So, tell us a little about yourselves

[Al N.]

Can we get some of the new folks to share their stories here? I mean, if I can fess up to being off course and slow for my first 4 auto-x runs, some of you new folks can let us know what you drive, do - how you found us, etc.

 

-Al

[Bill Klingelsmith]

Saw my first 7 as a teen in the early 70's @ Nelson Ledges, OH. A good friend of my Dads was running SCCA in a Saab Sonett and they let me tag along to torgue the wheels and clean the windshield. There were some gorgeous cars in those days but for me the 7 just stood out. I owned a couple Mini's and MGs and for no good reason even a Fiat in the years to come but promised myself one day I'd have a 7.

All of a sudden I'm looking at the big five oh and I realized there was a Volvo in my garage, a wagon no less, I decided it was time. I searched for two years for a suitable 7 when one night while surfing E-Bay I noticed a X-flow engine for sale. I e-mailed the owner and told him I wasn't interested in the motor but was curious if by chance the engine was for a 7 and if so if he might know where I might find one. Turned out he owned an S2 and was in the process of buying an S1, he also told me he might be willing to sell the S2 to the right person. That's how I became the proud owner of a 1962 Super Seven 1500 Cosworth.

The "twisty-turny" roads of the Mountain State (WV) form a wonderful playground for the car and I and if it weren't raining chances are that's where you'd find us now.

Bill

 

[slngsht]

Saw my first 7 as a teen in the early 70's @ Nelson Ledges, OH. A good friend of my Dads was running SCCA in a Saab Sonett and they let me tag along to torgue the wheels and clean the windshield. There were some gorgeous cars in those days but for me the 7 just stood out. I owned a couple Mini's and MGs and for no good reason even a Fiat in the years to come but promised myself one day I'd have a 7.

All of a sudden I'm looking at the big five oh and I realized there was a Volvo in my garage, a wagon no less, I decided it was time. I searched for two years for a suitable 7 when one night while surfing E-Bay I noticed a X-flow engine for sale. I e-mailed the owner and told him I wasn't interested in the motor but was curious if by chance the engine was for a 7 and if so if he might know where I might find one. Turned out he owned an S2 and was in the process of buying an S1, he also told me he might be willing to sell the S2 to the right person. That's how I became the proud owner of a 1962 Super Seven 1500 Cosworth.

The "twisty-turny" roads of the Mountain State (WV) form a wonderful playground for the car and I and if it weren't raining chances are that's where you'd find us now.

Bill

 

Cool way to find a Seven!

 

What part of WV? I'm putting together a drive from the DC area to Snowshoe this Sept.

[Mandurath]

Truck driver here. A few years at college when i made the discovery that I hated working on other peoples cars. An interesting insight when training to do exactly that. So, hopped in a truck and been rolling ever since. Figure i am between the 2.0 and 2.5 million mile mark. Didn't know that much about 7's until i read the article in MT about Locosts. Got me interested, enough so that it became my new hobby, project etc. Wife calls it my obsession. Currently have a Ford f150, Dodge D100 (leaving ot make room for the 7 ), Toyota Corolla, T Bird, and Sea Ray 180sv. Only other toys had been straight line, but the autox and rally races I had seen looked fun. And lasted alot longer. So I found LocostUSA forum (which led me here) and lurked for a bit while I researched. My Tbird went on the back burner while i searched and saved. Bought a partially completed project off of another member (Randidly) which i have begun work on. Currently just finish welding and figuring out what is the next step to take. Hope to have it as a running roller this coming spring. After which i am looking forward to my own first autox and driving tests that summer.

[athens7]

Car nut since a toddler, in the car business for 24 years (46 now). Saw my first Seven 20 years ago, when a guy drove one to the dealership where I worked. Didn't start owning my own cars until about 10 years ago (demonstrators are nice!), but since then I've had a 1971 240Z, 1987 MR2, 1993 Miata, 1987 Alfa Spider Quad, and a 2003 Beck 550 Spyder. The Spyder and the Caterham were the two cars I had always coveted, and, thanks to an understanding wife, I've had a chance to own both. Northeast Georgia is a great place to drive fun cars, with lots of nearby, quiet, twisty roads, plus, Road Atlanta is 45 minutes away. The Spyder was neither safe enough, nor strong enough to track, so now I have the car for the job, it just needs a more skilled driver. Any thoughts on driving school choices (expensive!) or other opportunities to gain experience would be welcome; I know just enough to know I don't know much.

[RGTorque]

after reading many replys here i feel wayyyyyy to young to even be posting, but here goes.

 

I crave attention, thrills, and tight corners. ive fallen for the car bug about 5-6 years ago when i bought a vw corrado sight unseen from FL. that car was a complete mess and i had to learn how to work on it myself in order to keep it on the road. i turned from nerdy computer geek to corrado freak. my first corrado turned heads, won shows, and was featured in magazines and calendars. now 24 years old having finished business school in Penn State i own/run a warehouse and distribution center for a company in germany. We offer all sorts of euro spec and aftermarket items for vw's and audi's. I fell in love with the caterham after watching some videos on youtube years ago. now that i can aford such a toy i am eager to get one. currently i drive my wonderful 2003 jetta tdi wagon which has its share of power mods. im currently selling off my 5 year collection of corrado parts in order to purchase a se7en.

 

here is a pic of my old corrado in case anyone is interested.

 

 

http://www.hostdub.com/albums/GotEuroCorrado/steve_shots1.sized.jpg

[Al N.]

after reading many replys here i feel wayyyyyy to young to even be posting, but here goes.

 

You haven't met Paul, Dino, and Seth yet...have you?

 

The best part is that I bet some of our owners/forum members in their 60s and 70s can SPANK many of us when it comes to driving.

 

If you can stand hanging around with some of "old" 30, 40, and 50 somethings, there are quite a few of us in the PA/NJ area, stay posted for group drive announcements, etc.

 

BTW, what is the name of your company? I used to have an MTM Stage 2 Avant (as well as a VR6 GTI) and my bro had the g60 Corrado back in the day.

[RGTorque]

The company i hold the warehouse for is TmTuning.com. as for driving skills i am very limited. my experiance extends to back roads and the auto x i do is usually avoiding deer at dusk

[slngsht]

EvilRomeo, welcome aboard. You'll find hanging out with us old farts ain't that bad

[WestTexasS2K]

EvilRomeo welcome aboard no matter what your age is. We could use some young blood to keep the 7 spirit alive and growing.

 

I always thought the VR6 engine would be a good choice for a 7. It is narrow and makes very good power and torque. It would just have to be converted to RWD. I also like the GTI 2.0 turbo motor it is a smooth as silk motor that makes some very good power and gobs of torque. The Donkervort use that motor in thier car.

[Al N.]

We actually have a few Se7en enthusiasts who are younger than you Roman...

 

Here's one:

 

http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1406273792_Se7ens at LRP Vintage - 02.jpg

[sporqster]

There are a few 20-somethings in mix (me).... well at least for a few more months ;-)

[RGTorque]

if im not mistaken the gti motor your talking about is actually a 1.8T not a 2.0L turbo unless they pulled it out of a mk5 (current generation) gti.

 

as for the vr6 motor... i was in schimmel performance yesterday asking about doing this. he would be the guy to make it happen and he shot me down after seeing locost chassy pics. this was comming from guy who put a 24v vr6 biturbo rear engine corrado together as well a as having his own porsche 1987 with 1993 911 rear end.

 

a few months ago we had a corrado roll through the shop to get tuned that had a rear wheel drive conversion and it was fairly complex. here is its buildup http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2583054

[Al N.]

If Mazda can make an LS1 work, I don't see why a VR6 won't....

[RGTorque]

everything can be made to work, but the cost and performance may not be worth it.

[eVox]

My name is Andrew, some of you may know me from the LocostUSA forum. In march of this year, I hit the ground running on a Locost build. I was an avid reader of Kurt's Kimini blog, and ended up purchasing a lot of the books on his recommended reading page (Carrol smith books, Locost bible, etc). About the time I was half way through most of the books, I was donated a 1984 Celica GT-S (3rd gen, rear wheel drive, 22RE 2.4 I4). I really couldn't find a good reason not to build a 7. I now have a frame, and am probably about 40% into the build. 4 months into my build, while back at home, a friend of mine had previously stalked a 7-owner to his house. We took a drive by, and I ended up getting a ride in it. I want to drive one (especially mine) quite badly now.

 

A little about me. I am 20 years old (supposedly there are some other youngins around here...), and a 3rd year ME at Georgia Tech. Gatech is fun, but I just had a lab last week in which we got to dissect an electric toothbrush to learn how it works. Maybe I can get extra credit if I explain suspension dynamics or intake runner length... I am natively from a town out side of New Haven, Connecticut, but I enjoy the weather down here more. I competed in US First Robotics in high school, and am getting into Gatech's Wreck racing club (for GRM Challenge).

 

Some of my previous experiences in no special order- I've restored a Benelli Moped to running condition, rode it around for a summer, then later killed (accidentally) it by dropping a washer into the cylinder and trying to start it. I've build a pulse-jet engine (reed-valve). I've built a pulse-jet (lockwood-hiller) powered gocart. My only track experience is on little talladega gran prix in Alabama, in my classic Saab 900.

 

I really like the 7 community. Vette guys may be sensical about sports cars but seem to be narrow minded. Classic Saab people tend to have no clue about the cars they are driving. VW guys (from my experience) don't quite get it (I need a 1.8T Jetta with 350 hp and no lsd, I need 3k in new shocks but I've never been on a track). Ferrari guys (Im guessing) have too much money and probably wouldn't talk to me anyways. Import guys...well Colin Chapman would probably cry if he saw some of their body kits. The current crop of muscle car owners (baby boomers) just pay people to work on their cars. Lambo owners are crazy, just crazy. Lotus 7 owners know how to do things- lightweight, low cost, and fun to drive. I think I will fit in here. I look forward to getting to know some of you guys (and ladies).

[slngsht]

My name is Andrew, some of you may know me from the LocostUSA forum. In march of this year, I hit the ground running on a Locost build. I was an avid reader of Kurt's Kimini blog, and ended up purchasing a lot of the books on his recommended reading page (Carrol smith books, Locost bible, etc). About the time I was half way through most of the books, I was donated a 1984 Celica GT-S (3rd gen, rear wheel drive, 22RE 2.4 I4). I really couldn't find a good reason not to build a 7. I now have a frame, and am probably about 40% into the build. 4 months into my build, while back at home, a friend of mine had previously stalked a 7-owner to his house. We took a drive by, and I ended up getting a ride in it. I want to drive one (especially mine) quite badly now.

 

A little about me. I am 20 years old (supposedly there are some other youngins around here...), and a 3rd year ME at Georgia Tech. Gatech is fun, but I just had a lab last week in which we got to dissect an electric toothbrush to learn how it works. Maybe I can get extra credit if I explain suspension dynamics or intake runner length... I am natively from a town out side of New Haven, Connecticut, but I enjoy the weather down here more. I competed in US First Robotics in high school, and am getting into Gatech's Wreck racing club (for GRM Challenge).

 

Some of my previous experiences in no special order- I've restored a Benelli Moped to running condition, rode it around for a summer, then later killed (accidentally) it by dropping a washer into the cylinder and trying to start it. I've build a pulse-jet engine (reed-valve). I've built a pulse-jet (lockwood-hiller) powered gocart. My only track experience is on little talladega gran prix in Alabama, in my classic Saab 900.

 

I really like the 7 community. Vette guys may be sensical about sports cars but seem to be narrow minded. Classic Saab people tend to have no clue about the cars they are driving. VW guys (from my experience) don't quite get it (I need a 1.8T Jetta with 350 hp and no lsd, I need 3k in new shocks but I've never been on a track). Ferrari guys (Im guessing) have too much money and probably wouldn't talk to me anyways. Import guys...well Colin Chapman would probably cry if he saw some of their body kits. The current crop of muscle car owners (baby boomers) just pay people to work on their cars. Lambo owners are crazy, just crazy. Lotus 7 owners know how to do things- lightweight, low cost, and fun to drive. I think I will fit in here. I look forward to getting to know some of you guys (and ladies).

 

Agree with everything you said except the Vette guys :skep: :jester:

[BobDrye]

Welcome! My math shows over 150 points. Post some pictures of your build.

[xflow7]

I really like the 7 community. Vette guys may be sensical about sports cars but seem to be narrow minded. Classic Saab people tend to have no clue about the cars they are driving. VW guys (from my experience) don't quite get it (I need a 1.8T Jetta with 350 hp and no lsd, I need 3k in new shocks but I've never been on a track). Ferrari guys (Im guessing) have too much money and probably wouldn't talk to me anyways. Import guys...well Colin Chapman would probably cry if he saw some of their body kits. The current crop of muscle car owners (baby boomers) just pay people to work on their cars. Lambo owners are crazy, just crazy. Lotus 7 owners know how to do things- lightweight, low cost, and fun to drive. I think I will fit in here. I look forward to getting to know some of you guys (and ladies).

 

Welcome eVox. :cheers:

 

The 7 community is great. Pretty much without exception all the 7 folks I've met or interacted with have been really good, down-to-earth, fun people. I have a good friend who's a long-time car guy and hung out with muscle-car guys, 'vette guys, Porsche guys, etc and he's commented to me on a couple of occasions that the 7-ers he's met hanging out with me are easily among the most fun and most down-to-earth.

[solder_guy]

Andrew:

 

I was at Ga Tech briefly in EE .. then transferred and went into medicine. I look forward to meeting you tomorrow .. after my daughter's soccer game .. for a ride in the Rotus!

 

Rob