Comparison?

[Croc]

Hi Jeff - I heard from Jon Nelson you were out there this week "taking delivery" of your new R500. Hope it is going well and we will see you back on the east coast in time to test it out in better weather!:seeya:

[jeffs]

Yeah, the test drives went really well outside of the cold weather. I would have liked to put more miles on it, but the freezing cold, drifting snow and gravel covered streets limited the seat time. Counting the days until she gets out here now...

[iceberg1234]

Thanks to you guys that braved the cold and showed up at the BCX meet. Enjoyed seeing the Superformance and Ultralite!

[blubarisax]

Yeah, the test drives went really well outside of the cold weather. I would have liked to put more miles on it, but the freezing cold, drifting snow and gravel covered streets limited the seat time. Counting the days until she gets out here now...

 

Can't wait to see your new toy on the track (or street if we must).

[jeffs]

The only thing I have scheduled at this point is with SCDA at the end of June. Are there any planned track gatherings this summer? One isn't enough for me

[yellowss7]

Don't know if you have experience on NJMP tracks, but the March 17 date might be a good opportunity to try before our 7s gathering. They will probably post a few more as the schedule shapes up. http://newjerseymotorsportspark.motorsportreg.com/

 

Tom

[blubarisax]

The only thing I have scheduled at this point is with SCDA at the end of June. Are there any planned track gatherings this summer? One isn't enough for me

 

I'll be at a couple of NASA Northeast events at NJMP. (April 20/21 and May 18/19)

[Croc]

guys - we should stop hijacking Iceberg's post on comparing seven brands.

:grouphug:

[xcarguy]

guys - we should stop hijacking Iceberg's post on comparing seven brands.

:grouphug:

 

Okay, back to the thread. Here’s the ‘little’ I know of when it comes to what’s available (currently produced) in the U.S. and where to find product information:

 

Brunton Stalker—various models produced (Classic, Classic R, M-Spec and XL). These cars are mainly sold in kit form, but can be purchased as a turnkey car from the factory. Support for these cars, within the U.S. is excellent. The majority of these cars are powered by GM V6 engines and backed by a Camaro 5-speed transmission, but the GM LS series engines are more common for new builds and backed up by either a TKO 5-speeds or T-56 6-speed. When I first built my car, Dennis Brunton owned the company. The company is now owned by Scott Minehart. Scott’s dad, Glen, lends a hand in the business. To reiterate my former post in this thread pertaining to parts availability, factory-produced parts (replacement or newly acquired) are one phone call and one UPS drop from my front door; that’s been my experience, both with Dennis and with Scott.

 

Stalker web site

 

http://www.bruntonauto.com/

 

Used Stalkers

 

http://www.coilovershock.com/free_classifieds1.htm

 

Stalker builder gallery--#70 in the gallery is unfinished and is currently for sale (the previous owner/builder passed away). This car may be a good deal if you want to build your own.

 

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/

 

Stalker owners’ forum

 

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/stalkerv6/

 

Birkin—produced in South Africa and sold globally through distributors (currently, there are two in the U.S. that I am aware of—see below). Just as Stalker owners, Birkin owners have their own forum (Yahoo Groups). The Birkin forum is very active with a great group of very helpful and knowledgeable folks. The majority of later model (used) Birkins will have usually be powered by either Zetec or Duratec engines and utilize the Haltech ECU followed by either the Typhoon or Emerald units. I would suggest starting a thread asking other members opinions about these ECUs and which they would prefer (I’ve heard pros and cons concerning the Haltech vs. the Typhoon, but do not have enough experience with any of these to provide a solid opinion).

 

Birkins distributors, U.S.

 

http://www.texasmotorworks7.com/

 

http://www.rmmotorworks.com/

 

Birkin owners’ forum

 

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/birkinowners/

 

World Class Motorsports (WCM) Ultralite—the car was originally designed and produced by Brian Anderson. The company is now owned by Loren Edwards. The majority of these cars utilize Honda S-2000 drive trains.

 

WCM Ultralite web site

 

http://www.wcmultralite.com/contact.htm

 

Caterham—produced in the U.K. and, just as the Birkin, are sold globally through distributors. To my knowledge, there are several Caterham distributors in the U.S. These distributors are listed on the U.S. web site. While I have never owned a Caterham, I did have the opportunity to visit the Colorado distributorship and liked what I saw in the way of quality and function; unfortunately, at the time I visited, there was no demo available to drive.

 

Caterham U.S. web site

 

http://www.uscaterham.com/

 

Westfield—again, produced in the U.K. and sold globally through distributors. To my knowledge, there are two Westfield distributors in the U.S. and both are listed on the Westfield web site.

 

Westfield U.S. web site

 

http://www.westfield-sportscars.co.uk/about.html

 

And here is another link for Wikipedia listing ‘all known?’ manufacturers of 7 replicas.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Lotus_Seven_replicas

 

:willy_nilly: