jfgw Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 Hi everyone, I have reluctantly decided to sell my 2005 Caterham Superlight R. This is the 4th I have owned between the UK and the US, and since I started racing in 2019, I just haven't driven my car very much. It sounds cliche, but I seriously would like someone to enjoy driving this car with enthusiasm, just as 'Colin' would have expected! It has a Ford Zetec with reportedly approx 200hp according to the paperwork I received when I bought from the original owner in 2013. 6 speed Caterham gearbox, Tillett bucket seats, full Caterham roll cage, carbon arches, nosecone, dash and door sills. 2 sets of wheels, one with Toyo R888Rs, one with Avon slicks. Some spares, including a windscreen and full length (rear exit) exhaust section. The car has been well maintained, and recently had new crank and cam sensors, plugs, coil. Front wheel bearings were replaced along with new pads in the last couple of thousand miles. I have driven mainly on the road with it and it is completely docile and usable (once you climb in through the roof!), but also instruct with NASA Great Lakes and have taken students out in the car at Mid Ohio a few times. I have videos from various sessions on my youtube channel if anyone's interested. Car has not been on track since 2019. Mileage is 11,644. I plan to post the car on Bring a Trailer, should they accept it. I have been watching the sales, and in this crazy market, I would expect my car to bring $45k+. I know BAT has a 5% buyers premium which could be avoided if anyone is interested before I put the car online. Happy to chat on the phone, I adore these cars and have owned or driven them on and off for the last 30 years! Thanks, James (Columbus, Ohio) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfgw Posted March 31, 2022 Author Share Posted March 31, 2022 Some more pics... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfgw Posted March 31, 2022 Author Share Posted March 31, 2022 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vovchandr Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 (edited) Beautiful machine. Always interesting to see how different equipped SLRs were in the states. I believe this has the SVT Zetec in it! Edited March 31, 2022 by Vovchandr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfgw Posted March 31, 2022 Author Share Posted March 31, 2022 Yes that's right - Focus SVT in mine. Somewhat easier to get replacement parts in the US than my previous Vauxhall engined car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueBDA Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 Fantastic looking Seven. Will be fun to watch the BAT auction. GLWTA, as they say on BAT. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 (edited) So beautiful! Similar spec to mine. What times do you run at Mid-Ohio? Or, more generally, what times do you think its capable of there? Did I mention-so beautiful? A $45K sales price (give or take a bit) seems totally reasonable on BAT. Gotta love the license plate:)! Edited March 31, 2022 by Kitcat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vovchandr Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 (edited) Is the cage somewhat easily removable? My word of advice, since BaT people can be a bit fickle (go crazy for a specific color, or get scared over something minor), for BaT listing I'd remove the cage for primary photos and put original back on. Edited April 1, 2022 by Vovchandr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfgw Posted April 1, 2022 Author Share Posted April 1, 2022 1 hour ago, Kitcat said: So beautiful! Similar spec to mine. What times do you run at Mid-Ohio? Or, more generally, what times do you think its capable of there? Did I mention-so beautiful? A $45K sales price (give or take a bit) seems totally reasonable on BAT. Gotta love the license plate:)! Kitcat, thank you for the kind comments, I have never received more compliments than when driving this car, and I agree, I think the license plate create exactly the right impression to those who understand it! IIRC I would run a best of around 1:35 on the pro course, add ~2 seconds for the club course. It's my local circuit and I have a lot of laps there now, including racing there 3 times per season now. I agree on the price, Caterhams really don't depreciate very much, and the market for all cars, specialized ones even more so, seem to have risen a lot recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfgw Posted April 1, 2022 Author Share Posted April 1, 2022 33 minutes ago, Vovchandr said: Is the cage somewhat easily removable? My word of advice, since BaT people can be a bit fickle (go crazy for a specific color, or get scared over something minor), for BaT listing I'd remove the cage for primary photos and put original back on. Vovchandr, the cage is bolted in rather than welded, but it is not a trivial task to remove. When originally received, it required some 'persuasion' to fit to the mounting points, and the one time it has been removed to be powder coated again, took a lot of effort to re-fit. I also sold the FIA rollbar, so have nothing to put in its place. I realize the market is small for a Caterham, and even smaller for one finished with the cage, but for someone who wants this, I hope they 'must' have it. Ideally there's more than one of these people watching the auction! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 That is one fast Caterham (&driver). My best there on the club course is 5” slower:)! I have a stock Caterham roll over bar sitting in my basement ($50.00+ shipping), should that become relevant to this sale (per Vovchandr). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfgw Posted April 1, 2022 Author Share Posted April 1, 2022 25 minutes ago, Kitcat said: That is one fast Caterham (&driver). My best there on the club course is 5” slower:)! I have a stock Caterham roll over bar sitting in my basement ($50.00+ shipping), should that become relevant to this sale (per Vovchandr). Thanks for the offer re the rollbar - is it the FIA bar with diagonal support (not petty strut, just a diagonal on the loop)? I did drive the car on slicks which make a difference, but when I have instructed with NASA, most of the work is normally on minimizing weight transfer to enable higher corner entry speed, as the long straights are huge multipliers positively and negatively to corner speed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted April 3, 2022 Share Posted April 3, 2022 No, it’s just the standard token bar, not the braced, and 20 lb heavier, FIA bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfgw Posted April 7, 2022 Author Share Posted April 7, 2022 Exciting news, my car has been accepted for listing on BAT, so it's no longer for sale on this site. As soon as I have details of the auction, I will include them here! James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB455 Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 Good luck with your auction! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted April 7, 2022 Share Posted April 7, 2022 Very cool, I will be watching with great interest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee break Posted April 8, 2022 Share Posted April 8, 2022 A video with a good display of acceleration will drive the BaT watchers batty! Good motor sounds will make them loose their minds. Have fun and be ready for all sorts of comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anduril3019 Posted April 8, 2022 Share Posted April 8, 2022 On 4/1/2022 at 8:54 AM, Kitcat said: That is one fast Caterham (&driver). My best there on the club course is 5” slower:)! I have a stock Caterham roll over bar sitting in my basement ($50.00+ shipping), should that become relevant to this sale (per Vovchandr). Any chance the roll bar is still available? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfgw Posted April 25, 2022 Author Share Posted April 25, 2022 Bring a Trailer auction is live - https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2005-caterham-7-superlight-r/. Hope the car stays in the family! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vovchandr Posted April 25, 2022 Share Posted April 25, 2022 16 minutes ago, jfgw said: Bring a Trailer auction is live - https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2005-caterham-7-superlight-r/. Hope the car stays in the family! Good luck! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now