TheDingo8MyBaby Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 No affiliation, but wish I could afford this... http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/cto/1181031856.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 (edited) Ah, the "Chaterham" version of the Seven-a distant cousin of a Caterham perhaps?. 1100 lbs seems a bit low & 250 hp out of even a BDA engine seems a bit high. Especially now that it has been "smogged". Still, pretty nice from what little can be gleaned from the photos. Does have a FIA roll-over bar, seats have no headrests, as far as I can tell tho. Edited May 27, 2009 by Kitcat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB6 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 yeah, the seller is clueless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersportsp Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 A 250hp BDA that can pass CA smog is worth $32k all by itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersportsp Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 I had an email exchange with the seller last night and also go some hi res shots. Car is dirty, but that BDA looks good even with some grime on it. Waiting to hear if it is a de Dion or live axle car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11Budlite Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 Some more photos here: http://www.themotoringenthusiast.com/caterham-7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidL Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 I went and looked at this car yesterday (6/14). Although the seller thought it had rear drums/solid-axle, it actually has rear disks and a Dedion rear end. The car is pretty dirty, having lived in a carport most of its life, recelty uncovered and without a top. Seller says it was built from a 1991 kit, which is believable considering the seat design, the front suspension (lower outer ball joints, not trunnions like on my '90). However, the dash is mor retro... smiths chrome gauges and metal toggles instead of plastic switches. my guess is the the original builder wanted a retro look. The car is registered as a 1979, but has a California tag saying that the engine block is 1967. There is no Caterham chassis tagt, but the car clearly is a Caterham. The owner just had it smogged. The cars runs well and the motor pulls hard, but I suspect the carbs could use a tune. Two things stood out in the tes drive: the clutch is incredibly sudden in take-up, and very difficult to modulate....lots of stalls trying to get it going. Second, its quite darty in a straight line. The car could probably use bushings and an alignement. The car did seem straight though. Overall, the car is promissing, but the asking price of 32K seems high. I didn't take any pictures, but could likely answer more questions if anyone cared. Thanks, -David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersportsp Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 DavidL, I wonder how much that darty-ness is due to what seems like overly aggressive offset and the big tires, especially up front. It if funny, I got an email from the seller this evening saying that someone had looked at the car and pointed out it was a de Dion (he had told me it was a live axle a couple of weeks ago). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bball7754 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 The Craigslist posting has expired, but from the pictures on the The Motoring Enthusiast site it looks like the car has Avon ACB10 bias-ply tires. Since he didn't know that he had a de Dion, it's unlikely that he knows that you need a different set of ears for non-radial tires. Don't know if that would cause the darty-ness, but don't imagine it's helping the situation either. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcat62 Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 It looks like it's on Ebay now: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lotus-Super-7-Chaterham-w-BDA-Formula-Car-Motor_W0QQitemZ110418801692QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item19b579341c&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian7 Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 ... Since he didn't know that he had a de Dion, it's unlikely that he knows that you need a different set of ears for non-radial tires. Don't know if that would cause the darty-ness, but don't imagine it's helping the situation either... Steve This live-axle owner will admit ignorance - - why do you need different ears? (clearance?) How can the ears affect dartiness? thanks in advance for the education :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 (edited) Ian, if I remember correctly, you can use the non radial ears for radials with no real issues. Supposedly it's the otherway around that is not recommended. The ears basically change the rear wheel camber. That said, I run the Hoosier slicks, which are biased with the radial spec ears and can't say that I see any issue with them. Tire wear is fine. The Dartyness of the car may be due to the ACB 10's themselves which are known to tramline. Car could be set up with Toe out on the front which also can cause the tramlining. tom Edited August 3, 2009 by yellowss7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian7 Posted August 3, 2009 Share Posted August 3, 2009 Thx, I'd agree the ACB10's are likely an issue, no real circumferential stability in that tread pattern. Short of outright flex, what could the ears contribute to stability anyway? cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pierats Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 OMG, if someone bought it for that price they got a steal of a deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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