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[Al N.]

CJ:

There may be some that disagree, but I do not think these cars are well-suited for regular driving, especially not as a daily driver.

 

JBH...thems is fighting words for some of our clubbers!

 

I'm actually not one of them, as I used Orange the way CJ plans to...like a sunny day motorcycle.

 

That said, driving 7 (or was it 9?) hours in the pouring rain with just a half-hood and half-doors was a pretty amazing experience that bonded me to the car in a way that the occasional sunny blat would never be able to equal.

 

 

 

[sparecr]

I am not one who tracks my Seven (thiniing however). But uses it more than a fair weather motorcycle (if I didn't have the huge intakes sticking out to suck rain I would drive it more. You do have to think about where you are going, what you are doing but it can make fairly decent road transport. Honestly I think it is more useful than an Elise on the road. (Baring accidents). And there are those that use these things daily (and even company cars on the other side of the pond). Just depends on what level of comfort/saftey you require.

[DB6]

I agree, it's all relative, I use mine as much as possible and live in a climate that makes the UK look tropical.

When I was back in the UK last year for my Mum's funeral I had to drive from Birmingham to London on the M1 and there was a convoy of over 20 7,s, many with just wind deflectors or the little brooklands style screens with no wet weather gear at all , it was pissing down (Febuary) my son could not believe they would drive in such weather, but everyone had full wet motor bike gear and full face helmets.

Of course age , health and a bad case of Hemorrhoids can also restrict your drive time too.

A prior owner of my car, being tall, came up with the bright idea of removing the bulk of the foam in the seat cushions (not exactly "Lazyboys" to satrt with) by a upholstry shop to lower his huge noggin under the roll bar. I am thinking of installing some springs/rubber blocks / sheet foam to easy the pressure on the old "Farmer Giles" (cockney rhyming slang for

piles).

So if you see a 7 when the driver jumps in then bounces right back out like on a trampoline, that will be me.

 

Which reminds me ...did you hear that the head coach of the Czechoslovakian Olympic Trampoline team was arrested on fraud charges, yup, they got him for bouncing checks.

 

 

[DeanG]

Try the NELLI folks http://www.nelli.org/ There are a fair amount of Se7en & Lotus activity in CT

 

Interesting 1977 Ferrari Dino 308GT-4 for sale. I like the the somwhat similar thought of having a Ferrari Mondial convertable but I keep getting SCARED off when I see the maintanece costs.

[par]

CJ - been away and just catching up - I will shortly finish my post on registering in CT, I am near Stamford CT - happy to talk and you're more than welcome to for a test drive, paul

[JBH]

JBH...thems is fighting words for some of our clubbers!

 

I said there would be those that disagree...

 

I drive mine every chance I get, but the greatest joy for me comes from the track.

 

No doubt about it, the person that drives one of these cars is different, usually strongly individualistic. Those that drive it anytime and anywhere are...um...not normal.

 

 

[CJFusco]

Yeah, I would be willing to bet that Se7en drivers/fans are a similar set of people. If you're like me, you probably would never want a "fun car" that there are a million of on the road (Corvette, Boxster) - being somewhat unique is important. The thrill of driving, however, is more important to you than the status/look of your ride (hence Lotus replicas instead of Cobra replicas).

[Al N.]

No doubt about it, the person that drives one of these cars is different, usually strongly individualistic. Those that drive it anytime and anywhere are...um...not normal.

 

On the individualistic front, I've observed this/discussed it with many other Se7ers...to the point where I was concerned that we'd even be able to get a National-level club going...but I guess the love of the cars is enough to bond a group of typically "non-joiners". What's that old line again "I'd never belong to a club that would have me as member." :jester:

 

On the "anytime/anywhere" angle...the more you hang out and meet guys like that, I think the more you want to be one. Cherik B./Graeme G./and Jeff P. posse was a great example. Iron Butts, one and all. And Gert and many guys from the West Coast seem to be heavy users, too.

 

Man, I can't wait to have another Se7en in the garage....

[Cherik]

..couldn't resist to chime in... with that little hint provided by Al,

 

it just ticked over 77,000 miles. And still enjoying it every time.

I have a well running Lotus Esprit, or my wife's TSX to borrow, but when it's time to choose, the 7 is always the 1st choice.

 

Individualistic, sure. There's no need to be average or normal, which I think are the same. Not everyone can afford to own or run one of these, but if you're a gear head and like tinkering as well as driving, this certainly is the best option.. in my humble opinion. I see a lot of that on this list.

 

On daily driving capability, there are certainly a few items that make the car more suitable for longer drives, e.g. deDion suspension, the adjustable seats, the full windscreen, -33dB earplugs, but with those it's pretty exhilarating all the time. Every turn is an opportunity.

 

Normal... never spent much time thinking about what that means, although I think it's suv's, trucks, automatic transmissions, cup holders. I do like to push the envelope on just about everything, just to see what's there and the 7 fits in there perfectly.

 

During 7-7-7 I got to meet some fellow 7-eners, some who build their cars from the ground up! Now, that I have a lot of respect for! The 7 experience is all about what you make of it, and a lot of it is self improvement: driving skills on the road and track, mechanicals, and... explaining things ...

 

 

Cherik

 

ps: put 2 x 340 miles on it last Wednesday to get to a business meeting... very nice - and if that's not ..uhh... normal, I want more... quickly lock me up before I want to get into my 7 again..... :jester: