Caterham Mention in Car & Driver, Kind Of

[seschm1234]

I have recently started ordering parts for my CSR from Bruce and the interactions and service have been great. He has given me advice and gone way beyond just taking my order. As far as the price points go I believe my 260 engine and 6 speed went for about $20K in 2007. Because my engine a bit larger in displacement than the current 2 liter (and its associated 240 hp) I would suspect very similar components to generate close BMEP. Additionally it appears to me as the cost is not far out of line with what we had before the new arrangement Superformance. I do believe that Croc got a much better deal when exchange rates were quite favorable though.

 

The sequential and 310 HP engine… thats a lot of cash :-) but no one on your block will have one.

Edited April 7, 2014 by seschm1234

[Croc]

I do believe that Croc got a much better deal when exchange rates were quite favorable though.

 

The sequential and 310 HP engine… thats a lot of cash :-) but no one on your block will have one.

 

You are probably right on the exchange rates. I got an even better deal because the owner of the unassembled kit/engine/gearbox was a forced seller thanks to the "better half" - poor guy.:ack:

 

As for another 310hp Caterham - there is one very close to me!

[yellowss7]

You are probably right on the exchange rates. I got an even better deal because the owner of the unassembled kit/engine/gearbox was a forced seller thanks to the "better half" - poor guy.:ack:

 

As for another 310hp Caterham - there is one USUALLY In Front of me!

 

Fixed that for you. :jester:

[xcarguy]

So, where Croc is concerned, is that considered cruel and 'usual' punishment?

[Croc]

Yes, its in front of me about to be overtaken and lapped!

[JohnCh]

Yes, its in front of me after I was overtaken and lapped! :banghead:

 

Looks like you had another autocomplete issue with that post, but I fixed it for you :jester:

 

-John

[Klasik-69]

Maybe I'm confused about the Caterham package. I was under the impression that the car came "unassembled" whereby you, as the buyer, are delivered a frame with body skin attached and a host of loose parts such as the suspension, wings, etc. Also, the engine and tranny were to be purchased separately and installed by you unless you made arrangements for the selling dealer to assemble the car on your behalf for a fee.

 

Having said that, what does one get with the new "packages" ? It sure seems to me that the engine and transmission is a separate package. Is the rest of the car provided to you assembled ? And if you want to put it together yourself, you save the $3995 ?

 

I also wondered if the old Caterham dealers were now out of the loop, such as Jon @ Caterham USA in Denver ? I hope not, he has been such a big help in the past with parts and very good advice.

 

Now as to Superformance, there is no doubt that their product quality and delivery is top notch and sets the bar for many out there who choose to compete in the specialty car market. I have always admired their cars but could never afford them. I rode in my friend's AC cobra fitted with the Ford 427 side oiler engine and was impressed with not only the acceleration but the smoothness of the ride which is a lot smoother than either my Z06 or 996TT. However, 8 years ago and that car took $76,000 to build.

[randychase]

The kit option is indeed like it used to be. So you save $3995 and put it together yourself. Originally Superformance was less interested in offering this as an option, as they felt (perhaps rightfully) that they could control quality better by selling the roller already assembled. Of course to meet the rules, the engine and gearbox are not installed. In fact Superformance wanted the dealers to stock rollers already built, the problem with that is how much customization the typical Seven buyer wants. It makes it difficult to floorplan rollers already sorted out with body size, paint, etc.

 

I think some of us convinced Superformance that a good percentage of the buyers enjoy and want the build experience. I know for me it was around 50% of my customers wanted to build the car. Some saw it as a father-son project. Some perhaps as a budget saving move. Some will do more customization beyond the factory build.

 

So if you order a new Caterham from Superformance, then you will receive a car already assembled and then arrange to have the engine/gearbox installed. Unless you order the kit option.

 

I believe all of the existing dealers were offered the opportunity to stay on as a dealer with Superformance. Some have declined. I myself have gone in a different direction. I believe Jon has declined but he does still have a large inventory of spare parts. My guess is he will figure out what he is going to do with that, but I do know he is very busy right now and overseas.

 

The larger question here...will increased marketing effort and exposure increase sales of a niche vehicle (and make up for increased pricing)? I don't know.

[bigdog]

The kit option is indeed like it used to be. So you save $3995 and put it together yourself. Originally Superformance was less interested in offering this as an option, as they felt (perhaps rightfully) that they could control quality better by selling the roller already assembled. Of course to meet the rules, the engine and gearbox are not installed. In fact Superformance wanted the dealers to stock rollers already built, the problem with that is how much customization the typical Seven buyer wants. It makes it difficult to floorplan rollers already sorted out with body size, paint, etc.

 

I think some of us convinced Superformance that a good percentage of the buyers enjoy and want the build experience. I know for me it was around 50% of my customers wanted to build the car. Some saw it as a father-son project. Some perhaps as a budget saving move. Some will do more customization beyond the factory build.

 

So if you order a new Caterham from Superformance, then you will receive a car already assembled and then arrange to have the engine/gearbox installed. Unless you order the kit option.

 

I believe all of the existing dealers were offered the opportunity to stay on as a dealer with Superformance. Some have declined. I myself have gone in a different direction. I believe Jon has declined but he does still have a large inventory of spare parts. My guess is he will figure out what he is going to do with that, but I do know he is very busy right now and overseas.

 

The larger question here...will increased marketing effort and exposure increase sales of a niche vehicle (and make up for increased pricing)? I don't know.

 

A little digression here.

 

I think there are still a fair few folks out there that remember and thus have a negative idea of a "kit" built car. And of what do we remember? How about the Bradley GT. It really wasn't a bad car on the face of it. But Bradly and "kit cars" in general did suffer greatly from botched owner builds. As Bradley GT's and the ilk were so incomplete it would soon overwhelm all but the most serious builders.

 

Of course, As insiders & people in the know. We realize that this is not the case with the modern 7 kit car. But too many out there that don't know, would likely balk at buying a "kit car" or would expect deep discounts due to them thinking it will be a car built in a shed by Billy Bob & his redneck buddies standing around a fridge full of Coors beer.

 

I'll be perfectly honest. The first thing that came to mind when looking to buy a seven. Was the nightmare of ending up with a poorly built Bradley GT equivalent should I buy a 7 built from a "kit".

[randychase]

And yes, the use of the term "kit" is unfortunate. As a previous Noble and Rossion owner, they have also struggled with that. Nobles were sold as "kits" and build qualities were very dependent on the builder. Rossion decided that they were not going to go that route for that reason.

 

Kit covers a wide range and to many implies using a donor vehicle, or something rebodied... or something built in a shed by a guy with a Harbor Freight welder. I prefer component car, though I know it is just semantics.

Edited April 14, 2014 by randychase

[cheapracer]

The larger question here...will increased marketing effort and exposure increase sales of a niche vehicle (and make up for increased pricing)? I don't know.

 

 

You had better hope that Jeremy Clarkson gets to drive it and turn into an "Alien" - see how that worked out for Ariel, instant cult car with long waiting list yet every other exoskeleton car has been a flop.

 

 

Being a British based car your's may have a good chance of achieving that or similar, Chris Harris etc.

[Klasik-69]

The one very big advantage that Caterham has is build quality. It is excellent. I have taken my R300 completely apart for the repaint so I was able to experience the assembly/disassembly. I can't imagine anyone doing a better job. Will that carry the car at the new cost? I hope so.

[lucky dawg]

The one very big advantage that Caterham has is build quality. It is excellent. I have taken my R300 completely apart for the repaint so I was able to experience the assembly/disassembly. I can't imagine anyone doing a better job. Will that carry the car at the new cost? I hope so.

Was your car actually built by Caterham or did it arrive in boxes and then assembled in the US?