slngsht Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 I believe you will kick yourself in the butt if you buy a car without examining the alternatives. I made a 650 mile trip to WCM to see the car, drive it, and place an order. If you are willing to spend up to $40,000 you should see the cars. There are some nice cars in Georgia, including hot Caterhams, Superstalkers, and Kevin's SC S2K. Truer words have never been spoken. Also, one reason a high powered seven is relatively easy to control is that you practically sit on the rear axle. So any tendency for the car to step out is immediately communicated to your azz :lol:. Not terribly exciting, but very effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pierats Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 It's probably pretty hard to get more extreme that this: How about 1000 hp/ton: here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davemk1 Posted August 4, 2008 Share Posted August 4, 2008 As much fun as the real high HP cars might be I hope folks don't get the feeling that one needs big HP to have fun or to be competitive in motor-sport. I drive a Birkin with a pretty stock Zetec that is putting out 136 hp at the wheels. Small numbers I know. At the same time it's a ball as the power is so controllable and easy to modulate. Yesterday I did an autocross event in Helena with a very open course. The vast majority of the course was in 3rd gear with my foot to the floor. There were 75 mph lane changes and slaloms and a top speed of more than 80mph. Mine was the quickest street car there and the only thing that beat it was a F-Mod Red Devil. Also there was a very good driver in a hopped up ZO6 on R compound tires that I managed to put over 3 seconds on on a roughly 80 second course. His 500+ hp did a great job of letting him lay down some serious black streaks but in the end proved slower than my little low HP car despite his HP/weight ratio being much better than mine. I say it's all good and whatever makes you happy you should do. If you want 500 hp in a car why not. But you don't NEED that much power to get the job done and in some cases the HP can make it more difficult to get the most out of a car. One can have too much of a good thing IMO. Have fun, dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 I agree with Dave if your going to do alot of autocross then high horsepower isnt needed. On the a road coarse it is a different story. Hp will play a much bigger role in making you fast on a road coarse. All things being equal, driver, weight car setup higher hp will knock off time. Example my first Ultralite in stock form ran a best of 1:25 at Motorsports Ranch. After supercharger and no other changes I was at 1:22 3 seconds a lap is a big difference in 1 lap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarheelturbo Posted August 5, 2008 Author Share Posted August 5, 2008 haha.. i totally agree that having high hp is not all the equation is about. i mean i have gotten addicted to the stupid power car. the main reason i'm getting rid of my vette. is because after my dad got his cayman S.. and i had a chance to get that think out on the country roads.. it reminded whats fun about driving.. going around corners insanely fast! throwing the car around something with some turns is the best fun.. i just want something that impresses me when i dip into the throttle.. i like power to much to give that up.. and maybe i can find something i'm happy with in a 200hp car.. but i'm thinking from what i've read and experienced i probably won't find what i want anyhting this side of 250.. depending on the car and weight and power delivery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rv-4mike Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 My $.02. My background is in hot rod style cars. My last was a Datsun 240Z with 383 Chevy small block at about 500HP. It was a fun car and even handled halfway decent. But could not put the power down without blowing away the tires. Got away from cars for a while and took up flying airplanes. Flying gives a new perspective to power to weight ratios. During this time I've been driving a bone stock 91 Toyota MR2 Turbo. And so another thing I've come to realize is that while the MR2 is not what you call a powerhouse, it is more fun to drive than any of the hot rods I had. When I decided to get another fast car I decided to look at light small engine cars. I'm driving on the street so insane top end speed isnt a requirement. A friend has an Ariel Atom. 0 - 60 in under 3 seconds. Its an awesome car and I love the look but not the price tag. Concept is similar to a 7 so started looking at them. I ruled out cars like the Stalker. To me those cars miss the point of a 7 - a small light car with a little 4 cyl engine. Not a criticism, just a personal choice. I like the idea of kicking butt on some of the local Cobra guys with a 4 cylinder car. Style is a very personal thing. The Ultralite in particular is very polarizing - people either love the look or hate it. Personally I love it - looks like a modernized 7 to me. While most of the other 7s look "quaint" or "cute" the Ultralite looks all business. Just my opinion. And I really like the Honda engine. Reliable, great power, and I think the lack of bottom end/peakiness actually works in a light car to keep the power hooked up under acceleration. I went to Texas to meet Brian and I took a ride with Loren in his car. Sold. I bought a kit from Brian and its coming together now. Hope to have it on the road by the end of the year. In the end my advice is the same as everyone else. I dont think you can go wrong with any 7. Pick the one that fits you physically and financially, and the one that looks right to you. Any of them can be as insanely fast as you care to make it. I'm not sure if you are planning on building, or buying a driver. If thinking about building PM me if you'd like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjslutz Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 I think all 7 type people agree it is about power to weight with the main thing being light weight. All of my adult life I have the very fast high HP cars & bikes for the time. Now at an advanced age I have found the joy of very light and very, very nimble handling. I feel about 25% more secure on the roads with the 7 than on a bike. I also did the 4 cylinder route. I like the looks of the Caterham & Birkin best, but still lust for the WCM. The nice thing about the 7 is the range of engine options. Pick yours and enjoy. The wife who has been way past 150 MPH in many of my cars took one look at the 7 and stated she would never ride in it, too small. One ride latter and she just loves to ride in it. I took the windshield off and made an aero shield for it, no luck she likes it even better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manik Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 A turbocharged 4-cylinder might meet your need for power, while maintaining lightness, and performance value? Talk amongst yourselves... tm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarheelturbo Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 ok guys... i'm having a major dilemma on what to do from this point. i've come up with an idea.. i was thinking about buying dougs westfield and swapping the motor to the 1.8 and do a turbo though flyin' miatas.. and produce 240rwhp... and have quite an aweseom car.. but i'm not fond of orange so i would have to spend some money on carbon fibre to work on getting the look i want. and i think in the 30k range i could be set up for what i'm lookig for. but if i wait until next spring i will be in a better financial position. and i could go ahead and order what i want new. and have it exactly to the specs i'm looking for. and really have the dream track car i'm looking for. whether thats a new westfield caterham wcm or even ariel atom. and i'll have it built just like i like. its tough because i having to wait it out is not something i'm good at. but i feel like i might be able to get what i want instead of trying to make something else into what i'm looking for. anyways . you guys have been so helpful.. i just wanted to bounce that around. thanks ! brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pksurveyor Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 To buy a new Caterham, you will need to add a minimum of 7 to 8 months to your schedule for the car to arrive from England. In the current economic condition, there is virtually no new Caterham in stock at the US dealers. Caterham is a small manufacturer and things move at a slow pace across the pond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davemk1 Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 ok guys... i'm having a major dilemma on what to do from this point. i've come up with an idea.. i was thinking about buying dougs westfield and swapping the motor to the 1.8 and do a turbo though flyin' miatas.. and produce 240rwhp... and have quite an aweseom car.. but i'm not fond of orange so i would have to spend some money on carbon fibre to work on getting the look i want. and i think in the 30k range i could be set up for what i'm lookig for. but if i wait until next spring i will be in a better financial position. and i could go ahead and order what i want new. and have it exactly to the specs i'm looking for. and really have the dream track car i'm looking for. whether thats a new westfield caterham wcm or even ariel atom. and i'll have it built just like i like. its tough because i having to wait it out is not something i'm good at. but i feel like i might be able to get what i want instead of trying to make something else into what i'm looking for. anyways . you guys have been so helpful.. i just wanted to bounce that around. thanks ! brad My two cents - Buy it and drive the crap out of it and see what you want to change. Make the changes over the winter and bring out the new improved version come spring. Instant gratification and long term fun. dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbanker Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Take a drive over to Rent-a-racecar.net at VIR and rent a Superstalker for the day, or drive down to Brunton Automotive in Bradenton, FL and take a ride in one of Dennis Brunton's cars, or come to Indianapolis and take a ride/drive in my car or Mark Scott's SuperStalker. Mark can build you a turnkey car to your specs. His build quality is outstanding and the car is very fast. Jack Classic Stalker chassis #10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 i was thinking about buying dougs westfield and swapping the motor to the 1.8 and do a turbo though flyin' miatas.. and produce 240rwhp... and have quite an aweseom car.. but i'm not fond of orange so i would have to spend some money on carbon fibre to work on getting the look i want. I have a Caterham SV with a turbocharged 1.8 Miata engine. It dyno'd at 235 RWHP. It is still faster than I am on the track and faster than most of the other cars I run with. I'm in the process of changing from a Link ECU to a Hydra with Hydramist water injection. Should up the HP to the 275 range with conservative boost. I'm in agreement with davemk1, buy it now, drive the piss out of it and turn it into your dream car over the winter. The orange might grow on you by then. IMHO, the Westfield is a very well built car. If you happen to be out Denver way, stop by for a test drive. Skip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarheelturbo Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 haha... thanks guys!! i know your really appealing to the emotional side of me that wants to buy a car reguardless of anyhting else.. hahaha well for the moment being i have to concentrate on selling my vette for to dollar. so any help anyone could offer me on here would really help me out alot! i need the cash from that before i try to purchase another toy... so if anyone could help in anyway.. it would be greatly appreciated... brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarheelturbo Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 haha... thanks guys!! i know your really appealing to the emotional side of me that wants to buy a car reguardless of anyhting else.. hahaha well for the moment being i have to concentrate on selling my vette for to dollar. so any help anyone could offer me on here would really help me out alot! i need the cash from that before i try to purchase another toy... so if anyone could help in anyway.. it would be greatly appreciated... brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarheelturbo Posted August 8, 2008 Author Share Posted August 8, 2008 ok now i'm gonna throw this another crazy direction... i've been thinking maybe i should look at an ariel atom... haha.. i know thats completely different, but based on your guy's experience how does the performance of an atom stack up next to a high hp se7en?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winston Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 haha.. i know thats completely different, but based on your guy's experience how does the performance of an atom stack up next to a high hp se7en?? It's all in the setup. Given similar HP and similar suspension setup/development, I'd say they're about equal. Just pick the one you like (and can afford ) and get it dialed in properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 The performance will be close to the same all things being equal. Weight/hp. Kevin ran at the Ultimate Track Car Challenge this year and was a few thousands of a second behind a highly modified Atom. The Atom had a full built motor, port and polished head, built short block custom ECU and running Rotrex supercharger like us. The only real difference in the cars was the Atom had 11" hoosiers all the way around and brake upgrade over factory and he had 60k more in his car than Kevin has in his. Keith ran against some Atoms last year at Eagles Canyon raceway for a magazine story in his locost. He beet them by a good bit from the way I remember the story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al N. Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 I love the looks of the Atom, but they make Caterhams look like a good value. Also, in my state, there's no way I could get one registered based on my experience with the Caterham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoPho Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 I love the looks of the Atom, but they make Caterhams look like a good value. Actually, I believe a fully specced new CSR260 is about the same money as an Atom 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