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• P A R T S FOR A L L S E V E N M O D E L S -1 9 5 7 TO DATE
• R A P I D M A I L O R D E R S E R V I C E , ^ s ? E X P O R T O R D E R S W E L C O M E
• ENGINE BUILDING, TUNING, N E W & E X C H A N G E UNITS
• T R A N S M I S S I O N , N E W & RECONDITIONED
• SERVICING, R E P A I R S & RESTORATIONS • A C C I D E N T R E P A I R S
W e a r e A g e n t s o r S t o c k i s t s o f m o s t l e a d i n g b r a n d s i n c l u d i n g :
W E B E R , K & N , S P A X , KENT Cams, VANDERVELL BEARINGS, MINILITE Wheels , WILLANS Seat Bel ts , NGK, TOP TEK HELMETS, O/E LOTUS & C A T E R H A M Parts , MOTORCRAFT, LUCAS, Plus our range of REDLINE Accessor ies .
F o r S p a r e s , R e p a i r s , S e r v i c i n g o r F r e e A d v i c e T e l e p h o n e o r V i s i t o u r p r e m i s e s i n C a t e r h a m . O n l y m i n u t e s f r o m J u n c t i o n 6, M 2 5 , S h o r t w a l k f r o m B R S t a t i o n .
HISTORIC SEVEN PARTS S U P P L I E R S FACTORY APPOINTED PARTS & SERVICE CENTRE
REDLINE COMPONENTS TEL: (01883) 3 4 6 5 1 5 FAX: (01883) 3 4 1 6 0 4
LTD TIMBER HALL, 1 9 TIMBER LANE, CATERHAM, SURREY CR3 6LZ ENGLAND
Enthusiastic family business Parts a n d accessories a v a i l a b l e
Old a n d new models m a i n t a i n e d Lotus a n d C a t e r h a m 7 specialists
M e n u servicing or bespoke for your car M o d i f i c a t i o n s or upgrades for road & t r a c k
C a t e r h a m Approved Service Centre ^jy \ H o m e o f t h e C a t e r h a m F i r e b l a d t w w w . j a m e s w h i t i n g . c o m
Appletree W o r k s , 26-30 Glenfield Rd, Ashford, Middx T W I 5 IJL t)+44 (0) 1784 241466 0 +44 (0)1784 250915
Lowflying is published by the
L o t u s S e v e n Club Annual membership is £37-50 (UK and Overseas) see Membership Secretary details below or visit the web site
We s u p p o r t t h e
L e u k a e m i a
R e s e a r c h F u n d
www. to t u s 7 d u b . c o . uk this month:
The team:
Chairman Andrew Walker*
44 Park View, Pinner, Middlesex
HA5 4LN t : 020 8421 2133 [email protected]
General Secretary Paul Davis t: 01428 652 493 m: 07790 904159 paul .dav [email protected] .uk
Company Treasurer Ray Hutchings Sylvanna, Llanvair Close, South Ascot , Berkshire SL5 9HX m: 07808 943474 [email protected]
IT and webmaster Barry Sweeney* PO Box 777, Haywards Heath RH16 2YA t: 01444 443902 s i [email protected]
Membership Secretary Keith Pickin PO Box 77 , Undy, Magor, Caldicot, Monmouthshire NP26 3EJ t : 07000 572582 (07000 L7CLUB) [email protected]
AO Coordinator and LRF Coordinator Steve Winterberg* South Lodge Cottage, Rogers Lane, Findon, W Sussex BN14 ORE t : 01903 873007 m: 07855 846963 [email protected]
Lotus Seven Historian John Watson Lotus Seven Register, Fl itcroft, 13 Astons Rd, Moor Park, Northwood, Middx HA6 2LE t : 01923 824376 f: 01923 836637 histor ian@lotus7register .co.uk
Track day Coordinator Geoff Pickin Clementeita, Vinegar H i l l , Undy, Newport, Monmouthshire NP26 3EJ t : 01633 881837 admin@lotus7c lub.co .uk
Regalia management but not for sates, please
Ruth Whi t ing* Appletree Works, 26-30 Glenfield Road, Ashford, Middx TW15 1JL f: 01784 250915 ruth .whi t ing@lotus7c lub .co .uk
Competition Secretary
Graham LyaLL* 139 Rumbusfi Lane, Dicken's Heath, Sol ihul l B90 1RB t : 01564 703 134 (daytime) f: 01564 703 241 (work) compet i t ion@lotus7c lub .co .uk
Club Brand Manager Felix KLauser t : 02392 412945 m: 07970 990 474
James Whit ing f: 01784 250915 [email protected]
Caterham Archivist
John Passmore t : 01491 641566 f: 01491 642366 [email protected]
Honorary Vice-Chairmen
Dave MiryLees
Nick Richens t : 01420 564347
Roger Swift t : 01283 791877
Keith Jecks
1 Lowflying: Project Manager Graham Lyall t : 01564 703 134 (daytime) [email protected]
Trade Advertising contact David Elkerton t : 01564 703 134 (daytime) [email protected]
Editor and Designer Tony Pashley t : 020 8771 8337 edi tor@lotus7c iub.co .uk
for submissions by post, send t o : The Editor c/o 2 Oak Lodge, 130 Auckland Rd, London SE19 2RQ
*Club Directors
Lowflying is printed by
Warwick Printing Company Limited Caswell Rd, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV31 1QD t: 01926 883355 www.warwickprinting.co.uk
Picture gallery
News and events
A member's tale getting the big boys to solve your problems
Nuke-the-Leuk more fundraising news
Electrickery, part 4-2
2
5
10
12
an Lowflying
for Lotus and Caterham Seven enthusiasts
Trust me, I'm a scientist data acquisition as a driving aid 15
Lotus Components reviewing the Series 1 - the car that started it all 18
Excess all areas more cylinders, more cams and valves, more power... 22
Hear this! rants, reflections, ruminations 24
The vee-angles talking to Russell Savoury of RST 25
Area antics news from the regions 30
Area directory 32
Classified advertisements 34
Diary 36
Regalia Sales Contact:
Irene Watson, at Dowlis Group Limited t : 01932 791400 f: 01932 342224
an order form can be downloaded from the Club web site (see a b o v e )
The Lotus Seven Club is the trading name of Seven Club L imited, Company registration no.3880568, Registered off ice : Devonshire House, 1 Devonshire Street, London W1W 5DR
A copy of the Company's const i tut ion and rules is available on written request to the Company Secretary at the address shown above.
Please note: Views e x p r e s s e d h e r e i n a r e n o t n e c e s s a r i l y t h o s e o f Seven Club t i m i t e d ( ' t h e C l u b ' ) merely t h e v i e w s a n d e x p e r i e n c e s o f i n d i v i d u a l w r i t e r s . O p i n i o n s ( w h e t h e r t e c h n i c a l o r o t h e r w i s e ) s h o u l d n o t b e c o n s t r u e d as p r e c i s e a u t h o r i t a t i v e a d v i c e . The Club r e c o m m e n d s t h a t r e a d e r s t a k e s p e c i f i c p r o f e s s i o n a l a d v i c e a n d t h a t t e c h n i c a l a n d / o r m e c h a n i c a l work is only u n d e r t a k e n by s u i t a b l e g u a l i f i e d i n d i v i d u a l s . The Club d o e s n o t a c c e p t any l i a b i l i t y f o r any loss or d a m a g e s u f f e r e d by any r e a d e r a f t e r r e a d i n g t h i s p u b l i c a t i o n . E d i t o r i a l c o v e r a g e or a d v e r t i s i n g i n L o w f l y i n g d o e s n o t imply e n d o r s e m e n t .
1 — — 1 •—1 r 1 ~ tirRJ/A\D^Ll DESIGN FOR RACING
WINTER 2004 More from Caterham Parts and Aftersales to help you get the most from your Seven...
COMPOSITE RACE SEATS Designed exclusively for Caterham by leading manufacturer Tillett, our popular race seat is available in black composite (4kg) or Kevlar (2kg) construction. These will fit directly in place of the cloth/leather type seats (older cars may require some additional fixings, not included in the below price). The race seat offers a significant increase in the driver's support, giving the driver more control over the car. If you enjoy trackdays, these seats are essential...
Composite (black) £299.98 inc VAT each Kevlar £470.00 inc VAT each
FOAM RACE SEAT Although the standard race seats continue to be the seat of choice for many Caterham racing champions, some people simply aren't 'race seat sized' and others just prefer to have a more tailored seating position. The answer is to have a custom made foam seat. Made of two-part expanding foam, the seat is formed around the driver's body whilst they sit in position. Covered in de-rigour black tape, aesthetics are secondary, but most racers will tell you it is the most comfortable and supportive seat you will ever sit in.
Made and fitted £200.00 inc VAT.
LOWERED FLOOR Recognising that some people are taller than Colin Chapman, we have in the past offered tall FIA rollover bars and rollcages. However, these are considered to be unattractive and won't fit under the hood. Therefore, to coincide with introduction of our new range of cages, we now offer a replacement floor (available for both sides) to drop the seating position by approximately 40mm. For taller drivers, this offers a more comfortable position, with a view through the centre of the windscreen, rather than the top of it - in addition to it's primary safety function to give additional clearance between the top of the rollover bar and the driver's helmet.
SIM: Supply only £235.00 inc VAT Fitted £411.25 inc VAT SV: Supply only £250.00 inc VAT Fitted £426.25 inc VAT
CATERHAM MOTORSPORT OIL Rather than settle for an off-the-shelf product, we have worked with our lubricants partner to develop and blend an oil exclusively for the Caterham application. We set out the criteria for this oil to ensure it is of the highest quality and gives the best protection even when driven hard and fast from cold.
5 litres £32.00 inc VAT
CLASSIC DISCOUNT Owners of Live-Axle Classic models will be delighted to hear that Caterham Aftersales have introduced a
special Classic discount of 20% off the standard labour rate.
MOTORSPORT DISCOUNT Competitors in Academy, Graduate Club, Roadsport, R400 and Eurocup can benefit f rom special
labour rates and upgrade parts packages available from the Factory. Please contact us for details.
Caterham Parts Direct Caterham Aftersales Caterham Midlands
Tel: 01322 625801 Tel: 01322 625804 Tel: 01455 841616
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
CATERHAM SOUTH Station Avenue
Caterham, Surrey CR3 6LB Tel: 01883 333700 Fax: 01883 333707
CATERHAM MIDLANDS Leicester Road, Earl Shilton
Leicestershire LE9 7TJ Tel: 01455 841616 Fax: 01455 844299
CATERHAM PARTS Kennet Road,
Dartford, Kent DA1 4QN Tel: 01322 625801 Fax: 01322 625810
CATERHAM AFTERSALES Kennet Road,
Dartford, Kent DA1 4QN Tel: 01322 625804 Fax: 01322 625810
www.caterham.co.uk
Events and news
news events
A H A P P Y N E W YEAR to every one o f you. I hope you all had the fun/rest/peace/
presents even, you wished for - and that you enjoyed any Lotus Seven C l u b
festivities you took part i n .
Hopeful ly , the dust w i l l have settled o n the t i tanic Surrey C h r i s t m a s party and I w i l l have
regained some sense o f e q u i l i b r i u m by the t ime y o u read t h i s . . .
T h a n k y o u to all those w h o sent cards and their good wishes. It's good to k n o w that you
enjoy what we are d o i n g . It looks l ike be ing another busy year - w i t h loads events be ing
discussed, p l a n n e d a n d scheduled; and o u r o w n Speed C h a m p i o n s h i p is l o o k i n g bigger
a n d better t h a n ever. W e ' l l b r i n g y o u m o r e detai ls o f c o m i n g events as they are
settled; we're p l a n n i n g a bigger and more regularly updated d iary c o l u m n this year.
In this month 's issue y o u find the usual diet o f fast cars, members ' (mis)adventures,
technical matters, area news and a little silliness. As ever, thanks to all the contr ibutors !
I do hope to meet yet m o r e o f y o u d u r i n g the year ahead a n d come a long to more o f
your events and gatherings. Best wishes for a great 2005.
TONY
T h a n k s t o C h r i s R o b e r t s f o r t h e m a t c h i n g ' g r e e n a n d y e l l o w c a r a n d f i e l d '
used i n t h e m o n t a g e o n t h e f r o n t cover.
Sunday 9th January 2005
The Herts Area New Year Mulled Wine Walk
Assemble n a m Dikko ' s house. Roast
d inner about £10 (optional) .
C o n t a c t .
[email protected] or 01920 871153.
A bracing amble (with a hot stop) across
boootiful countryside, through snow,
hail or even sunshine to a w a r m pub for
simple roast d inner in the company o f
hail fellows, well met etc...
Return transport arranged.
R & J D i x o n , Herts Area.
http://freespace.virgin.net/herts.lotus
Saturday 2nd April 2005
Clay pigeon shooting
T h e Surrey Social C lay Shoot - in Sussex!
Half-day, 50-bird shoot i n the very pleasant
sur roundings o f Lower Lodge S h o o t i n g
G r o u n d . Ideal for first-timers or novices but
more experienced shots welcome too: very
m u c h a relaxed event, but i n safe hands!
Cost w i l l be £39.95 per person, i n c l u d i n g
use o f guns and instructors ( s p e c i a l l y - p r i c e d
d e a l o r g a n i s e d by t h e C l u b ) plus cartridges
(£5 payable o n the day). O p e n to all m e m
bers a n d family or guests, i n c l u d i n g kids i f
aged 12 or over. T h e venue is attractive
and w o u l d prov ide some interest for n o n -
shoot ing partners. We plan to have teas,
coffees, bacon rolls etc ( n o t i n c l u d e d ) a n d a
p u b l u n c h nearby for those so i n c l i n e d .
E m a i l contact: [email protected]
D e t a i l s a n d b o o k i n g f o r m s to f o l l o w .
Thursday 28th April 2005
Quaife factory tour
W e ' l l be attending a guided factory tour at
the legendary gearbox manufacturer i n
A p r i l . T h e tour w i l l start at 6.30pm sharp
and w i l l last for approximately 2V2 hours .
We are unfortunately restricted to 30 people
d u r i n g the tour.
Quai fe are based near Sevenoaks, i n Kent .
Entries w i l l be accepted o n a first come, first
served basis.
E n t r y fee o f £5 per person - all proceeds w i l l
be donated to N t L .
Please make cheques payable to " C a r r o t l a n d
Sevens". Entries close o n 22/4/05.
To b o o k a place o n this tour, please send a
cheque for the correct a m o u n t and y o u r
contact details to:
Ern ie Panks, 71 Q u i d e n h a m Road ,
K e n n i n g h a l l , N o r f o l k NRI6 2EF.
Telephone 01953 888738
Part ic ipants w i l l be contacted p r i o r to the
tour w i t h direct ions and final instruct ions .
30th April/lst May 2005
Herts blast to Portmeirion
Herts r u n to the P r i s o n e r village o f
Por tmei r ion , N o r t h Wales.
Please register your interest at:
[email protected] o r 01920 871153.
A l l welcome. Starts, Herts Saturday m o r n i n g ;
meet for lunch at Car Col lec t ion in Cotwolds ;
meet again for meal and B & B at or near
Por tmei r ion ; return via Stoneleigh Kit Show
Seven Stand, Sunday afternoon.
Lowflying J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5 5
ROAD or
^- Join us ™ and enjoy
the amazing Spanish roads and the great
Mediterranean sun Road and Sun is a club dedicated to providing
high quality, value for money, motoring holidays in Spain for driving enthusiasts
Included in the trip: • return ferry crossing from England to Bilbao in outside cabin
• all nights in luxury Spanish hotels (Paradores)
• breakfast and dinner
• detailed route books with tips and advice
• support and guidance from organisers who travel with participants
V i s i t o u r w e b s i t e f o r f u r t h e r d e t a i l s
www.roadandsun.co.uk
Following our growing success over the past four years, we have
prepared three routes for 2005
• Ruta Al Andalus 30th May - 9th of June, 2005
• Ruta del Maestrazgo 20th - 27th of June, 2005
• Ruta de los Pireneos 11th-18th of July, 2005
w
C h r i s W h e e l e r p i c t u r e d here test ing the a l l new single seater R6 .00
"Thepure driving experience is sublime; every corner opens up before you like a new challenge. When you finally make it round the corner you couldn't wish for more power as you open her up"
If the R6.00 is a l i tt le too m u c h for y o u r tastes then y o u c o u l d t r y a new V 8 engine.
Special copper gaskets now in for the Cross f low. £ 2 1 . 5 6 + V A T
The 7 Workshop also provides the following -
S e r v i c i n g S V A a n d M O T A l l types of r e p a i r s - r o a d o r race E n g i n e r e b u i l d i n g a n d upgrades T r a c k day p r e p a r a t i o n B r a k e upgrades U n l e a d e d convers ions engine components
Telephone or Fax -V i a email -Browse our website -O r pop by for a cuppa at
R a c i n g services E x h a u s t s u p g r a d e s a n d p o l i s h i n g t r a n s m i s s i o n special ist m a c h i n i n g
01992 470480 infoffl 7workshop.com www.7workshop.com unit b woodside industrial units, brewery road, hoddesdon, herts, e n l 1 8hf
A member's tale
That sinking feeling
How a s m a l l m e c h a n i c a l f a i l u r e , with the p o t e n t i a l to s p o i l a g r e a t holiday,
t u r n e d i n t o a t a l e to r e m e m b e r with a warm glow. Steve Mell r e c o u n t s
an e n c o u n t e r with r a c i n g ' s f a m o u s a n d finding t h e 'Seven s p i r i t ' t h e r e t o o .
T H I S IS NOT a disastrous tale - it just felt like it at the time...
There we were at C a m p i n g B l e u , myself, Adrian Elkin (my passenger for the trip) and another
130-ish Sevens and their inhabitants. Having enjoyed a superb blat from Blighty to Le Mans and
pitched tents in a searing 36°c, we were at last able to cool off with a vast supply of ice-cold beer
and look forward to a unique race weekend and assorted Sevener-type entertainment.
The next few days were spent putting faces
to names previously known only through
BlatChat and Lowflying; long sunny blats
through the picturesque countryside on won
derful French departmental ('D') roads, blast
ing through Indianapolis (in both directions -
several times!); playing air guitar with a camp
site full of complete lunatics and watching
what is undoubtedly the most famous motor
race in the world from all manner of magnifi
cent vantage points (thanks to Nemesis for his
top viewing tips).
The race over, we had the delights of Sunday
evening yet to come. Highlights of the F l
qualifying from Montreal followed by the race
itself and then, oh joy! (loosely disguised sar
casm) the football encounter between
England and our current hosts, France.
Predictably, we again managed to snatch
defeat from the jaws of victory but as I was
shortly to discover (yes, it's a split infinitive!) a
cruel parallel was also in store for me.
An unwelcome discovery That evening, the football having come to
its pitifully predictable conclusion, Adrian had
planned a reconnaissance blat of the local
hotels for a future visit to the area. We wan
dered out of the 'tented village' toward the
parking area with the intention of removing
and uncovering the Seven and for me to
instruct Adrian on the intricacies of its start
ing procedure. Before we reached the car park
we spotted someone taking a particular inter
est around the frontal area of my car. As we
approached, I could see that it was the front
nearside suspension that seemed to be the
subject of our spectator's attention. He looked
up and said "I hope you don't mind, but I was
looking at your shock absorbers (whatever
turns you on I suppose!) as I was thinking of
upgrading mine".
" O h - " I says, but before I could contribute
more to the conversation our man says "By the
way, is that steering joint supposed to be bent
like that?"
He pointed to the upper ball-joint that was
now actually a rose-joint following a recent
upgrade. As my eyes followed his pointing fin
ger, I'm thinking, "What's he on about?" But
then, my gaze settled on my newly fitted sus
pension joint which seemed to be set at an
alarmingly drunken angle. "How the f*** did
that get like that?"
You know that sinking feeling you get when
it dawns on you that you are up that famously
named creek without a paddling thing? Well,
that was the sensation that now attached itself
firmly to my stomach and other lower anato
my.
Here I was, 140 miles south of the English
Channel and another 70 miles beyond that to
the haven that is my garage and I have, not
only one apparently knackered top ball-joint
but one apparently knackered, u n i q u e top
ball-joint. Where on the Earth that was Le
Mans was I going to find a replacement 7 / i6"
U N F rose-joint? Not the sort of thing you pick
up at your local petrol station or M o n s i e u r
B r i c o l a g e .
Why not just replace it with a standard
one? I hear you cry. Well, two reasons. Firstly,
despite the trip organiser's extensive spares
collection, there was not one to be found.
Secondly, the adaptor into which the new
rose-joint screws would have to be removed
from the wishbone and this was no easy task
without the correct precision extractor - to
wit, one pair of vicious jaws that can generally
be found on an 18" pipe wrench!
As is always the case with this wonderful
club, there was a variance of opinion as to
whether I should take a risk and make the
journey home. The advice ranged from,
(sharp intake of breath) "I wouldn't risk it if I
were you" to "Yeah, just take it steady on the
N138 back to Le Havre - there will be loads of
people to stop and help if it does collapse!"
Reassured? No, not really!
Anyone got a joint? I had three choices. Get the car repatriated
back to the U K ; fix the problem; or take a risk
and drive it home. Further inspection of the
joint revealed no apparent fracture, yet! So, in
light of all the red tape involved in getting the
car home on the back of a trailer my thoughts
were leaning toward the 'gentle' drive home
and praying that the whole thing hung
together.
Meanwhile, Adrian, God bless him, had
been mulling over our problem and said to
me, "Wait here, I'm off up the pit lane to see if
any of the teams can help". With the campsite
being only a brisk 15-minute walk from the Le
Mans start/finish straight, it did seem worth a
try, albeit a bit of a long shot. The evening was
drawing in but hopefully some of the teams
would still be there clearing up after the race.
A short while later Adrian reported in via
mobile phone that his efforts so far had met
with much sympathy but little success.
Apparently, many of the teams had retired
to their hotels for the night and would return
the following morning to finish packing up.
Monday - another glorious day - was to
commence with the group photograph. >
Lowflying J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5 7
\fn flux insurance HOT* ••••••••• insurance
INDEPENDENT LOTUS & CATERHAM SEVEN SPECIALISTS We buy and sell new and secondhand Sevens.
We also offer a kit build facility, plus any help you may require.
P l e a s e c o n t a c t S t u a r t W y l i e o n 0 1 7 3 7 6 4 5 2 1 3 Beechwood, Gatton Bottom, Merstham, Surrey RH1 3BH
www.woodcotesportscars.com
That sinking feeling
> We had strict ins t ruct ions f rom A r n i e to
meet at the entrance to the Porsche Curves by
9:30 sharp. So, a long wi th another ninety or
so Sevens, we assembled at the campsite exit
ready for the short drive toward Arnage and
thence onto the circuit .
U n b e k n o w n to most o f us, A r n i e had a
change o f m i n d that m o r n i n g and instead o f
the Porsche Curves it transpired that he had
discovered an entrance to the c i rcu i t just
before the start/finish straight.
I can tell you , the sight o f all those Sevens
snaking a r o u n d the final chicane o f the Le
M a n s 2 4 - H o u r c i rcu i t was s o m e t h i n g to
behold . N o t , however, as br i l l iant as the site o f
90 Sevens l ined up in neat rows across the
track underneath the famous clock.
However, I digress. After the group photo
graph , o u r gather ing d i sbanded w i t h most
head ing back to the campsite but a s m a l l
number deciding to investigate other parts o f
the circuit .
Thanks for nothing, Monsieur! W h i l e I parked up at the side o f the circuit ,
A d r i a n revisited the pit lane in search of a pos
sible replacement part for my deranged sus
p e n s i o n . M o m e n t s later m y m o b i l e p h o n e
rang. It was Adrian's t r i u m p h a l voice, "come
up to the R M L (Ray M a l l o c k ) pit , they may be
able to help us out ! "
"Result." I thought. 1 j u m p e d back into the
Seven and went to drive up the pit lane to the
R M L garage, about two thirds of the way up. As
I swung into the pit lane entrance, a French
A C O off icial , w h o m I can o n l y assume was
s o m e h o w related to my suspension (total ly
deranged), stood i n front o f me f lai l ing his
arms and shouting at me. I gathered f rom his
protestations and my pretty abysmal French
that I had two chances o f d r i v i n g into the Le
M a n s pits - and ' S l i m ' was out o f town!
N o matter how m u c h I pleaded, and pointed
at m y bent rose-joint and said that R M L had
invited me to their pit etc, " N o n ! N o n ! N o n ! "
came the response. " W e l l , cheers mate," I
thought, "next t ime you're on f ire. . . " . M y only
alternative was to drive off the circuit and try
the access road that ran up behind the pits. I
ca l led A d r i a n to exp la in ; he said he w o u l d
meet me at the rear o f the pit. I cruised up the
nar row slip road, l ined w i t h famous-named
team transporters , u n t i l I caught sight o f
A d r i a n waving like he was gu id ing in a 747.
I pul led up next to a huge team truck to be
'I know that face'. He was a big guy
with wild looking hair, dressed in a
scruffy tee shirt, shorts and sandals.
He enquired as to the problem and
I recounted my sorry tale.
greeted by chief R M L race engineer, Lee Penn.
He asked me for the exact spec o f the rose-
joint a n d disappeared into the t r u c k .
Meanwhi le , A d r i a n in formed me that Lee had
offered to fit the part and re-set up the suspen
sion for me. Top man!
A professional diagnosis Lee reappeared w i t h a smal l ce l lophane
packet and handed it to me to examine. This
was one extremely wel l-made, very high class
l o o k i n g spher ica l j o in t . It l o o k e d spot o n .
W h a t a result! Then as quickly as m y excite
ment had arrived, that awful s inking returned.
It was a left-hand thread! "So it i s " said Lee,
" I ' l l go and see i f its brother is i n the truck".
M o m e n t s later, Lee returned empty handed.
H o w cruel? So near and yet so b loody far! Stil l
it was d a m n nice of them to even try to help.
Lee seemed even more disappointed than me,
i f that were possible, and disappeared again
mutter ing something about being certain they
had a pair somewhere.
W h i l e we wai ted , someone else emerged
from the rear o f the garage and approached us.
"I know that face", I thought. He was a big guy
wi th w i l d l o o k i n g hair, dressed in a scruffy tee
shirt, shorts and sandals. He enquired as to the
problem and I recounted my sorry tale.
Since discovering the failure, it had bugged
me as to how it might have come about. As the
jo int was bent in a forward direct ion the only
logical conclusion was that the wheel had been
impacted from behind. The trouble w i t h this
theory is that m y expensive c a r b o n w i n g
w o u l d have also have been destroyed. So at this
stage I really was none the wiser.
T h e m a n e x a m i n e d m y suspension w i t h
great interest and declared, " T h a t happened
u n d e r b r a k i n g ! " I was confused. M y faulty
understanding of physics had discounted this
theory since i f the mass o f the car was want ing
to push past the front wheels, (as in braking) ,
then surely the joint w o u l d be bent in a back
ward direction? Just goes to show what I knew!
As he explained, under braking loads, the rota
t iona l forces o f the wheel want to push the
bot tom o f the suspension backward while the
top is inc l ined to move forward. N o w , (stay
wi th me!) where the strength of the upper and
lower suspension joints are equal (which they
s h o u l d be) , these forces w i l l be d i s t r ibuted
evenly. In m y case, however, the new top rose-
joint was not as strong as the standard bot tom
spherical jo int w i th the result that a greater
load had been transmitted through the upper
jo int and it had distorted as a result.
I thanked our onlooker for the explanation
and he ld out m y h a n d i n t r o d u c i n g myself.
"Steve M e l l " I said. " G a r y A n d e r s o n " * he said. I
knew that I knew that face!
( ^ C r e a t o r of t h e A n s o n F3 c a r s ; J o r d a n G r a n d P r i x
t e c h n i c a l d i r e c t o r ; e t c . e t c . A r a c e r a t h e a r t . E d . )
A s m i l i n g Lee Penn re jo ined o u r smal l
group. " Y o u are one lucky m a n ! " he said. A n d
with that he presented me wi th another cello
phane packet conta in ing another top quality
rose-joint. "Yes!" A 7 / i 6 " U N F right hand thread
rose-joint (sad all this, isn't it?).
I'm all right (now). Jack? W h a t a top result! N o t on ly d i d I have a
replacement part in my sticky little h a n d , but I
had had one o f the top F l designers o f recent
times diagnosing what had caused the failure.
Lee's promise o f f itt ing the new part was
quickly scuppered due to the fact that the R M L
team d id not have a trolley jack!
W h a t k i n d o f race team was this? Turned out
that all their l i fting capabil ity was restricted to
air-jacks built into their cars - doh! So after
another 15 minutes or so o f discussions about
F l , Gary's good friends Bernie and M a x and all
things oily and quick, we made our thanks and
farewells and returned to C a m p i n g B l e u .
N o more than 15 minutes later, m y Seven
had a new upper rose- joint a n d one very
relieved owner (and passenger).
The return tr ip was a joy, despite the o d d
nervous glance at the front suspension just to
ensure it hadn't decided to go AWOL again.
Once home, I contacted the or ig ina l sup
plier of the suspension upgrade w h o i m m e d i
ately volunteered to replace the rose-joint on
the other side wi th one o f the same make sup
pl ied by R M L . W h e n I called Lee to settle up
wi th them for their c o n t r i b u t i o n , I was to ld
"Have it o n us". W h a t stars!
There's a mora l to this story somewhere, but
I 'm buggered i f I know what it is - I 'm just so
glad that what could have turned into a bit o f a
nightmare, ended so well .
See you next year! •
Lowflying J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5 9
L a t e s t N u k e - t h e - L e u k c o n t r i b u t i o n s :
Custom titanium sleeved silencers made to order for all Sevens
Quality const ruct ion inside and out. Re-packable.
6.25" and 7.25" d iameters w i th 2.25" and 2.5" bore as
standard. Other sizes also available. Car and moto r
cycle engines catered for. Highest flow, l ighter and
quieter than all o ther aftermarket brands.
6.25" t i tan ium only 4 kilos. 2.5 kilos l ighter than
standard Caterham 5" silencer.
The best Seven si lencer money can buy.
From £375.00 + VAT.
Tuned zetec 175 bhp engines. £2,500.00 + VAT.
195 bhp engines £2,900.00 + VAT.
Outright purchase, no exchange.
Duratec 2.0 and 2.3 litre engines.
Available brand new from £1,300.00 + VAT
220 bhp and 250 bhp tuned engines also available.
Please enquire.
Tel 01394 383499 Mobile 07860 494064 www.raceco.com
8 Ash Close, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 4BP
P A H * * *
L O T U S a n d CATERHAM 7 SPECIALISTS
A l l Seven w o r k undertaken including k i t builds, accident
repairs, repaints and restorations.
• R O A D a n d R A C E E N G I N E S -R E B U I L D S , U P G R A D E S e t c .
• S U S P E N S I O N S E T U P for R O A D a n d T R A C K .
SEVEN SERVICING SERVICE
3000
6000
12000
X/FLOW COSWORTH VAUXHALL
£45.00 £40.00 £40.00
£120.00 £120.00 £120.00
£150.00 £150.00 £150.00
ALL PRICES SUBJECT TO VAT.
Telephone f o r more details 01279 647261 (workshop)
0860 443704 (home) W e a r e s i t u a t e d 5 m i n u t e s f r o m j u n c . 8 M i l 3 P A R S O N A G E E S T . , S T A N S T E D , E S S E X
Monthly standing order from a shy, team sparring partner of old... 25.00
David Edmunds: thanks to Graeme and Duncan for the video
footage from the Brighton Speed Trial 20.00
Caterham Cars Ltd: donation for the sale of Festival programmes 248.00
Nifty's Radical CD's, Mike Rowland £10, Charles Odell £10,
Stuart Pritchard £10, Graham Torbett £10, Ernie Panks £10, Geof Carleton-Smith £10, Nick Addison £10 70.00 {Brings total to £170.00) Mark 'Boonie' Miller, Blatchat 'Guess the ETA of baby Daniel' 90.00
Richard Ince, Nurburgring CD's 20.00 {Brings total to £819.56)
Trevor Gilby donation 'for a good cause' 40.00
Luke Beaumont gave a Haynes manual to Dave Miller 10.00
Hugo Williamson brokered the sale of some wheels and tyres 25.00
Freestyle wouldn't take payment for a flat floor setup of 'Dirty' Den Hick's Seven at Silverstone 20.00
Peter ' b a t f l a t t e r y ' Critchley sold some Avons to
Phillip ' S u m o ' Ambrose £60
Nifty supplied an old mobile phone to Stuart Forshaw 10.00
Geoff Pickin: Seven Club passenger rides at Mallory and Silverstone trackdays 320.00
Richard Nicholson organised a floor tile bulk buy and lent the
edges to Jerry Pike for a donation 50.00
Antonella Muscat for help given on BlatChat by Matthew Aves 20.00
Andrew Knowles bought some oil filters from Giles Turner 10.00
Dave Hollington: London to Brighton 2004 'Sossige' BBQ 500.33
Barbara Swift, Curborough DVD: Nifty £10 10.00 {Brings total to £1345.00)
Joan and Tony Stead for Mummy's little soldier 15.00
Alan Henderson supplied a door mirror to Jonathan Law 10.00
Robert Margel for various sprinting 'failures' and BlatChat contributions 25.00
Julian Thompson organised a 'Garmin Quest GPS' mini bulk buy via Blatchat; the savings are so good, he kindly suggested a fiver donation to NtL on each purchase: Graham Ford and Stuart Golding open proceedings... 10.00
Shaun Elwell sold a windscreen to Steve Robinson 5.00
Jan Smit's Netherlands to Santiago de Compestella cycle marathon 1582.28 {Brings total to a f a n t a s t i c £2518.66)
Arnie and Fiona Webb sold a settee to make way for a trophy stand! 50.00
This month's total: £3,245.61
2004 total so far £36,289.36
Total, year 2004 to date: £39,534.97
Plus fundraising history: 1991 to 2003: £166,738.53
Total to date: £206,273.50
10 Lowflying Jc
D o n a t i o n s p l e a s e
to N t L c o o r d i n a t o r :
Steve W i n t e r b e r g
S o u t h Lodge Cot tage ,
Rogers Lane , F i n d o n
West Sussex, BN14 ORE
tel/fax: 01903 873007
Nuke-the-Leuk ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ m : 0 7 8 5 5 8 4 6 9 6 3
2004: Lap 11 n u k e t h e l e u k @ l o t u s 7 c l ub , co .uk
o u r o n - g o i n g s u p p o r t o f t h e L e u k a e m i a R e s e a r c h F u n d
Nuke-the-Leuk
Jan, outside the
cathedral in Santiago
de Compostela,
Spain >
Santiago de Compostela... Jan Smit raises a super £2,519 for
L R F b r i n g i n g his cyc l ing efforts so
far to £3,246! H e p lanned his
arr ival in Spain for the week before
a b ig rel igious ceremony so managed
to get a photo w i t h o u t any o f the
100,000 or so expected visitors o n
the cathedral forecourt!
Banana Army recruits required for 2005... Energetic volunteers required across the U K throughout 2005 to assist L R F w i t h
their cyc l ing, m a r a t h o n and t r ia th lon efforts. Last year the Banana A r m y
raised over a £1 m i l l i o n for research - so i f any o f the runners a n d cyclists i n the
Seven C l u b are interested please d r o p me an emai l for an events/contacts diary.
New Seven racing DVDs... Roadsports B, 2004:
Contact Mike Blackadder for C a t e r h a m 'Roadsports B' 2004 race series footage
o n D V D , emai l : [email protected] or go to
http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~blackadm/dvd for the ful l info.
Academy Race Series, 2004:
For Christopher Rome's C a t e r h a m A c a d e m y Race Series 2004 D V D ,
contact [email protected]
or go to www.romehome.net/academy2004/dvd for a prev iew a n d order f o r m .
Contributions and Gift Aid: Please send cheques payable to'Leukaemia Research Fund' (there's no Ntt account) to address
shown above or to fund- raiser. Please, include a completed Gift Aid form downloaded from
w w w . l o t u s 7 c t u b . c o . u k / l r f / d e f a u l t . h t m - the taxman wi l l then give another 28p on every £ you donate.
Don't forget - no receipt unless you ask for one; and if you do, please include your email address as
the taxman wil l accept an email receipt as proof of donation.
Plymouth to Dakar Challenge
Matt Norris is to drive a £100 old banger from
Plymouth to Dakar to help some charitable causes
in Senegal and The Gambia. For more information
and to download a sponsor form, go to
w w w . s t r a n g e l y b r o w n . c o . u k
Bigslim:
Norman Verona and Chris Matthews do battle in
a sponsored skinny. Let fundraising commence!
w w w . b l a t c h a t . c o m / t . a s p ? i d = 6 3 4 3 4 & p n
= 2 & p s = 1 5 & c = for details
Nifty's parts courier service:
w w w . b l a t c h a t . c o m / t . a s p ? I d = 6 1 5 8 4
or n i f t y s @ b t o p e n w o r l d . c o m
Trackday photos:
by Paul Davis, at £ 2 . 0 0 each from his website:
Si lverstone: w w w . b l a t c h a t . c o m / ' t . a s p ? I d = 6 1 6 8 9
Brands Hatch: w w w . b l a t c h a t . c o m / t . a s p ? I d = 6 1 9 1 4
Brands Hatch 20th Sept & The Big Blat:
w w w . b l a t c h a t . c o m / ' t . a s p ? i d = 6 4 3 2 7
BlatChat grins!
Contact Barbara Sw i f t for
'B latChat ' Smiley Stickers,
emai l enquiries to:
B . S w i f t @ b t o p e n w o r l d . c o m
Profits to NtL.
Getting Radical
Nifty has produced a DVD of some Radical footage.
Please contact Nifty on n i f t y s @ b t o p e n w o r l d . c o m
Year in the Club
For Nick Addison's "Year in the Club 2004" DVD,
contact n i c k a d d i s o n @ b t o p e n w o r l d . c o m
Lowflying J a n u a r y 2 0 0 : 11
Vehicle electrics
F o l l o w i n g o n f r o m l a s t m o n t h ' s l o o k a t e l e c t r i c m o t o r s , Chris Wyles' n o w c o n s i d e r s
a r e l a t e d c o m p o n e n t - o n e t h a t c a n b e a s o u r c e o f m u c h
c o n s t e r n a t i o n w h e n t h i n g s a r e n o t f u n c t i o n i n g p r o p e r l y - t h e a l t e r n a t o r
e lec t r i ckery 4-2 4. Simple alternator theory
The function of the alternator is to provide all of the Seven's electrical
requirements once the engine is running and to recharge the battery after
the battery has powered the starter motor.
It's an often missed point that, once the engine is started, the battery itself
has no supply function unless the total amount of electrical current used
by the headlights, wipers etc becomes more than the alternator can supply.
This is unlikely in practice as most alternators wil l supply at least 45 amps.
As ment ioned earlier in this article (part 4.1
last m o n t h ) , a generator o f electricity can be
made by s imply using a standard m o t o r and
t u r n i n g it mechanically f rom the engine, w i t h
a drive belt and pulley. Th is results in electrical
power being developed at its output terminals.
In essence, this is the pr inciple of the car or
bicycle 'dynamo'. T h e c o m m u t a t o r inside
ensures that a positive voltage is always devel
oped at one o f the terminals and a negative
one at the other. So why change f rom this s i m
ple arrangement to the m o d e r n 'alternator '
device?
W e l l , tor one thing , the dynamo needs to be
r u n at a certain m i n i m u m speed to generate a
useful output. But the mechanical construc
t ion o f a dynamo means that there is a certain
m a x i m u m speed, w h i c h must not be
exceeded, in order to avoid mechanical d a m
age. So the dynamo is geared, via a pulley, to
avoid this m a x i m u m speed but this i n t u r n
means that at low engine revs, the dynamo is
not generating a useful output. The risk then
is that, stuck i n traffic w i t h headlights and
wipers etc o n ful l blast, the battery must
supply all o f the electrical requirements and so
there exists the danger o f a flat battery whilst
i d l i n g for extended periods.
A n alternator is, by its nature, a far s impler
mechanical device, w h i c h can be r u n at m u c h
higher speeds without damage and, therefore,
can sti l l generate perfect output at low engine
revs through suitable gearing. Both dynamos
and alternators have an output w h i c h , to a first
approx imat ion , is proport iona l to the speed at
w h i c h they rotate. Therefore, as the engine
speed increases, so does the voltage output o f
the generator.
T h i s is not a desirable state o f affairs as
e lectr ical devices o n cars are designed to
f u n c t i o n at or a r o u n d 12 volts. So every
generator, whether d y n a m o or alternator,
incorporates some form o f voltage and cur
rent regulation so that the output is constant
at all engine revs.
A n alternator differs f rom a d y n a m o in a
few major areas. Firstly, since a co i l o f wire
c a r r y i n g a current becomes a magnet , the
large heavy permanent magnets o f the
dynamo (or motor) are replaced w i t h a m u c h
lighter weight coi l , w h i c h becomes a magnet
by passing a current t h r o u g h it. Secondly,
instead of the large generating coils rotating in
the centre o f a magnetic field, they are placed
on the outside of the coi l assembly (where the
permanent magnets are i n the m o t o r or
dynamo) and are stationary. They are hence
k n o w n as the 'stator'. The stator consists of
three coils arranged at 120 degrees to each
other. T h e l ighter centre c o i l ( w i t h conse
quently m u c h lighter bearings), w h i c h is the
'magnet', rotates and is hence k n o w n as the
'rotor'. So the whole device is m u c h
lighter than an equivalent dynamo.
Sounds good, yes? But how do we get power
to the centre coil (the rotor or 'field coil') so
that it can act as a magnet? A n d , i f we have to
supply power to the field c o i l , doesn't that
mean that we are going against the pr inciple
that we are t r y i n g to g e n e r a t e power?
Something sounds screwy doesn't it?
W e l l , power is fed to the field co i l through
simple brushes and 'slip rings' which are con
nected permanently to the coil ends. There is
n o c o m m u t a t o r needed as the c o i l needs
power all the t ime not just at certain points as
in the dynamo or motor.
Further, a lthough we do indeed need to pass
some in i t ia l current from the battery through
the field coil before the engine starts, in order
to energise this co i l and turn it into a magnet,
once the engine starts the alternator starts
turn ing and generates a voltage output . So we
can tap off a little o f this output and use it to
energise the rotor co i l , so do ing away with the
need for external power from the battery. If
this sounds like a perpetual m o t i o n machine,
remember we are supply ing energy from the
engine in order to t u r n the alternator.
The init ia l current from the battery, w h i c h
energises the field co i l , is k n o w n as the 'field
excitation current'and is s u p p l i e d v ia the
i g n i t i o n l ight . T h i s l ight has one end c o n
nected to +12V and the other to the field coi l .
Before output is generated, the field coi l acts
as a s imple wire to earth and so the igni t ion
12 Lowflying J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5
Statorcoi l l Statorcoil2 Stator coil 3 output output output
positive voltage
Figure 3: output voltage
Stator coil 1 output
Stator coil 3 output
positive voltage
/ / A \ \ 11 A \ \ negative voltage
Figure 4: "half-wave rectification"
Stator coil 1 output
Stator coil 2 output
Stator coil 3 output
positive voltage
Figure 5: "full-wave rectification"
light is lit. O n c e output is generated, the voltage o n
both sides o f the igni t ion light is at the same voltage
( typical ly about 14V) so the i g n i t i o n light e x t i n
guishes. Thus the igni t ion light tells y o u that charg
ing is taking place.
But i f the igni t ion light fails (and has no bypass) it
can prevent the rotor's receiving its field excitation
current and so, in turn, prevent the alter
nator f rom p r o d u c i n g an output to r u n
the electrics and recharge the battery.
As the rotor sweeps past the three stator
coils, a voltage is induced i n each o f the
stator coils in t u r n . This voltage is o f s inu
so ida l shape a n d each sine wave is 120
degrees out o f phase w i t h its neighbour
(see figure 3).
As such, this output is not m u c h use as
we need a constant output o f a r o u n d 12
volts to power the car electrics a n d the raw
output as shown above varies like an alter
nating voltage, being one m o m e n t positive
and one m o m e n t negative.
Luckily, help is at h a n d in the form o f
the s e m i c o n d u c t o r d i o d e , w h i c h can be
used to convert the a l t e r n a t i n g voltage
into a unidirect ional voltage. That's why
d y n a m o s were o r i g i n a l l y used u n t i l the
7 0 s as the s e m i c o n d u c t o r power diode
o n l y came i n t o c o m m o n use not l o n g
before that.
D y n a m o s have the advantage that the
c o m m u t a t o r p r o d u c e s a u n i d i r e c t i o n a l
output voltage (ie: D C rather than A C cur
rent). Also, just like the change f r o m cath
ode-ray tube m o n i t o r s to flat-screen m o n
itors for PC's , the lower i n i t i a l p r o d u c t i o n
volumes mean the new technology has a
higher price tag a n d so its path to c o m
m o n usage is slower than m i g h t be other
wise expected f r o m a p u r e l y technological
standpoint.
A diode only allows c u r r e n t to pass one
way, so by passing the o u t p u t o f the stator
coils through a d i o d e the negative troughs
can be removed, as i n figure 4. T h i s is
k n o w n as'half-wave rectification'.
However , i f y o u f o l l o w just the top
peaks, there are large gaps in the output
which correspond to the removed negative
peaks and w i l l result in a ' l u m p y ' output.
O n e can be clever by passing the negative
peaks o f the stator outputs t h r o u g h a
reversed diode so that they are effectively
converted to a posit ive o u t p u t . T h i s
requires 6 diodes in total rather than 3 ,
but results in a m u c h smoother output as
in figure 5. This is k n o w n as full-wave
rectification'.
So n o w we have a constant peak voltage
w h i c h is always positive (ie: a direct cur
rent) but which still varies up and d o w n
f r o m its peak value (in technical terms, it
has a lot o f ' r i p p l e ' ) .
To overcome this, the battery is c o n
nected in parallel wi th the alternator and
smoothes out the lumps. We want the bat
tery to be connected anyway as we require
it to be charged by the alternator so we
n o w have a double benefit (ie: charging
and smoothing) .
T h e peak o u t p u t f r o m the alternator
w i l l vary if:
(i) the engine speed increases - the
output w i l l rise
(ii) the electrical d e m a n d o n the
alternator increases - the output w i l l fall
To overcome this, the alternator is fitted
with a regulator' w h i c h may be inside the
alternator or more c o m m o n l y nowadays is
fitted in the 'engine management control
unit ' ( E C U ) computer. >
Electrickery continued
Figure 6: circuit diagram for a typical alternator
The regulator is an electronic circuit , which
monitors the battery voltage and controls the
alternator output by increasing or decreasing
the field excitation current to the rotor co i l .
The higher the current flowing i n the rotor,
the h igher the al ternator o u t p u t a n d vice
versa. The field current for the rotor co i l is
derived from the alternator output by using an
a d d i t i o n a l set o f 3 diodes ( k n o w n as the
'diode trio') to provide half-wave rectification
o f the stator coi l output and feeding it to the
rotor coi l . The fact that this voltage is l u m p y as
in figure 4 is actually o f no consequence for
the operation o f the rotor co i l .
The regulator also contains some tempera
ture compensat ion to make starting easier o n
a c o l d m o r n i n g . Its o u t p u t is a r o u n d 14.V
rather than 12V i n order to overcome the bat
tery's internal resistance a n d provide adequate
charging.
Figure 6 gives the overall c ircuit d iagram
for an alternator and shows some c o m m o n
markings o f various terminals. These mark
ings can vary though from one manufacturer
to another, as can the finer circuit details, but
in essence this diagram represents generically
all alternator types. W i t h an external ( E C U )
regulator there are, therefore, typically 3 wires
emanating f rom the alternator. A thick cable
directly to the battery (red), a y e l l o w / b r o w n
lead to the igni t ion light and a red/white lead
to the E C U . If the alternator has an internal
regulator, y o u should therefore find o n l y 2
wires c o m i n g out of it. Be aware that the large
bolt , w h i c h attaches to the m a i n red battery
cable, is also often used as a convenient bolt
for connect ing other battery wires leading off
to various accessories. •
5. Alternator faults t h e u s u a l p r o b l e m s a r e :
1: Rectifier diodes failed.
Disconnect ing the battery whi le the
engine is still r u n n i n g w i l l cause this. The
regulator detects the l o w (!) battery volt
age and increases the alternator output to
compensate. The alternator output can
reach 2 0 0 V (!) so the diodes f ry . . .
This can happen i f y o u switch off the
engine cut-off switch w i t h the engine
r u n n i n g (as a race marshal w i l l do i f y o u
crash) and your switch does N O T incor
porate a resistor to d u m p the alternator
output to earth. That's why that resistor is
i n the cut-off switch!
2: The regulator has malfunctioned
or its wire f r o m the E C U (usually
red/white) has fallen off or is corroded.
The battery voltage should be a r o u n d
12.5V w i t h the engine and igni t ion O F F ,
r is ing to a r o u n d 14V w i t h the engine
r u n n i n g . If the battery voltage stays
a r o u n d 12V w i t h the engine r u n n i n g ,
then it is N O T receiving charge f r o m the
alternator.
3: Ignition light has failed or i g n i t i o n
light wire has fallen off (usually
brown/yellow) or i g n i t i o n light wire is
corroded. T h i s w i l l prevent the field co i l
(rotor) f rom obta in ing an in i t ia l excita
t i o n current and w i l l usually prevent the
alternator f r o m k i c k i n g into charge
mode. I say 'usually' because sometimes
there is some residual magnet ism w h i c h
w i l l do the job as the engine revs increase.
T h e i g n i t i o n light should always be O N
when the i g n i t i o n is O N and should
extinguish almost immediate ly the engine
fires.
If the i g n i t i o n light wire appears O K ,
check the other side o f the light (behind
the dash) has +12V connected to it w i t h
the igni t ion O N . If the battery voltage
stays a r o u n d 12V w i t h the engine r u n n i n g
and suddenly j u m p s to a r o u n d 14.V as
y o u rev sharply, then this is a sure sign
that the i g n i t i o n light path to the alterna
tor has mal funct ioned. The rotor coi l is
not receiving its field current t h r o u g h the
l a m p a n d so the alternator can't operate.
As y o u rev up, some residual magnet ism
f r o m the metalwork in the alternator
induces a voltage into the rotor coi l a n d it
suddenly springs into life.
O n c e energised, it w i l l n o w continue to
w o r k even at low revs as it is n o w deriv
i n g its field current f r o m the stator coils
as explained earlier.
4: Check the main output cable f r o m
the alternator to the battery is i n good
shape a n d firmly connected. Usual ly this
is the same (very thick red) cable that
carries the large ( 3 0 O A ) current o n to the
starter motor.
14 Lowflying J a n u a r y 200:
On-board data acquisition can tell you as much about the driver
as i t can about the car. Hugh Noblett and Dave Turner look a t
'technology in the service of man' (and woman of course)... Figure 1: datalogger and power supply
Data logging for driver development
IT'S B E E N A while since we submitted an article to Lowflying and during our
absence we've been out playing with our latest boy's toy, the DL-1 Datalogger. Dave Turner has recently joined the Cadence team and brings with him a
pedigree of both accident investigation and ride and handling qualifications. There's not much he doesn't know about tyres, torque and traction - and he's brought a new dimension to the way we think about performance driving. For this article, we've passed over the keyboard to Dave - we hope you will be interested in what he has to say.
Until recently, effective data logging required a bespoke system, hard-
mounted into your car and costing several thousand pounds. The accu
racy of these systems was not good either, as they had no independent
measurement of speed, so if you had wheel spin for example, you no
longer had an accurate map of your course.
The advent of cheap GPS (Global Positioning System) engines has
meant a new wave of cheap, accurate and portable systems that can be
moved from one vehicle to another. At Cadence Driver Development,
we use the DL-1 datalogger, manufactured by Race Technology as an
objective measurement tool to support the driving coach.
At the heart of the system is a GPS engine that measures position and
speed five times per second.
This is backed up by a twin-axis accelerometer, which measures
actual longitudinal (acceleration and braking) and lateral (cornering)
g, 100 times per second: this combination of sensors results in great
accuracy.
This is supported, on our system, by a yaw rate gyro which measures
the rate of turn and in conjunction with the other sensors allows accu
rate measurement of radius of turn and sideslip acceleration. We also
have a remote starter box, which enables us to put the system in the
most appropriate position (at the centre of gravity which corresponds
to under-the-front-seats-somewhere), and still operate it. Rather than
using your main car battery, the system has its own supply, which
guarantees continuous operation, even if you stall the engine, figure 1.
The system has spare capacity, and if you don't mind breaking into
your main wiring loom, it is easy to record engine speed, throttle
position, and brake application. With additional sensors fitted to your
car there are no limits to what we can measure.
Analysis and acquisition on track days
Virtually all track days have a ban on lap-timing equipment and in
this environment we are looking at information other than the speed
element. In any case measuring a lap time is actually a poor way of
determining your performance on track.
By definition track days are non-competitive and it is hard to put
together the 'perfect lap' as you are constrained by the need to overtake
other traffic, and to allow yourself to be overtaken. Overall lap time is
normally dependent on how often you are able to drive in clear traffic.
Two things are important on any circuit day: how much of your car's
capabilities are you using, and how efficiently are you using the car's
capabilities.
If we ignore the straights and concentrate solely on the corners,
efficiency is governed by the exit speed from a corner.
There are a myriad of ways to go around a corner and some are more
efficient than others. Using the datalogger, you can determine which is
the most efficient for your driving style and your car. >
Lowflying January 20C 15
Driving skiLLs
Distance
Figure 2: Cornering analysis
Figure 2 shows the instant radius of turn for a typical
hairpin corner:
The red line is the classic 'racing line'. After turning i n ,
the car follows a constant, large radius unt i l corner exit.
This gives the highest cornering speed but, i f you are cor
nering at the l imit of grip, then you cannot start to accel
erate unt i l you reach the end of the corner and the wheels
are straight.
The yellow line shows a typical novice mistake. The
turn in point is too early and as a result, in order to stay
on the circuit, the car must follow a tighter radius on
the second part of the corner - meaning a slower speed
at the apex. If you have some grip in reserve then this is
ok, but i f you don't then an excursion off-circuit is the
usual result.
The blue l ine is the parabolic line, typical of some
body capable of trai l braking efficiently. Although the
radius is tighter in the centre, once past this point the
driver can accelerate. In general this results in a faster
exit speed, and hence a more efficient use of the car's
capabil it ies.
The green line is a late-apex line and is generally the
most efficient route through a corner. Because a car can
only accelerate at half the rate i t can brake, being as
early as geographically possibly onto the accelerator w i l l
result in the highest corner exit speed, and the fastest
elapsed time through the corner.
So, the key to driver improvement is being as efficient
with line as possible to give you the greatest abil ity to
accelerate early. Once the most efficient line is known, i t
is simply a question of increasing speed unt i l you reach
the l imit of grip. Using the logger tells you not only i f
you are on the most efficient line, but how close to the
l imit of grip you are.
Figure 3 is the 'Bus Stop' at L landow and is a good demonstrat ion of
how the line through a sequence o f corners can drastically affect cor
nering speed and elapsed t ime. The circuit in this area is s imilar to the
Bus Stop at Spa, a lthough here the straight between the two 9 0 0 left-
right combinat ions is such that the two right corners can be treated as
a single bend. Immediately after the chicane itself is a r ight-hander and
the choice o f exit l ine f rom the Bus Stop drastically affects the speed
you can carry through this bend and on to the straight after.
If you were to take the 'classic' l ine through the last left corner of the
Bus Stop this w o u l d place you on the wrong side of the circuit for the
right corner leading on to the straight.
O n any circuit it is always better to trade some efficiency through a
series o f corners to give the best possible line o n to a straight.
1 >
'Bus s t o p " * * * - ^ ^
V Entry
'Bus s t o p " * * * - ^ ^
^ / Exit
1
Figure 3: the 'Bus stop' (at Llandow)
If we ignore speed and concentrate just o n corner ing l ine, we can
compare the chosen lines for a novice and an expert through this
sequence of bends.
The graph in figure 4 shows the instant radius at all points a round
this section of the circuit , between the two green gates marked ' E n t r y '
and 'Exit'. The first th ing to notice on the graph is that the distance
covered by the novice is 2 metres further than the expert - 226 metres
as opposed to 224. It may not sound m u c h , but at 30 m p h , that is w o r t h
almost two-tenths o f a second.
The first difference between the two drivers is that the expert turns
in slightly later to the first part o f the Bus Stop and then maintains a
constant radius l ine through the double right.
The novice init ia l ly follows too tight a radius through the double
right and turns out a little early, c o m p r o m i s i n g the line through the
left. H e pays for this in the last right leading on to the straight as he has
to take a tighter radius, l i m i t i n g both the speed he can carry through
the corner and the exit speed.
The novice is d r i v i n g a more powerful car, so matches the expert's
speed on corner exit, but has lost 1.4 seconds through the whole sec
t ion , despite using the same amount o f the car's capabilities through
the complex o f corners. >
• I S** [ OfUm j
Bus Stop, Line Analysis
••ft-- J B660, Longitudinal Acceleration
Figure 5: longitudinal acceleration (road driving)
B660. Instant Corner Radius
,™ , i , . i . . j .
Analysis and acquisition on the road
Unl ike track d r i v i n g , road dr iv ing is more about observation, p l a n
n i n g and smoothness , rather than the generation o f the o p t i m u m
acceleration i n the most appropriate d irect ion. C o r n e r i n g speed is gov
erned by the distance you can see to be clear, rather than the actual
radius of the bend. Safety is the pr imary consideration.
O n e sign of a good advanced driver is that they have fewer applica
tions o f the controls over any given distance. The graph in figure 5
shows the difference between an advanced driver and a relative novice
on a typical Br i t i sh B-road. The novice has twice as many applications
of throttle and brake. The applications o f the controls are also jerky -
the graph is 'spiky' compared to that of the expert. The h u m a n body is
very sensitive to 'jerk' or the rate-of-change o f acceleration. It w o u l d be
very obv ious to a passenger that the expert dr iver was smoother .
Because the driver is smoother, there is less risk that he w i l l unbalance
the car and cause a skid.
It is often not obvious to a driver that his applications o f the controls
are not smooth . By recording the accelerations o f the car, which are
directly related to the inputs made by the driver, the datalogger can give
g o o d feedback. T h e DL-1 records data o n to i n d u s t r y - s t a n d a r d
C o m p a c t F l a s h m e m o r y cards. This means that unlike many other data
loggers, recording capacity is effectively u n l i m i t e d - a 2 5 6 M B card can
record around 18 hours o f data.
C o r n e r i n g is of fundamental importance to advanced road dr iv ing .
Chas ing the l imi t point is a term that is often used to mean matching
speed w i t h v i s ion , making the best progress possible. As with track
dr iv ing , careful selection o f an appropriate corner ing line can make all
the difference. G o i n g as deep as possible in a corner allows you to get
on the accelerator earlier, albeit at the expense o f corner ing speed. In
effect, o n the road, taking a late apex is always the fastest way to get
f rom A to B, and because you go slower into a corner, it also gives the
greatest marg in o f safety.
The final graph, figure 6, shows the same section of B-road, w h i c h
happens to have a right-left esse bend in the middle of it.
O u r 'novice' driver has taken a wider line into the first part o f the
bend, by crossing over the centre white l ine, while the 'expert' follows
the safer, but tighter line a round the edge o f the carriageway. By taking
the ' racing' l ine through the first part o f the corner, the novice is not in
the most efficient pos i t ion for the left-hand bend and turns through a
m u c h tighter radius in the second corner. The expert takes a wider
radius, resulting in better forward v i s ion , thus carrying more speed out
o f the complex.
We've been using our datalogging systems on road, track and prov
ing g round for some t ime now and everyone is amazed at how the
in format ion has helped their understanding o f where they can improve
their d r i v ing technique. The scenarios I've discussed here are just the
tip o f the iceberg - a t iny fraction of how m o d e r n technology can sup
port the capability o f coaches to improve a person's dr iv ing . Both H u g h
and I are happy to chat on any matters arising from this.
H u g h , D a v e a n d the Cadence team c a n be c o n t a c t e d at
N o r m a n Farmhouse, Woolsthorpe La, M u s t o n , n r N o t t i n g h a m , N G 1 3 OFE
t: 0 1 9 4 9 8 4 4 4 4 9 e: d a t a @ c a d e n c e . c o . u k
Lowflying J a n u a r y 2 0 0 - 17
Figure 6: instant corner radius (road driving)
Lotus Components
This m o n t h , o u r i n - d e p t h a c c o u n t n e a r s the e n d o f the S e r i e s 1
p h a s e , s o here we take s t o c k o f the c a r t h a t s t a r t e d it a l l . . .
As ever, John Watson brings us the details:
T H E STORY OF T H E SEVEN
Chapter 10: Looking back at the first Sevens
Lotus Seven, Series 1 summary
Production details:
Dates produced:
September 1957 to June 1960
(approximately 33 months)
Chassis number sequence:
400 to 499 at Hornsey
and 750 to 892 at Cheshunt .
A l l cars were right hand drive.
Total production:
243 cars.
Chassis specifications:
Chassis:
M u l t i - t u b u l a r space-frame by Progress
Chassis C o m p a n y of E d m o n t o n made up of 1"
and V2" square and r o u n d tubing o f 18-gauge
m i l d steel. C o n t i n u o u s back to front floor o f
L72 a l u m i n i u m and t ransmiss ion tunne l o f
N S 4 a l u m i n i u m act as stressed members help
ing to stiffen the chassis. Rubber mount ings
used to engine and gearbox. Transmiss ion
tunnel sides support gearbox m o u n t i n g .
Body:
A l l a l u m i n i u m body by W i l l i a m s a n d
Pritchard o f E d m o n t o n . NS3 grade a l u m i n i u m
fixed wi th ' M o n e l ' steel rivets. Static type cycle
wings to front corners except for the U S
A m e r i c a ' m o d e l where G R P c lamshel l front
wings and tubular m i l d steel bumpers were
used from January 1960. Nearly all cars left the
factory in an unpainted state for pol i shing or
paint ing as required by purchaser.
Fuel tank:
A l u m i n i u m by W i l l i a m s and Pritchard held
in place using two aircraft specification bungy
cords.
Front suspension:
Independent by twin transverse wishbones
ut i l is ing Standard 10 vertical l inks and t r u n
nions . T h e top wishbone i n c o r p o r a t i n g the
ant i - ro l lbar and Lotus designed c r u c i f o r m -
section top arms by Q u i n t o n Hazel l .
S p r i n g i n g by c o i l s p r i n g d a m p e r units
(Armstrong dampers and 110lbs springs.)
Rear suspension:
Proprietary r igid ' l ive' axle located by t w i n
parallel trai l ing arms and a diagonal member
prov id ing lateral location. Spr inging by c o i l -
spr ing damper units. (Armstrong dampers 75
lbs springs.)
Steering:
T r i u m p h TR3 steering arms towards rear o f
brake d r u m s ( A c k e r m a n effect). Very early
cars (first 25 o f tooe product ion) used B u r m a n
type ' w o r m & nut ' steering box. Later cars
( M a r c h 1958 onwards) used left h a n d drive
M o r r i s M i n o r steering rack reduced in w i d t h
and fitted ups idedown. F r o m circa October
1959 onwards , early T r i u m p h H e r a l d racks
were used. C o l u m n w i t h universa l jo ints
alongside engine has two-spoke grey plastic
steering wheel by W i l m o t Breedon, f rom the
Standard 10. The Super Seven/Seven ' C had
adjustable c o l u m n and 3-spoke a l u m i n i u m ,
red leather covered wheel.
Brakes:
H y d r a u l i c operated t w i n leading shoes
d r u m brakes by G i r l i n g . (8" diameter x 1V2"
cast i ron to front and rear)
Front: pre-July 1959 used 8" diameter T r i u m p h
Mayf lower cast i r o n front d r u m s welded to
suit B M C P C D . Later models used complete 8"
d r u m brakes f rom T r i u m p h Hera ld and TR3
wheels.
Rear: A l l cars used 8" diameter x 1V2" cast i r o n
d r u m s as standard e q u i p m e n t o n N a s h
Metropo l i tan axles.
Handbrake: Mechanica l handbrake v ia h o r i
zontal lever.
Wheels and tyres:
15" diameter x 4" l ightweight b o l t - o n steel
r ims w i t h 520 x 15 (crossply) tyres. Early cars
used wheels manufactured by Rubery O w e n
( f rom T u r n e r Sports cars) w i t h B M C P C D .
Later, circa 1960, TR3 wheels were used with
special adaptors at rear to a l low B M C to
T r i u m p h P C D . Super Seven/Seven ' C were
specified w i t h 15" x 4" x 48 spoke k n o c k - o n
D u n l o p wire wheels. Provis ion for m o u n t i n g
spare wheel on rear panel.
Spare wheel was an o p t i o n o n the h o m e
market cars.
18 Lowflying J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5
Drivetrain specifications:
Standard engine and gearboxes:
Avai lable late 1957 to June 1960, first as
L O T U S S E V E N m o d e l then f rom O c t o b e r as
L O T U S S E V E N ' F ' - 1172 cc Ford I O O E side-valve
engine developing variously between 28 and
4obhp at 4 ,50orpm d e p e n d i n g on state o f
tune. Single downdraught Solex or t w i n S U
H 2 carburettors , sometimes w i t h 4 -branch
exhaust mani fo ld . Compress ion ratio 7.0:1 to
8.5:1. M a t c h i n g 3-speed gearbox w i t h Lotus
remote gear change and Ford I O O E gearknob.
Standard ratios 3.664:1, 2007:1, 1:1, Reverse
4.79:1 Close Rat io (Buckler ' C ' Type gears)
2.34:1,1.33:1, 1:1.
Available December 1958 to June 1960:
the m o d e l first as L O T U S S U P E R S E V E N and
then from October 1959 as L O T U S S E V E N ' C -
1 0 9 8 C C Coventry C l i m a x F W A single overhead
camshaft engine in Stage-1 tune developing
75bhp at 6,25orpm. 4-branch exhaust m a n i
fold, t w i n S U carburettors and compet i t ion
electrics. Lightweight 4-speed B M C A 3 0 and
A 3 5 gearbox and gearknob. Standard ratios
4.08:1, 2.58:1,1.66:1,1:1.
Close ratios also available at extra cost.
Available October 1959 to June 1960:
model k n o w n as L O T U S S E V E N ' A ' (home mar
ket) and f r o m January 1960 L O T U S S E V E N
' A M E R I C A 1 ( U S market) - 948cc B M C A ' Series
overhead-valve engine in two forms:
For home market, Aust in A35 wi th one su H2
carburettor deve loping 37bhp at 4 , 8 o o r p m .
Compress ion ratio 8.9:1.
For US market, ( A m e r i c a ' m o d e l ) , A u s t i n
Healey Sprite ( M k . 1 Frog-eye) w i th t w i n su
H I carburettors on special mani fo ld develop
ing 43bhp at 5,200 r p m . M a t c h i n g (smooth-
case) 4-speed gearbox and gearknob. Standard
ratios 4.08:1, 2.58:1, 1.16:1,1:1. Reverse 5.17:1.
Close ratios available at extra cost.
Propshaft:
by H a r d y Spicer.
Rear axle:
f rom Nash Metropo l i t an . Standard ratios -
4.875:1 to most I O O E cars and variously 4.55:1
and 4.22:1 to B M C and C l i m a x cars.
Other ratios available - 5.75:1, 5.125:1, 3.89:1
and 3.73:1.
Equipment:
Electrics (mainly Lucas):
12-volt x 31-amp-hour battery s ituated
adjacent to fuel tank.
C o i l , distributor, dynamo, starter and regu
lator to suit particular engine installed. Fuse
box to front of dashboard or to rear. L516 side
lights. SLR576 fog l amp and SFT576 d r i v i n g
lamp as headlamps.
L534 rear number plate light. W i n g a r d 1055
stop/tail lights. HF1849 high frequency h o r n .
HD78 horn/dip switch. 31126 ( turn-pul l - turn)
light switch. Key ignition/start.
F r o m January 1960 windscreen wiper m o t o r
f rom Lotus Elite, thermostatically control led
electric c o o l i n g fan and w i n k i n g indicators
were available on 'America ' model .
Instruments (mainly AC):
8 0 m m , l o o m p h speedometer ( I O O E cars
have co loured segments for revolution/gear
readings).
2" mechanical full face o i l pressure gauge. 2"
capi l lary type fu l l face water temperature
gauge wi th centigrade graduations.
2" 30-0-30 amp full face ammeter.
Seven 'F ' and Seven ' A have 80 m m Smiths
chronometr ic tachometer at extra cost.
Seven ' C has tacho i n l ieu o f speedo w i t h
speedo at extra cost.
Trim:
Early cars used red 'Vyanide', later ones, red
p v c covered t r i m areas to dashboard , side
panels, tunnel top, seat back and seat squabs.
Extras:
H o o d & sticks; w indscreen wiper kit
spare wheel c/w tyre; tube & h u b cap
wire wheel convers ion ; spare wire wheel
tyre & tube; D u n l o p R a c i n g tyres (4)
S U electr ic fuel p u m p ; adjustable steering
c o l u m n & leather covered steering wheel ;
close ratio gears (fitted or unfitted).
Ford cars only: twin s u carburettors and
4-branch M a n i f o l d . >
Lowflying J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5 19
f NEW PRODUCTS FOR 2005 A See us at AUTOSPORT 2005 13/14 January
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As well as these new produc ts , Act iva manufacture a wide range of panels and accessor ies for the Seven inc lud ing nosecones and wings for all models inc lud ing the SV. For a full list see our websi te or give us a call on 0870 777 5757.
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M A I L O R D E R F A C I L I T I E S , F A C T O R Y S H O W R O O M g j i g i M A D E I N
k P l e a s e c a l l f o r a n a p p o i n t m e n t E N G L A N D
Above:
The Lotus factory at Delamere Road, Cheshunt.
Opened by Alderman Godfey Langden MP
on Ocotber 14th, 1959.
This was Lotus's home until the move to Hethel in 1966.
Right:
What you got for your money (see price details below)
Below right:
A typical Series 1 cockpit... and a gleaming BMC A-Series installed in a Seven
Measurements, prices:
Dimensions:
Wheelbase 7' 4"; front and rear track 3' 11";
overall length 10' 3"; (with spare wheel 11' 0");
overall w i d t h 4' 5"; height to scuttle top 27V2";
g round clearance 5".
Weights:
Pre-October 1959:
Seven 'F ' (no spare wheel) - 725lbs
(Export w i th spare wheel) - 822lbs
Post-October 1959:
Seven ' F ' - 9i8lbs; Seven ' A ' - 896 lbs
Ex-works prices:
10th October 1957: Seven (Ford IOOE) - £ 5 2 6 . 0 0
ist October 1958: Seven (Ford IOOE) - £ 5 5 1 . 0 0
ist October 1958: Super Seven (Cl imax) - £892.00
9th December 1959: Seven 'F ' - £587.00
9th December 1959: Seven 'A' - £611 .00
9th December 1959: Seven ' C - £843.00
Coming next:
Series 1 restoration
Photographs by courtesy of:
Ferret Fotographics, tel. 0 1 4 5 3 5 4 3 2 4 3
and Tony Bates (factory aerial shot)
Sources and further reading:
Lotus Seven by J E R E M Y C O U L T E R (19861995)
Lotus - A l l the Cars by A N T H O N Y P R I T C H A R D (1990)
The Lotus Book by W I L L I A M T A Y L O R (1998)
Lowflying J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5
V-rroooooom!
E i g h t c y l i n d e r s , f o u r c a m s h a f t s , f o r t y v a l v e s a n d s e v e r a l h u n d r e d h o r s e p o w e r : i t s o u n d s l i k e a
s p e c f o r a s m a l l f l e e t , b u t y o u c a n fit a l l o f t h i s i n o n e S e v e n . T h e 2 - l i t r e , R 5 T - V 8 p o w e r e d S e v e n .
Dave Jackson took the challenge, sampled, survived, described.. . Images by Paul Davis.
Excess all areas F R O M T H E O U T S I D E it looks like any other SV,
apart from some extra louvres in the side pan
els and a carbonfibre bulge in the bonnet to
clear the injector t rumpets . It's o n l y when
you walk a round the car that you notice the
second silencer and the eyebrows of passers by
are raised .
So finally the t ime came for me to take a
drive o f the yel low per i l . As I wedged my b u m
i n the Ti l le t seats and Russel l gave me the
briefest o f briefings on the starting procedure
(and how to select reverse) he finished wi th
the phrase "other than that its like any other
C a t e r h a m . . . " H m m , I admire his modesty!
As I flicked the red toggle ign i t ion switch
the stack rev counter sprang into life; a gentle
press o f the red starter b u t t o n adds to the
drama - it feels like you are p r o d d i n g a l i o n
with a pooh stick. The engine turn-, over twice
and immediately settles into a low bassy r u m
ble. It sounds n o t h i n g like the V 8 f rom the
f i lm B u l l i t . Th i s V 8 , as a result o f its flat-plane
crank and m i n i m a l internal inert ia , sounds
like a hyperactive superbike on steroids.
I sat there and chuckled to myself at the
sensation o f hear ing, for the first t ime , the
engine note in full sur round-sound f rom the
twin silencers either side o f me and the eight
carbon trumpets just ahead o f the aeroscreen.
I caut iously appl ied a l ittle pressure to the
throttle pedal and the revs soared instantly
wi th a sharp machine gun like bark. I catch
sight o f myself in the rear v iew m i r r o r with the
most inane gr in on my face.
O k , lets see what this w i l l do.
The clutch is light and direct just like any
modern saloon; the gearshift is a sequential 6-
speed, so 1st is a f i rm and confident p u l l back
on the lever, c lunk, and a T appears on the
digital display connected to the Quaife box. I
gingerly al low the clutch to rise whilst do ing
22 Lowflying J a n u a r y ZOOS
my best to mainta in steady revs (the clutch
bite is not as aggressive as I expected) and
we're off, r u m b l i n g d o w n the r o a d . . .
I think to mysel f ' this feels ok', nothing like
the brutal animal I was expecting. A firm pul l
o n the lever into second gear and no c o m
plaints from the engine; it just continues to
warble along at 3omph, the motor being more
than happy to amble along o n part throttle -
at revolutions fail ing to even register on the
Stack counter that has the first 6 , o o o r p m
squashed into lower corner before ascending,
like the vo lume level on the amplif iers at a
D a r k n e s s gig to the full i 3 ,ooorpm!
. . . i t accelerates like a well driven
R500, then the V8 comes on cam at
8,000 rpm and it just fills its lungs
and goes!
As I gently press the throttle in second gear
the engine note immediately changes to a deep
bellow. The surge is immediate , no hesitation,
no flat spots, no bother, no fuss, just a b ig
shove. T h e rear suspension squats as I think
" O h . . . this goes ok - but noth ing special!".
Then I hit 6 , o o o r p m and the rev counter
wakes up, the rear CR500 tyres start s q u i r m i n g
a n d 30 degrees o f opposi te lock has to be
appl ied to mainta in a steady course. T h e n just
as the mental note is made that I'm approach
ing my normal shift point , I pass 7,500 r p m
and I'm literally p inned back in the seat. The
rear tyres give up t ry ing to compete and a big
a r m f u l o f lock is app l i ed as the foot stays
planted on the throttle; the revs suddenly race
and the noise fills my ears. I immediately come
off the throttle as it was genuinely a shock how
fast the b loody th ing went.
I s imply wasn't prepared for this and the
mental onslaught was a bit m u c h for me to
take i n - my Caterham has a pace that usually
holds wi th R 5 0 O S but this is in another league
altogether. This accelerates like a well driven
R 5 0 0 , then the V 8 comes o n cam at 8 ,000
r p m and it just fills its lungs and goes!
1 p u l l the lever back into 4th and then 5th
and cont inue a gentle burble d o w n the tarmac
at 3 0 m p h t r y i n g to c o m p r e h e n d the pure
acceleration that I just experienced; its like
nothing I have ever felt before.
I enter another straight, push the lever for
ward twice to select second gear and try once
again. 4 , o o o r p m and I'm ready for the full
onslaught this t ime both physically and m e n
tally! The engine once again deepens and the
shove becomes a hammer b low as the engine
revs soar past 8 ,000 r p m , where I w o u l d nor
m a l l y change gear, w i t h the steering at 15
degrees opposite lock , the 8 thrott le b o d y
trumpets howl ing , at 8,500 r p m just as I th ink
things couldn ' t possible go any quicker the
engine comes on cam and the car lurches for
ward the rear tyres mainta in ing little purpose
against the V 8 .
T i n g , t i n g , t i n g as the engine slams into the
rev l imiter at 11,500 r p m - 86 m p h . A m o m e n
tary lift o f the throttle, a short twist of the
wrist pulls the t iny gear lever into 3rd without
even m o v i n g m y left foot. T h e revs fall
instantly to just below 9,000 r p m as I plant
the throttle once again my head is s lammed
into the headrest, the rear tyres cont inue to
spin marginal ly faster than the fronts as I a m
hurled towards twice the national speed l imi t .
Incredibly, the wheel has to remain cocked to
the right in an attempt to correct the cars atti
tude; t i n g , t i n g , as the engine hits the rev l i m
iter once again. M y G o d , I didn't even see the
shift lights! A brief snick back into 4th gear at
over n o m p h , the rear tyres scrabble again as
the steering lock is now gently eased off. >
A t 9 , 0 0 0 r p m the engine continues to force
the car t h r o u g h the air at unabated pace;
10,000 revs, 11,000 - this t ime I am just able to
catch the shift lights at 11,200 - fractionally
before the limiter, the lever is drawn back for
5th, right foot still planted against the throttle
stop, the air tugging at my head almost blow
ing my sunglasses off, the aeroscreen p r o v i d
ing little assistance - the bobble hat was long
gone! A crest approaches as I ease off the
throttle, the engine braking throwing my head
forward and my body against the harnesses,
then as a final encore the t w i n side exhausts
emit a massive r u m b l e . . . and b o o m , B O O M !
T h e u n b u r n t fuel explodes in stereophonic
pyrotechnics. A n d all in less t ime than it took
you to read it. Wow, what a rush!
I r o u n d the corner toot l ing along in 5th at
4 o m p h and descend back into reality. It sud
denly dawns on me that this car is actually just
as easy to drive as a 140 bhp Seven: the road
manners on part-throttle and whilst toot l ing
a long are an i n d i c a t i o n o f extensive testing
and setup that has been put into this car and
engine.
I was expect ing the massively power fu l
engine to completely overwhelm the dr iv ing
sensation, but strangely it doesn't. Even the
car's steering weight, feel and brakes are unaf
fected by the V 8 , as a result o f the engine's
light weight and low centre o f gravity.
It really w o u l d make a s t u n n i n g car to
tackle the Club's Le Sept tour to France wi th its
schizophrenic nature suited to both road and
track. It's just so tractable and m i l d mannered
- I even pul l s away f r o m j u n c t i o n s i n 3 r d
without compla int . W h e n the next evolut ion
o f this engine is released shortly, I hope the
a d d i t i o n a l l o o b h p won't change the car's
character from what at the m o m e n t seems a
well engineered package.
Lowflying J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5 23
Hear this! A wistful r e f l e c t i o n f r o m Steve Carroll
Blats... such bad behaviour!
T w o O F us, Sevens a piece, had an excellent
Blat to G u r s t o n D o w n H i l l c l i m b school i n
June, f r o m G u i l d f o r d to Sal isbury. A b o u t
seventy miles at 6 a m on a beauti ful , bright
early summer day: a serious ' r u n ' w i t h some,
er . . . spirited d r i v i n g . . . no problems - no peo
ple or cars around at that t ime, y o u see.
However , whi ls t d r i v i n g b e h i n d a V o l v o
estate, just p r i o r to ar r iv ing at G u r s t o n , we
p a s s e d through a small picturesque, thatched-
roof village w i t h pub etc (note the t ime spent
gathering observational details) to be told by
one o f the organisers o f the school u p o n o u r
arrival , that they had just received a phone call
f r o m an irate villager indicat ing that there had
been two sports cars speeding through the v i l
lage and demanded to k n o w what the school
was going to do about it!
Interesting that the Volvo ( in front) was not
m e n t i o n e d and the fact that I was d r i v i n g
s lowly e n o u g h to count the ducks o n the
stream and p u l l faces at the kids in the back o f
the V o l v o go some way to indicate that we
were definitely d o i n g 3 o m p h or less.
There are two ninety-degree bends in the
village and a high chance of L a n d Rovers c o m
ing the other way that w o u l d further preclude
speeding sports cars!
A completely unjustified reaction then, but
not unusual and one w h i c h I 'm sure we all
recognise. It put me to t h i n k i n g .
So why does this happen? W h y are people
not pleased for us, or even seem to understand
the thr i l l that is the spirit o f m o t o r i n g / engi
neering / man-and-machine / English heritage
/ funny l o o k i n g n o d d y cars or whatever?! I
f ind enthusiasm infectious in whatever c o n
text, but it seems decidedly non-transferable
to those outside o f the d r i v i n g enthusiasts'
lonely w o r l d .
O r is this just a U K thing?
In E u r o p e . . . that's different, we all know.
It can't just be an 'expression' thing though,
surely? You know, supposed V i c t o r i a n Engl ish
values o f ' s t i f f upper lip', 'seen and not heard',
'don't draw attention to y o u r s e l f and so o n . It
w o u l d be really sad if these suppressed ' m a n
ners' manifest themselves in the very c o m m o n
response that I've m e n t i o n e d and I 'm sure
we've all experienced.
Perhaps we Seveners are he lp ing lead the
way i n breaking out o f these constraints.
We had a superb day at G u r s t o n w i t h fellow
enthusiasts in all sorts o f cars, but at departure
t ime we were to ld to watch out for the police
a n d their speed cameras i n the locale as
' they are l ike ly to be w a i t i n g to catch any
enthusiastic drivers leaving the venue!'
Aaaah! V i c t o r i a n pol icemen too! G o catch
thieves!
We were also told to look out for the m o r n
ing's complainant , a regular by all account . . . it
was politely suggested that we run h i m / her
over!
Extreme, but fair?
Af ter a p a r t i c u l a r l y successful, but safe,
over taking manoeuvre o f a l ine o f a m b l i n g
cars, after a really g o o d blat on a Saturday
m o r n i n g , or even after a well meshed heel-
and-toe downchange w i t h just the right over
r u n exhaust pop cacophony, it seems a shame
that I should feel l ike I've got away w i t h some
thing and a m just wai t ing for the repercus
sions! You k n o w : the ' I ' m not i n a Seven or
having fun hand signals' that are many, varied,
frequently offered and so easily r e t u r n e d . . .
w i t h a smile.
Maybe that's half the pleasure. . . being dif
ferent, not c o n f o r m i n g and being (perceived
as) a little badly behaved! A l l of that f r o m one
little car.
Weird . I 'm just off to therapy to have m y
issues resolved.
Keep B l a t s l o u d and p r o u d . •
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24 L o w f l y i n g J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5
V8 Seven
Russell Savoury o f ' M o t o p o w e r ' t e l l s us o f t h e background,
d e v e l o p m e n t and perhaps t h e f u t u r e , o f t h e 2 - l i t r e RST-V8 e n g i n e .
Dave Jackson posed t h e q u e s t i o n s .
(v. interesting) Can you tell us how the project began?
It all started 12 years ago: we were looking at a
lOOOcc engine - we were heavily involved at
the time in a Yamaha motorcycle team doing the
TT and Superstocks .
We thought we could easily put another set of
cylinders on the back of the engine; so we cut
up a few crankcases to see if the offset of the
crankshaft would be long enough and just to
prove the concept was sound using a Yamaha
Genesis engine.
We thought it would work - so I then spent 9
months machining a crankcases from solid
billet and we produced a test engine to measure
performance. On the dyno that engine made
304bhp which was beyond our expectations.
We then developed an improved oi l and water
pump system - the water pump was driven off
the back of the oi l pump.
So the current engine is also based upon a Yamaha?
Only the cylinder heads: all we use is the
Yamaha casting. We're now using our own crank,
crankcase, valves, springs, buckets, rods and
pistons so the weight of the internals is less but
the whole package is stronger. We'll soon be
making our own cylinder heads too.
Did you have any problems using two 4-cylinder heads, which were then rotated from one central crankshaft?
That was really the major problem. With a chain
drive from the crankshaft up to the head with
2 cam sprockets fairly close together, one of the
problems when running was after just 20 minutes
the oi l - even with a dry sump system - would
end up being transported to the top of the left
hand cylinder head on the chain drive. I could
see it needed a belt drive system.
We then made a cast crankcase engine which
was our semi-production one - we manufactured
about 6 or 7 of those, for a overseas chap for a
one make race series that never got off the
ground. We had a few of them here in the UK
and installed one the Lightning built by Chris
Craft and Gordon Murray.
During the R&D period, more and more of my
time was going into the Sanyo Honda
Motorcycle team and latterly the Loctite Yamaha
team, but the V8 was always in the back of my
mind, and I was determined to get back into i t
eventually. In the 8 or 9 years that it rested on
the shelf, the hillclimb and grass track boys
were sti l l asking for progress reports.
We decided to dust i t all down and continue
development with the belt drive arrangement -
which was displayed at the 2003 Autosport
Show on the Quaife stand. This gained a lot of
public attention but also sowed a few seeds
within the racing industry. A few other compa
nies decided they too could do i t and this really
started the whole V8 thing. We then returned
in 2004 with the all-new cast bottom end and
twin water pumps. I came to the show stand
early in the morning on two occasions, to find
lots of industry people around it with measuring
sticks and drawings. Other small V8 engines
have appeared since - some remarkably similar
to the original 12 year old mock-up.
So what power is the 2004 2000cc V8 engine producing?
In its current form, 340bhp at 10,250 rpm, with
190ft/lbs of torgue which peaks at 6800 rpm
but then it's almost flat until 11,250 rpm. It wi l l
actually make more power until 12,500 on the
present cams but we have capped it at 10,250
for longetivity. We don't anticipate any major
rebuild for 30,000 road miles which we think is
acceptable for an engine of this output.
What is the weight of the engine fully dressed with clutch, flywheel and starter?
Fully dressed - 74kg, which includes the clutch
and flywheel but not the starter motor.
And the weight of the complete car?
With aeroscreen, fluids and no petrol -
approximately 530kg. So that's 640 bhp/ton. >
Lowflying January 2 0 0 5 25
What made you choose a Caterham for the
V8 project?
Simply, it's one of the cars I have always looked
at in admiration since my involvement with the
Gordon Murray Rocket. There is also a guy just
around the corner from me who has one: I've
seen him flying around on many occasions and I
always imagined dropping a small V8 into one...
Have you owned a Seven before?
No - it's interesting that having now driven one
and done a lot of road miles in it, they do grow
on you; I love i t - they're fantastic.
The engine is in an SV at present - was
that for packaging reasons or marketing?
Well, I think more people are now choosing the
SV and with me being of a larger frame i t was
the obvious choice. The wider chassis does make
the packaging of o i l control and water cooling
a lot easier.
The engine wil l f it in the standard car but the
chassis would reguire a little work to modify
the upper engine-bay diagonals and a different
exhaust manifold to the SV, plus a few minor
alterations to the engine mounts.
Has any strengthening been done to the
chassis to cope with the 340 bhp?
The gearbox mounting plate is standard; engine
mounts are via the normal lower side chassis
rails; diff ' mounts have received some extra
bracing and gussets but, really nothing dramatic
has been done. Al l other aspects of the chassis
are standard.
Have you had any issues with controlling
oil and water temperatures?
No, we've done pretty well there. We have a
special radiator: i t looks like a normal one from
the outside but it's actually split down the
centre, so each bank of cylinders enters one side
and exits the other. This makes a crossover
which provides nice circulation and consistent
temperatures between the banks.
We wanted to keep the barrels separate within
the crankcase - we had some enguiries from
grass track racers and they tend to ingest all
sorts of rubbish through the intake and the cost
of replacing a crankcase after a big failure from
'foreign objects' would be too great, whereas
with separate cylinder banks its easier to manu
facture and cheaper to replace. >
26 Lowflying January 2 0 0 5
Flat-plane crank for
the 2-litre V8
On the oi l side, we don't currently use an o i l
cooler. We've done a considerable mileage in
summer through heavy traffic and at constant
high revs on motorways and the system copes
well. Oil and water are maintained at 85°C.
What gearbox have you chosen to use?
We have a Type 9 six-speed seguential, helical-
cut Quaife 'box which is fantastic.
We're also developing an H-pattern Caterham
6-speed 'box but the problem is the top gear
ratio - we really wanted an overdrive 6th for
motorway work. The H-pattern gearbox needs
an o i l pump to ensure adequate lubrication at
sustained speeds above 8000rpm.
What road speeds is the gearbox
designed for at present?
Well, we have one diff' capable of 197mph
which gives us a massive overdrive in 6th.
We spoke to a number of Caterham owners who
said their engine speed at 70mph on the
motorway was typically 5000rpm - which gets
tiring. This car will cruise at 70 in 6th doing
just 2900rpm .
What differential are you using?
Currently, a Quaife torque-biasing unit.
How many miles has the car done now?
In its current form, 14000 validation miles,
(mostly on the road), a bit of sprinting
and about 17 hours on the dyno calibrating
the engine.
Has the car hit its maximum speed yet?
No not really; with the windscreen fitted and
using a Vbox recorder, one of the motoring
magazines hit 156mph - no problem at all - but
the issue was the front end lift encountered
above 140mph, which made the car very nervous
at high speed. This is a common problem on
Sevens which we hope to address before the car
is used in competition. >
Even lighter engine
to come, perhaps?
Now we have an aeroscreen, we expect the performance above
100 mph to improve and top speed to be around 165, but it's yet
to be proven.
How many customer engines are there in the pipeline,
and are any of the orders going into Sevens?
We have 3 engines that will have been delivered before Christmas
and further orders for the new year. A few are going into customer
Caterhams and a few into other interesting projects including an
Elise in an east /west orientation with a new design of gearbox.
What is the current cost of the engine?
It really depends upon your specification. The engine is between
£15-18,000 for 340bhp . Then the customer has options on ECU
type, gearbox and other details depending on the cars intended
use - it's the old adage - no two Sevens are the same. To replicate
the car sat here you would need to budget about £40,000; that'd
be complete, carefully built by Chris Wheeler at the 7 Workshop.
Do you have plans to bring the car along to any Club
trackdays or sprints in 2005?
Yes, I'd like the car to do some competition and trackdays.
It's never been my ambition to drive i t competitively but I would
be keen to see how the car performs with you behind the wheel!
Will you be at The Autosport Show next January? Will there
be any new developments on display?
Yes, we'll be at the Autosport Show at the NEC. There are a few
developments going on that'l l be displayed at the show, including
an increase in engine capacity and a dramatic increase in power!
Have you any plans for forced induction?
Maybe a brace of turbos or a little supercharger
nestled between the cylinder banks?
Yes, supercharging is something I quite enjoy and we've done a
fair amount of work with Yamaha on different projects including a
supercharged scooter and a single for desert racing a few years ago.
So do you think there is a possibility of a 500 bhp,
1000 bhp/ton, V8 Caterham in the near future?
Absolutely; no problem. I already have the
blower in the stock room and that's the next development on my
list! I'm sure the chassis would take 500 bhp; the rear tyres would
need to be a bit wider, but it should work OK... I
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Carbon Fibre Effect front wings. Light weight, strong, flexible and cost effective. Carbon Fibre Effect Light Housings - designed for the J K Crystalight lenses and our new " E " marked L U X V I S I O N L E D lights. Keep your cool with a Pacet fan. We stock these professional fans or, i f you are on a budget, a low cost 115" fan for only £30.
A L L THIS, A N D M U C H , M U C H M O R E F R O M S T A F F O R D V E H I C L E C O M P O N E N T S L I M I T E D
53 Kepler, Lichfield Road Industrial Estate, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B79 7SF Phone: 08 456 581 251 Fax: 01827 60251 Email: [email protected]
U K - S P O R T S - C A R S INDEPENDENT LOTUS & CATERHAM SPECIALISTS
I f y o u a r e t h i n k i n g o f s e l l i n g y o u r C a t e r h a m , p l e a s e c o n t a c t P a u l C l u g s t o n t o d i s c u s s s t r a i g h t s a l e , c o m m i s s i o n s a l e , p a r t e x c h a n g e o r w h a t e v e r .
tel: 01227 7 2 8 1 9 0 • fax: 0 1 2 2 7 728191 wwu uksportscars .com • e-mail: [email protected]
Area antics
L i n c o l n s h i r e AO, Mai Page, tells us
a little a b o u t their m o n t h l y meets
Come and join us at the Royal Oak
The Lincolnshire group meets at the Royal
Oak in Scopwick on the third Tuesday of every
month through out the year, although
few Sevens are found in the car park after
September. People start to arrive from
8:30 onwards for an informal meeting in
a picturesque village pub by a stream. £ -7'
The pub has a range of evening meals
available. A l l Seveners are welcome, from
prospective buyers to die-hard racers and
every one in-between!
All change in Surrey
Some of you will know by now, that after
a long, and successful, time as hard-working
Area Organiser for the large and active
Surrey region, Adrian Elkin has stood down
from the role.
At the Surrey Christmas dinner, he handed
the reins to Steve Mell, who will now be AO,
assisted by Doug Phillips.
Thank you Adrian, and good luck to Steve
and Doug. They have a tough act to follow,
but I feel sure they can do it!
Here's to lots more great times in Surrey...
T O N Y
Sole manufacturers of Lotus & Caterham Seven chassis for over forty-five years c~' *
All chassis body unit repair & restoration is carried out using only correct specifications and production tooling. All forms of tubular and monocoque chassis component restoration by the specialists.
For further information contact: Bruce Robinson Arch Motor & Manufacturing Co. Ltd Redwongs Way, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE29 7HD Tel: 01480 459661/2/3 Email: [email protected]
30 Lowflying J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5
Area antics
London-to-Brighton 2004 ( o r : 'Sussex Sossiges")
w i t h support from the
V E T E R A N C A R C L U B O F G R E A T BRITAIN
O N C E A G A I N T H E Sussex contingent moved
into the lay-by to the N o r t h o f Handcross , and
erected the Easy-up, fired up the barbeque,
started the tea u r n , put the sausages on . First
Sunday i n November, and the Veteran C a r
C l u b o f Great Br i ta in have organised a
drive past for those C l u b members w i l l i n g
(or able) to get themselves and their cars
d o w n to sunny Sussex for the occasion.
John and Sue Howe ( w i t h s p e c i a l t h a n k s
t o M i s s P i g g y ) have supplied the wonderful
sausages, cooked on site by C h r i s 'red eye
Clark . Sharon, Suzi Seven and Ness Stuart
kept up wi th the demand for copious quant i
ties o f tea, coffee and hot chocolate. Ray and
M i c h a e l Pierce kept order i n the car park,
whi le Nutty Nige, w i t h occasional assistance
f rom Matthew, directed all and sundry into
and out o f the lay-by. Thanks must also go to
T h e S e a f o r d B a k e r y , for the rolls , C h a r i s m a
C a b i n s for the 'essential facilities' and N i c k
Gamble for the Barbeque - and for delivery
and col lection o f the Easy-up and tea u r n .
T h e event was not without its dramatic
moments , as one elderly participant o f the run
burst into flames as it drove past. N o prob lem,
as those wi th extinguishers rushed to assist -
but, as wi th many o f these o l d cars, the owner
knew what to do, and after some quick
'fettling' off they chugged in the direct ion o f
Br ighton . D r a m a over.
The cash collected for the car parking
(£140) was delivered to the school , as without
the use o f their p l a y g r o u n d . . . wel l , those who
were there in 2001 w i l l remember!
The Headmistress sent the C l u b a large
' T h a n k y o u . The bucket o n the counter
coughed up £500 for LRF after the essential
expenses were paid .
Once again, a big thank you to those w h o
supported the event, and thanks for your
generosity. See you all again next year, first
Sunday in November!
D A V E H O L L I N G T O N
The first Bordeaux meet News of a r e g u l a r g a t h e r i n g i n France
from Hugh Dent
It has finally happened here in Montignac.
Following three years of the Bordeaux Blat,
and realising that there are about ten Sevens
within a 30-mile radius of Bordeaux, it
seemed only natural to form the Bordeaux
S e v e n e r s . Invitations were sent out and one
November Saturday we had nine cars turn
up at noon for our first meet. We had eight
Caterhams (comprising six X-flows, one
K-series, 1 Fireblade) and a Westie. We also
had one owner of a Martin come, but in his
tin-top. As usual here in France, things were
arranged around a meal so it was some
five courses and five hours later that the
meeting finally came to an end.
As I've said on BlatChat, we are going to
hold a monthly meet throughout the year -
with the winter meets on a Saturday
lunchtime, summer on a weekday evening
but with each member choosing a venue.
A date that might be of interest to some of
you is the first w/end in September: Jean
Christophe (the Martin owner) is arranging a
'thing' at Arcachon where he is expecting
around 200 Seven-type cars to attend. Apart
from 'showing off your car', there will be
excursions, a chance to parachute out of
planes, a wide variety of other entertain
ments and the centre of Arcachon to be
closed for road races. If anyone is interested
please e-mail me at
h u g h k a y . d e n t @ w a n a d o o . f r
I believe, if I understood correctly, that our
February meet will be held in the Bordeaux
casino as the manager there has a K-series!
So some diverse meets seem to be the order
of the day...
Finally, I would like to thank the following:
Kathy & Philippe, and my wife Kay, for
organising the food and the venue; Olivier and
David for arriving early and helping set up;
and all the others for attending this first meet
and making it a success.
Lowflying January 2005 31
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Dog Change Gearboxes
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Limited Slip Differentials
Alloy Gearbox Casings
Wide Range of Alloy Bellhousings
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Quick Shift Gear Levers
Crown Wheel + Pinions
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For all your transmission requirements Ask for Steve Perks
Trade Enquiries Welcome + Mail Order + Export Worldwide Lighthouse Works, Feckenham Rd, Astwood Bank, Redditch B96 6DS
Telephone / Fax 01527 894232
4 Counties (Surrey, Sussex, Kent)
The Hedgehog Inn, Effingham Road, Copthorne, W. Sussex
3rd Tues > Count Robert Ramsden-Board 07979 751790 [email protected]
www.the-webbs.com/4counties/4counties.htm
Bristol and Bath
The Swan, Tytherington, off the A38, south east of Thornbury
2nd Tues > Julian Holloway: 01454 261925 > Tony Thorp: 01275 845109
Cambridge
The Red Lion, High St, Grantchester
3rd Tues > Alex Birtwisle 01223 563346 or 07798 673108
> Rachael Sangha 07974 097771
Cheshire and Staffs
The Swan Inn, Main Road, Wybunbury, Cheshire
2nd Weds > Hugo Williamson 01 782 616551 (day) or 01782 750633 (eve)
> Nick Chan 01782 621818 or 07050 1 52863
Essex
The Viper, Mill Green, Ingatestone, between Mill Green and Highwood
2nd Thurs > Debbie Stott 01277 354239
> Mark Piper [email protected]
Gloucestershire
The Plough at Ford, between Tewkesbury and Stow-on-the-Wold
1st Thurs > AndyCouchman 01451821982
Hampshire (N) and Berks
2nd Wed: Shoulder of Mutton, off B3011 at Hazeley Heath
last Thurs: The Poacher, on the B3349 at South Wanborough
> Stephen Foster 01483 473026 www.strangely.org/7club/
Hampshire (W)
The Bell Inn Brook, B3079, 1 mile off M27, J1
1st Tues
> Mick Burrell 01264 710130 www.7club.org.uk
Hertfordshire
The Crooked Chimney, nr. Brocket Hall, Hatfield to Wheathampstead road
1st Wed > Dick Dixon 01920 871 153
[email protected] http://freespace.virgin.net/herts.lotus
Isle of Man
The Crosby Hotel, Isle of Man
1 st Tues > Matthew Biggart 01624 851871
Kent and Sussex (E)
The Ringlestone Inn, Ringlestone Hamlet, Maidstone
2nd Thurs > Chris Clark 01227 451323
Kent(N)
The Plough, Eynsford, Kent DA4 OAE
1st Tues > Richard Brunero 07974 927618 www.the-webbs.com/l7cnk/index.htm
Lakes and Lochs
Roving venue, roving organisers, please ring for details
2nd Wed > Dave Eldon 01946 841556
Lancashire and District
The Blundell Arms, Chorley Old Road, Horwich, nr. Bolton
1st Wed > Paul Richards 0161 763 5410
> John Edgington 0161 797 6489
www.e-bolton.co.uk/01204841194/index.html
Leics, Notts, Derby & Staffs
The King's Arms, Hathern
1st Thurs > area organiser's post vacant
Where, when and who
Lincolnshire The Royal Oak, Scopwick on B1188, 8 miles south of Lincoln
3rd Tues
> Mai Page 01522 875722
London (Central) The Raj Tandoori, Cowcross Street, London, opp Farringdon stn.
last Wed - 6:30pm
> John Watson 01923 824376
London (Clapham) The Duck, 110 Battersea Rise, Clapham SW11.
No proper parking - so train, tube or bus it!
1st Wed
> Peter Carmichael 07973 731710 [email protected]
www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/comments.shtml/33
Merseyside and District The Ring O'Bells Pub, Daresbury, Warrington
last Wed
> Martin Richards 07884 437652 [email protected]
Middlesex & London (W) The Ace Cafe London, Ace Corner, North Circular
2nd Tues
> Paul Fleetwood 01923 775162
Norfolk The Cornwallis Arms, Broom, nr Eye, A140 / B10777
1st Mon
> Ernie Panks 01953 888738 www.carrotland.co.uk
Northants, Beds & Bucks The Folly, on the A5, just south of Towcester
3rd Tues
> Paul Marriot 01525 382669 www.number7.org.uk/
North East (formerly Durham) The Church Mouse, on the A167 near Chester-le-Street, Durham
last Weds
> Carl Moffett 07939 586848
Northern Ireland Templepatrick Hilton on the B95, 200yds from Templepatrick roundabout
2nd Thurs
> Johnty Lyons 02897 542349
Northumbria Newburn Motor Museum
2nd Wed
> John Sweeney 01661 25623
Oxford The Wagon and Horses, at Culham, on A415 Abingdon-Dorchester Road
1st Tues
> Brian Soper 01235 531632
Pennine Devonshire Arms, Cracoe, B6265, 4 miles N. of Skipton on Grassington Rd
2nd Wed
> Paul Dickens 01943 831178 www.pennine7club.co.uk
Penn Sevens Old Queen's Head, Tylers Green, Penn, Bucks HP10
last Sat, 12 noon
>JeffDeung 01494 816400 http://penn.lowflying.co.uk
Scotland Airth Castle Hotel, south of Airth village, just off the A905
2nd Wed
> Lawrence Hoy 0131 445 1241 www.lotus7club.co.uk/scotmeet/htm
Shropshire The Gate Pub at Bratton, off the B5063
last Tues, 7:30pm
> Robert Morris 01952 240730
South West Roving venue; variable date; please phone AO or visit:
www.lotus7sw.co.uk
> Mark Ferguson 01626 363595 (h) 07976 371789 (m)
Staffs (Mid-) The Swan with Two Necks, Brook End, off A51, between Rugeley/Lichfield
3rd Thurs
> Colin Heseltine 07774 878475
Suffolk The Cornwallis Arms, Broom, A140/B1077
1st Mon
> Geoff Carlton Smith 01728 860608; 01728 860550 (work); or 07775 938405
> www.carrotland.co.uk
Surrey The Wotton Hatch, Wotton, 3 miles west of Dorking
3rd Thurs
> Steve Mell 020 8642 0162 or 07831 789333
> Doug Phillips 020 8669 2159
Sussex (East) Six Bells, Chiddingly, off the A22 south of Uckfield
last Thurs
> Dave Hollington 01444 459470
Sussex (West) The Gribble, Oving, off the A259 Chichester to Bognor Regis road
2nd Wed
> Nigel Roberts 01403 249299
Thames Valley The Swan, Great Shefford, north off M4 J14 on A338
1st Wed
> Ben Long 01635 677996 or 07769 685858
Wales (North) The Wild Pheasant, on the A5 just outside Llangollen
2nd Sun, 12 noon to 14:00, April to September
> Terry Bithell 01352 781352
> Anthony Jackson 01978 757147
Wales (South) The Huntsman's Hotel, on the B4235 in Shirenewton
1st Thurs
> Dave Jackson 01633 893929
Warwickshire The Plough, at Eathorpe, off the B4455, Fosse Way, nr. Leamington Spa
1st Wed
> Colin Swinson 01280 824793
> Jamie Jones 0121 753 1329
Wiltshire (North) Freke Arms on the B4019 Highworth to Blunsden Road
2nd Wed
> Geoff Brown 01793 876465
Wiltshire (South) Bell Inn, A361, Trowbridge side of Seend
3rd Wed
> Trevor Parry 01985 218852
> Clive Dabinett 01380 816155 or 07855 382353
Worcestershire Brook Inn, Callow Hill Lane, Elcocks Brook
2nd Wed
> Alex Minchin 0121 472 0663 or 07712 649363 http://www.thebrookinn.co.uk/
Yorkshire (East & North) Crown & Cushion, at Welburn on the A64 nr. York
3rd Wed
> Steve Brown and Ann Brown 01937 530950
www.enyorkslotus7club.co.uk
Somerset & Wessex The Greyhound Inn, Staple Fitzpaine, Taunton, Somerset Yorkshire (South)
Leave M5 at J25, take A358 SE for approx 4 miles, then turn right The Royal Oak, Ulley, off A618, nr J31 of M1
1st Thurs, 8pm last Wed
> Paul Jacobs 01823 421748 > Nick Henstock 01226 765463
Sales and wants; cars, parts and stuff
the small ads
Please email advertisements to [email protected] and send cheques where
required, to the address below (cheques payable to Seven Club L i m i t e d )
or by post, to: Tony Pashley, c/o 2 Oak Lodge, 130 Auckland Road, London SE19 2RQ
please quote your Membership number, where applicable
• ads to be received by the 10th February, for inclusion in March issue
Cars for sale
Caterham 7 Cosworth BDR: 1988 m e t a l l i c
b u r g u n d y , 1700 C o s w o r t h Ford 16V engine
w i t h t w i n 45 D C O E s ( fantast ic no i se ) ,
e lec t ronic i g n i t i o n , d r y - s u m p , 5 - speed .
E n g i n e r e b u i l d by C o n n a u g h t (done by p r e v i
ous o w n e r at £ 2 , 7 5 2 ) . 180bhp at 7 , 5 0 0 r p m ,
s e l f - i m p o s e d 7,000 l i m i t , d y n o tested to
7,900. De D i o n rear chassis , d o u b l e w i s h
bones at front , race d a m p e r s . 13 - inch K & N
wheels w i t h C R 5 0 0 s , v i r t u a l l y new, spare
Y o k o h a m a A 0 2 1 R , low r ide height , 2 n d set
(5) of 14"s+road tyres . Cycle w i n g s , uprated
M i n t e x pads , qu ick- re lease M o m o s teer ing
w h e e l , new C a t e r h a m fac tory leather seats,
f o u r - p o i n t C a t e r h a m harnesses for b o t h ,
e lectr ic master c u t - o f f s w i t c h , w i n d s c r e e n ,
h o o d (+bag) , t o n n e a u , s idescreens, chassis
a n d F IA rol l bar treated, garaged, a l l paper
w o r k and b i l l s . 2 n d c h i l d a n d d o g force sale
£ 1 1 , 4 9 5 ono.
c o n t a c t : Charlie 07771 835277, 01206 532498 (pm), [email protected]
1990 Factory-built Cosworth BDR 1600:
Superb 2 o w n e r car, k n o w n f r o m new, yel low
tlared w ings, yel low l a m p s , black leather.
24,000 mi les only. P r i s o n e r a n d m i n i l i t e
whee ls . Well m a i n t a i n e d , latest ro l l bar, excel
lent weather gear. A m a g n i f i c e n t tota l ly
rel iable col lectable Seven. 52 year o l d o w n e r
t a k i n g to the tracks is on ly reason for sale.
Tax and M O T . £ 1 0 , 9 5 0 .
c o n t a c t : phone 01942 883066, northwest-email: [email protected] o r [email protected]
1999 Factory-built Superlight:
1.6K 133bhp, No 86, A l u m i n i u m B o d y w i t h
c a r b o n nose, 6 speed gearbox, L S D , uprated
brakes , w i d e track s u s p e n s i o n , 13" wheels
w i t h new C R 5 0 0 tyres , F I A bar, i m m o b i l i s e r ,
weather e q u i p m e n t , Q / R M o m o , fire
ex t inguisher , 4 point harnesses , always
garaged, 2 o w n e r s , 8500 m i l e s , can e - m a i l
p i c tures , C a t e r h a m w a r r a n t y u n t i l M a y '05.
£ 1 5 , 5 0 0 .
c o n t a c t : Roger, on 07957 545 998
Caterham 1.4 K-Series: L i m i t e d - e d i t i o n
R o a d s p o r t , f a c t o r y - b u i l t , Superspor t spec,
1996, S a l i s b u r y b lue , de D i o n , 6 -speed 'box ,
c a r b o n cycle w i n g s a n d s toneguards , leather,
M o m o Q R , F I A R o l l bar, weather, heater,
i m m o b i l i s e r , ' T w o Gates' 14" a l loys ,
S/S 4:1 exhaust , new 22% rack, M O T M a y '05,
tax Oct '05, garaged. £ 1 2 , 5 0 0 o v n o .
c o n t a c t : Stuart on (01873) 831046
or 07969 170458
1996 Caterham 7 1600 Super Sprint:
F o r d C r o s s f l o w engine , 4 -speed l ive axle ,
11,000 d r y m i l e s . I m m a c u l a t e - never raced
- garaged f r o m new.
Q Plate, B R G ye l low n o s e / b o n n e t b a n d .
Pr ice : £ 1 0 , 0 0 0 o .n .o .
c o n t a c t : 01908 506466 (Milton Keynes)
0MS PR1100 single-seater:
K a w a s a k i Z Z R o n carbs . F u l l y r e f u r b i s h e d
chassis w i t h m a n y new p a r t s . I m m a c u l a t e in
whi te . Ready to race. £ 9 , 5 0 0 .
Trailer: a l u m i n i u m box o n B r i a n James
A - s e r i e s chassis , s ingle axle , tyre rack, w i n c h .
Suits C a t e r h a m or s m a l l s/seater. Fits i n s i n
gle garage. £ 1 , 3 0 0 .
c o n t a c t : Steve, 0MS Racing, 01423 325023 or Tim, 07703 541633
Wanted R400 or SLR wanted.
p l e a s e c o n t a c t : Mark 01293 519886 or
Your petrol tokens, cigarette tokens , phone
c a r d , a i r m i l e s , po in ts on smar t cards ; BP,
G u l f , Shel l etc., o l d Green Sh ie ld Stamps -
a l l help to find a cure for L e u k a e m i a .
p l e a s e send t o :
LRF Voucher Appeal, 8 Stavordale Lodge, Melbury Road, London W14 8LW
Coin appeal: i n an o l d jam jar, or d o w n the
back of the sofa? - those co ins are w o r t h
m o n e y ! F o r e i g n , obsolete , u n u s e d h o l i d a y
cash , p r e - d e c i m a l . . . t u r n a l l that loose
change into research that can l ives .
p l e a s e pass a n y such cash t o y o u r A O :
c o l l e c i o n service t h r o u g h local LRF branches
Rates:
Parts and Wanted ads are free
Cars for sale ads
are £7 • 50 for Club members;
£10 for non-members
( m a x 1 0 0 w o r d s )
Parts, miscellaneous W7 CAT r eg i s t ra t ion n u m b e r for sale.
O n re tent ion.
o f f e r s t o : David on 01792 207650
(evenings) or 07929 798030 (mobile).
1.6K Supersport engine: T h i s engine was
rebui l t i n M a r c h 2004 as fo l lows : H e a d p or t
ed on in le t /exhaust , s t a n d a r d valves , H / D
valve s p r i n g s , Q E D 3 7 5 H K c a m s . M i k e Satur
head gasket. N e w l iners f i t ted a n d pis tons re-
r i n g e d . New b i g end bear ings . Has since cov
ered 5 K m i l e s . Was m a p p e d on R R w i t h D T H
TB's a n d an E m e r a l d a n d gave 1 5 5 B H P at
7 2 0 0 r p m a n d 120lb.ft torque. M a p avai lable
a l o n g w i t h R R g r a p h a n d receipts f r o m Dave
A n d r e w s . £ 1 0 0 0 . For f u r t h e r deta i l s ,
c o n t a c t : Phil on 01544 230124 or
email: [email protected]
Roadsport Roll Cage: s t a n d a r d height ,
general ly g o o d c o n d i t i o n but s o m e l ight rust
i n a few places. C o m p l e t e w i t h a l l bo l ts ,
plates a n d fixings. Bought second h a n d a n d
used i n 2004 C a t e r h a m R o a d s p o r t B Series ,
£ 2 6 5 .
t e l e p h o n e : 01865 559165/07967 555724
S t i l l f l o g g i n g y o u r 30 year o l d d e s i g n e d
lOOOcc Starter on a 1700/1800cc engine?
Extra Power Starter Motors
for F o r d - e n g i n e d L o t u s and C a t e r h a m . New
O r i g i n a l s ized c a s i n g w i t h (2 l i t re spec)
uprated w i n d i n g s i n 2 & 3 bolt f i x i n g s . £ 1 0 5 +
£ 8 P P ( U K ) . Near ly twice the p o w e r output
u s i n g I /3 rd less battery effort over o r i g i n a l
d e s i g n u n i t s .
c o n t a c t : Dick Dixon 01920 871153 or [email protected]
34 Lowflying J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5
Power Products
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^ } weight: 1800cc K-Series -89.0kg 2000cc Duratec -92.8kg
2000cc Vauxhall - 110.0kg (all less clutch/alternator)
Bore diamter = 87.5mm Stroke 2000cc = 83.0mm Stroke 2300cc = 94.0mm
Inlet valve size 2000cc = 35.0mm
ZETEC-R (all prices exclude vat) Carb based component kits (160-21 Obhp) Inj based component kits (180-220bhp) Complete Zetec engines (160-250bhp)
DURATEC-R Inj based component kits (180-250bhp) Complete Duratec engines (180-280bhp)
Please see our website for a comprehensive list of parts, kits and complete Zetec and Duratec engines
Sierra Type 9 5 Speed Gearbox Ford Type 9 gearbox - standard ratio Ford Type 9 gearbox - close ratio
Sierra 7" Differential Sierra 7" differential - 3.62/3.92 Sierra 7" differential - 3.62/3.92 LSD (ratios 4.1,4.4 an,4.7 available - phone for details)
jj jj jjj^cb\"\nb^o^j\\ TEL+44 (0)1483-811978 or 810812
f rom£ 428.00 f rom£ 525.00
f rom£ 467.00 from £1000.00
FAX +44 (0)1483 - 810801
What's on
Diary march
Saturday 20th
Llandow pre-season shakedown
( t h i s is n o t a Club t r a c k d a y )
Llandow Circuit, near Cardiff
£65, open pitlane.
Booking details to be announced on BlatChat.com in January
Organiser: Dave Jackson 01633 893929
e: c 7 t o p l 9 0 0 r @ y a h o o . c o . u k
Friday 25th
Anglesey Trackday ( t h i s i s n o t a Club t r a c k d a y )
Anglesey Circuit, North Wales
£120 (tbc)
Bookings are being taken via w w w . B o o k a t r a c k . c o m website
Organiser: Martin 'Mav' Richards 07884 437652
april
Sunday 17th
Round 1 of the Club Speed Championship:
Longross Sprint
Entry forms wi l l be available in Lowflying or
downloadable from l o t u s 7 c l u b . c o . u k
Organiser: Graham Lyle
tel: 01564 703134 (day) 0121 733 6345 (evening)
e: c o m p e t i t i o n @ l o t u s 7 c l u b . c o . u k
Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th
Welsh Speed Weekend:
Round 2 of the Club Speed Championship:
Llandow Sprint
Llandow Circuit, near Cardiff
Practice day for Sprint entrants wi l l be on Saturday,
Sprint wi l l be on Sunday.
Entry forms wi l l be available in Lowflying
and downloadable from
l o t u s 7 c l u b . c o . u k
Organiser: Dave Jackson 01633 893929
e: c 7 t o p l 9 0 0 r @ y a h o o . c o . u k
Thursday 28th
Evening Factory Tour: Quaife Engineering
6.30 pm - max 30 members
Vestry Road, Otford, Sevenoaks, Kent
£5 to secure a place (NtL donation)
contact: Ernie Panks, t: 01953 888738
e: e r n i e . p a n k s @ d a w s o n - u k . c o m
OPIE OILS Oil Suppliers Since 1 9 2 5
For a l l your o i l needs f rom fu l ly Syn the t ic o i l s to c l a s s i c monogrades
Del ivered to your door. Website: www.opieoils.co.uk/lubricants.htm
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01209 215164 Fax: 01209 314019
s t l k o l e n e C l a s s v : R a n g e Mobil | w ESI fluid force
official Lotus Seven Club merchandise
regalia viewing and ordering:
you can see pictures of all the items, prices, size
details and download an order form (pdf format)
from the club web site:
www.lotus7club.co.uk/regalia/default.htm
and post, phone or fax your order to:
Irene Watson
Dowlis Group Limited
Canada Road, Byfleet, Surrey KT14 7QH
tel: 01932 791400
fax: 01932 342224
credit card facilities available
36 Lowflying J a n u a r y 2 0 0 5
Factory Appointed Dealers for New Car Sales, Demonstration Cars available, help, advice,
and full build service available.
Large Workshop Facility with M O T Bay, laser alignment and corner weighting.
Good Par ts a v a i l a b i l i t y f rom s tock including clothing and accessories.
A se lec t i on of Used Cars a lways avai lable; see www.mi l lwood-mc.com
Finance and Part Exchange
^ Mitsubishi Motors @ Minilite Wheels © Shell Fuels
M i l l G a r a g e , C a m , D u r s l e y , G l o s . G L 1 1 5 D H . Tel: 01453 544321. Email: [email protected] Main Road location - close toJ13/J14- M5: see Map on website
the NORTH LONDON Caterham approved motorsport & service centre
SELEGTIOMIOFIUSEDISEVENS
K35XSO03? acc ident
Eng ie tuners for Internat ional GT f a c i n g a n d other - level motorspor t , Protune a re e x p e r i e n c e d types of C a t e r h a m eng ines .
unit A, bain prace 174 high street, barnet
Hertfordshire EN5 5XE 9 a m - 6 p m M o n d a y - Friday
9 a m - 2 p m Saturday in fo@ra t race-moto fspor t . co .uk
te l : 020 8216 5567
NOW AVAILABLE The Official, Numbered, Limited Edition Caterham Calendar for 2005
Printed in full colour on heavy-weight quality paper this superb collector's item is available exclusively from: "The Caterham Collection", Caterham Cars, Kennet Road,
Dartford, Kent DA1 4QN Please make cheques out for £13. OO (£10.OO plus £3.00 p&p) payable to
"Caterham Cars Limited" For purchases by Switch, Delta, Visa
or Mastercard, Telephone: 01322 625801 or Fax an order on: 01322 625810
Lines open: 9.00am - 5.00pm weekdays, 9.00am - 12.00noon Saturday or order online at www.caterham.co.uk
1 0fk IS
C A T E R H A M S O U T H Stat ion A v e n u e . C a t e r h a m , Surrey CR3 6LB. Te lephone : 01883 3 3 3 7 0 0 . Fax: 01883 3 3 3 7 0 7 . Emai l : sa [email protected] .uk . w w w . c a t e r h a m . c o . u k
C A T E R H A M M I D L A N D S The Knoll, Leicester Road, Earl Shilton, Leics LE9 7TJ. Te lephone: 01455 841616. Fax: 01455 8 4 4 2 9 9 . Emai l : m i d l a n d s @ c a t e r h a m . u k . c o m
