murph7355

Tom I'll mail you later with my details...

No pictures and it's in its bags still. Comes as two pieces. One piece clamps to the rear facing diagonal with a u clamp, and has a square piece of metal at the other end that can be padded to suit. The other piece clamps to the side of the roll bar and onto the first piece to stabilise it. Black powder coated.

YHMB

Un-padded as it's still in the bag. Offers around a tenner.

Std SLR fayre. 4 ins, 1 out, 1 catalytic convertor in the middle. Never used and still in the bag.

Coversystems. Better than the Cover Craft ones if only because they cost 80 quid or so and do exactly the same job. I actually had better service out of the Coversystems one. Don't use two of these covers at the same time. It won't help the breathability of it.

No you don't, you want a Daytona.

Mark traded his first 5spd in for a 6spd not long after he had it...(or was it 12mths - time flies, eh?) There are lots of std 5spd equipped K-cars about for a reason. If the price reflects the possibility to get the box suitably modified then fair enough...I think 500-1k is what's needed for that. A 6spd will cost an absolute min. of 1500GBP, and that's if you find one under a pile of rocking horse dung. I'd love to help out looking at cars but I'm buggered time wise these days and never get a spare 5mins (not even to use my cars for God's sake!). Am happy to give more input on what to look for though, and to check the full spec on anything you like the look of. I'm with Mark on the looks of the Caterham v Westfield. I'll also admit to a degree of badge snobbery I guess, and was prepared to pay the necessary premium for what I consider to be the "real deal". Nothing inherently wrong with Westfields (pre-lit ones even look nice), or any of the other derivatives. But cod roe isn't caviar, no matter how similar they might taste. If you see what I mean.

Decide how much you want to spend first. Then add 2k. This will be the amount that you do spend. Check out Peter Carmichael's MOT emissions run down in either Chit Chat or Tech Talk recently. Getting a newer car isn't necessarily a good idea. Older, kit built ones are less hassle emissions wise which gives you easier MOTs and more performance tuning options (which you *will* want to do one day). I think 96/97 was the break point for this so would be inclined not to go newer if it were me. Condition is far more important than mileage or age. From there, drive as many different types of car that fir inside your budget. The differences between engine variants (K-series, XF, Vx, bike engine) are massive both in terms of the character of the engine and the way they handle. Don't buy a K-series car without a 6-speed box or a well modified 5-spd (the seller will know that it has a modified box and will know why it has one if you ask). In fact, don't buy a K without trying a 6-spd equipped one first. Superlights are becoming cheap at the moment. And they are supremely good. Will you notice the difference between 100 and 130bhp. Probably, but it won't necessarily be night and day. And if it comes from two different types of engine there'll be more noticeable differences due to engine character than out and out power (e.g. a 130bhp XF and 130bhp K car will feel very different). Caterham are a good place to go for your first car, but try and take someone along who knows what they're looking at. They generally have a wider selection of cars to sample, and they usually have better quality stock. But they're a bit pricier than many places and will try and push you towards a particular car...

yhm jic etc

Sheath on the cable? "Plastic" OK but the cable's snapped inside it?

4,999GBP? Not sure at all. Bearing in mind that you can get programmable ECUs for 600 quid or so, and that the MBE isn't plug compatible with the Rover loom (if you were using it on a K), then it'll be much less than that. I guess somewhere around the 300 mark, but am open to suggestions (somewhat higher than 50p) and am still thinking about whether to do it or not yet. It'll probably be a few weeks in the offing at least.

Good luck with it Anthony. Awesome cars and the induction noise alone should make your hairs stand on end (I know you come from the Ford fold, but K's can sound fantastic and the R500 I had did - though my SLRish car is better in this respect ). Don't look back now, and stop looking in the "For Sale" sections 😬

Considering flogging this. Fully programmable MBE ECU. I also have a copy of the EasyMap software used to map it and a data cable (somewhere!). Any interest?

According to Arnie the JPE was probably nearer 235bhp (as Peter notes), and Arnie knows his onions on the Vx. So the power differential simply isn't there (despite Vx's being able to give more - you'd ruin "originality"). And whilst the cars *might* weigh the same, it's where the weight is that counts and with a Vx it's more over the front wheels, which isn't necessarily a good thing. That said, I can't think how a JPE would weigh the same as an R500 assuming they both had the same weather gear (or rather aeroscreen etc) as there's little else different - did the JPE have a smaller fuel tank? Maybe but I doubt it. Wheels are within a kg for all 4 on both models etc. The suspension set ups on both cars can be made the same AFAIK, but it might need some chassis work as I think the JPE didn't have the Watts linkage at the rear and might have other subtle differences on the front. I still can't help thinking you're missing the point a bit though Anthony (forgive my directness once more). *Any* 7 will p all over a tin top round corners. And the suspension differences between R500 and JPE will make v.little difference to their straight line poke, which will be very good regardless of which model you choose. Peter's advice of steering clear of nutters in Porsches (or other metal) would be the best advice to take in this respect! Don't rush into anything, try lots of different cars and buy whichever feels the best to you. Alternatively, if you must buy now, get the JPE. They're rarer, and even if they don't handle quite as well I imagine they'll hold their value better than an R500 simply because they are rarer. As a third possibility, if you can afford to hve 2 cars why not buy a Porsche and keep the 7...lots to be said for having two different types of sports car in the fold. Boredom doesn't come into it then

Bonnet and scuttle....hmmmmm. Just make sure the central bit of weave is perfect, the rest can be slightly less so

Couple of points... You mention the "delicate" balance that you like on the BDR. I'm pretty certain you lose the delicate part when over 200bhp - arbitrary limit, of course, based upon my own prejudices. There's a limit to how fast a given chassis design will go round corners. My personal feeling is that over 200bhp exceeds that limit in all circumstances. Probably true that 140bhp does in a 7, which is why so many people regard the std. SL as the sublime choice. But then I've always been a hypocrite and 200bhp gives you the edge on the straights if you need to get past Porkers et al So I can see the arguments for more power all too clearly. Also, any 7s acceleration over 100mph is going to be badly dented by aerodynamics. Could be eased by an aeroscreen (is your BDR so equipped? Quick, easy change that wouldn't have to ruin the car but might make all the difference you require...). More power undoubtedly helps, but these cars' domain is sub 100mph really. My decisions obviously had a shed load of other factors involved, not least of which the realisation that I could afford another car that could add the +100mph adrenalin rush, and provide a completely different and in my view complimentary driving experience (355). But had I felt that the holy grail of 300bhp in a 7 was a "useful thing" (I *am* a 7 nut after all), I would have persevered... My comment on throttle modulation wasn't meant to mean that the K in the R500 is overly peaky. It is relatively peaky, as any high specific output nat.asp engine will be to one extent or another. But it's usable lower down the range. However, the engine spools up so readily, and the throttle is so light (IMO) that judging the revs accurately (enough) always required a lot of concentration. My SLRish car is slightly slower spooling up and the throttle is (semi-deliberately) a good bit chunkier. As a result, modulating the throttle (for me) is significantly less worrisome and enables me to enjoy the car and the drive that bit more on the open road. And also throw it around a good bit more on track. I could have made some mods to the R500 to help I guess... From my limited experience, R500s aren't set up well at all ex-factory. Simple changes to the suspension can make massive differences on 7s as you'll know. Still not saying that an R500/JPE is right/wrong. You have an exciting opportunity and it's a buyer's market. Take your time and try all flavours and see what you think. I have a feeling you might be surprised. PS For a road car I've never been that convinced by BECs, by the way .

I think your current BDR car will be easier to shift than a high powered Vx or R500. The market for R500s is a bit weak at the moment IMO, similarly for high powered, *nice* Vxs (i.e. more expensive 7s simply aren't selling). Might pick up, might not. You might therefore get a bargain. You might not... An R500 is much more difficult to drive smoothly IME. Undoubtedly quick, but getting a rythmn is difficult. Could well have been mine wasn't set up quite right, but I couldn't be arsed investing the time it took on my SLR spec car (which for me handles really sweetly) to do this. Especially with so much money tied up in it and other metal waiting. It could also be that I'm simply not good enough behind the wheel. Or that it's simply too much power for the road...and it's no good telling yourself you don't have to deploy it all. Fact is, few of us have the ability to modulate the throttle well enough to finesse it. And hit a pothole and you have 15% more power to worry about. Maybe I'm just a girl. Nice as JPEs are, and without wishing to open up debates that have been done to death, they are products of an earlier era (albeit not that long ago) to me. Try all varieties and see which you like would be my strong advice. As your For Sale notice states, the BDR is a lovely car... On Le Sept last year a Fireblade car mixed it with R500s etc. So bhp is far from the last word.

Anthony With the utmost respect, it seems like you don't really know what you need Question 1 - why do you want "260bhp"? Whilst there is some undeniable appeal in big numbers, the reality of owning a car with this sort of power level might not meet the on paper promise for you. I realise a number of people own cars of this power evel and more, and that my own opinions are just that. But coming from something like you already have, I suspect simply hiking power may not give you the jump in real world performance that you're probably looking for. Something with a modest increase in power (or even the same power) but with superior dynamics might possibly endow you with an infinitely wider grin than chasing headline figures. A bike engined car, or a light car engined variety (read K of, say, SLR spec or slightly over, or maybe a Duratec) could be the way to go. I'd suggest you take some time and get test rides in a couple of bike engined versions, an SL, an SLR, an R500 and a powerful Vx. Don't just straight line them, take them on a handling trip, preferably on track. And then see which you like. All will offer very different sensations to your BDR and each other. You might even find that you want to keep your BDR. Bit presumptious of me maybe. But I had daft plans to chase 300bhp in my 7. As a stop gap whilst upgrading my SLRish spec car, I bought an R500. Made me realise that you don't exactly need that much more bhp than 200. Yep, the R500 was quicker in a straight line, but round a circuit the difference wasn't that great, and the pure enjoyment factor increase was even less so. More importantly the R500 is actually harder to use quickly on the road for a variety of reasons (a big bhp Vx will be too). I p/x'd the R500 3mths after buying it and have canned any plans for further upgrades on the SLRish car. I'll enjoy that how it is and learn to drive better (as there are people in "lesser" spec cars that are quicker than me round a circuit...). In todays market you'll get burnt if you decide the high power car isn't what you want.

Anthony With the utmost respect, it seems like you don't really know what you need Question 1 - why do you want "260bhp"? Whilst there is some undeniable appeal in big numbers, the reality of owning a car with this sort of power level might not meet the on paper promise for you. I realise a number of people own cars of this power evel and more, and that my own opinions are just that. But coming from something like you already have, I suspect simply hiking power may not give you the jump in real world performance that you're probably looking for. Something with a modest increase in power (or even the same power) but with superior dynamics might possibly endow you with an infinitely wider grin than chasing headline figures. A bike engined car, or a light car engined variety (read K of, say, SLR spec or slightly over, or maybe a Duratec) could be the way to go. I'd suggest you take some time and get test rides in a couple of bike engined versions, an SL, an SLR, an R500 and a powerful Vx. Don't just straight line them, take them on a handling trip, preferably on track. And then see which you like. All will offer very different sensations to your BDR and each other. You might even find that you want to keep your BDR. Bit presumptious of me maybe. But I had daft plans to chase 300bhp in my 7. As a stop gap whilst upgrading my SLRish spec car, I bought an R500. Made me realise that you don't exactly need that much more bhp than 200. Yep, the R500 was quicker in a straight line, but round a circuit the difference wasn't that great, and the pure enjoyment factor increase was even less so. More importantly the R500 is actually harder to use quickly on the road for a variety of reasons (a big bhp Vx will be too). I p/x'd the R500 3mths after buying it and have canned any plans for further upgrades on the SLRish car. I'll enjoy that how it is and learn to drive better (as there are people in "lesser" spec cars that are quicker than me round a circuit...). In todays market you'll get burnt if you decide the high power car isn't what you want.

I'm pretty sure the lowest level of granularity you can get is every 5secs. I'll have a check tonight. Had the same experience as you with getting the bike part to work. Needs very careful alignment. I would guess that the 7 will be too rough an environment to guarantee this remains... Also had a bugger of a job getting the IR connection to work. But now that it does, am finding it a really useful bit of kit.

Not wishing to put a damper on your plans, but I'm not convinced you'll get this to work effectively for many of the reasons stated above. Also, you'll only be able to monitor your speed over time in 5 second intervals (or longer)...which is probably not granular enough to extrapolate anything from it (not tried cutting and pasting out of the Polar software yet to know if you can even do this into Excel or someting anyway). Might be quite interesting to plot heart rate against speed in the car, but would think that you'd only use it once and get bored of the data... Whilst more expensive (160 or so) the AP22 unit from Race Technology would give you a massive amount more useful info and needs nothing sticking to bits of the car. And despite the wealth of info it gives, I suspect you'd get bored of that pretty quickly too (unless I'm the odd ball and everyone else plays with theirs religiously).

The Caterham box also seems to have fastenings on the inside of the airbox. Not sure if this part of the design has changed since last year, but someting to ponder (i.e. get one where the fastenings can't fall off).

The Nitrous kit would be heavier wouldn't it? By a good chunk. So your 25bhp doesn't buy as much in real terms. And when the gas runs out, you have more weight and less power (than the properly upgraded engine). Also, does the solid cam conversion really cost more than 1200 quid?

I've got one somewhere. I'll dig it out and see what it's like, but I think it's near perfect.