Does Anybody Import Caterhams or Westfields into the U.S.?
 

It would be awhile before I could seriously consider another toy car, but as time goes on I find myself lusting after the Lotus 7 design and am insanely jealous that these things are readily available over in England. You can get a used one - a 1995 150 SuperLight, for example - in mint condition for about 10K pounds. That's, what, $15K?

Are these available in the U.S., besides the actual vintage Lotus 7 race car?

google

I like this Elfin

http://www.carsales.com.au/used-cars/private/ELFIN/MS8_CLUBMAN/details.aspx?__sid=1187FF0814BA&Cr=0&__Ns=pCar_Pri vateSpecialFlag_Int32|1||pCar_ImageCount_Int32|1|| pCar_LastModifiedDate_DateTime|1&State=All%20State s&distance=25&silo=1003&seot=0&__Nne=20&R=5988574& __N=4294879504+0+834+285+257+1216&Make=ELFIN&state _id=0&trecs=3

10,000 pounds sterling is more like $20,000 USD.

Build your own...check out "Locost 7".

I LOVE the Locost idea - buying a beater Miata and making an open-wheeled Lotus 7 replica out of it - but I wonder if such a car is still registerable/insurable in the U.S.? Would such a thing even be street legal? If so, is it registered as a Miata?

In any case, I will be buying the books suggested on those websites. Who knows, maybe this will be my next project after the 951 gets a new clutch...

Here's a dealer in California.........

http://www.autocourseinc.com/

Matt

The importer for Caterham is Rocky Mountain SportsCars : http://www.rmsci.com/

I'm uncertain about the current Westfield importer.

If you are on the East coast, Caterham dealer GT Classics in VA is highly recommended.
http://www.gt-classics.com/

and check out the USA 7s site: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/

Have fun :)

Ed

Thanks for the links, Ed. As nice as a factory Caterham would be, they start at around $30K, and the fact that there is a rather large community of people who BUILD these things has opened my eyes. I've already ordered the two books that come highly recommended on the Locost websites...

Funny you ask, I was reading mags in B&N and wrote down these sites to check out for Caterhams as I love the idea. I think most of these are kits, but I've not been to any of them yet.

www.uscaterham.com

www.bruntonauto.com

www.stalkerv6.com

Isnt there a TG episode where they build a replica kit and race it. I seem to remember thinking the kit was rather cheap.

i got to ride in a "stuart taylor" which used a 1200cc jap bike engine.....was pretty freaking crazy fast and looked like a 7 :D

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/106865/rst_v8_bedford/

lotus 7 with a V8 made from two Hyabushsi (SP) inline 4s 340 hp from 2.8 liters!

Visit Flyin' Miata (www.flyinmiata.com) -- they import Westfields, and build turnkey cars based around Miata running gear.

Rob

Cool stuff. The Westfield and Caterham kits still seem slightly expensive (brand name cachet probably), but I am theoretically very interested...

If you want to completely destroy the bank, here is the V8 for you.
http://www.h1v8.com/page/page/1821906.htm

and if even more is needed Holeshot racing does a twin turbo
http://www.holeshot-racing.co.uk/index.php?page=holeshot-hartley-v8

If you want to build your own I understand but it is possible to save buying a "completed" (they never are done) car. The USA 7s board is a great resource.

Ed

The importer is at http://www.uscaterham.com/home.html

I've had my Caterham for 15 years now and it's been a great car.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1220397778.jpg

I have joined the USA7 forums, and, to my surprise, many of the 7 owners there also have a Porsche in the garage. Seem like a good group of guys.