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!SOLD! 1996 193bhp 1.8 K-series S3


Smithy77

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Caterham Series 3

Caterham Red

First registered 1996

193bhp K-series, 30.5K miles

Up for sale is my 1996 S3, which has been upgraded to a very high spec and is perfectly equipped and set-up to be an extremely quick road car which is also no slouch on track.

Engine, drivetrain etc

- 1.8k series (VVC head) with the DVA Power “K06” upgrade in 2011. For more details see here http://www.dvapower.co.uk (parts also listed below)
- 5 speed
- Emerald ECU
- Mapped by Dave Walker in 2011 to 184bhp@7295rpm/146lb.ft@5920rpm.
- Mapped by JKM to 193bhp@7200rpm/158lb.ft@5000rpm after my upgrades (conservatively mapped with a limit of 7500rpm for longevity)
- Piper BP285H cams (VVC blanked)
- Verniers
- R500 lightweight flywheel
- 4-2-1 SLR/VHPD exhaust with re-packable silencer
- Jenvey DTH throttle bodies with Emerald adjustable length intake trumpets
- New WOSP starter motor
- Brand new ITG dome filter
- Mocal oil cooler
- Apollo anti-cavitation system
- Limited-slip diff
- Widetrack
- Height adjustable Bilsteins
- Lowered battery
- Caterham 4-pot front brakes
- AP Racing brake bias valve
- FIA battery cut-off switch
- Staggered fit (6” front, 8” rear) Caterham superlight 8 spoke alloy wheels with Avon ZZR tyres
- Professionally flat-floored for a 75kg driver

Exterior

- Carbon front cycle wings
- Rear carbon wing protectors
- Carbon front and rear light pods
- FIA roll bar (single diagonal) plus driver’s door strut
- Black pack
- Indicator repeaters within the front lights

Interior

- Carbon dash with R500-style metal push buttons
- Carbon cill protectors
- Stack ST500 rev counter. This is an extremely fancy piece of kit that has programmable shift lights, datalogging, digital speedo, 0-60, 0-100, ¼ mile times, can do lap timing and more. Controlled via a knob on the dash.
- Oil temp gauge
- Stack mechanical oil pressure gauge
- Caterham composite Tillett seats with seat pads
- Caterham harnesses (6 point driver, 4 point passenger)
- Quick release suede Momo wheel (round, not flat-bottomed)
- Heater
- 12v socket

Accessories (all included in the price )

- Full side screens
- Softbits for Sevens half hood
- Full hood (although note the car does not currently have hood - sticks fitted).
- Softbits for Sevens tunnel bag
- Split zip tonneau with Tillett pockets
- Indoor cover in good condition (just a small hole where it touched - on the exhaust)
- Emerald Cables to connect the ECU to a laptop

The private registration “C7 SUP” IS NOT INCLUDED in the reduced price. Buyer will have option to retain the registration at cost.

During my ownership I have focused on getting it in tip top mechanical shape and I have made some key improvements along the way which were more to my liking. The first thing I did was replace the 4-1 exhaust for a 4-2-1, as well as replace the stubby 50mm Jenvey trumpets for Emerald adjustable items (set to 95mm). These two upgrades dramatically smoothed out a bad flat spot in torque which it suffered up to 4500rpm. I then replaced the old 143 VVC bottom end with a very low mileage and fully rebuilt 160 VVC lump, so it has the stronger pistons it needs at this power level. The rebuild included an R500 flywheel, new WOSP starter, new fluids, cambelt, tensioner, water & oil pump, new seals/gaskets/bearings throughout etc. After the above work I took it to JKM (acknowledged by Emerald) for a 4 hour mapping session. Engine is now sweet as a nut. I have included a dyno plot overlay in the pictures which overlay power runs from a) After it had a DVA power upgrade “K06” and Emerald remap in 2011, b) After I made upgrades, and c) After the final remap. As you can see the improvement was pretty dramatic and it is now a very quick car which is also very useable on the road with a much wider torque spread. Other bits I've done include replacing the old Willans harnesses for Caterham items, purely to have the “pull up to tighten” lap belts. I have also ditched the tired old floppy air filter socks for a brand new ITG dome filter and back plate setup. Oh, I also stripped and refurbed the gearstick with a new uprated saddle bush and adjusted it to the “short throw” setting. And I’ve just bleed and replaced the brake fluid with Comma Dot 5.1 and topped up the battery.

The service history is really good, with a large stack of receipts.

The car is in good condition, has been well looked-after, and as said above mechanically perfect. It lives on a battery conditioner when not in use. Bad bits are as follows:

- Small crack in the NS front cycle wing (done by a previous owner). I will include 2 brand new bubble wrapped Caterham wings with the car which I was planning to fit in the future.
- Small chip and crack in the top corner of the windscreen - has not got worse since I’ve owned the car – no impact on any MOT.

It drives beautifully and is extremely responsive – weight is around 535kg (without driver) so performance is close to R400 levels at 370bhp/ton. The 1.8 is extremely torquey, but with a very strong top-end, and suits the 5-speed well. I’m ashamed to say I never got round to taking it on a trackday and it has only seen dry weather since it's been with me.

Pics: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vcho8zyycbec0w1/AAB1Ah_NsKxluvOvLDLXOhega?dl=0

(Please note: Most of the pictures shown here are from before the 4-2-1 exhaust was fitted. I have now added a new pic showing the 4-2-1 collector)

£14,995. Happy to discuss the car at any time, just drop me a message

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Tom, the tyres in the pics are A048s which have been "cut" to give extra wet performance. Never came across them myself before these, which came on the car when I bought it. Steve - looking forward to meeting you. Fingers crossed for dry weather!
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