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Superlight R


JBH

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Finally...pictures of the recent addition.

 

It's a 2002 Superlight R press car built by RMSC that appeared most notably in a 2003 Autoweek article. It has the 205-210hp (claimed hp) Zetec mated to the Caterham 6-speed. Magnesium wheels, carbon fiber - you get the idea.

 

I am 6'2, 185lbs and I fit the car perfectly. I also have a 1969 FF and a 1991 Porsche Turbo. Both those cars now sit quiet as I enjoy the handling and power of the Caterham. It handles very much like the FF except it has more power, more grip and better brakes. The first track date (VIR) is the end of the month.

 

http://forums.rennlist.com/upload/side_anglered.jpg

 

http://forums.rennlist.com/upload/frontred.jpg

 

http://forums.rennlist.com/upload/cockpit__red.jpg

 

http://forums.rennlist.com/upload/throttle_bodiesred.jpg

 

http://forums.rennlist.com/upload/enginered.jpg

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Very nice :)

 

Another ZX1 engine :hurray: ....did not know RMSC ever used them.

What cams and compression are you running to get 205 hp?

 

Gert

 

But wait....just compared with my engine...valve cover markings are different. Oh, well.

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Check that...Caterham USA built the car, not RMSC. I don't know the compression ratio, but when the ppi was done the compression across the 4 cylinders ranged from 188 - 190 psi (12.8:1 seems high to me). I have some communications from Caterham USA somewhere, but I don't think they gave me specs on the car. Where can I find the chassis number?

 

I know next to nothing about the engine which is strange territory for me. If anyone can point me to places that offer more information about the design, fabrication, assembly and/or tuning of these engine, I would be very grateful.

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Welcome and nice looking ride!!

 

Here's a little general info on the engine from Caterham USA's site. I'm assuming it's close to what you have in your car:

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The Seven America Zetec Supersport package includes; custom aluminum bellhousing, engine mounts, cast aluminum sump with baffle and windage tray, kit-ready engine wiring harness, one-piece throttle body fuel injection manifold, fully PC programmable Pectel direct fire ignition/F.I. control unit with mounting hardware, high performance street cams with fully adjustable vernier pulley set, spun aluminum air trumpets, ITG half-round high-performance air filter, annular clutch slave cylinder & release bearing with hardware, 9" clutch, 9.5 lb aluminum flywheel, front and rear O2 sensors, alternator, starter, water pump, coolant tubes & hoses, all necessary sensors, and mounting hardware. Prices listed below are for fully assembled "kit-ready" packages, and include all necessary fittings and hardware for installation into a Caterham Seven kit.

 

Displacement: 1988cc

# of Cylinders: 4 in-line

Bore: 84.80mm

Stroke: 88.00mm

Compression ratio: 10.5:1

Valves: 16

Camshaft: DOHC, performance billet camshafts

Ignition: Fully PC Programmable Direct Fire

Firing Order: 1-3-4-2

Fuel: Premium Unleaded 92 Octane

Fuel System: Throttle Body Fuel Injection

Maximum RPM: 7,500rpm

Maximum power: 202bhp @ 6,800rpm

Maximum torque: 165lbs/ft @ 5,000rpm

 

 

Prices:

Ford 2.0l Zetec Supersport with Ford Sierra 5-speed transmission: $11,950.00

Ford 2.0l Zetec Supersport with long-first gear Ford Sierra 5-speed transmission: $12,550.00

Ford 2.0l Zetec Supersport with Caterham close ratio 6-speed transmission: $13,950.00

 

Pricing above assumes use of used Ford ZX3 engine assembly

 

 

 

 

 

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That engine is probably from a Ford Focus. There are a ton of things for that engine in the aftermarket. They are VERY popular engines for kit cars and also with the ricer tuner crowd. The same engine was used in teh ZX-2 escorts too. I had thought of using one in my Locost build but the bellhousing to adapt it to RWD was $450 alone. I paid less than that for the complete engine/trans combo. I've heard of those engines making 300+hp with turbos and such though.

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Al logging in from a bookstore in NYC...Ava's 7th birthday and some biz meetings mixed in.

 

JBH & Tom G...I covet your mags, just a little too rich for my blood. I'm probably going to get the Rials that Fluke sells when I get 13-inchers.

 

Note that the US Superlight Rs are this weird amalgam of UK spec models....we get the full carbon pack of the r500, but not the Stack e-dash. As for hp/ton, I think most of our cars came with about 200 horse, which puts us in the r400 range.

 

Also, JBH has the r500 "smoke" aeroscreen...this is different from the one that came on my car...which is the newer "interchangeable" deflector that uses a few of the mounting holes from the traditional full screen.

 

---

 

Regarding the engine...looks a lot like mine...TMW (not the Jenveys) 50 mm TBs. The engine has a red cam cover, which could be cosmetic. Pretty sure the later ZX-3s had the squared off black cam cover as supplied stock. When I bought my car (from a dealer, untitled and unregistered), I needed the bill of sale for the motor...it shows what kind of car the motor came out of, to prove that it was not stolen. Also, if I recall, the head in the "supersport" head is decked .060".

 

One more thing...I've noticed that some folks with TBs have the ITG upside down (Ed Hudson & Michael D.) and others have them right side up...JBH and myself...just another example of "even ones that are the exact same model aren't identical"

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Thanks for the information! That is the Autoweek article, though you can't see the picture of the car unless you click on the print option.

 

I had a PPI, alignment and cornerbalance done on the car at RMSC before it left Denver.

 

Next task is getting it registered in NC.

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  • 5 years later...

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