LHD in UK/Ireland - now living in canada
Discussion
Hi All,
I've been a seven admirer for years, closing in on the possibility of owning one. However a recent move from Ireland to Canada has thrown some spanners as well as opportunity my way.
The main opportunity is 6 months of sun, and the real potential of a seven as an enjoyable daily driver for half the year. Skis added to the front and tracks to the back for year round fun
I would actually enjoy building one, even herself said she'd like to do it, bonus!
the spanners are more plentiful,
- second hand market is all but non existent
- there is a place in BC (I'm in Toronto) sticking hayabusa engines into them but I'm not interested, looking for a 360 (or similar), no option to build myself.
- Bit of red tape with importing cars unless they were registered 15 years ago.
- Can be imported as a new kit through superformance in US with red tape or $$ for someone else to deal with red tape.
The main options are
1) Import from states through caterham/superformance, convoluted and not without headaches & $$ but possible and legal
2) Import a LHD that is 15 years old from the UK/Ireland (likely LHD is rare), perhaps France but I don't speak the lingo.
3) Get lucky and find a 2nd hand one here
Is there anywhere that deals with LHD caterhams in Ireland/UK?
Any help is appreciated, the back up plan is an mx5, but I'm holding out for a caterham if its do-able!
Cheers,
Rosco
I've been a seven admirer for years, closing in on the possibility of owning one. However a recent move from Ireland to Canada has thrown some spanners as well as opportunity my way.
The main opportunity is 6 months of sun, and the real potential of a seven as an enjoyable daily driver for half the year. Skis added to the front and tracks to the back for year round fun
I would actually enjoy building one, even herself said she'd like to do it, bonus!
the spanners are more plentiful,
- second hand market is all but non existent
- there is a place in BC (I'm in Toronto) sticking hayabusa engines into them but I'm not interested, looking for a 360 (or similar), no option to build myself.
- Bit of red tape with importing cars unless they were registered 15 years ago.
- Can be imported as a new kit through superformance in US with red tape or $$ for someone else to deal with red tape.
The main options are
1) Import from states through caterham/superformance, convoluted and not without headaches & $$ but possible and legal
2) Import a LHD that is 15 years old from the UK/Ireland (likely LHD is rare), perhaps France but I don't speak the lingo.
3) Get lucky and find a 2nd hand one here
Is there anywhere that deals with LHD caterhams in Ireland/UK?
Any help is appreciated, the back up plan is an mx5, but I'm holding out for a caterham if its do-able!
Cheers,
Rosco
Edited by 7-11 on Tuesday 1st September 22:55
Hi;
This is one dealer that tries to source used cars. In Red Deer, though.
http://www.7cars.ca/contact_us.htm
The Hyabusa guys out on Vancouver Island may also have some used to source from. I sent them a couple emails in the past, though, and never got an answer. It seems that they could also legally import any caterham, if they can do the hyabusa creations. *shrug* Their website has various PDFs with the different models available and prices for them.
Last time I tried to research Lotus 7s in Canada, it appeared that there are only about 48 known cars in the country. So they are hard to find.
It took me 30 yrs to find a good older caterham, locally. I've only seen 6 Lotus 7s/caterhams in all of vancouver and area.
A few weeks ago a very nice Zetec birkin was for sale near vancouver, $36,000. I think it was on www.autotrader.ca . it might still be for sale. There was a great 1960s lotus in Victoria, but it sold recently. There was also a slightly horrid Toyota 7 contraption somewhere in Ontario for cheap. Search the entire country in autotrader. Most are listed as Lotus, no matter what they really are.
Your best/fastest bet would be to buy an old lotus out of California or similar and import it. Just not much stock in Canada. Dig a bit deeper with some of the contacts, and any specilaised car people in the Big Smoke. I saw a nice caterham for sale from a place like that just a few months ago, black with lots of chromey bits.
This is one dealer that tries to source used cars. In Red Deer, though.
http://www.7cars.ca/contact_us.htm
The Hyabusa guys out on Vancouver Island may also have some used to source from. I sent them a couple emails in the past, though, and never got an answer. It seems that they could also legally import any caterham, if they can do the hyabusa creations. *shrug* Their website has various PDFs with the different models available and prices for them.
Last time I tried to research Lotus 7s in Canada, it appeared that there are only about 48 known cars in the country. So they are hard to find.
It took me 30 yrs to find a good older caterham, locally. I've only seen 6 Lotus 7s/caterhams in all of vancouver and area.
A few weeks ago a very nice Zetec birkin was for sale near vancouver, $36,000. I think it was on www.autotrader.ca . it might still be for sale. There was a great 1960s lotus in Victoria, but it sold recently. There was also a slightly horrid Toyota 7 contraption somewhere in Ontario for cheap. Search the entire country in autotrader. Most are listed as Lotus, no matter what they really are.
Your best/fastest bet would be to buy an old lotus out of California or similar and import it. Just not much stock in Canada. Dig a bit deeper with some of the contacts, and any specilaised car people in the Big Smoke. I saw a nice caterham for sale from a place like that just a few months ago, black with lots of chromey bits.
Hi,
the USA seems to have a reasonably active forum at USA7s which has a cars for sale/wanted section. There might be something there?
Alternatively if you want to cast a wider net, the Caterham and Lotus 7 Group on Facebook has 1000+ members including from Ireland and France. There's an associated Group dealing with sales but its not run by the same person. Both are closed groups but I guess you shouldn't have a problem with entry.
the USA seems to have a reasonably active forum at USA7s which has a cars for sale/wanted section. There might be something there?
Alternatively if you want to cast a wider net, the Caterham and Lotus 7 Group on Facebook has 1000+ members including from Ireland and France. There's an associated Group dealing with sales but its not run by the same person. Both are closed groups but I guess you shouldn't have a problem with entry.
Cheers for the suggestions and links.
I spoke with Dave from super7cars.ca yesterday. Very nice guy. And the duratec is available. So a solid option. However it is not possible to build myself.
I was mostly considering new so it was a new kit that I assemble. If buying complete I have no such "new" requirements.
I'll dig around the U.S. 2nd hand market 2001 and older.
This may have been asked before, due to it being a kit car: Is it possible to convert the rhd to lhd?
Cheers
I spoke with Dave from super7cars.ca yesterday. Very nice guy. And the duratec is available. So a solid option. However it is not possible to build myself.
I was mostly considering new so it was a new kit that I assemble. If buying complete I have no such "new" requirements.
I'll dig around the U.S. 2nd hand market 2001 and older.
This may have been asked before, due to it being a kit car: Is it possible to convert the rhd to lhd?
Cheers
In my caterham there is quite a few frame bars and plates welded in to make the area that supports the pedals and master cylinders, as well as hoops for bushings welded into the dash frame for the steering column. You'd also have to re-route clutch and throttle cables and brake lines.
You could cut all that apart and try to weld it back to normal, and buy new bits/fabricate them, put in new brake lines or extend them, and weld everything into the other side. Or weld a bit less in, and use a floor mounted pedals/cylinders kit from wilwood or someone.
Then build a new dash, and invert the instrument wiring loom...
I guess shifting sides depends on how much of a masochist one is... lol.
The more I think about it, the worse the work it would take, gets. :-/
You could cut all that apart and try to weld it back to normal, and buy new bits/fabricate them, put in new brake lines or extend them, and weld everything into the other side. Or weld a bit less in, and use a floor mounted pedals/cylinders kit from wilwood or someone.
Then build a new dash, and invert the instrument wiring loom...
I guess shifting sides depends on how much of a masochist one is... lol.
The more I think about it, the worse the work it would take, gets. :-/
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