Discussion
Yes, when I was speaking to S&C they mentioned that someone with a collection was interested but that they'd rather sell it to me and know that it would be 'doing what it was designed for' !?!..
In the meantime I've been evolving a Westfield into a great fun '7'..
It's got 375bhp so you've trumped me big time there but has a stonking 415 lbsft of torque from it's 5L V8.. ;-)
I change from 4th to 5th at 120mph so I'm getting about 130 under the bridge on Hanger straight - I see that you went under at 145 !! - So it seems that I need that Nitrous kit after all ;-)
Here are my two cars at Silverstone - (I have a double trailer!) -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5FH4bRyzs0
Silverstone was running a 'no noise limit' day !! (You'd have loved that!)
So I actually had a local fabricator make me up a straight through pipe - leaving the car completely un-silenced and sounding rather like a NASCAR !!
In the meantime I've been evolving a Westfield into a great fun '7'..
It's got 375bhp so you've trumped me big time there but has a stonking 415 lbsft of torque from it's 5L V8.. ;-)
I change from 4th to 5th at 120mph so I'm getting about 130 under the bridge on Hanger straight - I see that you went under at 145 !! - So it seems that I need that Nitrous kit after all ;-)
Here are my two cars at Silverstone - (I have a double trailer!) -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5FH4bRyzs0
Silverstone was running a 'no noise limit' day !! (You'd have loved that!)
So I actually had a local fabricator make me up a straight through pipe - leaving the car completely un-silenced and sounding rather like a NASCAR !!
Can't beat the sound of a proper V8, it looks and sounds great fun! Torque helps indeed, the V6 Levante 'only' making 290ft/lbs.
My car had 200kg of driver and passenger, and tiptoeing through and out of the complex, I'm sure with just me and a little more experience and confidence on a warm day with it I'll be on the far side of 150mph under the bridge and top it out at 165mph on GPS shortly afterwards.
My car had 200kg of driver and passenger, and tiptoeing through and out of the complex, I'm sure with just me and a little more experience and confidence on a warm day with it I'll be on the far side of 150mph under the bridge and top it out at 165mph on GPS shortly afterwards.
I normally only loose 1 second per lap if I leave it in top gear, LOL.
It's no Levante but it's a lot of fun :-)
(Though that day I had momentary engine cutting after breaking into right-handers and a loose rear wheel bearing!!)
As for the Global GT1, it compliments the V8 Westy perfectly and you actually jump out thinking that you were going 30 seconds a lap quicker.!. Whereas they are in fact very evenly matched over a whole lap..
Most trackday organisers are happy for me to switch car as the mood takes me.. :-)
Plus, of course, having the two there means that you aren't tempted to drive on through niggles or noises.. The show can go on in the other car :-)
It's no Levante but it's a lot of fun :-)
(Though that day I had momentary engine cutting after breaking into right-handers and a loose rear wheel bearing!!)
As for the Global GT1, it compliments the V8 Westy perfectly and you actually jump out thinking that you were going 30 seconds a lap quicker.!. Whereas they are in fact very evenly matched over a whole lap..
Most trackday organisers are happy for me to switch car as the mood takes me.. :-)
Plus, of course, having the two there means that you aren't tempted to drive on through niggles or noises.. The show can go on in the other car :-)
Yes, they started as the 600cc Global GT Light then, with the addition of the 1000cc R1 engine, became known as the GT1..
With the advent of highly developed Radicals etc it's no longer the fastest in it's class so as a result you can pick them up for naff all now :-) (£5-7k)
I call it my 'Baby Radical'.!!.
My mate has a Radical SR3 and we often joke that his car 'got together' with my V8 Westy one night and that this was their 'love child' !!
Anyway, sorry to hijack your Levante thread Pete.
Back to your car, the Yellow V6 I looked at was limited to 150mph..
(Which I must confess I found to be an irritation!!)
I take it that your's would run out of gears (or start glowing!?) before it stopped accelerating ?!?
Is it common for them to have a speed limiter set?
Or does it depend on what speed rated tyres Caterham fitted.?.
Or maybe it's because that yellow one had a windscreen and that Caterham perhaps only rate the windscreen to 150mph or something like that..?..
With the advent of highly developed Radicals etc it's no longer the fastest in it's class so as a result you can pick them up for naff all now :-) (£5-7k)
I call it my 'Baby Radical'.!!.
My mate has a Radical SR3 and we often joke that his car 'got together' with my V8 Westy one night and that this was their 'love child' !!
Anyway, sorry to hijack your Levante thread Pete.
Back to your car, the Yellow V6 I looked at was limited to 150mph..
(Which I must confess I found to be an irritation!!)
I take it that your's would run out of gears (or start glowing!?) before it stopped accelerating ?!?
Is it common for them to have a speed limiter set?
Or does it depend on what speed rated tyres Caterham fitted.?.
Or maybe it's because that yellow one had a windscreen and that Caterham perhaps only rate the windscreen to 150mph or something like that..?..
I think Russell limited them for sanity's sake, some say that a Caterham is a bit dangerous at higher speeds suffering from lift and vague steering, he also fitted them with traction control as well. I can't say I experienced any of the lift or vagueness at over 150mph, felt as stable as it did at 50mph. Maybe it's the effect on downforce of the CSR/Levante wings?
My car has neither speed limiter nor traction control, speed is limited only by the rev limiter (10k), gearbox and diff ratios, and traction by my right foot. It certainly didn't feel like it was slowing down over 150moh either, so aero drag wasn't an issue.
It could very well be the constraints of tyres and screen, I wouldn't have a clue but it sounds sensible. Aero and slicks are the way forward haha.
My car has neither speed limiter nor traction control, speed is limited only by the rev limiter (10k), gearbox and diff ratios, and traction by my right foot. It certainly didn't feel like it was slowing down over 150moh either, so aero drag wasn't an issue.
It could very well be the constraints of tyres and screen, I wouldn't have a clue but it sounds sensible. Aero and slicks are the way forward haha.
Edited by Pdelamare on Saturday 30th January 21:32
, jeez does that thing pack up its heels, reckon my R500 will be like an electric car with a flat battery 
Thanks Oilchange - for encouraging diversity on your thread ;-)
Thanks Rubystone,
I'll scribble your name into my Global file incase I find myself struggling to find something for the car..
I gather that there are a fair few spares for them stashed away in various garages and that the designer (Graham..) can probably still help source parts..
But the other advantage of buying a car like this is that the seller tends to have amassed crates of spares to take along to race weekends - for any eventuality - and these are normally included in the sale :-)
Mine came with 12 wheels, 12 slicks, 6 wets, wishbones, spare (hillclimb) fuel tank, pads, sprockets, axles, cv joints, rose joints, spare instruments, wings, pads, springs, cables, fuel pump, ARB, swirlpot, bearings, coilpacks, oil etc etc
Plus I got a second race prepared engine with 180+bhp that I'll swap in at some point to replace my standard 150bhp one..
But, to be honest (as I currently just enjoy using it on trackdays), the 150bhp and worn out rubber is plenty fast enough to have a good time..
I normally go out lapping with a group of friends (driving Caterham R400 & R500, Radical SR3, a 335bhp cossie Westy, Exige V6 etc)
So, though we do have a bit of an 'upgrade-itis arms race'!, it's more fun to keep all of our cars in a similar lap time 'ball park'.. :-)
Incidentally - like you say, there's still a lot of these racing in Ireland - we had actually pondered towing our trailers over there and getting a few more! - so that we could have one each and chase each other round in the same cars!!
Er then we'd just need to have one red, one white and one blue and practice driving them into the back of a moving converted coach ;-)
Thanks Rubystone,
I'll scribble your name into my Global file incase I find myself struggling to find something for the car..
I gather that there are a fair few spares for them stashed away in various garages and that the designer (Graham..) can probably still help source parts..
But the other advantage of buying a car like this is that the seller tends to have amassed crates of spares to take along to race weekends - for any eventuality - and these are normally included in the sale :-)
Mine came with 12 wheels, 12 slicks, 6 wets, wishbones, spare (hillclimb) fuel tank, pads, sprockets, axles, cv joints, rose joints, spare instruments, wings, pads, springs, cables, fuel pump, ARB, swirlpot, bearings, coilpacks, oil etc etc
Plus I got a second race prepared engine with 180+bhp that I'll swap in at some point to replace my standard 150bhp one..
But, to be honest (as I currently just enjoy using it on trackdays), the 150bhp and worn out rubber is plenty fast enough to have a good time..
I normally go out lapping with a group of friends (driving Caterham R400 & R500, Radical SR3, a 335bhp cossie Westy, Exige V6 etc)
So, though we do have a bit of an 'upgrade-itis arms race'!, it's more fun to keep all of our cars in a similar lap time 'ball park'.. :-)
Incidentally - like you say, there's still a lot of these racing in Ireland - we had actually pondered towing our trailers over there and getting a few more! - so that we could have one each and chase each other round in the same cars!!
Er then we'd just need to have one red, one white and one blue and practice driving them into the back of a moving converted coach ;-)
Well as it's been a few weeks since the last post I'll give it a bit of a bump with a link to the latest Global outing - a rather chilly slippery day at Woodbridge last weekend. -
https://youtu.be/jxAuIxjg3dE
Any outings planned for the Levante?
https://youtu.be/jxAuIxjg3dE
Any outings planned for the Levante?
I was drawn to this thread via a one in General discussing small block V8's adn I mentioned the RST V8.
I became very friendly with Richard Lee who started building the RST V6 Caterham referred to here before his untimely death intervened.
I'd be interested to know what happened to the car - I watched it being built in his carbon workshop tucked away in the Scottish Borders. A lovely guy who was gone far too soon.
I became very friendly with Richard Lee who started building the RST V6 Caterham referred to here before his untimely death intervened.
I'd be interested to know what happened to the car - I watched it being built in his carbon workshop tucked away in the Scottish Borders. A lovely guy who was gone far too soon.
do you still own the V6? I think about buying me nearly the same Caterham. What about the engine? Many problems…??
saw your videos. Looks like you often drove it on track
regards Mike from germany
saw your videos. Looks like you often drove it on track
regards Mike from germany
Pdelamare said:
I have this car now.
I bought this car in January of this year. I was in the middle of building an SV version of the 620 R when I saw An advert for the RiF project car, I dismissed the idea, but after reading about it and realising that I never do things by halves, I made up my mind to acquire it and abandon my original project.
I'd originally planned for it to have been finished already. It's debut was meant to be the Silvertone GP trackday on bank holiday May 26th, but annoying an unexpected 2.5 month delay at Pro Alloy has somewhat ruined all my plans. I took the car straight to Russell Savory for him to complete, it made sense to me as he supplied the car in the first place and has all the drawings and knowledge to finish it to the standard it deserves.
It'll be registered soon as a Caterham Levante Superlight. Hopefully it'll be appearing in Low Flying in a few months time as a sort of closure to the long running project along with everyone who's been involved with it, including Henrietta Lee.
Anyway, it's just about to leave Pro Alloy and they've kindly supplied some pictures of the build which I thought I'd share with anyone that's interested. There's also pics I took when I saw t for the first time.
I bought this car in January of this year. I was in the middle of building an SV version of the 620 R when I saw An advert for the RiF project car, I dismissed the idea, but after reading about it and realising that I never do things by halves, I made up my mind to acquire it and abandon my original project.
I'd originally planned for it to have been finished already. It's debut was meant to be the Silvertone GP trackday on bank holiday May 26th, but annoying an unexpected 2.5 month delay at Pro Alloy has somewhat ruined all my plans. I took the car straight to Russell Savory for him to complete, it made sense to me as he supplied the car in the first place and has all the drawings and knowledge to finish it to the standard it deserves.
It'll be registered soon as a Caterham Levante Superlight. Hopefully it'll be appearing in Low Flying in a few months time as a sort of closure to the long running project along with everyone who's been involved with it, including Henrietta Lee.
Anyway, it's just about to leave Pro Alloy and they've kindly supplied some pictures of the build which I thought I'd share with anyone that's interested. There's also pics I took when I saw t for the first time.
Edited by Pdelamare on Sunday 22 June 15:51
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