2 Eleven or Caterham or Atom

[Boggy]

Phil-CH said:

Boggy said:

Not sure how it's less practical, you can't really call the caterham or the Atom pratical? For me it's by far the best choice

It's less practical on many levels - a Caterham has a windscreen, can be bought with a heater (and is still lighter than a 2-eleven btw), has a roof with enough room to store a soft top and on top of that even has some spare room left after it. It gets over speed bumps without any trouble, opposed to a 2-eleven that just can't (have you looked at one?). On top of that, it's easily as quick (if not quicker depending on the variant) and probably ends up being cheaper too. Being a NA car, it's more pure as well.

Sorry Phil,

I've driven a few and they are awful, not really something that I can get passionate about driven only 1.8 variant but I've been a passenger in various, it didn't do anything for me and I think the 2 11 is light years away

Boggy

[RobM77]

Phil-CH said:

Boggy said:

Not sure how it's less practical, you can't really call the caterham or the Atom pratical? For me it's by far the best choice

It's less practical on many levels - a Caterham has a windscreen, can be bought with a heater (and is still lighter than a 2-eleven btw), has a roof with enough room to store a soft top and on top of that even has some spare room left after it. It gets over speed bumps without any trouble, opposed to a 2-eleven that just can't (have you looked at one?). On top of that, it's easily as quick (if not quicker depending on the variant) and probably ends up being cheaper too. Being a NA car, it's more pure as well.

The roof on a Caterham actually rolls up into a sausage type bag that straps onto the roll bar:



What's more, when correctly fitted, the hood is completely water tight. Quite an achievement!

I can't find a picture of the boot on a Caterham, but they're surprisingly roomy, and you can get a couple of rucksacks in there for a weekend away without too much of a problem.

I actually found the windscreen on my Caterham a right hassle, as it virtually demands that you use sidescreens, which ruin the 'open top' feeling somewhat. Without the sidescreens the wind slaps you round the side of your face and is really uncomfortable above about 30 or 40mph (it actually makes your eye vibrate!). My preferred combination for a 7 is an aeroscreen and tillet seats that don't get ruined when it rains.

Regarding the performance, Caterhams usually need a much higher power to weight ratio than Elises and Exiges to pull in the same lap times. I've no doubt that the 300bhp/tonne 2-11 would lap significantly quicker than an R300 with the same power to weight ratio. The R500 is so monstorously potent though that a 2-11 probably wouldn't stand a chance against one. They were cheaper than the 2-11 at launch as well.. Overall, it's a totally different feeling flying along in a seven trying to get the power down to skimming along in a perfectly damped Elise/Exige - and I presume that's what the 2-11 feels like.

[Phil-CH]

Boggy said:

Sorry Phil,

I've driven a few and they are awful, not really something that I can get passionate about driven only 1.8 variant but I've been a passenger in various, it didn't do anything for me and I think the 2 11 is light years away

Boggy

That's your given right, but if you think they're awful, then I IMO don't think you've spent much time with them and a 2-eleven. There's no doubt that a Caterham is more practical than a 2-eleven, as per the reasons I noted above. Rob's reply covers the lot, so there's not much to add, other than that the new CSR range (though I'm not a fan of them) are lightyears ahead of any of the Rover engined Caterhams that you may have found awful. They are surprisingly comfortable, have heaters and are quite roomy as well - not exactly the ethos of a Super7 mind you and not my thing, but the point is, it's lightyears ahead of the 2-eleven in practicallity while being lighter at the same time. In performance, they should be close - but in most cases, I am willing to bet the Caterham is the more capable machine (especially tight tracks) given the weight advantage.

[RobM77]

Phil-CH said:

Boggy said:

Sorry Phil,

I've driven a few and they are awful, not really something that I can get passionate about driven only 1.8 variant but I've been a passenger in various, it didn't do anything for me and I think the 2 11 is light years away

Boggy

That's your given right, but if you think they're awful, then I IMO don't think you've spent much time with them and a 2-eleven. There's no doubt that a Caterham is more practical than a 2-eleven, as per the reasons I noted above. Rob's reply covers the lot, so there's not much to add, other than that the new CSR range (though I'm not a fan of them) are lightyears ahead of any of the Rover engined Caterhams that you may have found awful. They are surprisingly comfortable, have heaters and are quite roomy as well - not exactly the ethos of a Super7 mind you and not my thing, but the point is, it's lightyears ahead of the 2-eleven in practicallity while being lighter at the same time. In performance, they should be close - but in most cases, I am willing to bet the Caterham is the more capable machine (especially tight tracks) given the weight advantage.

Everyone has a different opinion of cars, but I must confess I struggle to see why anyone would think a Caterham was awful. Most people agree they're among the best handling and fastest cars on the road, but obviously some people prefer more creature comforts, which is fair enough, but not enough to call the car 'awful'.

Regarding the performance, Caterhams have claimed the Autocar 0-100-0 crown many times and have also held the production car lap record at the ring on two occasions. Perhaps the most telling thing is that when Autocar went to Silverstone with a whole host of performance cars back in 1997 to record lap times, none of the cars they drove that day got even close to the times that my Caterham will do round there. The crunch is that the engine in mine is the least powerful variant possible (a 1.6 K series). That says an awful lot!

[L100NYY]

Boggy said:

I've driven a few and they are awful, Boggy

I can only assume that all of the variants that you drove were badly set up, or.......or.......or........or..........no I'm struggling here!!!

[RobM77]

L100NYY said:

Boggy said:

I've driven a few and they are awful, Boggy

I can only assume that all of the variants that you drove were badly set up, or.......or.......or........or..........no I'm struggling here!!!

They are very sensitive to setup. Since I bought mine it's been undriveable, understeered like mad and then oversteered like mad All down to setup. When setup well Caterhams are just incredible little cars!

This was a Caterham that you drove was it Boggy? Not a westfield? Be honest with us!

[kevin ritson]

Remind him that a Caterham is a Lotus and he'll soon change his mind. In fact he'll probably chop in his S for one

[L100NYY]

kevin ritson said:

Remind him that a Caterham is a Lotus and he'll soon change his mind. In fact he'll probably chop in his S for one

Sorry Stu!

[Boggy]

kevin ritson said:

Remind him that a Caterham is a Lotus and he'll soon change his mind. In fact he'll probably chop in his S for one

Used to be Kevin about 30 year's ago which is why it appeal's to you so much, your old before your time mate Just don't like the styling, don't like the sensation that I'm going to fall out of the thing, don't really like them full stop. Sorry if you own one

Boggy

[RobM77]

Boggy said:

kevin ritson said:

Remind him that a Caterham is a Lotus and he'll soon change his mind. In fact he'll probably chop in his S for one

Used to be Kevin about 30 year's ago which is why it appeal's to you so much, your old before your time mate Just don't like the styling, don't like the sensation that I'm going to fall out of the thing, don't really like them full stop. Sorry if you own one

Boggy

Those are fair comments I suppose. Styling doesn't interest me, and I'm not going to fall out because I'm sat so low I can't see the front wheels and I have a six point harness on! Those two things just aren't issues for me.

[Boggy]

RobM77 said:

L100NYY said:

Boggy said:

I've driven a few and they are awful, Boggy

I can only assume that all of the variants that you drove were badly set up, or.......or.......or........or..........no I'm struggling here!!!

They are very sensitive to setup. Since I bought mine it's been undriveable, understeered like mad and then oversteered like mad All down to setup. When setup well Caterhams are just incredible little cars!

This was a Caterham that you drove was it Boggy? Not a westfield? Be honest with us!

I'm afraid it was, had a fair bit of dealing's with them as a friend of mine who owns Ntc car's in Dartford knows the chap well at Crayford, we've had load's in for different reasons. Also a mate of mine Stuart built one, not my thing

Boggy

[RobM77]

Boggy said:

RobM77 said:

L100NYY said:

Boggy said:

I've driven a few and they are awful, Boggy

I can only assume that all of the variants that you drove were badly set up, or.......or.......or........or..........no I'm struggling here!!!

They are very sensitive to setup. Since I bought mine it's been undriveable, understeered like mad and then oversteered like mad All down to setup. When setup well Caterhams are just incredible little cars!

This was a Caterham that you drove was it Boggy? Not a westfield? Be honest with us!

I'm afraid it was, had a fair bit of dealing's with them as a friend of mine who owns Ntc car's in Dartford knows the chap well at Crayford, we've had load's in for different reasons. Also a mate of mine Stuart built one, not my thing

Boggy

Thanks.

I noticed from your profile that you lust after a 2-11, and have owned two Elises! Out of interest, what puts you off Caterhams so much? I never thought I'd meet someone who liked Elises but not Caterhams, let alone someone who liked the 2-11!!

[Boggy]

RobM77 said:

Boggy said:

RobM77 said:

L100NYY said:

Boggy said:

I've driven a few and they are awful, Boggy

I can only assume that all of the variants that you drove were badly set up, or.......or.......or........or..........no I'm struggling here!!!

They are very sensitive to setup. Since I bought mine it's been undriveable, understeered like mad and then oversteered like mad All down to setup. When setup well Caterhams are just incredible little cars!

This was a Caterham that you drove was it Boggy? Not a westfield? Be honest with us!

I'm afraid it was, had a fair bit of dealing's with them as a friend of mine who owns Ntc car's in Dartford knows the chap well at Crayford, we've had load's in for different reasons. Also a mate of mine Stuart built one, not my thing

Boggy

Thanks.

I noticed from your profile that you lust after a 2-11, and have owned two Elises! Out of interest, what puts you off Caterhams so much? I never thought I'd meet someone who liked Elises but not Caterhams, let alone someone who liked the 2-11!!

I've owned 3 mate, can't really put my finger on it but I can understand why other people do. It must be when I was younger perhaps my Dad took me out in one and frightened me?

Boggy

[Stephanie Plum]

Have to say I've never liked the 7. Just looks so dated, so I see where Boggy is coming from, but I wouldn't say they were awful. Just cos I don't think they're pretty doesn't mean I don't think they can go some.

However, in answer to the OP - have to vote for a 2-11.

Followed by the Atom 3.

[EvoJay]

What about a radical?

[Stephanie Plum]

EvoJay said:

What about a radical?

Fab but some serious running costs.......

[kevin ritson]

Stephanie Plum said:

Have to say I've never liked the 7. Just looks so dated, so I see where Boggy is coming from, but I wouldn't say they were awful. Just cos I don't think they're pretty doesn't mean I don't think they can go some.

Ah but when you look down the long bonnet with the wheels bobbing and the headlights reflecting back....first time I sat in my mate's a knew I would own one one day. It has that old charm plus it's an extreme car.

[S Works]

kevin ritson said:

Stephanie Plum said:

Have to say I've never liked the 7. Just looks so dated, so I see where Boggy is coming from, but I wouldn't say they were awful. Just cos I don't think they're pretty doesn't mean I don't think they can go some.

Ah but when you look down the long bonnet with the wheels bobbing and the headlights reflecting back....first time I sat in my mate's a knew I would own one one day. It has that old charm plus it's an extreme car.

And possibly one of the purest driving experiences one can have. I too will own one, possibly early next year.

[Hollywood Wheels]

Out of the hundreds of cars my fat backside has been in, the Caterham was by far the most comfortable. Hard to believe but true, just the perfect position and view. Lovely cars. Looked at blatchat for a few months when I was looking around for a car..........the blokes on there are mad as a sack of badgers......

[RobM77]

Hollywood Wheels said:

Out of the hundreds of cars my fat backside has been in, the Caterham was by far the most comfortable. Hard to believe but true, just the perfect position and view. Lovely cars. Looked at blatchat for a few months when I was looking around for a car..........the blokes on there are mad as a sack of badgers......

oi!

I know what you mean about the comfort. Not many other road cars allow you to sit in the same position that you sit up in bed in Legs straight, reclined but supported. I've no idea why car manufacturers think that the "sitting on the toilet" position is comfortable?!