LOH's Caterham 7 Super Sprint
Discussion
Time for a thread at last! Despite making one for the Mrs' i3S and even thinking about one for my V6 Amarok I've waiting doing a proper one until I managed to get another proper car. Not that I don't love the other two-I absolutely love the cars we have, probably as much as I've loved anything we've owned-if not more.
But, I have been waiting a couple of years to get to this point and even though it was a bit of a rush deal and wasn't exactly what I was going to do, well it just had to be done.
For more examples of my frivolous automobile purchases look no further than my readers cars threads below-there's always something daft that happens along the way and not a single one was purchased with much in the way of thought or consideration...
MINI GP2
Porsche 911s
MX5 diary
As usual, there's a bit (a lot) of a backstory to all this but while I type all of that piffle up you might as well have some pics of what I think is one of the most beautiful little cars made in years...
But, I have been waiting a couple of years to get to this point and even though it was a bit of a rush deal and wasn't exactly what I was going to do, well it just had to be done.
For more examples of my frivolous automobile purchases look no further than my readers cars threads below-there's always something daft that happens along the way and not a single one was purchased with much in the way of thought or consideration...
MINI GP2
Porsche 911s
MX5 diary
As usual, there's a bit (a lot) of a backstory to all this but while I type all of that piffle up you might as well have some pics of what I think is one of the most beautiful little cars made in years...
Edited by LaurasOtherHalf on Tuesday 24th August 21:22
So what is it if you don't know caterfields or whatever?
It is a whole hunking 880cc of Japanese Turbo power in a retro Caterham body.
The story goes that Caterham worked out that if the power train matched the requirements, a narrow body Caterham could actually qualify as a Kei Car in Hong Kong. So with typical British brio, Caterham went and sourced a Suzuki three cylinder turbo engine, box and live back axle and went and built one. A whole 80 bhp, which is more than what a Kei Car can have but your guess is as good as mine.
For clarity, I think this is the story and with along with the rest of this post in particular I'm just going off what I've read on the net. It may be wrong and I'm happy to be corrected
So once that was all done, Caterham now had a new little car to play with.
A couple of years later in 2017, caterham was celebrating their 60th anniversary, well actually the 60th anniversary of the Lotus & and they decided to cobble together some typical British MotoCo special editions. What came out was the bloody beautiful little Caterham Sprint, the little green one with the old school wings and red interior.
As you can imagine it was very well received and thoughts turned to another special edition.
As stunning as the Sprint was, what followed in the Super Sprint was everything the Sprint was and more. Sorted by Caterham Works, the engine was tuned to a heady 95bhp (hold on tight!!), the suspension was adjustable and the diff was of the limited slip variety. Skinny Avon tyres, Brooklands screens and a no cost option of passenger seat delete.
These were announced at the Goodwood Festival Of Speed and immediately sold out, 60 cars, 30 for the rest of the world and 30 for the UK. The headlines were 60 sell out in 60 minutes.
Six colour schemes, all with Scottish Tan Leather and you could add lowered floors, tonneau covers and even a roof and windscreen if you were southern.
Each car came with a matching helmet and not surprisingly, many were ordered by collectors/speculators either looking for something to covet or make a quick buck from.
As soon as they were announced, basically on the premise of "look at what you could have won" I absolutely loved them. All sold out and let's be honest, with only 30 in the UK with some already likely exported or SORN'd, squirrelled away in collections finding one would be hard.
It became the type of car you kept looking at in the classifieds with a view of "one day", in the hope it doesn't become one of those "oh so nearly but now you can't get one" cars...
It is a whole hunking 880cc of Japanese Turbo power in a retro Caterham body.
The story goes that Caterham worked out that if the power train matched the requirements, a narrow body Caterham could actually qualify as a Kei Car in Hong Kong. So with typical British brio, Caterham went and sourced a Suzuki three cylinder turbo engine, box and live back axle and went and built one. A whole 80 bhp, which is more than what a Kei Car can have but your guess is as good as mine.
For clarity, I think this is the story and with along with the rest of this post in particular I'm just going off what I've read on the net. It may be wrong and I'm happy to be corrected
So once that was all done, Caterham now had a new little car to play with.
A couple of years later in 2017, caterham was celebrating their 60th anniversary, well actually the 60th anniversary of the Lotus & and they decided to cobble together some typical British MotoCo special editions. What came out was the bloody beautiful little Caterham Sprint, the little green one with the old school wings and red interior.
As you can imagine it was very well received and thoughts turned to another special edition.
As stunning as the Sprint was, what followed in the Super Sprint was everything the Sprint was and more. Sorted by Caterham Works, the engine was tuned to a heady 95bhp (hold on tight!!), the suspension was adjustable and the diff was of the limited slip variety. Skinny Avon tyres, Brooklands screens and a no cost option of passenger seat delete.
These were announced at the Goodwood Festival Of Speed and immediately sold out, 60 cars, 30 for the rest of the world and 30 for the UK. The headlines were 60 sell out in 60 minutes.
Six colour schemes, all with Scottish Tan Leather and you could add lowered floors, tonneau covers and even a roof and windscreen if you were southern.
Each car came with a matching helmet and not surprisingly, many were ordered by collectors/speculators either looking for something to covet or make a quick buck from.
As soon as they were announced, basically on the premise of "look at what you could have won" I absolutely loved them. All sold out and let's be honest, with only 30 in the UK with some already likely exported or SORN'd, squirrelled away in collections finding one would be hard.
It became the type of car you kept looking at in the classifieds with a view of "one day", in the hope it doesn't become one of those "oh so nearly but now you can't get one" cars...
HustleRussell said:
660cc no?
Yes! I keep telling people it’s 880cc for some reason 
Regardless, despite swearing I’d never own one (a friend had a bad accident in one) in amongst my saved searches of GT3s, Boxster Spyders and the like I kept coming back to these little things.
Around a year to six months ago there would regularly be three or four of the U.K. cars up for sale. All were always sub 1000 miles and all were about the list price when new or the invoice price including a couple of options.
I kept my eye on a couple, I particularly wanted either Zandvoort Green (pic below) or Dijon Blue-I thought it looked best in the blue but the green appealed as the quirky option.
One in particular was a gorgeous Dijon Blue with all the right extras for me-tonneau covers, brooklands screens and lowered floors. It had also been wrapped in clear film for protection which although I’m not bothered about was a decent extra.
It was owned by a racing team who ran in the Caterham Cup as a bit of a show piece. Hardly used and probably bought because they could, with the hope of a bit of appreciation. I know a couple of their drivers have had a go in it as it’s appeared on some social media but I don’t think it’s been ragged as a track car!
What intrigued me more was it was number 60 of the build run of 60. Such things don’t really bother me at all but seeing as most of these have covered minimum mileage, my thought was the significant build number might negate some of the depreciation I’ll cause by actually using the damn thing.
It sold at the end of last year and slowly but steadily, most of the usual suspects disappeared from the market.
Up until a couple of weeks ago the owner of no60 put a for sale ad up in a Facebook group I’m on. A few hundred extra miles of summer use on the odometer and a bit cheaper I was on the phone straight away.
A video call, some bartering and a deposit was paid. It kind of felt like it was meant to be-the original car I’d wanted plus it’s racing number was the same age I will turn this year. Fate!
Fate also decided it was situated at just about the furthest point in England from where I was.
A scramble round the local motor club to find a suitable covered trailer and a road trip was planned…
Actually I think the smaller sounds cooler!
So after hearing from a fellow club member that his trailer would be available my next door neighbour and I went round last minute to pick it up.
I mention the next door neighbour as I’d done home a favour the previous weekend by taking him to collect his new (old) Mini Cooper S rally car. It was campaigned by him and his friend for many a year and whilst the owner was now in his 80s it was time to sell. It probably won’t be competed in any more, it will do some sprints and track days etc.
It is a pucker original rally car, I was needed as although it was local (same street that I grew up in and that my parents still live so I’ve known it for years) it also came with enough spares to fill 2 trailer full, 2 pickup trucks full as well as an X5 with the seats folded! The attic of the garage was full to the rafters, spare engines, glass, about a dozen heads, interiors, wheels, gearboxes, I think over 10 carbs.
All original mk1 Cooper S bits.
So after a deal was done the following day Rob said he’d make the journey as back up driver if needed.
We set the alarms for 4:30am and we’re on the road by 5. A terrific journey there and back saw the car in my hands. To be fair, at 1300 miles on the clock you’d expect it to be like new and it was.
Long day but we’ll work the effort.
So after hearing from a fellow club member that his trailer would be available my next door neighbour and I went round last minute to pick it up.
I mention the next door neighbour as I’d done home a favour the previous weekend by taking him to collect his new (old) Mini Cooper S rally car. It was campaigned by him and his friend for many a year and whilst the owner was now in his 80s it was time to sell. It probably won’t be competed in any more, it will do some sprints and track days etc.
It is a pucker original rally car, I was needed as although it was local (same street that I grew up in and that my parents still live so I’ve known it for years) it also came with enough spares to fill 2 trailer full, 2 pickup trucks full as well as an X5 with the seats folded! The attic of the garage was full to the rafters, spare engines, glass, about a dozen heads, interiors, wheels, gearboxes, I think over 10 carbs.
All original mk1 Cooper S bits.
So after a deal was done the following day Rob said he’d make the journey as back up driver if needed.
We set the alarms for 4:30am and we’re on the road by 5. A terrific journey there and back saw the car in my hands. To be fair, at 1300 miles on the clock you’d expect it to be like new and it was.
Long day but we’ll work the effort.
The_Doc said:
That's very classy. Very nice. Elegant.
I'd better make good on my threat and get one too, although I was thinking more along the lines of https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107104...
which would make mine the brash, yah-hoo cousin!
I think if any readers were to meet us, there's only one who would be described as the brash, yah-hoo cousin (despite the finer taste in motor vehicles) and it aint the doc!I'd better make good on my threat and get one too, although I was thinking more along the lines of https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107104...
which would make mine the brash, yah-hoo cousin!
I have to admit as part of the story, my test drive was actually my first ever drive of not just a three cylinder Caterham but any Caterham at all.
The vender looked horrified when I turned up wearing my work steelies but I did fetch along my racing boots. Whilst everyone else made small talk I took the car for a blast along the Solent to make sure everything worked as it should. It's a strange thing to drive at first but you soon get used to the off beat sound and it doesn't half rev!
The other thing you notice is everyone looks.
I've yet to work out whether it's with the thought of "wow that's cool" or "look at this plonker!". With it's illegal black and white plates (which I think were put on by Caterham themselves as they all seem to have them) and retro graphics it really does look every inch the vintage race car.
Regardless, car home tucked up and a nightmare couple of days at work with staff waiting for bloody covid tests meant it didn't move much.
I made my old man stay out of the garage whilst the 'rents were babysitting for us so I could surprise him with it-his comment of "you're supposed to get more sensible with age" probably said it all-he did enjoy the quick blast out in it though.
Our local classic car show was on the Sunday, I'd planned to take it with the girls going ahead in the truck but the weather forecast ended up taking a turn for the worst on the day so we left it.
Typically by Monday of this week a heatwave was suddenly upon us. Kids to bed early after swimming on Tuesday and the first drive out was planned for last night...
The first drive was utterly exhilarating, a feeling I really hope doesn't wear off over time.
The end of my road and then up the next one basically starts a beautiful climb through Cumbria, into Northumbria and then back into Cumbria again and on to the summit of the Hartside Pass. It's a stunning road an my side of it, although not unknown is not over-populated by folk out for a blast so if you go on an evening, you can have the place to yourself.
Got the kids in bed by 7pm, put on the new OMP Carrera racing boots bought especially for the run (in matching antique tan for the full kit w
ker look) and away I went. I kept the passenger side tonneau on and had the heat coming through and despite just a T-shirt on top is was plenty warm enough.
Within a couple of minutes you're at full throttle on this route and I won't lie, anything much above 70 mph feels excessive! I put my work safety glasses on but with the lowered floors you're tucked in nice behind the Brooklands Aero Screens. If you want, you can sit Ascari style with your elbows out but comfort for me meant my elbows were in and letting the warm summer air blast around you.
I'd forgotten how much I missed an open topped car!
It was easily warm enough with the heat bleeding through but no fan on. The car itself is beautifully balanced, albeit with the foibles a live axle car can bring. If you don't heel and toe the downshifts the rears will momentarily lock, clatter over a badly repaired bit of road and the rear will bounce.
But steering feel is so natural it all becomes second nature very quickly. It' the best handling road car I've owned since a mk3 MR2 Spyder and I can't begin to tell you just how high a praise that is.
On the heel and toe, I do find it a stretch so I'm going to investigate that a little-I know there are a few mods that can be done to alleviate the problem.
The gear change is fantastic, even if the ratios are a bit spaced out and very short-on a road like this you really only need fourth and fifth-third is just for hairpins.
As much as a sensory rush driving it fast is, on this road you at least get the odd break by passing through small villages and hamlets which you sort of need! The final push from Alston to Hartside is fast, I think the car naturally tops out at around 100mph and it honestly doesn't feel like you want to go there. It's going to be interesting at the 'ring as anything that could do 120mph or so up the hills there felt too slow in my experience-maybe the open cabin will make up for it in some way?
At the summit, I took a few photos and enjoyed the rolling summer air, still warm enough for a T-Shirt but I put on a beanie for the trip home. The car came with a matching, painted helmet. Now, I'll be honest I think it might really make me look like a tt but I dread to think what damage a stray unlucky stone could do to you.
I do have some pages saved on my browser with some vintage style motorcycle googles to match. Part of me cringes not just at how I'll look (the wife reckons like Toad of Toad Hall!) but at being embarrassed about wearing some essential safety gear.
So first impressions are very good and I'm extremely happy with it (it's very easy to think of it as "her" but I'm not stooping that low yet). I only got one four wheel drift in it coming out of a left hander but for a first go, everything felt extremely natural. The little mota-lita steering wheel is an utter joy to use, the geerchange just falls to your palm and well-everything is ace
The end of my road and then up the next one basically starts a beautiful climb through Cumbria, into Northumbria and then back into Cumbria again and on to the summit of the Hartside Pass. It's a stunning road an my side of it, although not unknown is not over-populated by folk out for a blast so if you go on an evening, you can have the place to yourself.
Got the kids in bed by 7pm, put on the new OMP Carrera racing boots bought especially for the run (in matching antique tan for the full kit w
ker look) and away I went. I kept the passenger side tonneau on and had the heat coming through and despite just a T-shirt on top is was plenty warm enough.Within a couple of minutes you're at full throttle on this route and I won't lie, anything much above 70 mph feels excessive! I put my work safety glasses on but with the lowered floors you're tucked in nice behind the Brooklands Aero Screens. If you want, you can sit Ascari style with your elbows out but comfort for me meant my elbows were in and letting the warm summer air blast around you.
I'd forgotten how much I missed an open topped car!
It was easily warm enough with the heat bleeding through but no fan on. The car itself is beautifully balanced, albeit with the foibles a live axle car can bring. If you don't heel and toe the downshifts the rears will momentarily lock, clatter over a badly repaired bit of road and the rear will bounce.
But steering feel is so natural it all becomes second nature very quickly. It' the best handling road car I've owned since a mk3 MR2 Spyder and I can't begin to tell you just how high a praise that is.
On the heel and toe, I do find it a stretch so I'm going to investigate that a little-I know there are a few mods that can be done to alleviate the problem.
The gear change is fantastic, even if the ratios are a bit spaced out and very short-on a road like this you really only need fourth and fifth-third is just for hairpins.
As much as a sensory rush driving it fast is, on this road you at least get the odd break by passing through small villages and hamlets which you sort of need! The final push from Alston to Hartside is fast, I think the car naturally tops out at around 100mph and it honestly doesn't feel like you want to go there. It's going to be interesting at the 'ring as anything that could do 120mph or so up the hills there felt too slow in my experience-maybe the open cabin will make up for it in some way?
At the summit, I took a few photos and enjoyed the rolling summer air, still warm enough for a T-Shirt but I put on a beanie for the trip home. The car came with a matching, painted helmet. Now, I'll be honest I think it might really make me look like a t
t but I dread to think what damage a stray unlucky stone could do to you.I do have some pages saved on my browser with some vintage style motorcycle googles to match. Part of me cringes not just at how I'll look (the wife reckons like Toad of Toad Hall!) but at being embarrassed about wearing some essential safety gear.
So first impressions are very good and I'm extremely happy with it (it's very easy to think of it as "her" but I'm not stooping that low yet). I only got one four wheel drift in it coming out of a left hander but for a first go, everything felt extremely natural. The little mota-lita steering wheel is an utter joy to use, the geerchange just falls to your palm and well-everything is ace
The_Doc said:
Awesome
please provide photos of flies in teeth, as demanded by Caterham Owner's Club or SIMILAR IMAGE
please provide photos of flies in teeth, as demanded by Caterham Owner's Club or SIMILAR IMAGE
Managed to finish work a little early yesterday and seeing as the family were out and about I decided to go for another blast. Wanting to get finished early for a decent time to watch the F1 qually at Spa I just went back up to Hartside again-it's not exactly a chore! To be fair I thought it was quite a good idea to keep doing the same run to really start to get a feel for what it's doing.
First things first I managed to bag a cheap set of Baruffaldi Aviator goggles in tan for my full kit wker look;
https://www.urbanrider.co.uk/baruffaldi-jtt-aviato...
I paired this with the matching helmet that was supplied with Caterham as part of buying the special edition, luckily it was exactly my size and came to me completely unused.
Leaving home I won't lie, I was feeling a bit self conscious but in all honesty, driving at speed without one feels daft when you've got family in your responsibilities. We've all had a stone flick up and hit the windscreen and seen the damage-I'd really rather not do a "Massa" so I feel in reality, it's helmet all the way.
You do actually feel way more comfortable in reality. Even if you've experienced a Caterham with a full windscreen and doors it doesn't prepare you for how it feels in one without. The goggles and helmet do make it feel more habitable in the extremes of the airflow.
The fun levels are totally off the chart with this little thing. It is stupidly good fun at road speeds and just perfect for where I live. I can see it being woefully underpowered at the 'ring and Spa but everywhere else I think it'll be epic.
Not that it's without.... I won't say faults but certainly things to look to improve upon. Most notably for me;
Heel and toe. It's just too much of a reach-I've tried both methods (I ususally prefer to "toe and toe") but something is going to need to be done. There is a tube mod that I'm going to try out first-you install an 1.5" plastic tube over the pedal and it's supposed to help bridge the gap-I'll try that first.
Lowered Floors. I think I might have made a mistake in going for a car with them fitted even if all the internet suggests for my height it should be perfect. I'm long in the legs and short in the body I think, I've noticed this on track before. What it means is although my legs are low and perfect, I'm really sat low in the car. Now this is at odds with what most folk want, you want to be tucked down low. However I can't see past 7K on the rev counter and the central rear view mirror blocks my view of the left wheel. Placing the car is already second nature so it's not an issue but it does lend a little bit of faith to left hand apexes. I'm going to try a drive sat on a cushion first before I decide-options are I guess raising the seat of buying a high level rear view mirror.
Final Drive. Wow this thing is low geared! It really is just fourth and fifth with the odd third gear tight bend and even then it's buzzing the limiter. It might make the car really good at Autotests and hillclimbs but for fast road and track-it might be a little too much. Can't see me doing much about it to be honest but it'll be interesting to see what it's like on track.
So more to learn and some tinkering to do. Had to fill it up yesterday with high octane fuel and it only cost £34! This I can get used to!
There was also a couple of other Caterhams out for a run yesterday and I got a wave
and yet again when you park up there's always someone who wants to stop and chat-which personally I love.
I also need to give it a wash at some point-no idea how to go about that-I'm presuming just a hoes and bucket and a liberal coating of bug remover.
First things first I managed to bag a cheap set of Baruffaldi Aviator goggles in tan for my full kit w
ker look;https://www.urbanrider.co.uk/baruffaldi-jtt-aviato...
I paired this with the matching helmet that was supplied with Caterham as part of buying the special edition, luckily it was exactly my size and came to me completely unused.
Leaving home I won't lie, I was feeling a bit self conscious but in all honesty, driving at speed without one feels daft when you've got family in your responsibilities. We've all had a stone flick up and hit the windscreen and seen the damage-I'd really rather not do a "Massa" so I feel in reality, it's helmet all the way.
You do actually feel way more comfortable in reality. Even if you've experienced a Caterham with a full windscreen and doors it doesn't prepare you for how it feels in one without. The goggles and helmet do make it feel more habitable in the extremes of the airflow.
The fun levels are totally off the chart with this little thing. It is stupidly good fun at road speeds and just perfect for where I live. I can see it being woefully underpowered at the 'ring and Spa but everywhere else I think it'll be epic.
Not that it's without.... I won't say faults but certainly things to look to improve upon. Most notably for me;
Heel and toe. It's just too much of a reach-I've tried both methods (I ususally prefer to "toe and toe") but something is going to need to be done. There is a tube mod that I'm going to try out first-you install an 1.5" plastic tube over the pedal and it's supposed to help bridge the gap-I'll try that first.
Lowered Floors. I think I might have made a mistake in going for a car with them fitted even if all the internet suggests for my height it should be perfect. I'm long in the legs and short in the body I think, I've noticed this on track before. What it means is although my legs are low and perfect, I'm really sat low in the car. Now this is at odds with what most folk want, you want to be tucked down low. However I can't see past 7K on the rev counter and the central rear view mirror blocks my view of the left wheel. Placing the car is already second nature so it's not an issue but it does lend a little bit of faith to left hand apexes. I'm going to try a drive sat on a cushion first before I decide-options are I guess raising the seat of buying a high level rear view mirror.
Final Drive. Wow this thing is low geared! It really is just fourth and fifth with the odd third gear tight bend and even then it's buzzing the limiter. It might make the car really good at Autotests and hillclimbs but for fast road and track-it might be a little too much. Can't see me doing much about it to be honest but it'll be interesting to see what it's like on track.
So more to learn and some tinkering to do. Had to fill it up yesterday with high octane fuel and it only cost £34! This I can get used to!
There was also a couple of other Caterhams out for a run yesterday and I got a wave
and yet again when you park up there's always someone who wants to stop and chat-which personally I love.I also need to give it a wash at some point-no idea how to go about that-I'm presuming just a hoes and bucket and a liberal coating of bug remover.
Success!
Obviously working under the assumption that you can’t really be a Caterham owner until you’ve started wielding spanner’s over silver the heel and toe issue.
During the st-show that was today’s Belgian Grand Prix we got tired of waiting for anything to happen and moved downstairs to my workshop which handily has Sky tv installed for such moments.
After removing the pedal box housing it was obvious the 160 has a completely different arrangement to normal throttle cars.
The Suzuki presumably also donated its throttle pedal and combined pivot and sensor-it being an electronic throttle rather than trad cable.
So with a bit of practice healing and toeing it was obvious the the simple pipe mod that works on other cars wouldn’t on this.
I experimented by winding the brake piston out in order to wind the locking nut in if that makes sense, my their being that my usual toe and toe downshifts would work better that way.
I think I mentioned above, I normally (in top hinged pedalled cars) break with my right foot, with the big toe covering the brake. I can then twist my foot so my little toe blips the throttle.
By winding the locking but in (see picture) the break pedal would be a lot lower down, meaning the very short brake pedal travel would now be low enough to enable me to flip the throttle enough to get a good big blip. Before it only shifted it enough to get an ever so slight one.
Once wound in and the brake light sensor trigger adjusted to match it felt perfect, sitting in the garage I could hold the brakes and blip away perfectly.
A quick run up and down our road proved it worked spot on. Even took the wife out in it for her first go although strangely she was less interested in my perfect downshifts.
Weather looks good this week so hopefully I’ll get a decent run out to check it all on a proper go but I’m pleased as pinch it was an easy fix
Obviously working under the assumption that you can’t really be a Caterham owner until you’ve started wielding spanner’s over silver the heel and toe issue.
During the s
t-show that was today’s Belgian Grand Prix we got tired of waiting for anything to happen and moved downstairs to my workshop which handily has Sky tv installed for such moments.After removing the pedal box housing it was obvious the 160 has a completely different arrangement to normal throttle cars.
The Suzuki presumably also donated its throttle pedal and combined pivot and sensor-it being an electronic throttle rather than trad cable.
So with a bit of practice healing and toeing it was obvious the the simple pipe mod that works on other cars wouldn’t on this.
I experimented by winding the brake piston out in order to wind the locking nut in if that makes sense, my their being that my usual toe and toe downshifts would work better that way.
I think I mentioned above, I normally (in top hinged pedalled cars) break with my right foot, with the big toe covering the brake. I can then twist my foot so my little toe blips the throttle.
By winding the locking but in (see picture) the break pedal would be a lot lower down, meaning the very short brake pedal travel would now be low enough to enable me to flip the throttle enough to get a good big blip. Before it only shifted it enough to get an ever so slight one.
Once wound in and the brake light sensor trigger adjusted to match it felt perfect, sitting in the garage I could hold the brakes and blip away perfectly.
A quick run up and down our road proved it worked spot on. Even took the wife out in it for her first go although strangely she was less interested in my perfect downshifts.
Weather looks good this week so hopefully I’ll get a decent run out to check it all on a proper go but I’m pleased as pinch it was an easy fix
Lordbenny said:
I like these but wondered why anyone would pay so much money for one when a VERY nice much higher spec’d Westfield can be had for half the price.
It's an interesting question and one that I'm happy to answer on the understanding it's just my opinion. In all honesty although I could get a faster or better equipped Caterfield for less, I'm after the look.Along with the fact I think these Super Sprints are beautiful, I also love the idea of the being so low powered and just fast enough for the road. I also think that going by their prices over the last three years in the short term it looks like they really aren't depreciating much from when they were new-a few grand at most.
So it looks great (beauty in the eye of the beholder etc), shouldn't cost much to run and is all I need on the roads
SamuliS said:
I think I saw this car few days ago in some youtube channel where they said that they used it for marketing and then sold it. Some how low powered facinates much more than R620 models, takin it to limits in slow speeds sounds compelling.
Its a beauty
Now then, I’d be really interested to see that if indeed it was this car! Any chance you can check your YouTube played history for me? Before buying I searched high and low for any content in these cars but there was surprisingly little given how special they are-probably due to them all being sold before built I guess.Its a beauty
I gave the car a little wash today-the previous owner used to get it detailed although I've no idea what that entailed-it's all covered in protection film but I imagine it's hard some sort of ceramic coating as dirt just falls off it with a hosepipe. I was a bit worried about washing it as it doesn't really look like you should be blasting it with my petrol pressure washer but a hose on a light spray paternities did the job.
Sprayed on some bug remover, hosed it off then a bit of quick detailer and some clay and it came up like new.
We got the kids ready for bed early so I text my neighbour to see if he fancied a run out and he was up for it. It's been a lovely day up here and a balmy evening drive was just the way to finish off the weekend.
Somewhere different tonight, north instead of east and into the beautiful Scottish Borders that are a few minutes away. He took his Morgan Plus 4 so I led into Scotland before passing over to him once we got further.
The two cars are pretty evenly matched, the Morgan having a bit more power but carrying some more weight. I've always thought it a tiny thing but driving with the Caterham it looked a lot bigger!
Being after 7pm once we got into Scotland and heading towards Kershopfoot and Kielder Forrest we pretty much had the roads to ourselves. The hairpins and hump back bridges that cross the burns that feed the Liddle were absolutely made for these two basic sports cars.
The light was starting to fade as we came over the top and the bugs that were smeared across the Brooklands screens were starting to hinder visions-I think on dusk runs like these I'll need to keep a cloth with me to stop half way for a quick wipe over.
After a couple of runs out since adjusting the brake pedal for heal and toeing it now feels exactly how I wanted it to. The short gearing now also feels like less of an issue as having improved the pedals for shifting, actually hammering up and down the box is fun and the more I learn the car, the more I can see a bend and get the car settled and in the right gear.
All in all another great drive, ticked over 1500 miles and it's due another clean
Sprayed on some bug remover, hosed it off then a bit of quick detailer and some clay and it came up like new.
We got the kids ready for bed early so I text my neighbour to see if he fancied a run out and he was up for it. It's been a lovely day up here and a balmy evening drive was just the way to finish off the weekend.
Somewhere different tonight, north instead of east and into the beautiful Scottish Borders that are a few minutes away. He took his Morgan Plus 4 so I led into Scotland before passing over to him once we got further.
The two cars are pretty evenly matched, the Morgan having a bit more power but carrying some more weight. I've always thought it a tiny thing but driving with the Caterham it looked a lot bigger!
Being after 7pm once we got into Scotland and heading towards Kershopfoot and Kielder Forrest we pretty much had the roads to ourselves. The hairpins and hump back bridges that cross the burns that feed the Liddle were absolutely made for these two basic sports cars.
The light was starting to fade as we came over the top and the bugs that were smeared across the Brooklands screens were starting to hinder visions-I think on dusk runs like these I'll need to keep a cloth with me to stop half way for a quick wipe over.
After a couple of runs out since adjusting the brake pedal for heal and toeing it now feels exactly how I wanted it to. The short gearing now also feels like less of an issue as having improved the pedals for shifting, actually hammering up and down the box is fun and the more I learn the car, the more I can see a bend and get the car settled and in the right gear.
All in all another great drive, ticked over 1500 miles and it's due another clean
scottos said:
Sounds dreamy (even more so when im currently isolating and the weather has been good!)
Any pointers for a decent loop up towards kielder and the borders? I keep meaning to head up but always get lazy and head west to the north pennines!
To be honest, as long as you head north from the A69 you'll find something of interest. We like the B6357, it encompasses the area where my family are from so it's old hunting ground for me. I'd say you should head north up through Kielder and get onto the B6357 and head south west. If you want a longer loop go from there over to Langholm and then over to Eskdalemauir and St Mary's Loch.Any pointers for a decent loop up towards kielder and the borders? I keep meaning to head up but always get lazy and head west to the north pennines!
If shorter you can blast back south to Brampton and then back over to Alston and your usual roads.
Been out in the car again this evening, enjoying this gorgeous weather we've been having for some late in the season runs. Our local motorsport club has a breakfast meet this Sunday in the lakes which looks good if the weather holds out.
Other than that, nothing much to report. It's actually not as bad as I imagined driving it in the dark as I did this evening. The full beam blue dash light is so bright it blinds you more than the full beam illuminates which is fun! You can drive with your hand sat across the wheel that blocks it out however but not ideal!
The rear drivers side indicator isn't working and upon opening it up to see the un-blown bulb meant a little more investigation. Turns out there's a crimped connector on the back that has fallen off so I'll get that (hopefully) fixed this Friday when I get finished a little earlier from work.
Lots of little bits like this that I'm going to replace over winter hopefully. There looks an abundance of cheap nuts and bolts that won't cost much to swap out to stainless. The car is so "as new" I'd like to keep it that way, whilst still rolling on the miles.
A nice run out last weekend as one of the blokes from our local motor club has a gorgeous place in Portinscale in the Lake District. You can stay there and he has a fabulous motor house and does a breakfast meet there once a year.
We took our cars over the fells (Caldbeck) and into the lakes that way on a Sunday morning and had a catch up with some other members.
All good fun and some nice cars on display including a very rare and absolutely gorgeous Triumph Italia 2000 (look it up if you don’t know about them-I didn’t!).
(Silver car in the background here)
Lots of love for the little caterham.
I also need to sort my offside rear indicator that wasn’t working, rather than a bulb the crimped connector on the back had fallen off so a fairly simple job of fitting a new one was done before the run out.
When you look at some of the cheap bolts used that have already begun some superficial surface rust you can see room for improvement so I’ve ordered a load of stainless steel versions to replace them with.
I’ll probably get it up on axle stands over the winter and replace those, there’s not many but they might as well be done before they get so crusty that they cause a problem.
SpudLink said:
Yes, that’s lovely and everything.
But, is that a Bond Bug in the background?
You know what? It’s terrible but I didn’t even notice! Must have been gone by the time I went to look around the others.But, is that a Bond Bug in the background?
In more sporting news, I’ve entered the 7 in my first road rally this Sunday
Now it’s strictly not a competitive event (even though it’s known for a few illegals to happen on the deserted farming and forestry roads around here), more of a grand day out for some like minded enthusiasts.
I’m using it as a toe dipper to see how I enjoy it.
With family and work life being so busy, trips over to the ring and even U.K. track days will be a rarity until next summer at the earliest (remember, I wasn’t strictly intending to buy a car until this particular chassis turned up), jolly’s with the local and very well respected motor club will be top of this list for quick fun days out.
I’ll update with how it went
What a grand day out!
So this was the Cumbrian Canter, my first official rally
We booked in last minute mainly as the weather was looking very changeable and to be honest, the 7 with no windscreen or doors in a downpour didn’t look like a fun place to be.
This was still the case up until Saturday when the weather app started showing black clouds and 90% coverage of rain
oh well in for a penny…
We bombed down the back roads to penrith and coming along the old a6 we could see black clouds and rain over the Lake District fells but sunshine over the Pennines. The route looked to go to the east so fingered were crossed, motorcycle jackets were donned and heaters set to maximum attack!
Signing on involved a sausage butty and a read of the tulips that pointed to a special stage in the North Yorkshire side of the Pennines. Then it was cars stickered up and setting off at 1 min intervals from 10am
So this was the Cumbrian Canter, my first official rally
We booked in last minute mainly as the weather was looking very changeable and to be honest, the 7 with no windscreen or doors in a downpour didn’t look like a fun place to be.
This was still the case up until Saturday when the weather app started showing black clouds and 90% coverage of rain
oh well in for a penny…We bombed down the back roads to penrith and coming along the old a6 we could see black clouds and rain over the Lake District fells but sunshine over the Pennines. The route looked to go to the east so fingered were crossed, motorcycle jackets were donned and heaters set to maximum attack!
Signing on involved a sausage butty and a read of the tulips that pointed to a special stage in the North Yorkshire side of the Pennines. Then it was cars stickered up and setting off at 1 min intervals from 10am
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