scannon Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 Skip, We enjoyed several trackdays and last year's Concours D'Elegance together and didn't even say hello! I'm in LOCO and Peak to Peak Miata Club. Here's a pic of my Elise... Mike Colorado Springs Mike, I remember seeing your Elise and I think someone may have introduced us at one of the track days. Just no way to make the connection from that to meeting you on this forum. Do you also have a Miata? Between LOCO, Peak to Peak, the Z Car club, CECA and Judy Fasst we have far more track opportunities this year than last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMike Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 Mike, I remember seeing your Elise and I think someone may have introduced us at one of the track days. Just no way to make the connection from that to meeting you on this forum. Do you also have a Miata? Between LOCO, Peak to Peak, the Z Car club, CECA and Judy Fasst we have far more track opportunities this year than last. Skip, Yes, I also have a silver '99 Miata, but haven't tracked it yet. I'm looking forward to getting some track time this year. Last year was very unpredictable during my transition out of the Army. I only was able to get in 4 or 5 trackdays. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegoat Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Congrats, Mike! You did get quite the steal on that. Does it get to park next to the Elise? I can't wait to see the custom touches you put on it. Your Elise is a very, very nice specimen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rnr Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Congrats Mike, I saw your post on BS and was about to PM you with USA7s info when I saw this. It's amazing how many people have an Elise and a Seven at the same time - you will be the 4th person that I know of (other than me). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogsBollocks Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 I guess both are liked by their owners. If you are into the heritage/pedigree thing, buy a Caterham, if you want to save serious $ buy a Birkin (or some other reputable make). But whatever you are going to buy try to test drive as many different options as you can. At the end, any of the cars will probably be personalized by the owner and is only as good as you set it up. As a matter of policy we try to stay away here from slagging other folks' preferences. Just points of view . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 Anybody have any input on the pros and cons of Caterham V Birkin? Alright, I'll bite. I have a Caterham so I'll give my view of them. I've seen a Birkin but I've no experience with them and I'll let others describe their experiences with them. I built my Cat and I have very limited mechanical skills. I am not a fabricator like some on this site. The Kit is VERY complete. Other than a couple of Odd Bolts/nuts and a few washers, everything was included. No need to source parts from Donors. Maybe I had to clean out a few threads here and there. But for the most part it was pretty much, Put Bolt A in Slot B. I did have to have two parts fabricated as I went with a LHD Drysumped K Series with a Hydraulic clutch and apparently Mine was the first of that configuration for Caterham at the time. A buddy made the parts and it works fine. Parts are readily available although somewhat pricey if you have to have them shipped across the pond. Dealer support is good. The car is well designed, Handles amazingly, and Knock on wood, has been extremely reliable. Downside is Cost. :ack: Caterhams seem to be a bit more expensive than Birkins. Buying a new one of either type is the most expensive way to do it. Just looking at the price of the one recently sold, you'd have to be crazy to buy a new one, assuming that car was as nice as it looked in pictures. You could by a new Cosworth duratec and drop it in that one and still come out way ahead. That Said, the 1999 CaterhamSuperlight that Craig Chima resently sold seems to have held its value very well. :cheers: As for looks, I think Caterhams and Birkins are the most similar looking of the 7 clones. I bet most Caterham and Birkin owners have to look for a few seconds to be sure of what one is at first glance. The other clones each have their own distinctive looks. I suspect that apples to apples, performance wise that they are equals. So in my estimation it comes down to your budget. No two Caterhams are exactly alike and I am sure that no two Birkins are alike either. Each car seems to be an individual that you have a say in. Color, state of tune, options, etc. Just my Opinion Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 I rarely agree with Tom but I think this is a good comparison. Maybe to add as Birkin specific: - with older models you have only the choice of a live axle or a life axle (can have LSD). But with a good suspension setup I don't really see a disadvantage. The new generation has IRS. - the wiring on Birkins before 2001 sucks. - very nice independent master cylinder setup with balance bar and separate fluid vessels. - aluminum radiators that don't require upgrades for racing with bigger engines - well made front suspension with aero tubing, excellent workmanship. Wide track available for reasonable money. - Birkins before 2002 (IIRC) have horrible stock seats. Newer ones are O.K. - the steering column is articulated and folds away if you happen to run into something solid - decent 4-pot Outlaw brakes on newer models. Older ones like mine have still large vented VW front brakes with ample stopping power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogsBollocks Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 appreciate it. The reason I bought up Bikin V Caterham is because they look so very similar (i.e. Lotus 7 series 3). Did Birkin do a deal with Caterham as I know they do not hesitate to sue if they feel anyone is too close to an original 7 (like Westfield some years ago) ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 I believe that somewhere in the past there was an attempt at litigation, but if my memory serves me right, I think I recall that Birkin had purchased the rights to produce a 7 from Lotus for South Africa I think? and that it was a carve out of the Caterham rights. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11Budlite Posted February 4, 2010 Author Share Posted February 4, 2010 Caterham did sue Birkin in the South African courts and lost their case. That's the reason the Birkin is able to look so similar to a Series 3. There's a good write-up in Dennis Ortenburger's "Lotus Seven & The Independents" or you can read about it here: http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZASCA/1998/44.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMike Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Congrats Mike, I saw your post on BS and was about to PM you with USA7s info when I saw this. It's amazing how many people have an Elise and a Seven at the same time - you will be the 4th person that I know of (other than me). I have only ridden in a Seven, but beleive they are very complimentary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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