Dippy

Thanks. Sorry, let me add that I will have to keep the car for five years due to certain import regs, so I'm looking for some leeway to upgrade a bit say, after a couple of years. I can't imagine that I'd want to go past 160 or 170bhp, but doesn't everyone say that at first? Hence my caution about the VVC.

Sorry, I know I asked this six months ago. The Portuguese decided to get stroppy with my import application, and took four months to say yes - by which time Caterham had to sell my reserved engine and chassis to someone else, they couldn't risk having to build the car and me not buy it; fair enough. So here I go again. As we start from the beginning, I can again decide on the engine size. My questions are on reliability, emissions, and power output. Am hoping to buy a Roadsport, and I would think 140-150BHP would be quite enough for my purposes. I don't have good service support like you guys in the UK, so I don't want to stretch the reliability too far. AIUI that means I should stay away from a VVC, correct? I can get a standard 1.8 with the upgrade to 140 from Caterham, or go for a 1.6 that has been tweaked, again by them (at their offer - I don't know exact power figures or price). I'm just puzzled partly for reliability (I guess the 1.8, lower tuned, is therefore more reliable), and partly for Portuguese emissions regs; I think I heard they were bringing in EU4 soon, and the 1.8 might not be allowed because of that. I think Caterham are working on homologating the 1.6 and the 1.8VVC for European use, but not the 1.8 standard head. As for intended use, it would be mainly blatting - I don't know of any track days around here. So - can anyone advise if I am worrying over nothing, or if I should strongly try to go for one rather than the other? Very many thanks in advance Dippy

Caterhams may be very expensive in France, but Caterham UK will sell you a new LHD machine for about a thousand quid more than the RHD one. Not sure if you then have to pay an import tax to change it to French plates. However, make sure it is homologated for use in France. I've just had a 1.8 refused to be imported into Portugal, I believe as it is non-homol (still to be confirmed). You should be OK with a 1.4 or 1.6. A guy in Portugal is selling a 1994 1.4 k, 130bhp and a few other bits, for 22.5k€ as his lowest offer. They are over 40k€ here, new.

Oh 🙆🏻. Just heard a rumour that the authorities might not let me have the 140bhp 1.8k that I was ordering, as not homologated here in Portugal. The highest rating that is is the 1.6. As I see from Caterham's latest brochure that the 1.6 kicks out a royal 115bhp, and I don't fancy going to all that trouble for such little power (flame suit on ), can anyone tell me how to get some more juice out of it easily and reliably? I know the 1.4 can go up to 130, surely the 1.6 can go up too? New ECU (MEMS or Emerald)? Uprated manifold? Given the combination of the wife's and the authorities' (yes, that's two different parties!) opposition, plus being about to stretch myself to buy a new house, I'm tempted to jack it all in and go back to a Prodrive Impreza as one car, rather than the jeep and the caterham as two. Any suggestions? TIA - Dippy

😳 How long is that special offer on for? 🤔 I could do with one of them, but can't guarantee to buy the car until mid-Jan at the earliest (import authorisation)! Curses!

Blame Giles Wardle, he suggested it officer 😳 If not for ground clearance (which I thought), it might have been something to do with ride comfort (yum, cobblestones) or bridging dips. I'm happy to be corrected 😳

Cloooose, it currently looks like: Roadsport with 140bhp engine in yellow Black pack 15" wheels (crap roads here) uprated master cylinder enlarged hole for future 4-2-1 exhaust powder coated engine bay roadsport cage starter and horn on dash. Posted off for my temporary import authorisation yesterday, the only thing on the form that would raise non-homolog suspicions is the engine cc. See if I get it... I'm going to risk carpets as powder coating the cockpit costs four hundred quid (sorry hoopy!) and the exhaust is another 600 - too far over budget for me. Toying with the idea of an engine cut-out, not sure why except that it would avoid the pain of post-purchase fitting. It's terrifying spending 20 grand on something you can't see...

Okeydokey, thanks - that generates another question - does it attach to the windscreen (looks like it in the pic) and does that mean you're stuffed if you want to swap screen/scuttle for an aeroscreen?

Where can I see a pic of a Roadsport roll cage? Is it the one with a single diagonal across the top? Am just ordering my kit at present, and would like a cage for general safety but allowing the full weather gear to fit without any problem. The factory suggested a Roadsport one. Any comments? They said the Superlight one was that with the two semicircles on the top, and it wouldn't do the job. They also said the standard roadsport cage wouldn't need hood alterations, but some people who order a tall cage (to get helmet under??) sometimes need to adjust their hoods. Highly unlikely I need to wear a helmet (nowhere to race here), but if I did, what sort of height person has this problem? I'm 5'10". Thanks for any advice! Brendan

Hallo Den For those of you that can't stick the velcro to the carpet - how about sewing it in? I would have thought the bigger problem would be sticking the velcro to the ali (rivets? Or too extreme?) Interested to hear about the poppers idea. How many do you need - one every foot? Brendan

At the risk of sounding REALLY stupid, wouldn't a socket chucked into a cordless drill/driver do the job? IF you did the job of first loosening / final tightening by hand? I understand the clutch on them wouldn't handle the torque required by a wheel nut, but, if that's done by hand, the rest could be left to the machine?

Isn't the Black Pack anodised? Does that mean it will go deep purple in sunlight?