Back in a Seven

[rnr]

I am the new caretaker of @mightymike s V8 Stalker and am looking forward to getting back in the Seven life. When I sold my Ultralite a few years ago, I didn't really miss it too much since I had my Elise as a track car. But then I went to Spa with @croc and remembered just hope much fun they are on track. I was looking for either a bike engined caterham or V8 Stalker and when Mike decided to sell his I immediately called him up and made a deal. I flew out to Denver on Saturday and was happy to see that the car was indeed as perfect as it looked in the pics and Mike has built a truly special car.

 

Mike helped me pack up and I then set off on a 1250 mile drive back to SF. This is me heading out on the trip.

 

Leaving Denver by Rahul Nair, on Flickr

Edited July 31, 2019 by rnr

[rnr]

On day 1 my plan was to drive to Laramie, WY and spend the night to avoid the expected bad weather in the mountains. I made some great time and only got a few spots of rain that I was able to drive through.

 

Raindrops in Wyoming by Rahul Nair, on Flickr

 

Apart from my driving shoe splitting apart I was in good shape and so I decided to continue on to Rawlings, WY instead.

 

Not a good time to rip my driving shoe by Rahul Nair, on Flickr

 

Good weather leaving Laramie by Rahul Nair, on Flickr

Edited July 30, 2019 by rnr

[rnr]

Entering the rainstorm by Rahul Nair, on Flickr

 

While I started out with great weather from Laramie, it suddenly took a turn for the worse and I got stuck in a spectacular rainstorm. I was driving with as helmet on but the visibility was so bad that that I had to slow down to around 40 mph and was passed by multiple 18 wheelers. Luckily the next exit (about 5 miles away) was a rest area and I was able to pull off the road.

 

Got Soaked by Rahul Nair, on Flickr

 

I also did have the particularly fun sensation of feeling water sloshing around the seat and literally splashing up my back whenever I got a bump. It ends up that carbon seats will very quickly become bathtubs in the rain and are no fun in that state. I was able to wait it the rain and put on a raincoat for the final blast to Rawlings.

 

Carbon Bathtub by Rahul Nair, on Flickr

 

Also whoever said that a seven practical clearly wasn't good at packing. This is all the stuff I have along with me as I unloaded the car at my hotel in Rawlings.

 

Sevens can be very practical by Rahul Nair, on Flickr

Edited July 31, 2019 by rnr
typos + photos

[rnr]

Grrr, the images are all weird. I'll finish this up once I get home and have a real computer to do this on.

 

Edit: Moved the pics to my Flickr account instead - the rotations are now correct.

Edited July 30, 2019 by rnr

[Edger]

Welcome and congratulations! The photos aren't so bad, the car looks amazing!

[Croc]

Congratulations Rahul! Safe travels home.

[Kitcat]

"Somewhere west of Laramie". (The opening line of a car advert that changed advertising for ever). Looks like it is still relevant:)!

Great car, great write up. So many people buy these and park them, great so see you taking it on the road.

I look forward to hearing about more adventures, including total track domination???

[11Budlite]

Car looks great and a nice adventure, congrats rnr!

[rnr]

Thanks all. I just got home and the car ran great the entire time. Am looking forward to tracking and autocrossing it onceI get the CA registration sorted.

[rnr]

Day 2 was a late start which meant the temperature was almost at 80F as I got started. The first ~150 miles were pretty comfortable and I made it to the Utah border before stopping for lunch. The day had been going well and I started thinking about going further than the 400 miles I had planned for the day.

 

Last stop in Wyoming by Rahul Nair, on Flickr

 

Unfortunately once I entered Utah the temperatures went into the mid-90s which really sucks in a Seven. The car was running great but I really started to suffer in the car. The view on my right as I went past the Bonneville Salt Flats was pretty cool but in the end I has to call it quits at the 400 mile mark and barely made it to the Utah-Nevada border.

 

 

I was super tired from the heat and spent the night at a casino in West Wendover. It was a good time to have a steak with a few drinks and get a good nights rest. One interesting thing about West Wendover is that though it is part of Nevada it still follows Mountain time instead of Pacific. In fact you will see a sign some 10 miles west of the town that marks the beginning of Pacific time.

 

Rainbow Casino & Hotel by Rahul Nair, on Flickr

Edited July 31, 2019 by rnr

[rnr]

I thought that day 2 was bad but day 3 was a dash across Nevada in 95F weather which sucked even more. I didnt bother taking any pics or video - I just wanted to make it to Reno in time for some more drinks. While I did make it to Reno in time, there was some sort of teachers conference in town which meant I had to go to 3 different hotels before I could find a room. As you can imagine, having to unpack and get out of the car 3 different times after 6+ hours in the heat meant that I was not a happy camper. In the end I did find a room and was even able to park the car under some shade.

 

Compact Car Parking Only by Rahul Nair, on Flickr

 

It did also show off just how many bugs were hitting my helmet despite the stalker having a windshield.

 

Bug spattered helmet by Rahul Nair, on Flickr

 

Day 4 was a quick 250 mile blast from Reno to SF and I was able to make some excellent time. In fact the only slow down was due to an accident on the Bay Bridge but with the cooler weather it was pretty comfortable to do.

 

I got home and parked the car up. My Viper was not happy about giving up the garage space and is probably plotting to kill me

 

Back home by Rahul Nair, on Flickr

 

All in all it took me a little under 4 days to cover the 1250 miles from Denver to the Bay Area. The car ran great and the driver was the one having issues with the rain/heat. It was a fun adventure and great way to get to know the car. Thanks again to @MightyMike for building such a fantastic car and letting me become its next caretaker.

Edited July 31, 2019 by rnr

[MightyMike]

Thanks for sharing the photos - quite an adventure. I'm relieved to know you didn't have to conduct field engineering to get the car home.

[Edger]

That thing really makes you busy! Good run

[Croc]

I'm relieved to know you didn't have to conduct field engineering to get the car home.

 

I can understand that. You hope you have built a good reliable car but you know the long drive will be the true test. This thread brings back memories of JLumba driving my yellow Caterham from NYC To Juneau in 6 days - I was having kittens.

[xcarguy]

Rahul,

 

Congrats on on the purchase of Mike’s car. Thanks for sharing the journey home. I did a couple out outings with Mike in that car and I can tell you that you got a stellar ride.:cheers:

[Kitcat]

Again, wonderful write up! And somehow I previously missed that your Stkr has clams, which I consider one of the signature features of the original se7en. The pix are great, the color is great, the trip was great and kudos to Mighty Mike for building the perfect Stalker (OK, it ties with Shane's).

[S1Steve]

Congratulations, you bought a wild ride.

[rnr]

Thanks for sharing the photos - quite an adventure. I'm relieved to know you didn't have to conduct field engineering to get the car home.

 

It was great fun and thanks again for building such a fantastic car. My last Seven had several issues when I first got it and the Stalker has been "fill it, shut it and forget it" reliable.

 

Now I get to the fun part of CA SB-100 registration :banghead:

[xcarguy]

. . . Mighty Mike . . . perfect Stalker (OK, it ties with Shane's).

.......:blush:

[Mondo]

Glad to see you back in a 7 Rahul. Nice upgrade, don't think you could do better then Mike's car. You never were afraid of taking long rides in a 7.... do think you like to suffer a bit;)