The Other Cars of USA7s Members (Non-Se7ens only)

[Bruce K]

Ha!  I enjoyed that rant.  Actually, my Alfa has provided over 20K trouble-free miles so far.  I built it below maximum specs for that reason.  But it's still fast as hell.  In a stoplight drag, I pulled better than a car length on a Ferrari 458.  The Alfa is my only DCT, and driving it is a bit like playing a video game.  The other two cars have 5 speeds, and it's great to swap seats among all three.  The involvement with the manuals is deeper, requiring advanced skills like heel-and-toeing and rev-matching while downshifting, but the DCT shifts faster than any human in the history of humans.

[wdb]

Ah, the Alfa 4C, which I someday hope to use to check "own an Alfa Romeo" off the list. Very nice!

 

I was out and about in the Caterham a couple of days ago, giving my son his first ride (he lives 2200 miles away). He was commenting on how the car boils the act of driving down to the very essentials. Which got me to thinking about the newest car in our little fleet -- a 2015 Mercedes Benz S65 AMG Coupe -- which is basically the direct antithesis to the Caterham.

 

If you've ever wondered what picture they should put in the dictionary next to "wretched excess", wonder no more. Mercedes already had an S63 AMG Coupe, with a 557 HP, 645 lb/ft twin turbo V8 and enough luxury to satisfy a sultan. But apparently enough customers cried out "where's the V12?" and so they made this. 4 more cylinders, just as many turbos, 621 HP, and a mind boggling 742 lb/ft of torque. (The AWD was left off, presumably because it didn't handle that torque.) That's diesel dually pickup truck territory. And if you look at the torque curve it jumps up instantly, and at 2200 RPMs it levels out to a perfectly flat line until it reaches 4500 RPMs. The effect is like nothing I've experienced before. In any normal driving situation all I have to do is *think* about wanting to hit a gap or get around another vehicle, and it has already happened. It's addictive. Corruption by torque.

 

Naturally enough Mercedes also had to layer even more luxury features onto the V12 variant, resulting in a car that has every luxury option known to man -- plus another six or seven. Swarovski crystals in the headlights? But of course; will 45 per light do? We'll plop a few more in various places inside the car while we're at it. Massaging seats? Hopefully 6 different massage modes are enough. Mercedes dumped enough extra foo onto this car to charge an extra $100K over the already expensive S63. 

 

The car is ridiculous. There is no other word. It's enormous, longer and wider than our E-Class wagon, and yet the back seat is cramped.  The brakes look big enough to stop a jumbo jet. The digital fuel gauge reads in percentage and the simple act of starting the car seemingly causes it to drop 5%, although the noises it exudes at startup almost make it worthwhile. Even the windshield washers are special, with the fluid being pumped out to the blade itself and exiting right next to it. Heaven forbid one should suffer a splash, I guess. Ridiculous.

 

Let me be very clear: we don't ordinarily move in these sorts of circles. The most I've ever spent on a vehicle purchase is well under $50K. I buy used, and I try to find bargains. But we had a death in the family, and there was an estate, and when the division of assets came to pass, NOBODY wanted this car. Can't say that I blame them, honestly. It is a pit into which money vanishes. But I waved my hand anyway. How often does one get the chance to live with a 620 HP V12, after all. And so we have it, and we'll enjoy it for a short while, hopefully take it on a few trips because it's as comfortable as you would imagine. A very soothing place to spend miles. But then we'll send it along to its next adventure.

 

 

 

[panamericano]

You still cannot beat a V12.  Enjoy it.

[Bruce K]

3 hours ago, wdb said:

Ah, the Alfa 4C, which I someday hope to use to check "own an Alfa Romeo" off the list. Very nice!

 

I was out and about in the Caterham a couple of days ago, giving my son his first ride (he lives 2200 miles away). He was commenting on how the car boils the act of driving down to the very essentials. Which got me to thinking about the newest car in our little fleet -- a 2015 Mercedes Benz S65 AMG Coupe -- which is basically the direct antithesis to the Caterham.

 

If you've ever wondered what picture they should put in the dictionary next to "wretched excess", wonder no more. Mercedes already had an S63 AMG Coupe, with a 557 HP, 645 lb/ft twin turbo V8 and enough luxury to satisfy a sultan. But apparently enough customers cried out "where's the V12?" and so they made this. 4 more cylinders, just as many turbos, 621 HP, and a mind boggling 742 lb/ft of torque. (The AWD was left off, presumably because it didn't handle that torque.) That's diesel dually pickup truck territory. And if you look at the torque curve it jumps up instantly, and at 2200 RPMs it levels out to a perfectly flat line until it reaches 4500 RPMs. The effect is like nothing I've experienced before. In any normal driving situation all I have to do is *think* about wanting to hit a gap or get around another vehicle, and it has already happened. It's addictive. Corruption by torque.

 

Naturally enough Mercedes also had to layer even more luxury features onto the V12 variant, resulting in a car that has every luxury option known to man -- plus another six or seven. Swarovski crystals in the headlights? But of course; will 45 per light do? We'll plop a few more in various places inside the car while we're at it. Massaging seats? Hopefully 6 different massage modes are enough. Mercedes dumped enough extra foo onto this car to charge an extra $100K over the already expensive S63. 

 

The car is ridiculous. There is no other word. It's enormous, longer and wider than our E-Class wagon, and yet the back seat is cramped.  The brakes look big enough to stop a jumbo jet. The digital fuel gauge reads in percentage and the simple act of starting the car seemingly causes it to drop 5%, although the noises it exudes at startup almost make it worthwhile. Even the windshield washers are special, with the fluid being pumped out to the blade itself and exiting right next to it. Heaven forbid one should suffer a splash, I guess. Ridiculous.

 

Let me be very clear: we don't ordinarily move in these sorts of circles. The most I've ever spent on a vehicle purchase is well under $50K. I buy used, and I try to find bargains. But we had a death in the family, and there was an estate, and when the division of assets came to pass, NOBODY wanted this car. Can't say that I blame them, honestly. It is a pit into which money vanishes. But I waved my hand anyway. How often does one get the chance to live with a 620 HP V12, after all. And so we have it, and we'll enjoy it for a short while, hopefully take it on a few trips because it's as comfortable as you would imagine. A very soothing place to spend miles. But then we'll send it along to its next adventure.

 

 

 

Terrific article - I had no idea such a model existed.  IMO an iconic V12 with these capabilities is a keeper, although I do not believe such beasts will entirely disappear from new production anytime soon.  As Mark Twain commented regarding certain false news, "Rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated."  I believe the same will be true regarding the internal combustion engine.  Battery tech is at the stage of Stanley Steamer tech 100 years ago, and requires major evolutions in weight, power density, availability of scarce raw materials, fire resistance, required charging time, recycling ability and more.  And then our power grid must multiply itself by3 or more times to handle the load.  Once fusion power is upon is, and electricity plummets in cost, and once battery tech has resolved these current huge problems, electric cars will come to dominate.  But until then, there are 1.2 BILLION IC cars on the road, millions more are being produced each year, they are getting cleaner every model year, gas stations exist on every next corner, and there is enough fuel in the ground for a couple centuries - so ride the wave!

[lucky dawg]

My 2021 mid-engined C8 Corvette w/ Z51 option. A very different way to achieve much of what my CSR can do. Biggest downside: now harder to convince wife to go for drives in our Caterham.

[rcollum]

My current sports car (other than the Seven) is our 2007 Lotus Elise.  Bought it new back in 2007, as an all-red exterior.  From the factory, it had a black interior, but my wife thought that would be bad for summer driving in shorts.  She was paying, so we had the dealer in Southern California swap in a tan interior from a nearby new green Elise - SOLD!  This is my second Lotus; I had a 1972 Europa Twincam that I bought used in 1980, with 20k miles on it.  Drove that car for 21 years, and over 120k miles.  Sold it in 2001. 

 

After the Europa sold in 2001, I went cold turkey until 2007.  We love the Elise - all the more so, since we had the transformation to the Type 49 Special Edition look (via white vinyl wrap, and genuine Lotus gold decals) done two years ago.  It took another year to find the Sport 240 wheels, and get them gold powder-coated.  This 'special edition', commemorating the Gold Leaf Team Lotus F1 livery was never imported to the US, but was available for the rest of the world.  I asked about having the factory build it for me, back in 2006, but they asked $10,000 for it.  That was a 'no'.

 

In 2012, we added another British car to our garage - a 2007 Jaguar XK Coupe.  We loved the style, and especially the color!  However, as it turns out, the wife never got comfortable driving it, so...

 

We added our Caterham in 2015, replacing the Jaguar, which we sold.  I've declared that I will drive the Seven 'until I can't get in & out of it anymore'.  So far, so good! 

I drive the Elise, whenever it's too cold (usually, under 40F), or raining.

 

--Bob Collum

 

[Vovchandr]

Time to take the title for the cheapest car here that's my daily. Honestly just the sales tax alone of some of the cars posted here cost more than the my daily, my Xc70 and my Miata combined. 

 

07 Versa 6spd. 55k miles. More fun to drive than you might think. Definitely more fun that some of the auto commuter appliances out there now a days. 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by Vovchandr

[Bruce K]

19 hours ago, Vovchandr said:

Time to take the title for the cheapest car here that's my daily. Honestly just the sales tax alone of some of the cars costs more than the my daily, my Xc70 and my Miata combined. 

 

07 Versa 6spd. 55k miles. More fun to drive than you might think. Definitely more fun that some of the auto commuter appliances out there now a days. 

 

 

ANY CAR is fun to drive.  If our only choice was between horses and Trabants, every guy on this forum would be driving a Communist piece of crap around on two wheels.  And your Nissan Versa is amazingly better than than any Trabant or Yugo - plenty peppy, with 122 horsepower.  Lots of traction with FWD.  Light weight.  Relatively wide track.  Cars are like women - endless arrays of virtues in different species and quantities - curves of every imaginable variety - some individually easier to get along with than others, but all are attractive to somebody - and so much better than a horse, for almost every purpose!

Edited April 8, 2023 by Bruce K

[Bruce K]

On 4/7/2023 at 8:51 AM, rcollum said:

My current sports car (other than the Seven) is our 2007 Lotus Elise.  Bought it new back in 2007, as an all-red exterior.  From the factory, it had a black interior, but my wife thought that would be bad for summer driving in shorts.  She was paying, so we had the dealer in Southern California swap in a tan interior from a nearby new green Elise - SOLD!  This is my second Lotus; I had a 1972 Europa Twincam that I bought used in 1980, with 20k miles on it.  Drove that car for 21 years, and over 120k miles.  Sold it in 2001. 

 

After the Europa sold in 2001, I went cold turkey until 2007.  We love the Elise - all the more so, since we had the transformation to the Type 49 Special Edition look (via white vinyl wrap, and genuine Lotus gold decals) done two years ago.  It took another year to find the Sport 240 wheels, and get them gold powder-coated.  This 'special edition', commemorating the Gold Leaf Team Lotus F1 livery was never imported to the US, but was available for the rest of the world.  I asked about having the factory build it for me, back in 2006, but they asked $10,000 for it.  That was a 'no'.

 

In 2012, we added another British car to our garage - a 2007 Jaguar XK Coupe.  We loved the style, and especially the color!  However, as it turns out, the wife never got comfortable driving it, so...

 

We added our Caterham in 2015, replacing the Jaguar, which we sold.  I've declared that I will drive the Seven 'until I can't get in & out of it anymore'.  So far, so good! 

I drive the Elise, whenever it's too cold (usually, under 40F), or raining.

 

--Bob Collum

 

Nice story.  You neglected to include photo(s) of the Caterham.  The evolution of your Lotus Elise is something I understand.  The earlier, pre-Chinese Loti are wife material - cars with whom you want to establish a lifelong relationship.  You end up not caring much about the extent of your investment, because you believe you will be together forever.  As with human relationships, sometimes things fall apart, or other interests intervene, but we seem to return to our original loves again at later points.  Sevens are Loti under the skin, and I've owned four.  I would have stayed with the first, but I kept following the power, like a breast guy going up in cup sizes.  The formula is responsible for this loyalty - light weight, big power, instant yet predictable reflexes, the ability to steer with the throttle, boat anchor brakes, and more.  

Edited April 8, 2023 by Bruce K

[MV8]

Who doesn't love gocarts? I always "reserve" the smallest rental cars available. Then when gas became expensive, I was always stuck with an "upgrade" to an suv or truck. I drove versas, Pt Cruisers, Aveos, and Yaris. Always automatics but still fun. Work cars are always bigger.

 

Amateur! No Vovchandr, your versa is not the cheapest car. My "daily driver" (I've not driven daily in years) is a Ford Aspire two door, 5spd, mazda B3 sohc (non-interference) 1.3L, 63 hp. Some comments I receive are "It feels like we are flying!" or "How many clowns does it hold?".

 

My tires used to be about $7-10 each but you don't want to hear about my problems. Best mpg I ever accomplished when the moons aligned was 55.

 

My fueling range is designed to be similar to most vehicles so the tank is very small. From below E to topped off is about 7 gallons. When gas is $3/gal, its $21. If it's $5/gal, it's still only $35.

 

Blue book value is probably about $100.

 

My favorite is the yaris but there are so many cool small cars these days.

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by MV8
Add fill up info.

[rcollum]

16 hours ago, Bruce K said:

Nice story.  You neglected to include photo(s) of the Caterham.  The evolution of your Lotus Elise is something I understand.  The earlier, pre-Chinese Loti are wife material - cars with whom you want to establish a lifelong relationship.  You end up not caring much about the extent of your investment, because you believe you will be together forever.  As with human relationships, sometimes things fall apart, or other interests intervene, but we seem to return to our original loves again at later points.  Sevens are Loti under the skin, and I've owned four.  I would have stayed with the first, but I kept following the power, like a breast guy going up in cup sizes.  The formula is responsible for this loyalty - light weight, big power, instant yet predictable reflexes, the ability to steer with the throttle, boat anchor brakes, and more.  

Sorry - I took the 'non-Sevens' part seriously.  Here's my Caterham:

 

 

[wdb]

18 hours ago, Vovchandr said:

Time to take the title for the cheapest car here that's my daily. Honestly just the sales tax alone of some of the cars posted here cost more than the my daily, my Xc70 and my Miata combined. 

 

07 Versa 6spd. 55k miles. More fun to drive than you might think. Definitely more fun that some of the auto commuter appliances out there now a days. 

Oh I am sure it is fun to drive! I had a 2008 Honda Fit that I commuted in for 100K miles. That car was a full-on hoot to toss around. I put a skid pan under the engine bay to get rid of its tendency to wander at the slightest hint of of sidewinds, which worked quite well and added 5MPH to my favorite exit ramp velocity. I also found some Mugen rims from the 1990's that weighed just 9.5 lbs. apiece, which really made the car feel nimble. Lamentably it was destroyed in a violent hailstorm.

[Bruce K]

2 hours ago, rcollum said:

Sorry - I took the 'non-Sevens' part seriously.  Here's my Caterham:

 

 

Very nice, and looks very much like my first Cat:  Non-FIA rollbar, exposed aluminum skin, BRG nose and fenders, Minilite-style wheels, Ford cross-flow motor, chromed headlight buckets.  The only discernable difference is my first Cat wore clamshells, which I never owned again - aerodynamically speaking, how do you make a brick worse?  Add clamshells!

 

I looked again at your commemorative Elise - exceptionally pretty.

Edited April 8, 2023 by Bruce K

[vipergeek]

On 3/4/2023 at 6:37 PM, panamericano said:

Well said, Bruce.  So happens I had a long chat with a Morgan trike owner at C&C this morning and he sounded a lot like a Seven owner.  However his interior was so beautifully trimmed I could hardly believe it.  Turns out he liked so much of a similar experience as a road driven Seven.  

 

As an aside, the slant 6 Valiants did very well in Mexico against the Falcons.

@ panaericano - Where was the C&C?  After meeting you at the BaT event in Dallas I've been looking for one, or more.

[panamericano]

Ha, let me know if you find one.  The one I mentioned was a one off by Hagerty.  For some years there was a big one every week at the BMW dealer in Plano.  They quit and then something I do not understand transpired.  I never though C&C was some kind of franchise, but the news said Rawlings of Gas Monkey Garage bought it.  He made promises of how he would get it going bigger and better.  Now there are only one-offs a couple times a year.  All British & European Car Day at Whiterock lake is coming 5/7.  Park Cities Historical Preservation has a nice car show 29 Apr 2023 10:00 AM .  I don't know of much else in DFW other than motorsport events.

 

Burleson Park at SMU

[scannon]

Google Cars & Coffee or C&C and your city name and you should be able to find a few in most any city.  I'm aware of 8 in the Denver area. I attend three of those regularly.  The largest usually gets 300 - 400 cars if the sun is shining.

[Croc]

 

Time to wake up this thread with another of my project cars - BMW E9 CSL Coupe.   If I knew what I knew now, I am not sure I would have started this project as is snowballed....big time.

 

 

 

I started in 2014 when I imported the car to the US.  Its base state was a tired race car.  Was running the 1990 era BMW M5 S38 3.5L straight 6.  But it had corrosion issues.  Much of the panels were not the CSL aluminum.  I thought it would be a strip and sort.  I was wrong - it ended up going bare metal restoration.

 

What I started with:

 

 

 

That eventually ended up like this.   Complete strip[ back to bare metal.  

 

 

 

The strip back was educational as we really did not have much information on the history of the car.  The BMW Motorsport livery is a distraction -  it was never a BMW Motorsport car.  It started as a French market CS coupe in Malaga red.   At some point it was converted to a race car.  Its second color was silver and in the research with BMW Historic folks in Germany, an old photo of a French hill climb car was surfaced with Group 2 CSL body kit.  The holes found in the strip back seem to support that body kit being on the car before.  Then it went white at some point and a Group 5 body kit installed.  I have a photo which I think is the 80s of the car in Martini livery in France (based on period cars around it plus its license plate).  At some point after that it went from Martini livery to the BMW Motorsport livery.

 

The work needed was substantial.  New Matter roll cage as the old one would have punch the floor through in a roll over!   New CSL aluminum panels - steel frames of the hood, trunk and doors were skinned in aluminum - all done by hand by a specialist in California who was spectacular with an English wheel.  New fuel system.  Totally refreshed suspension.  All new dash/wiring.   For the initial phase the engine, diff and transmission were kept as is.  

 

 

 

A lot of the swiss cheesing on the frame was already done  for weight reduction.  These are not light cars.  The ground up Motorsport cars were around 2300-2350lbs.  Converted road cars were more like 2400-2450lb even after the Jenny Craig  

 

 

 

 

 

Despite the level of swiss cheese below plus the new aluminum skin, the trunk lid is still not a light panel!  

 

 

 

 

Given the history was vague, it was suggested to go with a tribute livery of the Alf Gebhardt 1978 Daytona car.  The original of this car is still running on track albeit with a Motorsport livery.  Using the 1978 photos, the livery was replicated in vinyl.  The thinking was if the history ever becomes better known, then this could be reversed. 

 

 

 

 

At this point the car came back to me for some initial testing.  The S38 engine was way down on power.  The gearbox was a road box so overdriven 5th gear.  The diff seemed like a moonshot ratio - I was getting overtaken by aggressive E30 328s on track.  Handling was not bad but it needed fettling.  Brakes were modest.  Lots of bump steer.  

 

 

 

Interior got the race dash plus Motorsport center console.  Steering wheel is the correct BMW Motorsport original.  

 

 

 

 

 

Next step was to Korman's in SC for a new engine, install the close ratio "race gearbox" and a new 40% slip LSD.  The engine was done as an M30 block, 3.5L, straight 6.  I decided I could not afford the $130-150K for an M49 4 valve cylinder head (that would need to be be refurbished) so I stuck with the 2 valve cylinder head out of expediency.  That was not a mistype of the price.  I also decided the Kugelfischer injection with slide throttle was going to be pricey and somewhat fiddly to maintain.  I decided on 3 webers - they do not give up much on the Kugelfischer.  They also sound good.    Korman also installed the power steering as I found it too heavy in manual mode on track.  Engine is dry sumped.  Because of packaging issues, the dry sump tank cannot be located in the engine bay.  So it is located in the trunk.  Good for weight balance but....I have what seems like a couple of miles of oil hose going from front to back through the cabin.  

 

 

 

The engine building exercise took a LONG time.  They built one and had it on  the dyno when it melted down.  Turns out the dry sump system failed from a manufacturer fault.  So they had to build a brand new engine again for me (at their cost).  I believe some of their other customers also suffered.  ouch.  

 

Engine has a little over 300hp at the flywheel.  Injection would add 15-25hp depending on the engine builder exaggerating.  The M49 cylinder head (if I could buy one) would add 100hp.  Cost for that is about $1300-1400 for each hp.   I am still in a period correct configuration so can upgrade if I find a cylinder head.  Some vintage classes allow the later S38 engine to be used - it is a 4 valve head.  I still have that engine at Kormans to rebuild.    

 

 

[Croc]

 

Part 2 of the BMW post

 

 

So we decided on a shakedown run at VIR.  Ray Korman came and drove the car to check it.  He raced these in period so knows his E9 CSLs.  He may be 80+ but he is damn quick.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly the weather that July 2020 weekend precluded a thorough test as it bucketed cats and dogs.  Rather than risk the Bimmer on slicks (I had no wets) I went out in the Caterham to slither around - what a track!

 

 

 

So fast forward to today

 

 

 

Yes inside front is lifting below

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The punch list of items we continue to work on:

- Need to adjust diff ramp and oil weight to tune slip.  Video shows the noise well.

- Tach is not reading accurate.  

- Brakes still being fine tuned but I think I need to accept I have the same Caterham brakes on a car weighing double!

- I think the handling is now there - I can lift the inside front going through turn 4 at Thunderbolt flat (with no lift) - only car I have ever done that in on that corner 

- in one corner at one circuit (NJMP Thunderbolt) I get fuel starvation or surge.  Its a weber issue where (I think) the weber float is oscillating under Gs in that corner (the Jersey Devil corner).  Cannot replicate on any other corner at any other track.  This is the big issue to solve as you lose at least 3 seconds a lap here.

 

The most recent video.  This is September 2024.  I am still being cautious (ok....as Bruce will put it - I am driving like a pussy) and am coasting a lot as I try to diagnose the diff and work out the handling.   Tach is still playing up, I am driving by ear to sense when I am getting the valve lift.  The rubbing noise in certain corners is from the diff not slipping as much as it should. 

 

Its an interesting car to drive.  Most forgiving.  Responds well to being grabbed by the scruff of the neck and being thrown around.  I am still wary of it as I am still working up to its limits - its an extremely expensive car and you just do not casually throw it at a corner without a lot of thought.  I am uninsured driving on track.   It feels quite heavy but that is just from feeling planted solidly on the road.  10 inch front BBS and 11 inch wide on the rears.  

 

 

 

The car development goes on.  Still at least 4-5 seconds a lap left to come out of it.  

 

 

 

[das76]

Here are my other 2 fun cars!

 

1979 Austin Mini: I have had this car for 30 years, since I was 17. I completely stripped it down shortly after getting it and rebuilt it all with my dad. It's priceless to me.

 

Last spring I picked up a 1991 Porsche 911 Turbo (964 generation) which was imported from Japan.

 

This spring I picked up my 2005 Superlight R: 

 

[Bruce K]

11 hours ago, Croc said:

 

Part 2 of the BMW post

 

 

So we decided on a shakedown run at VIR.  Ray Korman came and drove the car to check it.  He raced these in period so knows his E9 CSLs.  He may be 80+ but he is damn quick.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sadly the weather that July 2020 weekend precluded a thorough test as it bucketed cats and dogs.  Rather than risk the Bimmer on slicks (I had no wets) I went out in the Caterham to slither around - what a track!

 

 

 

So fast forward to today

 

 

 

Yes inside front is lifting below

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The punch list of items we continue to work on:

- Need to adjust diff ramp and oil weight to tune slip.  Video shows the noise well.

- Tach is not reading accurate.  

- Brakes still being fine tuned but I think I need to accept I have the same Caterham brakes on a car weighing double!

- I think the handling is now there - I can lift the inside front going through turn 4 at Thunderbolt flat (with no lift) - only car I have ever done that in on that corner 

- in one corner at one circuit (NJMP Thunderbolt) I get fuel starvation or surge.  Its a weber issue where (I think) the weber float is oscillating under Gs in that corner (the Jersey Devil corner).  Cannot replicate on any other corner at any other track.  This is the big issue to solve as you lose at least 3 seconds a lap here.

 

The most recent video.  This is March 2022.  I am still being cautious (ok....as Bruce will put it - I am driving like a pussy) and am coasting a lot as I tried to diagnose the diff and work out the handling.   Tach is still playing up, I am driving by ear to sense when I am getting the valve lift.  The rubbing noise in certain corners is from the diff not slipping as much as it should.  Replacement diff is yet to go in.  

 

 

 

 

Its an interesting car to drive.  Most forgiving.  Responds well to being grabbed by the scruff of the neck and being thrown around.  I am still wary of it as I am still working up to its limits - its an extremely expensive car and you just do not casually throw it at a corner without a lot of thought.  I am uninsured driving on track.   It feels quite heavy but that is just from feeling planted solidly on the road.  10 inch front BBS and 11 inch wide on the rears.  

 

The car development goes on.  Still at least 7 seconds a lap left to come out of it.  

 

 

 

Croc - I'm proud to know you!  I am well aware of your huge project, Cat Kong, which would be more than enough for most of us.  Now I find out about an even more massive project in this BMW - bully for you.  It is skilled driver/collectors like you that give sports car enthusiasts like us a good name.  You are preserving the past while augmenting the future, adding this glorious old race car to grid retinues around the USA.  I had the privilege to drive a 1987 BMW 325 IS on track this past weekend, piloting it in an effort to qualify for an SCCA competition license.  Your last paragraph perfectly describes my experience with that lighter - but still heavy by Caterham standards - sedan.  Perhaps it is a trait of BMW sedans from the 70's and 80's - call it grace under pressure.  Regarding insurance, it's a good thing I purchased trackday insurance for the event, as day one was run in the wet, and a certain notorious off-camber hilltop at our local track got sheeted with draining rain, and threw me for a spin into the armco - one of three cars that sinister spot victimized on the same day.  But I passed the three day course, which included two 12 hour days, and am now qualified  to participate in Vintage races with the T70.  Once again - bully for Croc, who favors us all with his automotive passion.

Edited May 1, 2023 by Bruce K