O/T - non Porsche - Caterham

[sng45]

I quite fancy buying this Caterham 7

http://www.chapmancars.co.uk/portfolio- ... erham-hpc/

I've never owned one (yet) - does anyone on here have any experience of them ? ( It's a long way from Yorkshire for a test drive!)

Thanks

Steve

[KS]

I'm sorely tempted by a Caterham at present, too. Mitch on here has a Caterham R400 to keep his 73 RS company, so he's the man to ask.

I drove a X-flow-engined Caterham to Paris and back a few years ago and loved it – think four-wheeled motorbike (with all the wet weather implications) and you'll get the idea. Incredible value for money with regard handling and performance.

PS - that's quite a lot of money for one of that age, though.

[EVO575]

Don't have any experience of Caterham but run a Tiger Avon Hayabusa on the hills . Very visceral machine.Comes alive on the hills but would be just a pain on the road (if it was road legal).
I would imagine that a nice Caterham would be great fun on the road especially out on early morning group runs.

[smallspeed]

Caterham used to have a showroom right next to work (near hinkley) which might be closer BUT not 100% sure they're still there..

Also I think Graham is a mad caterfield guy, or was?..

I might know of a decent k series one for sale in dark blue if anyone is interested - near the south coast (bornemouth-ish) and fully rebuilt (FULLY). Same guy has a 944 turbo shell if anyone needs one of them?!

[911hillclimber]

For a reasonable sum you can hire a Caterham for a full day.
You can really find out if you can live with one this way.
I know many who hill climb them, few who run them on the road.

Mine would be a Prisoner replica.

The one you fancy would be a great car, good engine etc, but as Keith says, a bit £££ imho.
Lots for sale if you look.

[shoestring7]

I've had two. The rule is: your first Seven is the one you think you want, the second is the one that is right for you. My first was a de dion 1600K SS with leather seats, the next was a rorty Zetec with a c/r Rocket 'box and live axle and weighed 500kgs.

Lots have been tracked, thrashed and crashed so check for bent chassis. Most engine bits are cheap though and tyres/brakes etc last for ages. BTW, inspite of Caterham's willingness to sell you a car with 300bhp, the sweet spot for a Seven is around 170-190bhp.

C>

[markm]

Caterhams, do it. Ive had 2 R500's, the first with a k-series engine which you had to rev to get the best out of and the second with the now duratec, which for me lost a bit of its rawness.

Have been trying to comvince Mrs M to let me have another, 620r, but shes not going for it at the moment.

Driving wise, fantastic cars, corner like shite to a blanket, feel so raw, steering feedback is brilliant, they are just so much fun, do it

[DustyM]

I'd be very tempted by one of these if I lived somewhere warmer and drier!

[Winston Teague]

the next was a rorty Zetec with a c/r Rocket 'box and live axle and weighed 500kgs.
C>

just don't try driving it on a wet road!

You could buy one, hire a crane, pick it up by the spare wheel and drop it from 30 feet. That way you get the whole crash experience without the injuries.
I'm sure they can be jolly good fun but also beware (as with any classic) you have no idea how competent the original builder was......
Good luck, W

[markm]

I'd be very tempted by one of these if I lived somewhere warmer and drier!

Part of the fun is driving them in the wet. I remeber when i got caught out in the snow in my old ne, in march, went around the island by me doing 360's, completely lost it, wasnt going fast, honest

[hot66]

Always fancied a caterham... Just the idea of my elbow hitting the tree before the car hits the tree that has stopped me buying one

[gridgway]

If you don't mind me saying, with all respect and man-love that's just a load of confused rubbish you have spouted.

To take both points...the competency of the original builder is almost never a factor. The essence of caterhams is that they are known quantity. Spotting a shite one is pretty easy. Also with pretty much anything post the Chapman era, the kits are full and trivial to build. Worrying about who built it is not needed.

Crashing, yes of course it's easy. Take any fast, light sports car in unsafe hands on a wet road and the hedge beckons. And that's happened to many an eeejit. The whole point of a caterham is that it's light adjustable fun. Take car, have a blast, know when the grip goes and be in charge.

To answer the OP, it's quite a hard subject as there is a lot of variability of how the whole thing works. So the generation of HPC referred to has plusses and minuses. The VX engine is a beast, but it's heavy and the big old HPC wheels don't really help. Lots of torque, but a bit of a boat anchor in the front. I favour 13" wheels.

The k-series 1600 supersport/superlight is a brilliant balance of power and grip. Then there are the super-frenetic bike engines, the rather oddball zetecs to replace the crossflows, then the crossflows themselves, live axle or dedion!

Driving a few will help and a choice around classic or contemporary and really what power levels. I've only been up to 230 bhp in a caterham, but I know that about 140bhp is my sweet spot.

In the current range the Duratec is the super high power boat anchor and the sigma is more the lower powered zingy version.

Perhaps the best place to start (which hurts as a purist) is how much money do you want to spend and are you a power merchant or a nimble person?

Graham

just don't try driving it on a wet road!

You could buy one, hire a crane, pick it up by the spare wheel and drop it from 30 feet. That way you get the whole crash experience without the injuries.
I'm sure they can be jolly good fun but also beware (as with any classic) you have no idea how competent the original builder was......
Good luck, W

[sng45]

Thanks very much for all the replies - most seem very favourable - I think I probably need to test drive ( rather than just buying over the phone as I usually do !) and head down south to try it. I must admit I like the look of the car with the larger wheels although there seems to be a consistent view here ( and on a thread I placed on p/h) that smaller wheels are the way to go.Additionally I had no idea about engine weight/height !

I'd buy the car to use only on sunny Sunday afternoons - so hopefully avoid any serious wet driving ( unless I get caught out ) and use it alongside the others that I have. I'm not concerned about out and out performance more interested in enjoying in at "reasonable" speeds on twisty roads so I felt 175bhp would be adequate, rather than a 300 or 500. I'm sure if I wanted something "safe" I should probably buy a Volvo but I guess this is about as opposite as you can get and all part of the attraction of a Caterham.

Appreciate the replies and interest.

Steve

[Gary71]

Immense fun and no more/less safe than an early 911.

[Goodwood]

I have to say i had never given Caterhams a second look until i saw this one at Goodwood recently. For the road i would imagine skinny tyres and a modest engine would provide bags of fun at relatively sensible speeds and personally i think the looks of this car suit the original design really well. On the busy roads of the South-East you need to get your kicks at modest speeds, I have given up with fast cars.