Kitcat’s cat’s for sale

[Kitcat]

I am listing my beloved track-only Caterham for sale. I am bringing it to this year’s USA7S event at NJMP, so anyone wanting to see it can. And, feel free to buy it there and jump into my slot on track(pending the organizers’ blessing). Of course, it’s also available for viewing here in Cincinnati. 
 

This Caterham has a storied history. It started life as a SCCA race car in EP, then was upgraded to STU specs by noted Caterham dealer/expert, Bruce Beachman at Beachman Racing. It came in third at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill in 2009, behind 2 Porsche Cup cars. It won the under 2 liter class.

 

Since it is not street legal, it doesn’t have a title. I bought it via a bill of sale and that’s how I will be selling it. PRICE: $35,000.00 That includes a enclosed 16’ trailer, spare SVT engine and 2 sets of spare tires and wheels. The car alone is priced at $31,000.

 

The pluses:

 

This is as  safe as any Caterham anywhere. It has a massive pro-built roll cage that makes the stock Caterham cage look positively wimpy. It has a race ready  Fuelsafe 21 gallon fuel cell with a liner and foam. It has a fire suppression system and a halo style race seat with 6 point belts

 

It has all of the cool Caterham upgrades circa 2009. This includes the Caterham 6sp., adjustable brake bias bar, uprated rear discs, aero screen, aero lights, roll bars front and rear, cycle fenders, Dedion rear suspension, LSD rear differential, quick release steering wheel. It has a recently rebuilt 2 quart Accusump in the passenger side.

 

it is powered by  a 2.0 liter Zetec SVT engine that was just rebuilt. It  dynoed 152 hp and 143 lbs torque on a conservative chassis dyno in December 2020. Other notable improvements include replacing the fuel system, the clutch, adding new seals to the transmission  and a variety of smaller items.

 

The bad: 

Since it’s a track car it has been banged up. I never fixed the body dents and dings since beauty was not my goal. So I think of it as being pre-dented:). And it’s not street legal. It has all of the wiring in place to add full size headlights, turn signals etc. But if you drive it on the road as is,  you are subject to being fined, even arrested. And your car insurance doesn’t cover you. Since the Accusump system and fire extinguisher are located in the passenger area, it’s just a one seat Caterham.

 

As a track car I can say it typically runs mid-pack in the Advanced drivers  group. It generally is 1-2 seconds slower than the newer Caterham 400’s and 420’s. I have a Harry’s LapTimer showing a mid 1’14 at NJMP’s Lightening circuit and a 1’32 on the Thunderbolt circuit on new Hoosier R7s a few years ago. For this spec Caterham and a 70+ year old driver, those are  decent times.

Here are some pics:

 

Edited September 9, 2021 by Kitcat

[yellowss7]

Good luck with the sale Mike.   You were one of our early and regular attendees At our NJMP Se7ens days.   You will be missed.  Hopefully you will get one last run next week.  Tom 

[Kitcat]

Yes, I have pictures proving the dangers of hanging out  with you guys:).

Edited September 9, 2021 by Kitcat

[yellowss7]

Sorry I’ll bring this one to correct it. 
 

[Kitcat]

A coupla more pix:

Top one shows the “notch” chassis. Caterham wasn’t able to fit this engine without metal snips.

 

Next is the engine bay, followed by a shot of part of the fire suppression system(the extinguisher is plumbed to nozzles in the engine bay and passenger side of the cockpit), then the trailer and finally the ID plate. 

Edited September 9, 2021 by Kitcat

[Kitcat]

Hey gang: the sale of my Caterham has been paused. I have decided to explore restoring it cosmetically and make some mechanical improvements.  

The idea of running it at NJMP last weekend was to see if it was track worthy, since I hadn’t driven it in 2 years. I discovered I had 2 frozen rear shocks which led to some entertaining handling issues. And since it’s going into the shop for that, I will also explore a more comprehensive set of improvements.
 

I may even decide to keep it. If I do I may change my screen name from Kitcat to Catkrazy…. 

[John B]

That's good news!

[CarlB]

The Miata my be less trouble but nothing is more fun than a 7. Glad to hear you are thinking of keeping the car.

[Kitcat]

Thx Carl and John. Lots of info to gather first, esp as to costs of upgrades. Like you guys, I love my Caterham, so we shall see.

[Bruce K]

Just came across this post - what happened?  This post was like reading a novella, only to discover that the last 3 pages were missing.

[Croc]

@Bruce K  he kept the car as he loved it so much.  Is having it refurb'ed.  Then went on vacation on some remote island in Florida drinking tequila.  

 

I like his style!  

[Bruce K]

Well, that's appropriate training for the track - bless 'im!

[Kitcat]

Hey Bruce: I towed the car to the Caterham experts at Rocky Mountain Caterham to address an accumulation of mechanical and cosmetic issues.
 

Cosmetically, the result will bear a strong likeness to your R400. Lots of mechanical matters are being addressed, but a revised suspension is at the top of the list. The rear shocks were frozen solid at the last NJMP event which made it nearly impossible to drive, so they are being replaced.
 

Once it is done with that spa treatment, I will do a track day in Colorado as a shake down and another at my home track near Cincy and then make a decision as to whether to sell the Caterham or the Miata.

 

Interestingly, the Miata has had some issues with reliabllity, leaving me stranded twice. Not what I was expecting. And in the FWIW category, that is something my Caterhams have never done.

 

In spite of Croc’s hairdresser jokes, this lightly track-prepped Miata, on race tires, is decent track weapon: not as fast as my Caterham but just as fast as my Honda Type R, when it was on race tires.

 

Long story short: stay tuned.

[Bruce K]

Be sure to share lots of photos here, of both the process and the finished product.  If you're going to make it look like my car, you're going to perform a lot of race-only de-contenting.  Mine has only an FIA rollbar and fire extinguisher for mishap protection.  But, with all it's carbon fiber, Black Pack and gorgeous Daytona blue paint, it is a positive work of mechanical art.  I can take no credit for the result.  The owner of Time Machines created the original spec, and then the previous owner defied all economic logic to put the car over the top.

[IamScotticus]

throw on the clams and call it fixed

[Bruce K]

Clamshells?  That's like asking an MMA middleweight to party down in grandpa pants (high waist, high cuffs, suspenders), or a ballerina to dance in galoshes.  More weight and even less aero.  Next you'll be advising us to drive with the top up!

[Kitcat]

IAM: As the former owner of a clam-shod Caterham, I agree. But no $ in the current  budget. Maybe a future fix? It came with clams in 2003 and the holes for the rivets are still there.

 

Bruce: I never experienced any of the infamous  front end lift with clams. Perhaps because my mighty X-Flow struggled to get it over 100? Anyhow, a Caterham with clams (and Brooklands) looks so cool, who cares about the rest:)?

[Bruce K]

If aesthetics is your motivation, I can see your point, though I've owned both and personally prefer the cycle fenders.  Anyway, I'm sure the car will finish out beautifully - just be sure to post lots of progress and completion images.  This winter with my S3. I'm having lowered floorboards and a heater installed, and buying some mohair doors for those cool days.  I will also add a sequential shift light indicator and HID headlights, and that will be it for a while.

[Kitcat]

Sorry Bruce, no pics until I get the car back. The work is being done by Rocky Mountain Caterham and pictures weren’t part of our deal.
 

Since I am using unpainted black fiberglass fenders and nose cone, the finished product will be much plainer than your lovely high end carbon fiber clad Cat.

Edited February 14, 2022 by Kitcat

[Bruce K]

Thanks for the compliment, but the praise resides rightly with former owner Miles Jackson, and the owner of Time Machines.  The Time Machines Caterham dealer gave the car a great original spec, and Miles treated it like his personal masterpiece.  No upgrade was too expensive or time-consuming for Miles.  Every driven Seven that I have ever encountered is nicked with stone chips and track rash, but Miles somehow kept his car perfect.  Part of me will feel like a felon giving it the initial blemishes.