Lotus super seven a Formula Atlantic race car

[super seven]

I recently read the article on the Comp Corvette Solo 2 event on Wired Motorsports website. Taylor describes a Lotus Super7 as a Formula Atlantic race car. My 7 is licensed and insured for street use . I don't know of any insurance co. or gov't that would register a Formula race car! My 7 also has 2 seats , full lights , horn and sometimes a spare tire. A Formula car has none. I agree that most of the time the car is trailered to most of the events. Due to the fact that the susp. is a little tough for the street and where would I put my slicks?
Taylor also says we should ignor the super 7 ? oh that is the answer! Yah back in the sixties when Sterling Moss beat all the Cobras , Ferraris and other sporstsracers in a Lotus Eleven , I dont think everybody said lets ignor that car ?
When I first started doing Solo 2 , I was always getting beat by a Caterham super seven and yeah also said to myself its a GoKart. But I didnt ignor it. I went out and got something close and developed the car to be just as competitive.
Taylor you and your car went great that weekend and I would like to whip your S2000 soon in my Boxster!. Would that be fair?
I wish I had more super 7 s and the like to race against .

[andrew1984]

<can feel some tension stirring> :D

[Tony Kloosterma]

Taylor, ya hit a soft spot there bud, I'd give my eye teeth to have one of thos things.

Best you refer to it as one of the finest works of art ever known to man.

Tony

[Taylor]

I'm going to interpret this as tounge and cheek (since the article was written that way).. or perhaps this is Ron's competition envy.

Either way, the comment was more a compliment than anything else...

To start I never said it was a formula atlantic. I don't know WTH you read that!?

The Catherham, LSS, and Kit cars are basically street legal open wheeled race cars. I have no idea which yours is, I believe it's a kit car, so god knows what the insane power to weight ratio is (well I expect you know), course you're also running slicks. Not exactly fair game to compare against production cars.

Considering it's ride height, lack of front or rear bumpers or crumples zones, it's a bit of a miracle it is an insurable street car.

Anyhow it's not a knock on the car, but it might as well be a GoKart or an F1600 out there (which people DO AutoX, just not around here) therefore considering it competition isn't fair, hence the comment to ignore it when discussing results. Dude you beat a god-knows-how-many-rwhp vette driven by one of the quickest guys around. I think Gord's has over 500horse in it.

Shoot Ron, I go great in the S2000 every weekend. :) Maybe if I had some rubber, I might have been able to get Eric. Bastard beat me in someone elses car. Yeesh.

A friend and I were watching the video I took and while watching Eric go around, I said "Bastard got me by 3 tenths (well 5 tenths after timed runs, but equal number of runs it was 3 tenths)... then we watched the Vette go up the shoot and he said "And there's where he got those tenths!" :)

As for the Boxster... suuure.. any time. :) But I seem to recall a couple times where I managed to beat your S7. :)

It was fun to see George and the other Seven go at it at the ProSolo. Though I think that other one was a real Caterham, so probably no where near the power yours is putting out.

If I had the dough I'd pick up that one that has an F20C in it (The S2000 Engine), give you a little competition. :)

For now the best I can do is Hoosiers. And I don't see that happening since this is my year to sort out the MR2. I'm still way too slow in that thing. But I have the secret mod coming for Saturday, so we'll see how that helps. Wish it wasn't going to rain.

[super seven]

Taylor ,
I took it as tongue and cheek. I just wanted to clearify that the car isnt a Formula car . The car is hard to insure , only one co. insures it. I would hate to get hit in it . I felt more safer in my Kawa ZX9R! But it is not a Formula race car. I sort of have to run slicks due to the weight 1000lbs to get any heat in the tires. I still haven't tried small r- compounds yet. With the 10" slicks on the car it is just as wide as a Mustang GT . Trust me I measured it with my SVO. And yes the power to weight is almost impossible to get traction. it's a handful to keep straight!. The car was built to exact dimensions as a orig. 70's Lotus Super Seven by the company Cambridge Super Seven , founder Gary Wolf of sportbike header fame. Any how the car is a street legal track car just like your S2000, Eric's yellow banana and Gord's 500hp vette. I just dont have a radio , air bags, push button start and extra waste , hey just like most older street cars of the seventes or were they Formula cars?
Why would you want to ignor the 7 if you beat me once maybe twice?
Robert

[finboy]

Taylor...


its Rob... not Ron

we need Clark Back... who's got his number????

[Taylor]

Rob:

Eeek, sorry, I mixed you and Ron Pasdernick up. Well.. in name only. I knew I was talking to you, dyslexia got the better of me.

Anyhow, yes it's not a formula car. I said it's basically a formula car. (Read: Practically). It's a tube frame. It has a low centre of gravity. The wheels are quite out in the open, the wheel cover isn't fooling me. The suspension. The weight is about the same, 1100lbs yeah? You probably are putting out more power than a FF. The driver is basically laying down in it too, like one would in a Formula Ford. Probably has better weight distribution than a FF too. It's muuuch closer to a open wheel formula car than any other street car.. DAMNIT. :) About the only thing that sets it apart from a FF is it's Front engine, and yeah, has 2 seats. Probably just as wide and long though.

As you say, I'm sure the car is a handful to drive, I'd probably spin the thing right off the bat.

Anyhow, the goal will always be to beat the fastest guy, I just don't beat myself up at all when it's a 1100lb open wheeled race car. :P Now Miata's, that's a whole different story. Supercharged or not, I should be ashamed. :P

[Ron]

Hi Rob,

Sadly my seven is still in too many pieces to be ready for this weekend at PITL. I hope to have it ready for the second regional and second PITL event, it's going to be killer. The dwarf will be out tomorrow though, so there will be some competiton. Even so I don't think I have beat Taylor yet, but still learning how to :)

We need to get a least three mod guys running to beat the PAX, are you coming out to any SOLO II regionals, or are you running SOLO I again this year?

Ron, another seven guy.

[Logan]

One of the guys in my club (PMSC) also has a super7. He brought his with him when he moved here from the UK.
He doesn't drive it much as he is building a one-off kit car with (I think) an 1100CC suzuki motorbike engine.
He calls it "the cyclops"...
It's fun to watch him tool around in it at club events, but the rear end is apart right now.
If he get's it sorted, it might be competition for the dwarf.

[super seven]

Sorry Taylor didn't mean to push the Formula thing . I just did not wanted to be ignored for having a different car. I think if a couple of you guys out there develope your cars a bit more , it will get tougher for me. hey those corvette guys are so fast, Daves Miata is almost right there with the seven , That black MR2 thing was really close {note he was also on slicks!} and Taylor ,your very quick in that S2000. If I was you guys , I would put on a set of slicks and run in Mod! Imagine how much more competitve it would be ?
Anyhow I will try to make out to as many Solo 2 events as possible . I will also be doing Solo 1 and try and beat some really fast vettes this year.
Hey Ron get that Locost 7 out there , I think your going to be very quick and let's make this year the most exciting. Lets forget of lack of funds or other projects and make the best of what we got and go for it. Im waiting for you guys!

[J.C.]

Originally posted by Logan
One of the guys in my club (PMSC) also has a super7. He brought his with him when he moved here from the UK.
He doesn't drive it much as he is building a one-off kit car with (I think) an 1100CC suzuki motorbike engine.
He calls it "the cyclops"...
It's fun to watch him tool around in it at club events, but the rear end is apart right now.
If he get's it sorted, it might be competition for the dwarf.

Would you friends name be Paul?

[AcidGord]

Super Seven: All I know on this whole topic is at the CCCC event I was staging (In the MR2) as you were coming off the track and you had a big grin on your face after EVERY run. :)

[AndyC]

Hey Rob-- thanks for helping out with that engine mount bushing yesterday -it was very kind of you.
P.S. the motor is in and soon to be running. [We hope !!]
Andy [Yellow ITR #33]

[super seven]

Your welcome Andy . Now you know where to find me!

[Nabs]

Hey Rob, you don't know me, but i'm the guy who sent Andy for that engine mount. Just wanted to say thanks!:)

[Taylor]

Hey Rob, you know me, I was the one working with Andy and Nabs here (and Moose) on the engine swap. :P The rear mount was a real pain (the inserts didnt' quite fit), happily with your help, the right mount was a breeze.

[super seven]

Yah I hate that rear mount too! Are you guys swaping a B18C in a civic too? I grew up watching car guys putting small blocks and even big block Chevys in Vega's and Monza's? Now it seems like everybody is putting B18"s into Civics. These guys probably dont know what a Vega is? Hey if I was 10 years younger I would too. Gee 20 years ago I had a 6 year old 1979 CVCC Honda Civic, no B18C's then! Do I feel old now.
The other day I was working on a B18C swapped 1.6 EL Acura. What a sleeper!

[Ron]

Rob, quit it you're making me feel old. I always thought that the monza and vega were kinda new cars.

Took some pics of the Locost in its present state today.

http://www.firstclass.com/~ron/locost/

[ADAM]

that is a very neat build up.....

[Logan]

Originally posted by J.C.
Would you friends name be Paul?
Nope,
Kelvin.

[super seven]

Hey Ron ,
Car looks good , I can't wait to see you out there. Will you be at Mosport DDT this weekend for Solo 1 ?
What compound slicks and size are you running?
Hopefully you wont need those mirrors cause I'll be out front!

[Ron]

Hey Rob,

I have no plans to do any Solo I's this year as of yet. But with that mirror crack I may just have to :) I got a deal on the Hoosiers, they are old stock CanAm tires: 23"x10"x15" R35. I could not get R25s in this size.

Ron

[super seven]

Hey Ron , can the washing machine motor with the Mazda part number on it spin the Hoosiers?
come on out this weekend Im running out of wise cracks!

[spoonie]

are you bringing the 7 out to the DDT parking lot solo2 gig? i love 7's and every caterham equivalent i've ever had the joy of sitting in.

the caterham dealer in (i think beaverton?) had one w/ a toyota twin-cam 2.0 engine in it - i was very tempted to get it - but the $16,000 price tag for a single-purpose machine was sadly out of my budget.

hope to see your ride soon.

~Russ