Caterham Super Seven 1600

This post is intended to be a register of the Super Seven 1600. The model was introduced in April 2020 as a heritage version of the 270 with styling and finishes which are only used on the 'Super Seven' branded cars. This includes flared wings (although cycle wings were an option), chrome finishes to the windscreen, wipers and grill, proper Smiths dials and leather interior options. The car also has a mechanical difference from the 270, or strictly the EU 275, on which it is based. The standard Sigma induction unit is replaced with twin Jenvey Heritage throttle bodies which change the sound and character of the engine. By June 2021 they had stopped taking orders due to dwindling supplies of the Ford Sigma unit. Mine was the last UK-ordered car, but there may be some EU or Japanese cars which were built afterwards. Caterham never released the final production numbers, but when I ordered mine they said that around 35 had been built.  I'm giving each car an ID number, just so

As the car is nearly 2 years old it's time for a service! There is no longer a factory service option, so I took it to the nearest Authorised Dealer which is HWM Caterham in Walton-on-Thames. The car is still under its 2 year warranty period which ends at the start of August. I left Romford at 5:30am, getting over the Dartford Crossing before they start charging, and headed to Cobham Services for breakfast. Arrived at HWM just before 8am and Dan was already there opening up. The workshop is full of cars! London AR David North still has his car there, awaiting further upgrades.. The Crazy Horse spec'd Super Seven 1600 is there, I quite like the chrome interior mirror, may have to get one. Dan did an initial inspection and sent a video review. Apart from changing the oil, coolant, and spark plugs the only issue was the Lambda sensor which was replaced. The fuel tank has a small leak, I'll have to decide if it's worth replacing it before the warranty runs out. Apart from t

My car has very comfortable leather seats, ones with vertical fluting and a nicer material than the standard items. However, the base of the seat has a lot of foam padding at the front which gives a high angle where your legs rest (the top seat in the picture above). This results in a knees-raised driving position which is very different from the Tillets and other race seats. You have to move the seat forward in order to extend your leg to press the clutch and accelerator without having to force down on the cushioning, which can lead to cramp. It also gives less space between the seat edge and the bottom of the steering wheel. So, I decided to change the driver's side seat and lower the angle of the leading edge by removing the cushioning from the front section. The leather is just glued in place, so it's easy to undo and get access to the foam. You can see how thick it is at the front there. I removed all of that and then re-glued the leather into place. Now we have a much low

Last weekend was the first major drive of the season, the WightBlat 2024. This is an annual event organised by Alex and Simon on the Isle of Wight. This year it was based at the excellent Luccombe Hall hotel in Shanklin. I was in France for the week before, but keeping a close eye on the Met Office forecasts for the weekend! With a high pressure system moving in I booked the last remaining room at the hotel and the ferry crossing from Portsmouth to Fishbourne. Having got back home from Lyon at 10pm the night before, it was an early start on the Friday to prep the car and meet up with Essex legend Debbie at the M25 Brentwood junction. It was pretty cold at 9am so I had the half hood on and heater going. Debbie turns up with no roof and leather hat, fair play! Her Xflow only has a 4-speed box, but we're heading round the M25 and then down to Gatwick before A-roads to Portsmouth, managing to avoid the rain. Despite being booked on the 2pm ferry we both managed to get on the one before

One little upgrade I've wanted to do for a while is fit a battery isolator switch. The immobiliser system can drain the small Banner battery over a number of weeks, so previously I've been removing the negative lead when the car isn't used for a week or so. An isolator switch is a much more convenient solution. I didn't want the full FIA isolator that sits on the outside of the car, so I decided to get this one from Jack Webb Motorsports . It is a simple break switch that sits on the negative side of the battery. This was originally designed for cars which don't have a heater, and when I initially received the unit it was clear that there wasn't space around the heater hoses to fit it to the earth point on the scuttle. Thankfully Jack was able to produce a new version with the orientation of the earth connecting bolt eye and jump lead reversed, and this fitted fine. Now I can isolate the battery by just turning the red switch by 90 degrees..

With the weather finally improving we did the first main run of the season, the Easter Eco Run. This event is hosted by the West London group and started at HWM Aston Martin in Walton-on-Thames. It was an early start to get round the M25, stopping off for breakfast at Cobham services. The blat is a short trip down to the Surry Hills for coffee, then back to HWM for a tour of the showroom. There's a prize for the car that uses the least amount of fuel, hence the 'Eco' run, but really it's just a little drive through the countryside. Back at HWM they have some nice cars. A DB12 in the same colour as my car ! Thanks to the club AR Geoff for organising this !