Caterham Mention in Car & Driver, Kind Of

[Croc]

Their $70k trophy will be my affordable toy in a few years after they they lose interest. Caterham makes money, the rich enjoy their Simon Cowell moment, and enthusiasts are treated to a wealth of cast-aside super models. We all win.

 

Very well said Mr CASwede! This is what I have been expecting to happen given time.

 

 

That's not what I'm saying at all.

 

Relax - if you did not call him egotistical then I would have!

[lucky dawg]

;... It makes sense that they (Caterham) would up the ante at the behest of the well heeled. It makes it a win win for Caterham and the Egotist.

 

The egotist wins by making the Caterham unaffordable for all the commoners that normally could buy a Caterham and then take said reasonably price car & spank said egotist & their Ferrari's off the line in front of the hot chicks.

 

Caterham wins big profits from feeding the egotist's quest to quell any effort to show them up for less money.

 

The problem with that and similar theories is, at least in the US, sales are quite low. Caterham didn't go for a different distribution model because they were making too much money.

 

As for spanking Ferrari's, how often is that really happening? Caterhams are likely bought for a wide range of reasons, ego being low on the list since few onlookers have any idea what it is. Fewer still would ever believe the cost, thinking it is an old MG or a plastic kit car. I think people buy these cars simply because they are fun to drive, on the track or street. And that's why we disregard the required issues of Caterham ownership (oily garage floors, engine based audio system, mininal weather protection, short tire life, etc.), the car is just pleasing to our automotive senses.

[yellowss7]

As for spanking Ferrari's, how often is that really happening?

 

 

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[lucky dawg]

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I'm impressed that a Ferrari owner came out to an open track day.

[xcarguy]

But the bus tickets are free and it's usually an entertaining ride ;-).

 

. . . . . . :iagree:

[xcarguy]

. . . . . Those of you coming to the NJMP 7's gathering in July will quickly conclude that you would be hard pressed to call any of us egotistic just because we drive a 7 or a Caterham. They are KIT CARS!!!! At the drivers meetings we are routinely ridiculed in good nature by the Porker, Vette and GTR drivers. Well maybe the GTR drivers really mean it. :smash:

 

 

Tom

 

Tom,

 

I wonder what they'll have to say when I show up with 'Franken'Storker? :smilielol5:

[bigdog]

The problem with that and similar theories is, at least in the US, sales are quite low. Caterham didn't go for a different distribution model because they were making too much money.

 

As for spanking Ferrari's, how often is that really happening? Caterhams are likely bought for a wide range of reasons, ego being low on the list since few onlookers have any idea what it is. Fewer still would ever believe the cost, thinking it is an old MG or a plastic kit car. I think people buy these cars simply because they are fun to drive, on the track or street. And that's why we disregard the required issues of Caterham ownership (oily garage floors, engine based audio system, mininal weather protection, short tire life, etc.), the car is just pleasing to our automotive senses.

 

When I was working at a motorcycle shop. We had what we called "brochure racer" customers. We loved them, And we made tons of money off them. They were the one's who would buy a new model of their one year old barely used bike simply because motorcyclist magazine tested the new model and it covered the 1/4 mile in a few hundredth's faster than last years bike.

 

It mattered not one bit that they didn't have the skill set to make it go that fast. It didn't matter that they didn't go to track days to test the bikes limits or their's. It didn't matter that they owed more than book value on their old bike. It was faster and therefore they must have it or they would lose their cool factor (in their own mind)

 

That's the low rent egoist version of the high end one I'm talking of.

 

Of course we are all guilty of egotism to one degree or another. For me the 7 is about.......

 

#1, the uniqueness & social aspect of seven ownership. Everybody want's to know what it is. And I love to talk to people. It was the same when I owned a 356 speedster replica. Every where I went I had to field questions and I enjoyed it. It's the highly social nature of the 7 & speedster (due to their uniqueness) that I enjoy the most.

 

#2, It's a hell of a lot of fun to drive.

 

#3, This is the egoist part of my 7. And it falls in line with number one. Not many people own one & I like that.

 

Of course I don't take the egotism to the point of thinking I'm better than others because of my 7.

 

I do have a better wife than most though.

 

 

But I would never spend 60k or more for those thing's. Of course that 60k starts just above the sentence about my wife.

[yellowss7]

Tom,

 

I wonder what they'll have to say when I show up with 'Franken'Storker? :smilielol5:

 

Shane, if you can keep it on the track, you'll be the talk of the day. If you pull a Croc/kitcat, then you'll be the talk of the day too. :jester:.

 

I suspect that Storkers will be a big attention getter as they are pretty use to us being pesky little gnats that annoy them when they have to give us point bys. Your Big honking, winged beast should be more to their liking. Especially the Vette guys. The Porker owners, not so much. It's bad enough they have to contend with 4cylinder kit cars. An LS beast will really annoy them. Too bad we are running our own run group, as we definitely would have had fun playing with some of the guys as there are some really good drivers in the club.

 

90 days until we get together in July. :party: Tom

[Kitcat]

As one who has owned both a Cateham 6sp and 5sp, I'd say to prospective buyers: save some $ and get the 5sp.

 

My 6sp has baffled me since I got it (You are right Croc and YellowSS, its not hard to do:)).

 

But the 4th,5th and 6th really "feel" like 4th, 4a and 4b. Not a lot of rpm difference. And my Zetec is torquey enough that all the banging around between 4-5-6th is sort of academic. Throw in the (frequent) missed shift due to driver confusion and the added baulkyness of the 6th speed and the theoretical advantage is lost.

[yellowss7]

The old saying, "it's hard to teach an OLD Dog new tricks" is proven once again. :jester: Tom

[Klasik-69]

Ok, we need to give a little respect to Vette & Porsche owners, since I fall into this category. I have them because I like fast cars & I don't give a $hit if other people are impressed or bothered with what I drive. I drive the Cat for the sheer pleasure of speed & control, & I do it almost 100% on the tracks. You guys harp about spanking Vettes, Ferrari's, etc in acceleration but aside from the drag strip when does that come into play. If you're doing it on the street from stop light to stop lights, you're taking big risks on you & the public.

 

The 7 is like an extension of my hands & feet. If I could be a robot, the 7 would be my mechanism. The car does what I want when I want. The others don't but they provide rewards in other ways, like a/c, Bose sound system, higher top end. You don't need to trash the Vettes, Ferrari's, & Porsches to make the Cat a better car, or beat up the owner because he owns one. I see too much of that in talk circles where someone wants to elevate their standing by knocking the others down. Why ????

[xcarguy]

As one who has owned both a Cateham 6sp and 5sp, I'd say to prospective buyers: save some $ and get the 5sp.

 

My 6sp has baffled me since I got it (You are right Croc and YellowSS, its not hard to do:)).

 

But the 4th,5th and 6th really "feel" like 4th, 4a and 4b. Not a lot of rpm difference. And my Zetec is torquey enough that all the banging around between 4-5-6th is sort of academic. Throw in the (frequent) missed shift due to driver confusion and the added baulkyness of the 6th speed and the theoretical advantage is lost.

 

So, upgrading to a 6spd Cat was not necessary . . . . . nonsense! The ego screams for, and must have, the 6spd! :drool: . . . . :cheers:

[xcarguy]

Shane, if you can keep it on the track, you'll be the talk of the day. If you pull a Croc/kitcat, then you'll be the talk of the day too. :jester:

 

90 days until we get together in July. :party: Tom

 

 

Either way, rumors will abound. :smilielol5:

[bigdog]

Ok, we need to give a little respect to Vette & Porsche owners, since I fall into this category. I have them because I like fast cars & I don't give a $hit if other people are impressed or bothered with what I drive. I drive the Cat for the sheer pleasure of speed & control, & I do it almost 100% on the tracks. You guys harp about spanking Vettes, Ferrari's, etc in acceleration but aside from the drag strip when does that come into play. If you're doing it on the street from stop light to stop lights, you're taking big risks on you & the public.

 

The 7 is like an extension of my hands & feet. If I could be a robot, the 7 would be my mechanism. The car does what I want when I want. The others don't but they provide rewards in other ways, like a/c, Bose sound system, higher top end. You don't need to trash the Vettes, Ferrari's, & Porsches to make the Cat a better car, or beat up the owner because he owns one. I see too much of that in talk circles where someone wants to elevate their standing by knocking the others down. Why ????

 

I've owned both my self. And more.

1969 rag top Vette I bought in 1978 for 7k.

1973 911T in 1985 for 6k

1969 Mustang 302 rag top in 1991 for 12k

1973 Nova in 1979 $? I forgot (nothing special) but it did have a 427 in it.

 

I don't think my message is getting through though. There is a big difference between a petrolhead car enthusiast. And the sort that I am speaking of that WANT'S or even DESIRES a car to be super expensive purely to throw it in another persons face to show everyone their ability to pay. It's not about the cars themselves.

[Klasik-69]

 

Those of you coming to the NJMP 7's gathering in July will quickly conclude that .....................

 

Tom

 

July ??? The last time I heard it was slated for around the 3rd week of June. Has a date been set ? For me, driving 1100 miles, I need to plan ahead.

[xcarguy]

July ??? The last time I heard it was slated for around the 3rd week of June. Has a date been set ? For me, driving 1100 miles, I need to plan ahead.

 

http://www.usa7s.net/vb/showthread.php?t=9158 :cheers:

[Klasik-69]

I've owned both my self. And more.

1969 rag top Vette I bought in 1978 for 7k.

1973 911T in 1985 for 6k

1969 Mustang 302 rag top in 1991 for 12k

1973 Nova in 1979 $? I forgot (nothing special) but it did have a 427 in it.

 

I don't think my message is getting through though. There is a big difference between a petrolhead car enthusiast. And the sort that I am speaking of that WANT'S or even DESIRES a car to be super expensive purely to throw it in another persons face to show everyone their ability to pay. It's not about the cars themselves.

 

You're right, I agree with you. Some buy cars to show off and they usually can't drive worth a crap. Occasionally you'll see them for a track day and you can tell right away to keep a very safe distance from them. Kind of like the video posted a few posts back of the Lotus passing the Ferrari. You can tell the guy in the Ferrari doesn't know what he's doing, he misses every apex on the track. I'd rather have him in front of me than behind, or better yet back at the snack shack getting an ice cream.

 

Funny thing happened to me at the Tail of the Dragon hillclimb race last year. We had about 82 entries and several of the Martini Rossi race teams there warming up for the Pike's Peak. We had some fabulous cars at the event but the Martini Rossi team came over to admire my Caterham, drooling over it. They spoke Italian or Spanish or whatever that I didn't so we didn't have a very comprehensive conversation but they kept repeating "bellisimo" which meant it was either beautiful or a pile of $hit. I took it as a compliment.

[yellowss7]

Mike, we did set the dates as per the link that Xcarguy posted. As noted we are arriving on Thursday July 3rd with a welcome reception BBQ planned. Run Friday July 4th and Saturday July 5th with a Go Kart Challenge race on Sunday morning July 6th. Hope you can join us. Tom

[Klasik-69]

Mike, we did set the dates as per the link that Xcarguy posted. As noted we are arriving on Thursday July 3rd with a welcome reception BBQ planned. Run Friday July 4th and Saturday July 5th with a Go Kart Challenge race on Sunday morning July 6th. Hope you can join us. Tom

 

Yes, I really wanted to do this. We have an HOA meeting at our NC summer home every July 4th. Let's see............HOA meeting where everybody bitches about everything.........or a very nice three day track event with a bunch of similar lunatics driving oversized go carts.

 

First of all, I need to get the car finished. It's in pieces spread out all over my floor. Tranny needed new seals, body needs new paint and I need to get it done. Tom, by when do I need to make a commitment on the track event ?

[xcarguy]

Ok, we need to give a little respect to Vette & Porsche owners, since I fall into this category. I have them because I like fast cars & I don't give a $hit if other people are impressed or bothered with what I drive. I drive the Cat for the sheer pleasure of speed & control, & I do it almost 100% on the tracks. You guys harp about spanking Vettes, Ferrari's, etc in acceleration but aside from the drag strip when does that come into play. If you're doing it on the street from stop light to stop lights, you're taking big risks on you & the public.

 

The 7 is like an extension of my hands & feet. If I could be a robot, the 7 would be my mechanism. The car does what I want when I want. The others don't but they provide rewards in other ways, like a/c, Bose sound system, higher top end. You don't need to trash the Vettes, Ferrari's, & Porsches to make the Cat a better car, or beat up the owner because he owns one. I see too much of that in talk circles where someone wants to elevate their standing by knocking the others down. Why ????

 

Klasik-69,

 

FWIW . . . and all kidding aside . . . . I do have a high admiration for Vettes; I even like Porsches and actually looked into buying a 28K mile blue 911 Carrera Cabriolet earlier this year (I liked the color and it had a six speed). I had to make a choice between track goodies and the car. Well, Bogarts, Avons and Traqmates 'ain't' cheap.

 

As for Vettes, I probably hold the record for having driven the most variants without ever having owned one; start with the 1957 model year and count forward. Truth is, my dream car is a cascade green 57 Vette with beige coves and matching interior. In my not-so humble opinion, it's the most beautiful color combo/body style Vette ever produced. I don’t own one because, simply put, I can’t afford it. If I could, it would be sitting in my shop, parked right next to ‘Franken’Storker, my brand new C7 Vette and the Carrera.

 

Back to poking fun at beating up on 'the other guys'; at my last outing at Cresson, there was a 550rwhp Z06, brand new C7, Porsche GT3 and a race-prepped Prosche GT3 in my run group . . . . ‘Franken’Storker played well with all and I'll leave it at that. Now crawl on out and let me have my turn under the bus. :jester:

 

Also, how about posting some photos in Off Topic of your 67 Goat. Love the old stuff. :cheers: