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According to reports on the BBC's and The Independent's websites, it looks as though the remake of The Prisoner will finally go ahead. Rumour has it that Patrick McGoohan will make a cameo apprearance but no new yet on what will replace the Lotus 7 as his car of choice.
The article at the Independent covers the background to both the show and Portmeirion quite well - worth a read.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Autocar have a "first drive" review of the new Caterham 7 Superlight R500. In particular they mention the six speed sequential gearbox and the launch control.
They like it. They like it alot - "The R500 is not just back;
it's better in every respect."
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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In Aintree Sprint last weekend, the Se7ens were out in force with the Westfield class being won by John Loudon and Mark Wallwork's Dax Rush Quadra doing the business in the Over 1700 class. Well done.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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You knew it was going to happen sooner or later. An electric Caterham 7 has been finally put together...and they seem to have done a reasonable job. The electric car, called ThoRR, has been created by Evisol using a 272 hp motor. Allegedly it'll do 0-60 in 3 seconds but no word on top speed or range.
There are good pictures and a video on the ThoRR site.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Auto Express are running a competition to win a Caterham driving weekend up in Scotland. Closing date is 8th May and the competition question is a doddle.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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There's a good picture of a Seven steaming along at Forrestburn. If you are the driver, let us know how you got on.
Photo by Giles Guthrie.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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There's a lightweight review of the 2007 Caterham Roadsport over at
LifeTime Sports . Nothing out of the ordinary. |
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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| Although I can't currently see it in the online store, Caterham have announced a DVD "Fifty Years of the Seven" celebrating all that it is the Seven, from its early days as the Lotus Seven, right through to the modern day incarnations. Bargain at £19.99. |
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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There's a great picture of a Westfield getting
a bit sideways in a race at Outlon Park over on a Fickr. While you are
there, check out some of the other pictures from the same photographer, Matt
Smith. |
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Contrary to popular opinion, I haven't been abducted by aliens and I am still alive. The reason that I haven't been blogging is that my wife and I now have a little baby girl and she's been taking up all of my spare time. I will try and return as time permits but babies are just such time sinks.
Keep it between the hedges.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Yet another Seven-esque vehicle which I knew nothing about, comes from Czech manufacturer Kaipan. The current version is the 57 and much like a Caterham Seven, comes in varying kit configurations and uses the VW-Audi 1.8l engine as found in the Skoda Octavia (and several other cars from the VAG group). Looking at the pictures in the photogallery, the cars look pretty good.
There was also a Kaipan 47 of which about 50 cars were produced, though it's now discontinued.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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This isn't a real build, but rather the assembly of 1:43 scale Lotus 7 model. The detail is quite astonishing and you can see the finished model as well. I love the tiny chassis.
I can't find a website for the kit manufacturer, MEA, but here's a picture of the some of the Lotus 7 models.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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| Accelerate appears to be a free motoring magazine published out of Weston Super Mare in the UK. It's got two reviews of the Caterham R300 and R400 which generally say great car but somewhat impractical for day-to-day use. |
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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September's Caterham Life (2.5MB PDF) is now available from Caterham's website. Highlights this month include 50th Anniversary Celebration, editorial from the Managing Director and Bayswatch 2007. All in all, six pages of Seven goodness.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Although I missed this at the time, a bunch of Caterham and Lotus Sevens drove from Land's End to John O'Groats to raise £5000 for Leukaemia Research. The convoy of fifteen cars started on Saturday 18th August from Land's End, reaching John O'Groats on the Monday. In the end, the event raised over £7500 and I'm sure further donations would be welcomed. See the LEJoG website for details.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Not sure of all the details, but it looks like there was a Se7ens run up the Pacific coast from California all the way up to British Columbia. Anyway, couple of good photos.
Yes, I know it's a Lexus-based bulletin board. |
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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In the Motul Tour Britannia, Joe Twyman and Oliver Bryant were just off the podium after finishing fourth overall in their Lotus 7 S3. This presitigious three day tour for historic cars takes in Brands Hatch, Brooklands, Donington Park and Oulton Park to name but a few and they were up against some stiff competition from Ferraris, Porsches and Alfas.
Dates for 2008 will be announced shortly.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Lotus Seven, Classic and Sports Car magazine have carried out road tests on original Lotus 7 models, S1 through S4. You'll have to get your copy from the newstands or order a back issue from the website. It's the October issue you want.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Most of the Lotus 7-type vehicles hail from the Northern Hemisphere, e.g Dax, Caterham, Westfield. But there's a good showing in the Southern side of the planet with the likes of Elfin, Birkin and now the Millennium 7, built in Kempton Park, Johannesburg, RSA. Instantly recognisable as a se7en, it's product of a two-man team and can use either the Toyota 4A-GE or Ford Zetec engines.
You might need to consult the internet regarding "lekker"...
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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| KTM is to establish a new assembly plant near Graz, Austria, for the production of its first car – the KTM X-Bow lightweight sports car. The decision to create its own assembly facility, instead of out-sourcing production as originally anticipated, was prompted by the success of the highly-renowned motorcycle manufacturer’s growth into the four-wheel market. |
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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If weren't able to make it to the 50th Anniversary Celebration for the Lotus 7 (and even if you did), you can capture the spirit of the event through these photographs taken by Dr John.
Be warned...there are hundreds of photos and you'll spend hours scrolling through them.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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For some reason, I thought I'd covered this bunch already, but a quick search on the site reveals nothing. Anyway, if you're wanting to hire a Seven for a blat through the Scottish mountains, take a look at Open Road Hire. They're based in Perth and seem to be using the Roadsport SVs as their vehicle of choice.
At the moment, they're running a competition for a day's hire - you simply have to send them an email saying where you heard about Open Road Hire, so don't forget to mention Radio Se7en.
[Disclaimer - I've no connection with Open Road Hire Ltd.]
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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If you are into racing games, take a look at GTR2 (and report back please). It seems to be building quite a following online and there's a good selection of Caterham 7 models to choose from - just do a search on Caterham over at NoGrip.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Depending on your point of view, you'll either be disappointed or breathing a sigh of relief, but The Prisoner is not to be re-made after all. In a conversation with Digital Spy, Richard Wolfe, the Head of Sky One, revealed the it was too British and there would be serious creative difficulties re-doing it for the US market.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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| The prices and equipment for the first sports cars from KTM have now been set: The standard model of the KTM X-Bow, with its avant-garde carbon fibre monocoque, will cost EUR 45,850/GBP
31,650 (excl. VAT and delivery charges). This price reflects the increased levels of standard equipment compared with the initial tentative plans on equipment and price. Now, even the standard model
will have a higher-performance engine than originally planned: instead of 162 kW (220 PS), the 2.0 TFSI engine by Audi will achieve 176 kW (240 PS). In addition, the chassis with damper elements that
are adjustable for tension and pressure, will be standard equipment. ... |
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Came across a build site called the Bodger Locost Build, which appears to be anything but. Couple of good entries with photos and even a YouTube video.
I also like the post "Describing a Crash", which I have shamelessly lifted....
UNDERSTEER is when you hit the wall with the front of the car.
OVERSTEER is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car.
HORSEPOWER is how fast you hit the wall.
TORQUE is how far you take the wall with you.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Not entirely coincidently, The Prisoner also celebrates 40 years and to commemorate there's an anniversary DVD set out from 1st October, with 7 disks and all 17 episodes.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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On 23rd September, Lotus will celebrate 40 years of manufacturing at Hethel, Norfolk, UK with an Open Day at the factory. During the day, the assembly halls will be open and visitors can experience the test track in one of the current Lotus cars. Examples of cars from the past will also be on show including the Lotus 7.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Just like buses, there's nothing about Elfin and then two articles appear on the same day. Evo have a head-to-head shootout between the Elfin MS8 Clubman and the Lotus 2-Eleven. The MS8 still comes in for some fairly critical stick on the handling. Hmm.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Following on from AutoExpress's review of the Elfin MS8 Streamliner, Autocar now have a first drive review on the Elfin MS8 Clubman. Regrettably, it's "one of the worst sports cars I’ve ever driven" according to a longtime Autocar contributor. I guess we'll have to wait and see what other think.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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There's some great pictures of a Series 2 Lotus 7 getting some rad air on the Gjern Hill Climb. Head over to SB1403's blog for the details.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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I must've missed this the first time round as the article is over a year old, but AutoMotoPortal have the top ten fastest cars, as measured by 0-100mph-0. Caterham CSR260 is in at number 8 with a time of 11.95s, beating the Lamborghini Gallardo and the Porsche 911 Turbo. Number 1 was the Ultima GTR with the Bugatti Veyron at 2. Big company for a small car.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Bernie emailed to let me know about the Fifth Annual Southwest Se7ens Festival that's taking placing on 20th & 21st October in Hurst, Texas, USA. Follow the link for more details - it certainly sounds interesting.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Apologies for the absence over the summer, folks. There's just been a great deal of change recently and I hope to get back to the blogging on a regular basis. There's plenty of back material too, so I shouldn't have any excuses. Thanks for staying with Radio Se7en.
Andrew
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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In the Daily Mail, celebrity chef James Martin reviews the Caterham Seven R400 while managing to devote a good chunk of the article to a Westfield he had a few years. Nice.
And no I'm not a Daily Mail reader.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Caterham Midlands are looking for a " Handy Person" - which I assume is the pee-cee version of a handyman.
Duties would be varied, to include assisting our parts department with
incoming and outgoing goods including some packaging of parts
deliveries, general stores duties and valeting along with some driving,
which in part would involve the collection and delivery of the legenday
Caterham 7 Road and Race Cars, mainly by van and trailer, a requirement
will be that you currently hold a driving licence include Part C1E.
A certain level of fitness, the ability to deal with customers along with a general interest in motoring would be beneficial. Would maybe suit a semi-retired person, working two/three days a week.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Sometimes my regular searches throw up interesting tidbits that aren't directly related to the cars we love and cherish. In particular, the Lotus 7 Yoga and Pilates studio isn't anything to do with motor vehicles. However, in explaining the name of the studio, it says,
The interesting name comes from a combination of symbols – the lotus flower signifies an awakening of one's self to the healthiest mind, body, and spirit possible, and the number 7 is associated with accomplishment. The studio's goal is to provide students with a warm and tranquil sanctuary to help them on this path.
Much wisdom, grasshopper!
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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There's a story in my local rag, The Belfast Telegraph, about Z Cars who were responsible for the twin-engined Tiger which I think held the the 0-60- record for some time. For example, the roots of the company are in auto-grass racing and that Minis are their bread-n-butter, as it were. The 1000bhp Ultima's pretty cool too.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Emilio Mansilla has rendered an absolutely stunning CGI model of a Caterham R500 which really looks the business. I think the tyres are ACB10s so I'll drop him an email. There are some other cars in his gallery too.
There's also an R300 by Reorom but it's not nearly as good.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Dorri of If It's Got An Engine has finally seen the light and is going to build a Locost Se7en with his friend Steven. They're only on day one of the build, but it should be worth checking out now and then.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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I know that there are loads of se7en pictures over on Flickr but this USA-based Lotus 7 caught my eye with an interesting paint job. Not your usual "British Racing Green" and yellow stripe, that's for sure.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Practical Classics magazine are offering a superb Westfield SEi with an upgraded 2l engine in their latest competition. Looks like you have to register with the site and have to be UK resident.
I'll be entering shortly!
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Over at Auto Reviews, "heru_anto" has been a busy bee. He's reviewed just about every single Caterham Seven on the market from the Sprint to the R400. He even seems to have reviewed some of them twice, but that's probably just a glitch in the system. Uncertain if it's original work or taken from another automotive site. If it is own work, good job.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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evo have a write-up of the Caterham X330 which manages to elicit a bit more detail on the concept car than was revealed at Donington. In particular, Caterham seem serious about taking on some of the established records such as the 0-100-0 and the Nurburgring lap record. But the question still remains....will it go into production?
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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In the SCCA Glen Nationals last weekend, Kevin Leigh took advantage of a crash in the Group 4 race to drive his Caterham 7 to victory. I don't often hear about Caterham wins in US motorsport so well done.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Back in June, the Circuitpark Zandvoort hosted the Autovisie Time Attack, which is basically about getting the fastest lap round the circuit. Donkervoort thought this would be a good opportunity to try out some more of their streamlining gear and as a result, took the win with a lap time of 1:45.117, beating a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup by a whole second. Pretty nippy then.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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KTM have updated their calendar of appearances in the X-Bow Road Show 2007 with dates in Germany, Austria, Italy, Belgium and the United Arab Emirates.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Westfield recently organised a trip to The Raceway in London as part of their support of National Autistic Society. In the Westfield Challenge, the great and the good had change the wheels on Westfield in a frantic pitstop. The article doesn't say how much was raised, but well done Westfield.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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Tiger are offering their alloy bell housing for the type 9 Ford gearbox at £140.
And yes, there's something up with Tiger's web site, unless it's situated in a future time warp.
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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The Sunday Times each week has an "Out of Office Reply" where the respondent is doing something far more exciting than sitting at his/her desk. This week, the activity was "Building a sports car" and in particular, a Caterham 7. It's actualy quite a good potted history of the Caterham 7 and what it's like to build one, so "why don't you go out and do something less boring instead?"
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| Posted by AndrewP at | | | |
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