanks to Gert and his sweet wife Rosie for passing on such a great car. Gert did a lot of work getting it in tip top shape for the next guy, even after the sale was agreed to. I know they're going to miss the car, and I will do what I can to keep it shiny and purring. The amount of traveling they've done, with and without the 7, is very inspiring, and I've told my wife we need to start hitting the road more often, especially now that we have a toddler who can benefit from seeing the country.

 

Having said all that, I feel I need to level-set some expectations: I'm glad Gert will be hanging around, because I wouldn't be able to fill his shoes if he were to leave. His knowledge, creativity and craftsmanship are humbling to say the least...a real legend in his spare time. I'm a mechanical engineer who knows his way around an engine bay, but I simply don't have the creativity and resourcefulness that Gert does. Hopefully I can be a contributor at some point. But for the foreseeable future I'll be struggling with just pushing the correct pedals at the right time. First purchase will be some driving shoes, I think. Eventually I'm hoping to get some track time with this car and start having some fun. Hope to see some other owners around at some point; if you see the car around, please stop and say hello!

 

Cheers,

 

Robert

[Croc]

What a great post! Congratulations on your new purchase Robert! :seeya:

 

 

So whats next for Gert?

[slomove]

........So whats next for Gert?

 

Ha! Don't really know and in no hurry. But first things first...I am going to retire end of November and have a long list of projects (not car related).

Also the lease for my daily driver will be up next year October and maybe I will get something else with open air access then.

But I must admit the engine transplant 2 years ago taught me that I don't enjoy crawling under and around the Seven that much anymore. So the next "sports" car will be a little more mainstream and it is O.K. if the power-to-weight ratio is more modest.