2002 Caterham 7 Roadsport 1.8 Supersport.
Discussion
So this is a new addition to the garage. It is the Roadsport model with the 1.8 K-series engine with 140bhp and the optional LSD. It has only done 4500 miles since 2002, so it needs a little bit of recommissioning and the tyres are from 2001 for example.
So once I've sorted a few bits and bobs on it, I will be able to start enjoying it. I'm excited about it because I've never had a performance car that has been lighter than 1100kg, so it is definitely something a fair bit different to what I'm used to.
Here is a pic of me collecting it, and a couple of it in the garage too.
I will update when I've moved things forward a bit.
So once I've sorted a few bits and bobs on it, I will be able to start enjoying it. I'm excited about it because I've never had a performance car that has been lighter than 1100kg, so it is definitely something a fair bit different to what I'm used to.
Here is a pic of me collecting it, and a couple of it in the garage too.
I will update when I've moved things forward a bit.
Matt W said:
Very nice. Is it 5 speed or 6? Are you planning to take it on track?
It is the 5 speed T9 gearbox from the Sierra Cosworth I believe, but from what I've been reading the 6 speed gearbox from Caterham is the one to have though. I don't currently have any plans to track it, and I'll mainly just use it to blast around the nice country roads that I have around me. Although these things are made for the track though really in fairness.
Mr Tidy said:
That should b a real blast - assuming you can cope without a turbo-boosted mid-range!
0 to 60 wise it is very similar to the 370Z at 5.3 seconds, but it is the lightness and nimbleness of it that is what I'll really enjoy about it though I think. However the brakes do feel absolutely crap though, and you really need to stand on them big time to get them to do anything!
CABC said:
quite a contrast to everything you've posted about!
K series is a great engine.
looking forward to hearing about this journey.
It is a big change of direction to what I usually go for as you say. K series is a great engine.
looking forward to hearing about this journey.
I do love how pure it is though, and it sounds a bit weird, but I absolutely love the tiny steering wheel in it as well. It is a bit like a go kart!
I'm properly excited to get some new tyres on it, and I'll get the coolant and brake fluid changed as well. However it has at least had a recent oil and filter change, and the cambelt has been done recently too.
Richard-D said:
5 speed is type 9 from pre-89 Sierra. Should have ratios from V6 with longer 1st. Cosworth had a Very different box.
You're spot on and the Cosworth had the Borg warner T5 gearbox in it I believe, and that was the same gearbox that was in my Cerbera as well I think. So I got that wrong! I always personally preferred the MT-75 gearboxes in the 2.9 V6 XR4x4s that I had, especially in comparison to the XR4I that I drove with the T9 gearbox.
The T9 gearbox always felt quite crude to me in the XR4i, whereas the MT-75 gearboxes had a lovely action to them I thought in comparison.
First impressions of the gearbox in the Caterham aren't great either to be fair, but with time I imagine that I will get used to it though.
mooseracer said:
Nice, you will thoroughly enjoy that and maybe it'll cure you of your turbo affliction 
I absolutely loved my Westfield years ago, I'm sure you will your Caterham too
Thanks! I absolutely loved my Westfield years ago, I'm sure you will your Caterham too
Yes and I can't wait to start using it properly, although it probably isn't the best time of the year to get one now though!
Neil1323bolts said:
This was my seven a few years back , 1.8k but the VHPD on roller barrel throttle bodies made a great noise ! It was a DVA job and supposedly putting out 190bhp . It had the 6 speed gearbox which was excellent. No lsd but in my time with it never really felt like it needed one . Are you intending to tune your k series ? Great engine in my opinion and Dave is definitely the man to see for power upgrades.
I bet yours felt rapid then for certain.
I will see how I go with it tuning wise, and as you say people do seem to say good things about the engine. Plus I don't think that the notorious headgasket issue is quite as much of a problem in the lighter Caterham from what I've read either.
I keep popping into the garage to either look at it or sit in it, and my missus thinks I'm crazy I reckon!
I've always personally been a big fan of LSDs, but that is just my preference really, plus plenty of car manufacturers don't even bother with them though(Lotus/McLaren etc). I've now currently got 3 RWD cars all with an LSD fitted to them, and that is mad really.
RS Grant said:
This seems like a huge curveball for you Lee!!
They are cool wee cars, only one I've driven was part of a Palmersport day for my 21st and it was a riot!! That was many years and many stone ago now though, so I won't be re-living that anytime soon.
Yes Grant and historically I've mostly tended to go towards the more brawny engined cars in fairness. Although I do have the occasional moan about the weight of those types of cars though(and in an ideal world I'd prefer the 370Z/M4 to be a bit lighter for example). They are cool wee cars, only one I've driven was part of a Palmersport day for my 21st and it was a riot!! That was many years and many stone ago now though, so I won't be re-living that anytime soon.
I've said for a few years now that I'd like to try something like the Caterham or a Lotus Elise, so I'm excited about getting to know/experience a car that has lightness on its side now though.
I don't look too great getting in and out of the thing now at 50 to be fair either!
My missus was laughing at me getting in and out of it when I brought it back, and I'm not exactly a big chap to be fair either. Can I go back to being 20 again please?! 
Countdown said:
Looks great OP - enjoy!
Thanks. 
Court_S said:
That’s very cool Lee and a big departure from the stuff that you usually like; it’s very much the opposite of the M4!
A friend of mine is a big Caterham fan boy. He had one with a K series that had spent a lot of time on track which he sold when Covid hit. That one was way too low for road use though and he struggled with speed bumps quite a bit. He had a few HG issues too.
He’s now bought this
It’s pretty bloody swift and is very easy to provoke on roundabouts. The main issue he’s battling is hot feet; the manifold is very close to the pedal box and apparently longer drives. He’s wrapping the manifold at the moment to see if that helps before considering a ceramic coating.
Will you get stuck in yourself?
Cheers Sam. A friend of mine is a big Caterham fan boy. He had one with a K series that had spent a lot of time on track which he sold when Covid hit. That one was way too low for road use though and he struggled with speed bumps quite a bit. He had a few HG issues too.
He’s now bought this
It’s pretty bloody swift and is very easy to provoke on roundabouts. The main issue he’s battling is hot feet; the manifold is very close to the pedal box and apparently longer drives. He’s wrapping the manifold at the moment to see if that helps before considering a ceramic coating.
Will you get stuck in yourself?
I have read/heard about the hot pedal box thing on some of them too, and I'll let you know if it is an issue on this one going forward.
I won't do much to it myself to be fair, and I'll let my local mechanic mate do stuff on it for me. Although I did have the bonnet off it yesterday, and I do like how relatively simple it all looks(well simple for most people...but not so much me though!
). It is funny that you mention the lowness of them, and the sump on this one looks properly low too. So I will have to be aware of that I reckon.
Court_S said:
Has yours got the sensible seats? Richard had the carbon buckets in his which were comfy once your were in but a ball ache to squeeze into. He’s now sold them for the regular leather ones.
Yes and they are the regular leather ones(although I think the leather bit was an option though), and they are comfortable to be fair. Those carbon buckets do look well smart/cool, but I'm not sure if they would suit my bony arse though! Neil1323bolts said:
Don’t quote me on this but I reckon the hot pedal box is not a problem on K engine cars as the exhaust goes to the passenger side , I definitely never had any issues with that . Oh and getting in /out is a lot easier than my vx220 , no massive side sill to negotiate and I never ever used the roof in my caterham but I do in my vx all the time . I do miss my caterham but I wouldn’t swap it back for the vx although the N/A aspirated K is a peach and was an absolute pleasure to ring its neck ! Enjoy its all very addictive.
I looked earlier with the bonnet off and the manifold/exhaust is on the passenger side as you say on the K engined cars. The VX220 has always been a car that I've really admired too.
Thanks.
911Spanker said:
K Series cars are brilliant. Love my 2002 Superlight - such a fantastically well balanced package. It rocks!
[1url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/C6gHPjEw[/url]
That looks lovely and thanks a lot for sharing. [1url]
|https://thumbsnap.com/C6gHPjEw[/url]I'm definitely liking the black headlight caps too from what I'm seeing(in comparison to the chrome ones I've got). I reckon that will be something that I'll look at doing for sure.
braddo said:
cerb4.5lee said:
So this is a new addition to the garage. It is the Roadsport model with the 1.8 K-series engine with 140bhp and the optional LSD. It has only done 4500 miles since 2002, so it needs a little bit of recommissioning and the tyres are from 2001 for example.
I think that's a great find! Being the 1.8 140hp it should have decent torque and midrange punch.As well as the brake pedal you've already mentioned, I think the sensitivity and immediacy of the throttle will shock you a bit and it will take a bit of practice to drive smoothly. No throttle-by-wire here! Brilliant fun cars.
It is definitely something that I'm really looking forward to get to know for sure.
Mr Tidy said:
cerb4.5lee said:
Yes Grant and historically I've mostly tended to go towards the more brawny engined cars in fairness. Although I do have the occasional moan about the weight of those types of cars though(and in an ideal world I'd prefer the 370Z/M4 to be a bit lighter for example).
I've said for a few years now that I'd like to try something like the Caterham or a Lotus Elise, so I'm excited about getting to know/experience a car that has lightness on its side now though.
I don't look too great getting in and out of the thing now at 50 to be fair either! My missus was laughing at me getting in and out of it when I brought it back, and I'm not exactly a big chap to be fair either. Can I go back to being 20 again please?!
To be fair I've always had more brawny and therefore heavier cars too, but I still quite fancy trying a VX220 for the lightness and drivetrain simplicity.I've said for a few years now that I'd like to try something like the Caterham or a Lotus Elise, so I'm excited about getting to know/experience a car that has lightness on its side now though.
I don't look too great getting in and out of the thing now at 50 to be fair either!
My missus was laughing at me getting in and out of it when I brought it back, and I'm not exactly a big chap to be fair either. Can I go back to being 20 again please?! But sadly you can't go back to 20 Lee, so just make the most of it now while you can.
I'm really looking forward to seeing how you get on with it!
I also remember being properly excited for you when you got your Z4M too.
_Neal_ said:
Looks an excellent find to me, nicely done! Looks very standard too.
I found the biggest adjustment I had to make when first driving a Caterham was the speed of turn, initially found that I was taking two bites at every corner as the car dived in!
I've had two k-series Caterhams (a mint 1.6 Supersport and then a far rougher more modified DVA-tuned 1.8 (185bhp on throttle bodies etc). Biggest difference between the two (apart from the power) was that the second one had the 4 pot front brake upgrade - I found that gave a far firmer and more confidence-inspiring pedal. So maybe worth a look if you're finding the brakes an issue a bit down the line - they do stop fine though, just sometimes don't feel it!
Anyway enjoy - I'm sure you're on it already but Blatchat is an excellent forum. Also you should track it - they are so good, the light weight means you don't get through consumables hardly at all, and when you do they are cheap to replace as everything is tiny!
I found the biggest adjustment I had to make when first driving a Caterham was the speed of turn, initially found that I was taking two bites at every corner as the car dived in!
I've had two k-series Caterhams (a mint 1.6 Supersport and then a far rougher more modified DVA-tuned 1.8 (185bhp on throttle bodies etc). Biggest difference between the two (apart from the power) was that the second one had the 4 pot front brake upgrade - I found that gave a far firmer and more confidence-inspiring pedal. So maybe worth a look if you're finding the brakes an issue a bit down the line - they do stop fine though, just sometimes don't feel it!
Anyway enjoy - I'm sure you're on it already but Blatchat is an excellent forum. Also you should track it - they are so good, the light weight means you don't get through consumables hardly at all, and when you do they are cheap to replace as everything is tiny!
Smitters said:
Looks cracking. I've had a couple of sevens and loved them both. Couple of thoughts if I may:
Red hides the brake-lights and these cars stop so swiftly it can catch out the inattentive driver who is following you - worth considering upgraded LED lights and/or a high level brake-light.
They're quite tyres sensitive. I expect you'll have 6" wheels all round. 8" rears will add a bit too much grip for 140bhp IMHO - it's a more involved drive with 6" all round. I found the Yokohama A539 to be an excellent choice - comfy and quiet on the road, but still capable of taking a few cheeky laps on track with the right pressure dialled in. Getting pressures right is also key to comfort! They don't need 32psi for sure. I also used Rainsports for a while as they came in a 14", but I would feel the blocks moving around and it numbed the steering.
They are sensitive to alignment - if the car feels squirrely, having that checked is no bad thing. Essentially, Caterhams magnify everything, so you become more aware of slight oddities!
On the gearbox front, a fluid change will probably help with the feel, as would installing a bronze saddle bush, which is very cheap and very easy to do and firms things up nicely. Even a new plastic one would probably help: https://www.burtonpower.com/catalogsearch/result/?...
Also on the gearbox front, be aware that the ratios are quite odd between five and six speed. From memory, the six speeder has the same ratio for sixth as fourth in the five speed box - ie much lower. Great on track but tiresome on the road I found. It'll also depend on the final drive of your LSD. If that's too low, then a six speed box will be almost unlivable with - so speaks a man who was doing 4000 odd RPM at 70 on the M4 to get to a trackday.
I dailied my 1.4 Roadsport for 8 months and loved it. Getting in with a full roof in place was a spectacle and I'm small.
Thanks both and I really appreciate the experience share. Red hides the brake-lights and these cars stop so swiftly it can catch out the inattentive driver who is following you - worth considering upgraded LED lights and/or a high level brake-light.
They're quite tyres sensitive. I expect you'll have 6" wheels all round. 8" rears will add a bit too much grip for 140bhp IMHO - it's a more involved drive with 6" all round. I found the Yokohama A539 to be an excellent choice - comfy and quiet on the road, but still capable of taking a few cheeky laps on track with the right pressure dialled in. Getting pressures right is also key to comfort! They don't need 32psi for sure. I also used Rainsports for a while as they came in a 14", but I would feel the blocks moving around and it numbed the steering.
They are sensitive to alignment - if the car feels squirrely, having that checked is no bad thing. Essentially, Caterhams magnify everything, so you become more aware of slight oddities!
On the gearbox front, a fluid change will probably help with the feel, as would installing a bronze saddle bush, which is very cheap and very easy to do and firms things up nicely. Even a new plastic one would probably help: https://www.burtonpower.com/catalogsearch/result/?...
Also on the gearbox front, be aware that the ratios are quite odd between five and six speed. From memory, the six speeder has the same ratio for sixth as fourth in the five speed box - ie much lower. Great on track but tiresome on the road I found. It'll also depend on the final drive of your LSD. If that's too low, then a six speed box will be almost unlivable with - so speaks a man who was doing 4000 odd RPM at 70 on the M4 to get to a trackday.
I dailied my 1.4 Roadsport for 8 months and loved it. Getting in with a full roof in place was a spectacle and I'm small.
CKY said:
Nice one Lee, congrats on the new acquisition - being a 140bhp K Series hopefully she treats you well and doesn't throw too many issues re: head gaskets. Crazy the lack of mileage given it's >20 years old too! Looking forward to some further updates
Thanks. A little update. When I got the car the rear view mirror wasn't fitted to it, so I had a go at putting it back on but with not much luck. I'd purchased an evostick rear view mirror glue kit and it fell off twice initially, and then I managed to get it to stick...but it only stayed on for 6 hours though! 
So I sacked that idea off and I ordered a new one with a rubber sucker attached to it and that has worked fine in comparison.
Four new tyres have arrived for it, and in the end I went with the Avons again. I'd noticed that Caterham use those on their current new cars, so I thought that if they are good enough for them, then they are good enough for me.
It is booked in for the week after next to have the new tyres fitted, plus an MOT and a brake fluid and coolant change. I've also asked them just to give it the once over to see if anything else is required for it.
The insurance came out at £172 a year, so I was happy with that to be fair. I can't wait to actually get the opportunity to get to know it better once everything has been done to it for sure.
So I sacked that idea off and I ordered a new one with a rubber sucker attached to it and that has worked fine in comparison.
Four new tyres have arrived for it, and in the end I went with the Avons again. I'd noticed that Caterham use those on their current new cars, so I thought that if they are good enough for them, then they are good enough for me.
It is booked in for the week after next to have the new tyres fitted, plus an MOT and a brake fluid and coolant change. I've also asked them just to give it the once over to see if anything else is required for it.
The insurance came out at £172 a year, so I was happy with that to be fair. I can't wait to actually get the opportunity to get to know it better once everything has been done to it for sure.
Another update. So the car is now taxed and MOT'd, and it now has 4 new tyres fitted and its had the brake fluid and coolant changed too.
So I've just driven it about 20 miles now and I will share my first impressions...
The 4 point harnesses are a bit of a faff.
I tried the doors off at first, but it was pretty windy where I am today and I took a proper beating from the wind, so the doors went back on!
It could do with the 6 speed gearbox because 60mph in 5th is 3000rpm, so not ideal.
Not having a foot rest for my left leg also nearly gave me cramp too!
Onto the more positives...
It is mental how little revs you need to get a shift on because of how light the car is(my mechanic weighed it and it was 575kg). It also feels incredibly torquey for a naturally aspirated engine, and that genuinely took me by surprise. Plus it makes a decent enough noise for a 4 cylinder 1.8 engine I reckon too(and you hear so much mechanical noise from the engine as well).
It definitely put a big smile on my face and the driving position is just ace I think. It is also great that you can see the front wheels and suspension bobbing up and down too.
I think going forward it could be wise to get the gearbox and diff oil changed as well, so I will look into doing that in the future.
Some pics of little and large!
The drivers seat floor mat is quite dirty in that pic, plus the car was quite dusty because my local garage have had the car for the last 2.5 days. However I've given the interior a quick fettle now though.
So I've just driven it about 20 miles now and I will share my first impressions...
The 4 point harnesses are a bit of a faff.
I tried the doors off at first, but it was pretty windy where I am today and I took a proper beating from the wind, so the doors went back on!
It could do with the 6 speed gearbox because 60mph in 5th is 3000rpm, so not ideal.
Not having a foot rest for my left leg also nearly gave me cramp too!
Onto the more positives...
It is mental how little revs you need to get a shift on because of how light the car is(my mechanic weighed it and it was 575kg). It also feels incredibly torquey for a naturally aspirated engine, and that genuinely took me by surprise. Plus it makes a decent enough noise for a 4 cylinder 1.8 engine I reckon too(and you hear so much mechanical noise from the engine as well).
It definitely put a big smile on my face and the driving position is just ace I think. It is also great that you can see the front wheels and suspension bobbing up and down too.
I think going forward it could be wise to get the gearbox and diff oil changed as well, so I will look into doing that in the future.
Some pics of little and large!
The drivers seat floor mat is quite dirty in that pic, plus the car was quite dusty because my local garage have had the car for the last 2.5 days. However I've given the interior a quick fettle now though.
BertBert said:
I don't understand why people are so fixated by the rpm. It's just a number. What is wrong with 3,000rpm in top at 50mph?
I think for me personally I've always took a bit of notice of it that's all. I was only saying to my missus the other day how low revving the Merc is at 70mph(it is basically just above tickover at 70mph because it has a 9 speed auto)...in comparison to some of the stuff we both started driving in, and those cars were revving their backsides off at 70mph in top gear for example. It is just an observation I've made really, and it won't detract in anyway from my enjoyment of the Caterham at all.
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