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Last Updated 12/08/01

Specification Of My Car

One of the main attractions of seven ownership is that even when you've chosen what make of car to own there are still countless variations due to the huge variety of possible options and methods used during the build.

My car is a Caterham Seven with the following specification:

  • Red 1996 Caterham 7 dedion chassis
  • 1.6 Rover K-Series
  • Caterham Supersport engine upgrade to 138 bhp
  • 'Apollo' anti-cavitation oil tank with oil temperature sensor
  • 4-into-1 Supersport exhaust
  • AP racing clutch
  • Caterham 6-speed gearbox
  • AP suretrak limited slip differential
  • AP four pot front brakes with vented disks
  • rear disk brakes (standard on dedion cars)
  • 14" Minilite wheels
  • Yokohama A021R Tyres 185/60R14
  • Leather S type seats
  • 6 point Harnesses
  • FIA roll bar with Petty strut
  • Plumbed-in 2.25l extinguisher
  • Batter isolator switch

I've recently decided to make a few changes to the above
  • Engine upgrade to approx 180bhp - still thinking on this
  • 13" Caterham SL R500 Magnesium centred wheels - lighter
  • Yokohama A032R 185/60R13 tyres - grippier
  • Adjustable ride height kit - car is too high at the rear
  • Uprated Springs - car is too soft - see Euro report
  • Carbon Front wings
  • Race master cylinder - to reduce pedal movement - its too much on the track
  • Remove heater - it rubbish and heavy
  • JPE aero screen - saves weight and reduces drag and more FUN!
  • doors cut down to half height for above
  • centre and side mirrors for the above
  • Tillet GRP seats - for support on tracks and lighter
  • modify tonneau head rests for above
  • new rear anti-roll bar - I broke the old one on Euro
  • remove tunnel and bulkhead carpet - they get skanky (and heavy) when wet
  • remove spare wheel carrier - a 5th wheel is expensive and unecessary weight

This should drop the weight from 550kg to under 500kg and give me a setup that can take bumps without getting coilbound/hitting the bump stops. It will also be better suited for track work. The new seats will make me a few inches lower and properly supported for tracks - all good news :)

The engine work will happen later in the year. It will probably involve a VVC head, 740 cams, throttle bodies and an Emerald mapable ECU. A new exhaust manifold will give little extra power but will allow the torque curve to be tuned and a geared starter motor to be fitted. This has its delicate bits away from the manifold but won't fit in the small space with the current one.

There are some pictures and expanations of these options (and others) on the options page.