RE: Caterham Levante Sold Out
Discussion
Wilder said:
I believe my friends car is no more than 360 kg (minus driver).
Dickie Meaden claimed 369 kilos for his car, but it isn't that light. Ju Thompson put his BEC on a diet recently - I don't think he got it that low either.
BEC = Bike Engined Car, but I've never heard the acronym used in the way you describe it.
Chap I once knew hit a Sierra head-on - closing speed in excess of 100 mph. He broke his arm. The Caterham was not so healthy but it was rebuilt - a long front-end...he even reused the engine and I am sure that car is still about.
The one area where (IMHO) one feels vulnerable in a Caterham, even with cage and side impact bars is in a side-on - there's no room to try to move away from the impact point and most if not all car bumpers are too high for the side impact bar to do its job.
rubystone said:
Wilder said:
I believe my friends car is no more than 360 kg (minus driver).
Dickie Meaden claimed 369 kilos for his car, but it isn't that light. Ju Thompson put his BEC on a diet recently - I don't think he got it that low either.
BEC = Bike Engined Car, but I've never heard the acronym used in the way you describe it.
Chap I once knew hit a Sierra head-on - closing speed in excess of 100 mph. He broke his arm. The Caterham was not so healthy but it was rebuilt - a long front-end...he even reused the engine and I am sure that car is still about.
The one area where (IMHO) one feels vulnerable in a Caterham, even with cage and side impact bars is in a side-on - there's no room to try to move away from the impact point and most if not all car bumpers are too high for the side impact bar to do its job.
Edited by Wilder on Saturday 18th October 10:42
Vladimir said:
I think you'll find BEC is for Bike Engined Caterham! The phrase came about when they were building the Fireblade. Of course, if you drive a Westie with a bike engine, you can hardly use the last word can you?
I dont quite know why it's limited to 150mph thought, the CSR260 does more than thatand is very stable with it too, this thing must be able to pull big speed (relatively) un-limited. If you can have one looking like a fairly standard Caterham I'd have one.
I'm not sure of the origin, but in the kit car world, BEC is usually used to descibe a bike-engined car, and CEC to descibe a car-engined car.I dont quite know why it's limited to 150mph thought, the CSR260 does more than thatand is very stable with it too, this thing must be able to pull big speed (relatively) un-limited. If you can have one looking like a fairly standard Caterham I'd have one.
Noger said:
Well, my acerbic wit probably functions better than yours at any time of the day 
I really don't care much (and I said "IF I referred" to) either, it just amused me to wind you up for a bit. Character flaw on my part, I know !
I dont know whats gone wrong in your life to be such a poisonous and vitriolic twerp, but I sincerely hope you get over it soon. You also seem to have dillusional tendancies about your own inflated ego and self worth.I really don't care much (and I said "IF I referred" to) either, it just amused me to wind you up for a bit. Character flaw on my part, I know !
Dont bother replying, you have nothing worthwhile to say that I will read anyway.
pw75 said:
they've sold out....shucks... I'd just have to buy an r500 and keep the spare £70k in my bank account. dammit.
TBH I don't see the point in this car whatsoever apart from the people who feel they need to brag down the pub or win at top trumps.
Fair play as an engineering exercise, my hats off to you. As an ownership proposition I don't see one bit of attraction over the aforementioned R500/400.
Fair enough. Go and buy an R400 / R500 then - it isn't like this is a replacement for them is it?TBH I don't see the point in this car whatsoever apart from the people who feel they need to brag down the pub or win at top trumps.
Fair play as an engineering exercise, my hats off to you. As an ownership proposition I don't see one bit of attraction over the aforementioned R500/400.
Can we stop the bickering before this thread is completely ruined, lets make friends and bask in the glorious sunshine of this 1,000bhp-per-ton Caterham.
No matter if everyone likes it, or likes this type of car, all of us on here like cars and as long as a long established manufacturer can build something so utterly ridiculous i am happy.
I spoke to Russel Savory (the designer of the engine and the man behind the RS performance brand)at Autosport last January, where this car was on the Caterham Stand. He was really interesting to chat to (he has many years experience as a bike team boss) and it was great to hear how the engine came about. All the info on the service intervals mentioned early in this thread is exactly as he explained it to me - the longevity came about from the fact that bike engines are so well designed these days and the same technology is applied to this beast of a motor.
Interestingly, he also cleared up all the rumors about the Caparo and this engine. Basically, they approached him and gave him the specs of the car and their target bhp-per-ton. Initially the car was going to use a circa 400 bhp N/A version of this engine. Eventually the car put on enough weight that to hit the headline figure, a Supercharged version of the motor would be needed. This caused packaging problems that could only be solved by "adjusting" the Caparo's engine bay and subsequently it's outer skin. After having spent literally tens of millions on the aerodynamics, they wouldn't change it and the deal fell out of bed.
After watching that video, i want, no NEED to experience that sort of acceleration in a car.
No matter if everyone likes it, or likes this type of car, all of us on here like cars and as long as a long established manufacturer can build something so utterly ridiculous i am happy.
I spoke to Russel Savory (the designer of the engine and the man behind the RS performance brand)at Autosport last January, where this car was on the Caterham Stand. He was really interesting to chat to (he has many years experience as a bike team boss) and it was great to hear how the engine came about. All the info on the service intervals mentioned early in this thread is exactly as he explained it to me - the longevity came about from the fact that bike engines are so well designed these days and the same technology is applied to this beast of a motor.
Interestingly, he also cleared up all the rumors about the Caparo and this engine. Basically, they approached him and gave him the specs of the car and their target bhp-per-ton. Initially the car was going to use a circa 400 bhp N/A version of this engine. Eventually the car put on enough weight that to hit the headline figure, a Supercharged version of the motor would be needed. This caused packaging problems that could only be solved by "adjusting" the Caparo's engine bay and subsequently it's outer skin. After having spent literally tens of millions on the aerodynamics, they wouldn't change it and the deal fell out of bed.
After watching that video, i want, no NEED to experience that sort of acceleration in a car.
Edited by atom-ick on Saturday 18th October 11:13
Noger said:
Russell took me out in the development car. I was wearing a suit at the time, and it needed dry-cleaning after due to me soiling myself when he gave it full beans !
I've driven that same car - even with only 350 odd bhp it was insane,God knows what the Levante must feel like. I'm hoping to have a ride in it next weekend
a freind of mine has got a 400bhp lotus exige which is insane,he has been out in this car and says its absolutley mental,(he could'nt breath until it had stopped accelerating) which is even more funny as the man who built it says the atom is even faster.aslong as theres people building machines like this in the world im happy
M400 NBL said:
Vladimir said:
I think you'll find BEC is for Bike Engined Caterham! The phrase came about when they were building the Fireblade. Of course, if you drive a Westie with a bike engine, you can hardly use the last word can you?
I dont quite know why it's limited to 150mph thought, the CSR260 does more than thatand is very stable with it too, this thing must be able to pull big speed (relatively) un-limited. If you can have one looking like a fairly standard Caterham I'd have one.
I'm not sure of the origin, but in the kit car world, BEC is usually used to descibe a bike-engined car, and CEC to descibe a car-engined car.I dont quite know why it's limited to 150mph thought, the CSR260 does more than thatand is very stable with it too, this thing must be able to pull big speed (relatively) un-limited. If you can have one looking like a fairly standard Caterham I'd have one.
it also stands for Bristol Exploration Club and Business English Certificate. So whatever floats ones boat sporting or education we have one for each. That to me is some crazy S£*t, keep the bickering going Wilder and Co, now the racing season is coming to an end it makes good entertainmentAwesome car, but it really is quite ugly - what's with all the lights? It just looks like somebody couldn't stop designing it.
I'm sure all the wings are essential aerodynamically but they really don't sit well with the overall Seven shape. At least it doesn't have a huge wing on stilts at the back.
I'm sure all the wings are essential aerodynamically but they really don't sit well with the overall Seven shape. At least it doesn't have a huge wing on stilts at the back.
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 19th October 10:15
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