slngsht Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 I'll start... Mechanical Engineer by training, but have spent most of my career in programming and developer management. Most of my experience is SQL and .NET. I've had a couple of small businesses - one of which specialized in conversion of cars to Natural Gas and Propane (did about 1000 cars). I have two boys (7 and 4), who run me to the ground everyday, and a patient wife http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smile5.gif. I live near Washington, DC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevet Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 I'll bite. Trained as an artist, spent 22 years in advertising (a trade once famously descibed as 'a pimple on the arsehole of comerce'), gave it all up, moved to Virginia and now a working artist. I'm a brit; built my first Catreham in 1996 - 1700 Supersprint - my second is the second from the right in the photo banner above. Married with one daughter and living in Charlottesville, Va. As I am fond of saying, "happiness is not around the corner, happiness is the corner" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr2dux Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 Sure, why not.... In a former life, I was in "professional recreation" in Eugene Oregon, running the bicycle recreation program for City of Eugene. Tough job but somebody had to do it! http://www.usa7s.com/forum/smileys/wink5.gif That introduced me to therapists who introduced me to my current field (for the last 30 years or so). I am a clinical Prosthetist Orthotist (artificial limbs and braces), and still love it every day. I've got people falling all over themselves to see me, even though some of 'em don't have a leg to stand on! I got into the 7 bug while watching every episode of "The Prisoner"..several times.. as a kid. I also had a (missed!http://www.usa7s.com/forum/smileys/cuss.gif) opportunity to buy what I think was a series 2 in pieces for $1500 in 1971, with a Lotus twincam...also in pieces, in my last year of High School near Denver. But that yearning never went away, and I never stopped wanting to build and own one. It became obvious that its better to own one while I still had the relative youth to drive the stink out of it. I now have an '05 SV, working on building up my second engine, have a serious case of 'permagrin', and accept that its one of the single best decisions I've ever made! Mark mr2dux2006-08-17 19:18:29 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pksurveyor Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 I have been an admirer of the Seven since my college days. I saw my first real Seven stuck in traffic in front of the hotel I was staying in Hong Kong. The car was invisible among the double decker buses and the driver was melting in the summer heat. I told myself that this looks like fun and I got to get me one. Fortunately we have a Caterham dealer in Texas, so now I have a Caterham SV to keep my Lotus Esprit V8 company. I owns a civil engineering/land surveying consulting firm for more than 20 years. My daily driver is a Hummer H2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al N. Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Al N. here. I still toil in the "pimple" which Steve T mentions...he and I have laughed in person about it before. After years of working for others, I co-founded a small ad agency in NJ. I live in Hunterdon County on a very rural property (enough field space to host dozens of Sevens should we ever want to have a Northeast meet!) with my wife and two young daughters (6 and 8), a cat, and a resident herd of deer. My wife is a photographer: www.laurabillingham.com. My Seven story is recounted on my blog at gardenstatesevens.org. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slngsht Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 I saw my first real Seven stuck in traffic in front of the hotel I was staying in Hong Kong. The car was invisible among the double decker buses and the driver was melting in the summer heat. I told myself that this looks like fun and I got to get me one. Fortunately we have a Caterham dealer in Texas, so now I have a Caterham SV to keep my Lotus Esprit V8 company. I owns a civil engineering/land surveying consulting firm for more than 20 years. My daily driver is a Hummer H2. How true http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chetcpo Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Hello, My name is Chet Burdette and I am a Prosthetist by trade. (I design and fit artificial limbs) I'm currently building a Lotus 7 replica from scratch (no kit) with a Miata donor. I'm still a long way from finishing but I've spent the past year planning the build. I found this site when Slngsht posted an invite to your get together next summer over on the locostusa.com forums. This place is really nice, whoever put it together did a nice job.http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smile5.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slngsht Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 Chet, I guess you and Mark (mr2dux) are in the same field... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dimlight65 Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 I am a forty year old slacker. My job is as "the A/V kid" at the corporate office for the BNSF Railway Company. I'm single with no plans of becoming otherwise. A buddy of mine saw a Seven on the road and called to say I really needed one. I has lusted after a Seven for some time and decided to build a Locost. Well, that plan got sidetracked by an assembled Cobra kit that I bought instead. At the 2004 Southwest Sevens Festival, Bernie Long said to me, "When you are ready to go FAST, get rid of that and buy a Seven." I sold the Cobra the next day and a few months later bought a BIY Birkin kit (a frame and some boxes of parts). With Datsuns being my first love, I built my seven around the engine and transmission from a B-210. I "finished" the car eleven and a half months after bringing it to the shop. Dual SU carburetors replaced the single DCOE over the winter and I have now clocked almost 4,000 miles. I'm looking forward to the LOG in October (?) here in the Metroplex as well as the Tail O' The Dragon event next July. See y'all there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solder_guy Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Hi: I'm an emergency medicine physician. I had never seen a Lotus 7 until I finally checked out "The Prisoner" TV show in 2004. Google answered my question, "What is that car?" eBay introduced me to the Rotus 7 one of which was auctioned off in Oct'04. I love Toyotas so the Rotus was going to be the car for me. But I had to do some research and had to convince my wife about this purchase. So I bought a book titled, _Lotus 7 and the Independents_ and photocopied the Rotus 7 section. I left those copied pages on my wife's dresser. Then on the bed and other places where she would see it. Then the Chris Custer estate offered the two Rotus cars for sale. Well she finally said, "Why don't you go ahead and buy that car." She had no idea that I had already sent a check to the executor, Tim Custer. Now here I wait patiently and hope that the Rotus #14 car will be in my driveway soon. Rob Mitchell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderbrake Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 I am a Mechanical Engineer by training, and was a business owner and president of a manufacturing company for many years. The company manufactured magnetic particle clutches and brakes, and tension control systems. I have designed and patented powderbrakes and strain gage load cells, hence my "powderbrake" moniker. ( see >www.magpowr.com) I am retired now, and when I decided to build a car, I knew I wanted a Seven, so I checked out the available kits, and decided on an Ultralite for it's roominess and it's Honda engine. It has been very reliable. I was fortunate to have my car featured on Kit Car Mag's cover last year. See >http://www.kitcarmag.com/featuredvehicles/0509kc_ultralite_s2k_kit_car/ I mostly use the car a a semi-daily driver in good weather, and my wife and I take cruises by ourselves and with the local Lotus club. We have a lot of good twisty roads in Missouri, and we recently did 600 miles of twisties over 3 days with three other sevens guys. I have had it on the track at Run & Gun twice, and once at Motorsports Ranch for the 2005 Southwest Sevens Festival. and I am looking forward to Run&Gun 2006 this October. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No_6 Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Hi everyone, This feels a little like a 12-step program, but here goes. My name's Terry, and I too work that pimple here in Seattle. Hey, it pays the bills, sort-of. I first noticed the 7 when watching the Prisoner during the PBS fundraisers 13 years ago. I immediately thought it was a squat, ugly little thing. Funny thing is the longer I looked at the thing, the more it grew on me. I finally test drove one two years ago, and it was all over. I passed on that one (a 99 Birkin with low mileage that I could have had for 16,500! grrrr). And I am now this (picture thumb and forefinger 1/4 inch apart) from getting a 97 Caterham 1600 classic. The check is quite literally in the mail. We'll see. I don't want to jinx it. If I get the car, it will be my daily driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevet Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Welcome aboard No 6 - are you at Wieden & Kennedy by any chance? I was an Ogilvy man. Hope the car comes through, you will not regret it. Steve T PS: Middlesbrough just beat Chelsea in the EPL - just had to tell SOMEONE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No_6 Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Welcome aboard No 6 - are you at Wieden & Kennedy by any chance? I was an Ogilvy man. Hope the car comes through, you will not regret it. Steve T PS: Middlesbrough just beat Chelsea in the EPL - just had to tell SOMEONE! A variety of places. Evans Group/Publicis for a very short while. Lately I've been a gun-for-hire and have helped out at Y&R and AvenueA. Being hourly has improved my blood pressure and general outlook on life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solder_guy Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Ok .. that's three of us who discovered the 7 through "The Prisoner" TV show! http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/iagree.gif Rob Mitchell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soareyes Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 Make that four! I was in my early teens when I watched the Prisoner series, and of course fell in love with the car. Through the years I would see the occassional review in one of the car magazines and my interest would be renewed. Finally, a couple years ago, Autoweek Magazine on SpeedVision had a burgundy Caterham SV on the show when it was being introduced in the US. I decided it was now or never on getting a Seven (I was nearing 50 years old!) so I seriously started looking for a car to buy. Strangely, I had never seen a Seven in person up till then! I contacted Magnus Feuer, who runs the California Caterham Club web site here in S. California, and asked for a ride in his new SV. He graciously agreed, and proceeded to scare the crap out of me http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/eek6.gif but of course I enjoyed every second of the drive and soon had my own Seven, a Birkin http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/hurray.gif Stan (I'm an optometrist in private practice in S. Calif.)soareyes2006-08-24 14:53:14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solder_guy Posted August 24, 2006 Share Posted August 24, 2006 He graciously agreed, and proceeded to scare the crap out of me http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/eek6.gif but of course I enjoyed every second of the drive and soon had my own Seven, a Birkin http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/hurray.gif Hehe! http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/lol.gif That's kinda what I am wishing Mazda will do to me if I ever get in his Franken7! http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/images/emoticons/smile5.gif Actually I got a KAR120C tag off eBay/UK last year and mounted it on the front of my Celica! I also joined "The Prisoner" Fan Club for one year. Their fanzine is well done .. but too much over the top in detailed analysis of the show for me to continue. I really haven't gotten into reading the issues. Rob Mitchell solder_guy2006-08-24 15:00:08 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al N. Posted August 25, 2006 Share Posted August 25, 2006 FWIW, I think just about any spirited drive in a Seven as a passenger is terrifying, even if you are in the hands of an expert driver....maybe especially so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No_6 Posted August 25, 2006 Share Posted August 25, 2006 FWIW, I think just about any spirited drive in a Seven as a passenger is terrifying, even if you are in the hands of an expert driver....maybe especially so? I think its the fact that the car is so small and low to the ground the sensation of speed is greatly enhanced. Sitting on the rear axle is also an experience 99.9% of the people out there are probably not used to; To be honest, I have not been in a 7 with someone steering with the throttle, but I imagine the experience is a real lower-intestinal track clincher. No_62006-08-25 09:03:01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al N. Posted August 25, 2006 Share Posted August 25, 2006 On my test drive (the one time I haven't been at the wheel), I told the guy from Mid-Atlantic that "he didn't have to try and kill me" after the first burst of acceleration into a bend. I've never driven bonkers with a passenger, btw. I can tell the car balance is different than with just me and don't want to "play" on public roads with that level of uncertainty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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