Caterham Super Seven 1600

So after 11,000 miles my radiator has started leaking. Just little dribbles down the sides that eventually drop onto the nose cone and then leave a little pool of fluid under the car. So it's time for a new rad! Getting the old one off is straightforward, after the messy business of draining all the coolant and disconnecting the hoses. I've also decided to replace the bottom hose as it was also leaking at the joint to the radiator. The original fan is still fine, did a little clean up. Fitting the new bottom hose is a faff as access is limited, but got there eventually. I collected the new radiator and hose directly from Caterham Dartford as I live only 30 minutes drive away. Very handy. We now have a shiny new rad ! The design seems slightly different from my original 2022 one. This now has a Caterham logo on the top. See how it fairs.. My procedure for filling and bleeding the system was as follows: 1. Remove the top hose from the heater assembly and fill a bit from there unt...

I've been using the Soft Bits standard shower cap for the last 2 years, it's been great ! Whenever I'm parked-up on a trip I put the half-hood and shower cap on. The only time I've had an issue is when there's proper heavy rain, as water leaks on to the scuttle and then down into the footwells. The solution here is a long-nose shower cap, which I got today. This has an extended front which covers all of the bonnet louvres and the K&N air filters. It's definitely more of a faff to put on compared to the standard item, but does give you complete rain cover over the whole car. I'll be using both !

It's very much winter here in London so I'm just doing a few little bits on the car whilst it's in the garage, until the salt clears off from the roads. I cut down the front number plate back when I got the car, but never got around to doing the rear plate. I used 3M dual-lock to mount the number plates, so it's very easy to remove them.  I cut the rear plate down to its minimum legal size, which is 10mm of space around the characters, using a multi-tool saw and then sanding the edges. Looks much better I think. Hopefully will be back on the road soon !

I spec'd the car with the wood-rimmed Moto-Lita steering wheel option, which is a 12-inch wheel. Whilst it looks great, it is a little bit too big for the standard chassis car. Luckily Moto-Lita do a smaller 11-inch version, which I got today. I went for the flat spoke design, I think it looks really nice. It fits directly onto the standard 9-hole Moto-Lita boss. I really like the smaller size, it gives you more space in the car, your elbows work at a smaller angle, and it is quicker to turn. Should have got this last year !

Caterham and Aston Martin dealer HWM organised a visit to the new Caterham factory in Dartford last Sunday. This was a chance for owners of both marques to view the new facility and talk to staff. It was a 9am start, and apart from a few drops of rain it was pretty good weather all morning. Around 50 people turned up, as well as most of the staff from HWM and some from Caterham as well. Twenty or so Caterhams made it there, but some turned up in other vehicles. There was a very nice 90's car which is the basis for my retro-styled model. The new factory is fully operational now, what a difference from the old Kennet Road place ! HWM brought a selection of new Astons including a DB12 Volante in the same colour as my car. A little photo shoot was required.

Last week I got to do a proper road trip, from London to North Wales and back. It was very much a last minute adventure. I checked the weather forecast on Monday morning and it was high pressure all week. So Monday afternoon I set off. First stop was the Double Tree by Hilton outside Chester, a place I had stayed at before. This was to get the initial motorway drive done before heading into Wales. For Day 2 I had a room booked at the Chainbridge Hotel in Llangollen. I wanted to stay at Portmeirion but it was fully booked, so instead my plan was to visit Portmeirion in the morning and then head over to the Chainbridge. I set off early and drove to Bangor, then down to Porthmadog, arriving at Portmeirion at 10am.  Had a good wander around, the weather was amazing ! After lunch I headed off to Llangollen, driving through the Snowdonia roads. The Chainbridge Hotel is perched on the side of a hill overlooking a river. It's quite an interesting place, had a nice meal and then an early ni...

Today was the 2024 Open Day run by Lotus specialist Malcolm Ricketts, at his workshops out in Wheathampsted. He has a great collection of early Lotus vehicles, and many more turned-up ! Quite a few Caterhams as well. Justin from Caterham Cars was there with the Super Seven 600 demonstrator. He also told me something very interesting about the Super Seven 1600. Despite having a Sigma Ti-VCT engine, the Variable Valve Timing is turned off due to the Jenvey Throttle bodies. So it actually has slightly less power and torque than a standard 270/275 engine. Holbay Twin Cam SS.. I really like the 11-inch steering wheel from the Super Seven 600, it's a much better size for the S3 chassis than my 12-inch. I feel an upgrade coming on..

Last Sunday there was a workshop meet-up at HWM Caterham in Walton-on-Thames. This was organised by the Service Manager Richard Potton, and was a chance to ask general questions about the cars and their recommended servicing procedures.  Lots of cars in the workshop, including brand new vehicles awaiting collection. London AR David North still has his car there! Now with very expensive updated suspension. Around 30 cars turned up, including an unusual passenger. And I found another Super Seven 1600 for the register. All good.

Here's parts of the original brochure for the Super Seven 1600, showing the specification details and optional extras. This was part of the marketing material produced by Stacy Freeman.

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...