LOW FLYING The Monthly Magazine of the Lotus Seven Club of Great Br i ta in

MARCH ISSUE REJUVENATING YOUR ALLOYS - by Peter Burgess EXHAUSTS • Your questions answered SUSPENSION & TYRES - Part one

B r i t a i n

LOTUS

• PARTS FOR ALL SEVEN MODELS -1 9 5 7 TO DATE ^ ™

• RAPID MAIL ORDER SERVICE, EXPORT ORDERS WELCOME

• ENGINE BUILDING, TUNING, NEW & EXCHANGE UNITS

• TRANSMISSION, NEW & RECONDITIONED • SERVICING, REPAIRS & RESTORATIONS • ACCIDENT REPAIRS

S P E C I A L O F F E R S F O R M A R C H .... AUTOJACK IMMOBILISER WILLANS SUPER SPORT 4 POINT SEAT BELTS Approved by Insurance Companies. Available in black, blue or red at Supplied & fitted for £130 inc VAT. £30 each plus postage and VAT.

For Spares, Repairs, Servicing or Free Advice Telephone or Visit our premises in Caterham. Only minutes from Junction 6, M25, Short walk from BR Station.

HISTORIC SEVEN PARTS SUPPLIERS

REDLINE COMPONENTS LTD

FACTORY APPOINTED PARTS & SERVICE CENTRE

TEL: (01883) 3 4 6 5 1 5 FAX: (01883) 3 4 1 6 0 4

TIMBER HALL, 19 TIMBER LANE, CATERHAM, SURREY C R 3 6LZ ENGLAND

J A M E S , W H I T I N G Exclusively Seven

• WORLDWIDE MAIL O R D E R S E R V I C E

• S P E C I A L MODIFICATIONS A N D U P D A T E S

• A C C I D E N T R E P A I R S

• ENGINE INSTALLATIONS

" A L L Y O U R S E V E N N E E D S " Our slogan for the past 10 years!

£ WEBER A L P H A

V e r o q u i p

As well as having our development and modification facilities dedicated to SEVENS, we have 1200+ cu/ft reserved for parts. A second fully equipped workshop for servicing, general maintenance, yearly or track day safety checks and M.O.T's.

Please telephone us for personal attention with your requirements. D u n n e l l

|Zetec 16 Valve I

24A & 38 Glenfield Road, Ashford, Surrey TW15 1JL Tel: (01784) 241466 Fax: (01784) 250915

In this issue***** .. . . • • .. . . • •

Front Cover:

Peter Burgess ond Scries four

Roys Romblings 2

Area News 3

1 995 Events 8

Stop Press 9

Neujs 10

Nuke the Leuk 11

Glome Lol one) Grim 14

Tyrrell Visit 16

Le Mans 17

Lincoln New Vear Sprint 19

Technical Topics 20

Suspension <5> Tyres 24

Rejuvinating your Alloys 26

New Members 29

Area Meetings 30

Area 'Appenings 31

Members Letters 32

For Sale & UUanted 35

Annual Membership: £30 UK £42 Overseas

Copy Deadline: End of month for inclusion in following

month's issue -i.e. 31st January for March issue.

Chairman: Lol Pilfold

South Norris, 125 North Lane, East Preston, West Sussex, BN16 1HB.

Tel/Fax: 0903 770770

General Secretary: Roger Swift

Lawn Bank House, Wychnor, Staffs, DE13 8BY.

Tel/Fax: 0283 791877

Treasurer: Barry Sweeney

Spring Cottage, Lyoth Lane, Lindfield, West Sussex, RH16 2QA.

Membership Secretary: Nick & Julie Richens

PO Box7, Cranleigh, Surrey.

Tel/Fax: 0483 277172

Technical Information & enquiries: James Whiting

38 Glenfield Road Ashford, Middx, TW15 1JL. Fax: 0784 250915

Magazine €ditor: Roy Blyth

90 Pankhurst Crescent, Stevenage, Herts, SG2 0QJ.

0438 312063 Fax: 0438 745495

UK International €vent: Neil Backwith

Chelworth, Lower Lemington, Nr. Moreton-in-Marsh, Glos. GL5 9NP

Tel/Fax: 0608 652337

Advertising Manager: Steve Davidson

c/o Graphics One, 4 Belmore Road, Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, Norfolk, NR7 OPT.

Tel:0603 700400 Fax: 0603 700301

Club Regalia: PO Box 73 Ashford, Middx, TW15 1XR 24 Hour flnsaphone: 0784 421885

Roys RXMBLINCJ

Greetings! Have you had it out yet, he cried? Right then, without further ado

Check out the New Members list this month and you'll find Peter

and Laura Marshall f rom the North Pole, Alaska - honest!

Personally I don't believe it, so I must insist that you send me evi­

dence to support this unlikely claim. I suppose the next thing

you'll be telling me is you've got a Polar bear for a fireside pet?

Finland is off! You are a big let-down, the lot of you! Our trip of

a lifetime has been cancelled due to lack of interest, the Great

British Apathy, whatever.... I shall now go away and sulk after

offering my thanks and apologies to Kalevi Leppa, Mike Butroid

and our friends in Sweden. Sorry chums, but at least we tried.

What next? The clutch was/is not anymore, stuck. I shall patent

my freeing-off method I think (or stop spending so much time on

this magazine and go and drive the car instead!). If you have the

same problem then run the engine up until it gets very hot, then

let it go cold. Repeat this again immediately and then head for the

open road - mine frees off as soon as the nose points down the

driveway.

And before anyone else asks me, I will not be publishing any race

reports this year - oh, alright, I'll see what I can do. The

Caterham race calendar should have been in this issue, but time

ran out. Watch this space

Call that a press release, Guy Munday! "Mothers Ali po l i sh" is

now available again at James Whitings emporium and Supersprint

(oops!) Haydon Cars. I didn't even know it wasn't?

Dany Prignon from the Brasserie Fantome in Belgium - did you

buy the car, or was it one of those nasty replicas? Lets hear from

you soon.

Mr North f rom Kent! What's wrong with the Essex colours,

hmmm? Seriously though, I appreciate your comments on the

new style of Low Flying and hopefully you will see some further

improvements in this and subsequent issues. As for the tempta­

tion to call it "professional" - don't even think about it! I am but a

mere amateur in these matters. But a change is as good as a

rest, as they say.

Once upon a time I asked Members for names of recommended

suppl iers (should have known better, I suppose). The only one

(yes, one!) I ever got was from Dicko, who strongly recommends

Auto Marine Interiors in Leicester (01455 840909) for the supply

of fitted covers. He used them to provide a tailor-made cover to

protect the nose on his FF racer whilst in transit. Are there any

more out there?

March 1995

It seems that Lotus Cars have got themselves a new PR agency

- judging by the amount of my fax roll they are using. What's the

next "anniversary" you can think of guys?

Apologies to Tony Hall at Goodwood for my over-simplification of

things in last months ramblings. Gone, but never forgotten....

That's 'yer lot for now. She's taken the old tiles off the wall, so I

suppose I'll have to go and inspect the work before she starts

painting. God, I hate this decorating. Oh, and another thing Nick

Richens. Never mind what my name brings up on the dreaded

spell-checker, I managed to take "Nick" through five levels of

Thesorearse and ended up with "cesspool" - so there! Now Max,

lets sit down and read this little story about Rigsby, the 70mph

P$RT<VS Last chance to book

Castle Combe for Saturday April 1st!! D o n ' t d e l a y -

d o i t t o d a y . !

See this issue for the booking details.

Correction to last months Sprint Booking Form - Cheques to be made payable to - 'Sevens on Track'. See the new form in this

issue.

Cadwell Park Track Day has moved to 22nd September. Get your entries in

now.!

Low Flying

M€W9 HGRT9 A K € A - JdNUrfRY

(Two Sevens DA & T B f roze) .

y n a m i c h a p p e n i n g s at the J a n u a r y mee t ing ! G o d , its

lucky I'm y o u n g e n o u g h to keep up wi th these Her ts

he roes ( thanks to m o n k e y g land h o r m o n e s a n d co ld showers ) so

that , I too, c a n mix it w i th the jet set ters . S O ! O N T H E

C A R D S ! J o h n W a t s o n & Paul , Paul , S teve /Lucy & Co. to

N u r b u r g r i n g . S i m o n Telfer & D a v e , D a v e a n d D a r r e n to

Sw i tze r land (plus s o m e of above) . Tony Boyd p lus Phil Norr is hit­

t ing the t racks. N O T T O M E N T I O N . , those a l ready sk i ing,

C h r i s t m a s s i n g a b r o a d or c ru is ing the is lands o n OEM (subject to

bui ld ing regs.) - I'd be wi th you chaps but mul led w ine , st i l ton a n d

lash ings of cus ta rd a n d f iggy pud has taken its toll (a) wi th my

spel l ing a n d (b) wi th we igh t penal ty points or ig inat ing f rom a mis-

pelt you th a n d a p e n c h a n t for the g o o d life (it's why I dr ive a

Seven. . . . ) .

Anyway, to s impl i fy th ings w e (the non-royal W E that is) are keen

to do all that is n e c e s s a r y to enr ich life in its ent i rety S e v e n ,

Soc ia l , Sa tu rna l ien a n d scanda lous ly -w ise . Th is inc ludes be ing

sil ly at soc ia ls , terr i fy ing at t rack days , subt ly s tupe fy ing at spr in ts ,

horr ib le at Hi l lc l imbs a n d naugh ty at the 'Nat iona l ' (especia l ly if

there isn't a s p e e d event - DS, RD, S M , DA + 2 or 3 ) . It's a lso

been m u t e d that t h o s e w h o w ish to jo in us will m a k e a c h e a p day

of it at a spr int circuit for s o m e highly immora l P R A C T I C E ! ! ! !

A L S O ! ! ! It is a lso be ing o rgan ised that T U I T I O N on a cer ta in

T R A C K DAY is be ing of fered at ve ry F A V O U R A B L E RATES just

so that Her ts (and s o m e f r o m Midd lesex , Essex & C a m b r i d g e )

abso lu te ly th rash the doo rs off all t h o s e in s ight at the a f o r e m e n ­

t ioned func t ions . So, you lubbers f rom Lanes, Leics and Lines,

B i m b o s f r o m Berks , Bucks & Beds a n d Suckers f r o m S o m e r s e t

a n d Sur rey (can' t th ink of any th ing for Kent) get your whee ls out

a n d test yer met t le - you ' ve got compet i t ion - haven' t they fel las.. . .

fel las? er fe l las? now w h e r e have they got to? O h G o d , it s e e m s

that I've just been s u m m o n i n g on my soap-box aga in . Ser iously,

w e are o rgan is ing a n d get t ing together , so for those in teres ted,

contac t m e if y o u wan t to jo in us on a pr ivate pract ice day or cir­

cuit tu i t ion. If you ' re g o i n g to Le M a n s , Nurburg r ing or Swiss mee t

there 's abou t ten peop le in terested in hear ing f rom you and any­

one new w h o w i s h e s to see w h a t go 's on at a spr int meet - jo in us,

you' l l be w e l c o m e . T h e H e r t s H o r r o r s - 0 9 2 0 8 7 1 1 5 3 .

9 0 M G R 9 G T & WG99GX A R C A - FGBRIMRY

See Area Events for the Somerset & Wessex 1995 Calendar. And

there's a few other things Bubbling under: A v ideo even ing has

been s u g g e s t e d . T h e r e are a few w a y s to set th is up, if t he re is

e n o u g h interest .

A lso, it has been put fo rward that w e have a ' techn ica l ' m e e t i n g ,

g iv ing peop le the oppor tun i t y to s h o w off all t hose nifty m o d s a n d

o thers to t ry a n d get a n s w e r s to all t h o s e technica l ques t ions that

they never actual ly wr i te to the newsle t ter to get a n s w e r e d . O n c e

aga in if there is interest , we' l l do it. My dog and b o n e is 0 1 9 3 5

7 1 3 9 4 . R h e r t L a n d .

NOTT9, DGRBV9, L£\CS, & H A f f S -

NOMGflBGR & DGCGNBGR

N o v e m b e r w a s a d isaster as far as a mee t i ng w a s c o n c e r n e d as

the pub dec ided to have a bonf i re o n the night of our mee t i ng a n d

w e cou ld not move in the bar or ou ts ide . Still the bonf i re and f i re­

w o r k s w e r e g o o d .

D e c e m b e r w a s better, a d ry night a l though the fo recast w a s for

rain, wh ich kept s o m e of the Sevens off the road , but in the e n d it

s tayed dry. T h e first p rob lem was that the car park h a d been d u g

up to c rea te a new chi ldren's p layground in the spot w h e r e w e nor­

mal ly park. Still I s u p p o s e hav ing a s l ide in t he car park will take

on a new m e a n i n g for J o h n Car l is le w h o a lways l ikes to leave wi th

great gus to !

J o h n Taylor had taken del ivery of his n e w De-D ion kit and is wel l

o n the way to comp le t i ng it. He w a s tak ing p lenty of adv ice f rom

peop le w h o have d o n e this before, i.e. mos t of us. Mick B r o w n

has s t r ipped d o w n his recent ly resur rec ted Ser ies 2 a n d has now

sent it to Derek Moore at C lass ic Car r iage for the chass is to be

w o r k e d on a n d genera l restorat ion.

Af ter m a n y p h o n e cal ls n e w m e m b e r R ichard Hassal l has f inal ly

p u r c h a s e d a S e v e n . He is now the p roud o w n e r of an 1800 S P R

S u p e r Spr int . I know 'cos he rang m e up at C h r i s t m a s to tell me .

Go t it f r o m Ar rows ta r I bel ieve and need less to say is full of it. S e e

y o u s o o n . T e r r y D u t t o n (New p h o n e n u m b e r : 0 2 8 3 538968 . )

PGNNING dRGrl - JrlNU/IRY

Lots of talk abou t Ch r i s tmas presents wh ich then dr i f ted on to the

compet i t i ve events for '95. W h e r e w e r e they go ing to be? H o w

w e r e they go ing to be o rgan ised? H o w m u c h will they be? (New

Year m a g a z i n e not pub l i shed at t he t i m e of o u r mee t ing ) .

Hopeful ly , all this specu la t ion will have been reso lved by now and

w e c a n build da tes into our d iar ies. (How about an evening spent

counting the stripes on the American Flag? Hmmm! Ed.)

A reminder abou t the fun run to Whi tby. If you are half in terested

g ive m e a r ing so I can pass on exact deta i ls (0113 2 5 0 7 7 1 9

even ings) .

That 's abou t it except to thank Mike D e a n for tu rn ing ou t in

" C u s t a r d " - ve ry ded ica ted . Perhaps o thers w h o have s t range

n i c k n a m e s for their cars might like to wr i te in wi th t h e m ? W e

n a m e our Min is af ter f lowers . "B luebel l " , " S n o w d r o p " and "Tulip".

"Daf fodi l " w a s sold to m a k e space for the Seven (no n a m e as yet)

- p lus w e have ano ther Mini ca l led " D o g Dirt"! M A D M A L C O L M

Low Flying © March 1995

WrfRWIOtfHIRG AH€A -G O ™ & CHRI9TM9 DO

W e're made of tough stuff over here in Warwickshire!

Sixteen of us turned up, some cold ones and some fair­

ly warm ones, there were only three Sevens, well it was

an extremely filthy night. However, it was brightened

up by the arrival of two new members (bless 'em), welcome to

Stuart and Pam, looking forward to seeing the car (preferably in

daylight) so roll on Spring and Summers. Seven Heaven! God, I

hate the winter! I want to be Jim & Shirley Brooks' excess bag­

gage when they fly south for winter! Hi Guys how are you? Hot

eh?

So, on to our Christmas lunch at the New Inn. Well what can I

say? Barry the landlord had fun, so did all his staff, but bless his

cotton socks he managed to feed (Jo typed that as feel! Ed.) all

twenty seven of us (I hope!).

My better half (he tells me to say this!) dreamt up an awards cer­

emony (in the bath that morning) so frantic writing and ideas took

shape. We set nearly everyone up with pretty daft awards and

prizes, it was worth all the effort just to hear the laughter! - espe­

cially when you didn't know your name was next! I shall give a list

of the awards and winners at the end because I want to state that

considering Barry (the flu) was so under the weather he got right

into the sprit of Christmas etc. because he appeared with two bot­

tles of Champers and four bottles of wine with a book of raffle tick­

ets. We all managed to raise £100 for LRF. A big thank you to

Barry - you just can't keep a good man down! Steve Winterberg -

a cheque is in the post!

Make I take this opportunity to thank everyone (except Crispin) for

making the effort to come out even on rotten nights to enjoy their

cars and keep the Club spirit going! A very happy new year to all

seven owners and a successful and peaceful one. Lizzie

T H G A W A R D S THe CHRK MCTCALFG AWARD FOR SGWIBLG on TRACK DRIVING in

1994. THC noMinees WGRG:

Gordon Cardew - for fitting a luminous nose cone to let everyone

know he's coming (and later fitting one to his seven).

Jack Newland - for offering unselfishly to let someone else (who

shall remain nameless (Chris M.) race his Vauxhall race car.

Kay Puttock - for demonstrating the art of avoiding the tyre wall at

Rowrah and jumping it instead.

The winner was Kay Puttock.

THG SIMOn TIDMU9 AWARD FOR PRCPARATION & RELIABILITY. THE

n o M i n e e ? W G R C

Pippa Newland - who, although inexperienced as a Seven owner,

(and a girl) managed to turn up at a monthly meet in a Seven only

once!

Jack Newland - for the same reasons (although not a girl!).

Crispin Feilding - who although as we all know, never actually dri­

ves his Seven, always turns up with it carefully prepared to look

like he's been using it, i.e. cow shit, squashed flies and painted

mud streaks.

The winner was Crispin Feilding.

TH€ BARRY TH€ LANDLORD QUART in A PIMT POT AWARD. TH€ NOMI-

NCGS woe.

Ken Puttock - for 17 x compact chairs, 86 x rainbow straps, a four

man tent, full cooking equipment, two sleeping bags, a portaloo, 6

x road cones, two umbrellas and a full set of Rohan waterproofs -

all in the passenger footwell as well as a full tool set and enough

food for 14 x days under the bonnet!

Barry himself - for always managing to hide the steak in his mini

mixed grill under the sausage, chop and tomato and yet still found

room on the plate for a full salad and a portion of chips.

Dave Fender - for simply getting into his K series - and out again!

The winner was Dave Fender.

THG PIMT in A QUART POT AWARD. THG NOMINGG'; WGRG:

Only one nomination, Gordon Cardew, he won it.

THG JACK nGWLAnD AWARD FOR THG BGVT CXCUSG FOR nOT TURn-

IMG UP OR ARRIVING LATG. THG NOMINGG1) WGRG:

Jack Newland - for Oh! is the meeting tonight?

Ken Puttock - for, after a phone call from the New Inn on Club

night said "so where are you all then and what are you doing?"

Crispin Feilding - for "I'll probably come next month" - every

month!

The winner was Ken Puttock.

THG CA9TLG COMBG 9PGCIAL AWARD FOR TGCHMIQUG. THG NOMI­

NGG1) WGRG=

Chris Metcalfe - for trying a new starting technique designed to

put several yards between himself and all other competitors - sec­

ond gear!

Chris Metcalfe - for unselfishly turning his Seven into a combine

harvester and endeavouring to help out the local farmers on lap

one.

Gary First - for recognising that his first attempt at re-modelling

Quarry bend had been unsuccessful and going back for a second

attempt. The winner was Gary First.

FINALLY - THG LIFGTIMG ACHIGVJCMCNT AWARD - FOR A ONCC in A LIFGTIMG ACHIGMGMGNT! THG NOMINCCS WGRG:

Gordon Cardew - for selling his Seven to buy a Yamaha!

Alan Smith - for contemplating selling his plane to buy his 3rd

Zetec engine.

Lorna Cheshire - for organising an area trip to a vineyard and wine

tasting - which we all had to drive to! The winner was Lorna Cheshire.

March 1995 0 Low Flying

C O N T ' D LINCOLN GROUP - JdNUdRY

Our January meeting was set to be something good and no one

was disappointed. The same old reliable lot turned up and were

rewarded with a really interesting discussion with our guest

speaker Len Terry. The missing members missed out again!

Len treated us to a trip through time and his career with some fas­

cinating recollections about Colin Chapman, the early Lotus fac­

tory and many other fascinating facts. Len told us about his time

with Dan Gurney and the Eagle cars he designed for him, and his

time working for Colin Chapman on the Indy car project. He told

us about his own car, The Terrier, and how it beat the Lotus Seven

in the Chapman Cup!

What a life this guy led. He said that he had spent the majority

of his life doing something he thoroughly enjoyed. He is on first

name terms with no less than seventeen formula one racing dri­

vers, and has visited seventeen countries in pursuance of his

pleasurable career. Two of our group members brought along

their copies of Len Terry's book and Len was able to personally

dedicate it to them. The evening was not long enough to cover all

of Len's interesting career, and after much encouragement he has

agreed to come back at a later date to finish off the story.

Next month, slot car racing at Scotts' place, and hopefully some­

thing further to report. Regards, Peter Hull.

WOODCOTE SPORTS CARS

INDEPENDENT CATERHAM 7 SPECIALISTS

We buy and sell new and

secondhand 7's.

We also offer a kit build

facility, and any help you may need.

Please contact Stuart Wylie

Tel: 0737 645213

Beechwood, Gatton Bottom,

Merstham, Surrey R H 1 3 B H

Low Flying

A rather cold crisp night with plenty of snow meant that numbers

were down to about twenty dedicated Seveners and no Sevens on

the park.

It was good to be able to welcome Andy Ledger, Steve Gibson

and David Ecob from the Macclesfield area, and Robert Hesketh

from Horwich who has just completed his Seven.

We hear that Mr Briggs is at it again (well, not IT!!) but has parted

with his sticky Avons and thrown his Seven in with the deal. The

question is, where do we go from here, Colin? GT, K Series, or is

it true along with McLaren you have done an engine deal with

Mercedes? And, by the way, congratulations on gaining your heli­

copter pilot's licence (do helicopters have sticky tyres?).

We have a treasure hunt organised on Sunday 26th March, and at

our March meeting on the 30th a talk will be given by Graham

Bracegirdle, "Motor Sport, behind the scenes". Graham is a

RACMSA Technical Commissioner and National Scrutineer and

will be recalling some of his experiences, many of them intriguing

and often humorous. Steve and Doug.

NOTTC DCRBV* L£\CS & S l A f f S -

A nice cold clear night, but only the Sevens of Richard Hassall,

Andy Toon and Harvey Griffin in the car park. Lots of people in

the pub though, most members cars being laid up for the winter.

Welcome to new visitor Richard Toms from Hinckley, this area

gets bigger by the month!. Richard brought his 1700 Super Sprint

last May, but this was the first time he had made it to a meeting.

Congratulations to Helen & Graeme Hunt on the arrival of their

daughter Rachel on the 23rd January. Graeme was playing the

proud father and showing us all photos of the new arrival. Helen

is OK, although some prat tried to spoil the party by "T-boning" her

in a road accident just two days before Rachel was born.

Thankfully they are all alright.

Autosports International was a great show, did you go? Had a

long talk on the Dunnell Engines stand, it's only a matter of time

before somebody in this area goes for a Zetec. Mind you, did you

see that supercharged Zetec that Dunnells were showing,

300bhp in a Seven, can you imagine that!

John Taylor has finished his new Supersprint and was taking it for

inspection the next day. Derek Moore of Classic Carriage has

bought a "pocket" motorbike, 35 mph flat out round Mallory and

shortly to be painted in Caterham colours.

Finally, after months of planning, the Pre-73 Seven racers have

challenged this area to a "Christmas" Karting challenge. Mark

Brown is the driving force behind this and it takes place on the

18th February at 1.00pm at Thurmaston, Leicester. There is a

barbecue afterwards so it should be a good event. Tell you more

about it next month. See you soon, Terry Dutton

March 1995

M A D . 9GVjeh€R9 /4R€d -

Yes, all you other areas out there, we are the recently formed Merseyside and District Local Area. Our first official meeting was held in the 'Swan' on the A49 to Newton-Le-Willows and what a good turnout we had. Sixteen members turned up, some new faces and some old ones (very old!!) and four cars even though the weather was pretty miserable.

It was a delight to see the elusive Butterfly, our local Guru Mike 'Dicko' Dixon turned up in the new 6 x speed K Series demon­strator but the miserable bastard would not demonstrate it. "Dicko" I said "Giz the keys" only to be greeted with a thunderous look of "it's my toy and nobody else is going to play with it".

General talk was about various things we plan to do in the future, you know, the usual things, fun runs, invading other areas, inter area competitions especially with the Lanes Lotus Lovers and a G R E A T BIGGIE we are trying to plan for later in the year, but this is a secret at the moment so nuff said ("Dicko giz the keys" -"Buggar Off" he said, what a superb Salesman).

One of our members John Ryding is actively looking to buy a Supersprint and another, Adrian Sorsky is actively looking for his new K Series Supersport that is being assembled somewhere in the deep South and should have been with him in January. Come on you lot down there, get the poor blokes car ready 'cos he has been sulking for weeks and it is not a pretty sight.

The evening flew by and it soon became time to go home to our little cherubs. In the car park Dicko actually relented on his neg­ative sales pitch and took me for a spin in the new 6 x speed. A very impressive car. He even offered to let me drive it but as we were only 100 yards from returning to the car park I graciously declined.

Next meeting: Again at the 'Swan Public House', Wednesday, March 8th 1995 at 8pm, phone for directions. Regards, Roy Sang. R S . Q: Why is a Caterham engine like an Italian girl?

A: On a cold morning when you really need it, it won't turn over!!

SAbf L O N D O N / N O R F k€MT - JrtMUrtRY

The main topic of conversation this month was the rebirth of K2 R U M , a few members having had a sneak preview since its return from Arch Motors. The curious amongst you might be wondering about the colour given AW's notorious "taste", but I'm afraid we're sworn to secrecy, sorry! Suffice it to say that it is not candy amethyst or plum metallic (been there, done that) or any of the Caterham standard colours (nay, nay, that would never do!) but I half expect to see "STABILO B O S S " signwritten down each side the next time I set eyes on it.... Dave Diss is busy running in his new Roger King 1800 which sounds absolutely gorgeous, goes like dung off a shovel and I want one... Mike Stamper suggested in his absence (?) a move from The Plough to The Kentagon Bar at Brands Hatch, where we could expand our summer evening

activities from the usual anorakory (so what cam have you got in there then?... I run 008R's myself... no mate, that's a load of b*ll*x that is, you don't want to do that...etc.) to perhaps hiring some cir­cuit time or messing around on Honda Pilots, Quad Bikes etc. It ain't cheap but the price is fixed regardless of numbers, so if enough people are interested, it could be affordable.

K2 RUM in glorious colour.!!

How about some inter area jolly japes? - let us know what you think.... Call it naivete if you will but I had kind of expected the (entirely justified) p*sstaking to wane just a little when I finally fin­ished the car. Has it 'ell as like?! No, the tyres aren't crossplies, nor is the chassis a genuine Lotus, and I didn't buy the starter kit with the proceeds from my paper round. It's a good job I'm not thin skinned W A A A A A A H ! leave me alone you rotten b*st*rds, or I'll tell me mum!... A final parting thought, for £X you could buy my car or Arnie's engine. For £Y you could buy my engine or Arnie's con rods. This Upgraditis is a terrible thing - is it conta­gious? BTTF, HARRIER CRUDNOB, AO X 1/2.

There were twelve present, four Sevens in the car park and we had a beer and went home. If it sounds boring you should have been there! This month Dave Diss arrived in his now Roger King engined 1800 XFlow giving about 180bhp. This engine ticks over smoother than a pint of Boddingtons, despite the race cam! Dave is a bit wary of the competition when sprinting however as he'll now be classed with the Vauxhall boys. Tony Ferguson has not bought the new H P C he was planning to from Caterham because he's bought a used Anniversary 1700 S /S instead. Something to do with Caterham not being very helpful in supplying a few option­al extras.

As promised I have included a photo showing K2RUM in it's new livery. Sorry Roy I've only got black and white film at the moment and it was a bugger to get the exposure right.... Actually it's almost completely rebuilt now but I have a problem as I don't have a bleed nipple ( O h n o , ' e r e w e g o ! ) for the alloy radiator I purchased from Caterham. They don't seem to either, but they do like sending me brass (... s t e a d y n o w l a d s ) nipples for the standard rad. Anyone wishing to see my collection of ( T h a t ' s e n o u g h n o w ! ) brass nipples please call me or organise your own by taking a cold shower then standing in front of a mirror! We missed the attendance of Barrie Downey at this months meeting. Although he's now got the day right, he apparently had an urgent appointment elsewhere. See

March 1995 Low Flying

com D you next month perhaps Barrie and we hope you got yer leg over.

(Its all to do with his technique of climbing in and out of his Seven

he tells me!). Next month we start a competition to provide a

photo of the best bent sump. The only rule is the car must still be

driveable.

That's all folks!! Maybe the last time you have to read this self

indulgent drivel, if Roy gets his way don't let him get away with

it!! ( H a h h a a a h ! D o n ' t y o u j u s t l o v e b e i n g in c o n t r o l ? ) Regards,

Neb Barwie & Rich Roadburner (Joint Area Organisers x 1.0)

PS. Club Lotus are holding a Goodwood Track Day for £63 -

what are you waiting for????

MAJOR CRISIS AT OXFORD BRANCH -TAKE OVER BID BY MODERATES.

OLD SCHOOL OVERTHROWN!

At the February meeting of the Oxford area, the majority of the Seven owners attending voted for major changes at the way the meeting was run. Eleven years of leadership by one man was enough so we now have a committee to run things.

First we must thank ALL the members of the National Team for

attending our AGM and helping to keep things calm and under

control. After a long and serious debate the fifty plus members

attending decided that the meetings were not what Seven owners

wanted and changes should be made. It was thought that it was

better to keep things "in house" and a local committee formed,

rather than go to an outside organiser to run our local meeting.

The committee will meet at 7.30 at the Chequers at Burcot on the

first Tuesday of every month for reports from the Chairman, Social

Sec , Events organiser and Treasure, this should only take 30 min­

utes so the regular members are invited to attend from 8.00 pm.

If you have been to the Oxford area and been 'put of f for any rea­

son do come along and meet the new committee who promise a

much more interesting and serious approach to Seven motoring.

The 'new' Oxford meeting is to promote Sevens and the Seven

Club so Club regalia must be worn and your Seven brought to the

meeting - a FINE of £1 will be imposed on all members defaulting

and proceeds will be to our favourite charity.

The April meeting will be the first under the new leadership so we

hope to see all the old and new faces along to the major re-launch

of the oldest area meeting. Your new committee members are:

CHAIRMAN - Robin Pears

SOCIAL/EVENTS - Piers Broan

TREASURER - Ian Brosper

Do come and meet them all! The secretary post for minutes and

reports to Low Flying remains unfilled, can you do the job?

Nora Breips.

r c E \ G MOTORSPORT LTD N O R T H L O N D O N ' S O F F I C I A L C A T E R H A M SERVICE A G E N T S

ess m ^ KENT C A M S

HIGH-FLOW AIR FILTERS

P1PERCROSS R .G .RACEWEAR

Unit 98 AHas Industrial Estate,

Oxgate Lane, London N W 2 7HJ.

Tel: 081 -830 5677 Fax: 081 -830 5688

9am - 6 p m Monday - Saturday.

March 1995

Full workshop facilities

Many years of experience with Super 7's • Full race preparation and computer analysis

facilities + computerised setup analysis. • Exhaust Gas analysis.

Track support

Specialist MOT preparation

Lotus twin cam and Ford tuning specialists

Personalised car liveries • Racewear - full range stocked for all

budgets plus a personalising & helmet painting service •

Competition plumbing & braided hose specialists •

Large stock of Caterham approved parts & accessories

I 1995 e V G K J T S C A L E N D A R {Events in italics are provisional at the time of going to press.)

DATE EVENT CATEGORY CIRCUIT NOISE LIMIT COST

20th March TRACK DAY RMA Silverstone G.P. None *

1 st April TRACK DAY L7C Castle Combe 108 £95 11th April TRACK DAY RMA Mallory Park 105 *

27/28th April TRACK DAY WTQ Nurburgring Festival N/A *

29/30th April SHOW L7C Stoneleigh Kit Car Show N/A FREE 8th May PRE '73 RACE HSCC Snetterton N/A N/A 12th May TRACK DAY RMA Oulton Park 110 14th May SPRINT L7C Scammonden Hillclimb N/A £35 27/28th May PRE '73 RACE HSCC Croft N/A N/A 28th May SPRINT L7C Rowrah Sprint N/A £35 1st June TRACK DAY RMA Brands Hatch G.P. 110 • ' *

10/11 th June PRE 7 3 RACE HSCC Croix En Ternois N/A N/A 12th June TRACK DAY RMA Snetterton 110 * 24/25th June TRACK DAY WTQ Spa N/A *

27th June TRACK DAY RMA Mallory Park 105 *

28th June TRACK DAY RMA Donington G.P. 110 * 11:

29th June TRACK DAY RMA Silverstone G.P. None *

10th July TRACK DAY RMA Cadwell Park 110 - ^ 0 *

15th July PRE 7 3 RACE HSCC Oulton Park N/A N/A 18th July TRACK DAY L7C Mallory Park 105 £95 24th July TRACK DAY RMA Brands Hatch G.P. 110 *

5th August PRE 7 3 RACE HSCC Castle Combe N/A N/A 12th August TRACK DAY RMA Castle Combe 102 *

14th August TRACK DAY L7C Silverstone G.P. None £125 28th August PRE 7 3 RACE HSCC Silverstone N/A N/A 28th August SPRINT L7C Curborough Sprint N/A £35 5th Sept TRACK DAY RMA Donington G.P. 110 * 11-15th Sept TRACK DAY WTQ Les Circuits IV N/A *

22nd Sept TRACK DAY L7C Cadwell Park 110 £85 2 4 t h Sept PRE 7 3 RACE HSCC Mallory Park N/A N/A 2nd October TRACK DAY RMA Silverstone G.P. None *

Category: L7C = Lotus Seven Club Exclusive RMA = In association with the RMA Circuit Club WTQ = Wheeltorque (Northern) Ltd HSCC = A round of the Lotus Seven Club Pre '73 Race Series

Cost: * Denotes discounted rates direct with RMA Circuit Club or Wheeltorque (Northern) Ltd

HOW TO BOOK SPRINTS & HILLCLIMB: Send a separate booking form and full payment for each event that you wish to enter for, to the

appropriate Bookings Secretary below. Cheques must be made payable to "Sevens on Track":

SCAMMONDEN DAM Mr D Douglass 23 Sheraton Park Ingol Preston PR2 7AZ Tel: 0772 736754

ROWRAH Mr C Smith 34 West Street Kendal Cumbria LA9 5QL Tel: 01539 730769

CURBOROUGH Mrs B Swift Lawn Bank House Wychnor Staffs DE13 8BY Tel: 01283 791877

TRACK DAYS: Booking forms for Lotus Seven Club Exclusive Track Days must all be sent to RMA/7's On Track, together with a £25 deposit (payable to "Sevens on Track") for each event, to the following address:

Anne Davidson Tel: Anne Davidson 01285 810312 RMA/7's On Track or Graham Clarke 01628 779000 Cox's Cottage, Dunfield Gloucestershire GL7 4HE

OTHER EVENTS: Bookings for any other event should be made direct with the organisation concerned and in accordance with specific details as published in Low Flying.

M a r c h 1995 Low Flying

A UNIQUE NEW CHAMPIONSHIP WILL BE LAUNCHED BY CATERHAM CARS IN 1995, DESIGNED SPECIALLY TO ASSIST THE ENTHUSIAST IN

TAKING THE FIRST STEP INTO MOTORSPORT.

The championship will cover most motorsport disciplines including karting, autotests, hill climbs, sprints and circuit races.

The total package is priced at a remarkable £8995 inc. VAT and includes:-A live axle, twin carburetted 1600cc Caterham Sport with a Five speed

box - road and race legal; plus: one days testing, an ARDs training Course, both your medical and race licence, BARC membership, two kart races,

two autotests, two hill climbs, two sprints and two circuit races.

All you need to do is supply fuel, insurance and your time* For further details read the March issue of Top Gear Magazine

or phone our sales department on 01883 346666*

SPARES: 01322 559122 SERVICE: 01322 559124 SALES 01883 346666

Low Flying March 1995

KAR 1 20C - D a r r e n G r e e n has w r i t t e n in w i t h s o m e i n t e r ­e s t i n g b a c k g r o u n d t o "The P r i s o n e r " se r i es :

I'm sure that many of us were introduced to the Lotus Seven by THE PRISONER and I would like to share with readers of Low Flying some fascinating background information on the series.

The opening sequence was filmed 29 years ago on the runway at Radlett aerodrome and in central London. The Prisoner drives into the NCP car park at Abbingdon Street, back out onto Park Lane, and stops outside One Buckingham Place.

The Seven that we see in the opening sequence is a 1966 116E Lotus Super Seven Series 2, powered by a Ford Cosworth 1500cc pre-crossflow engine. It's chassis number was SB 2036, and engine number S424194E, it was owned by Lotus as the demo or press car.

There are many stories about what happened to this car, but I believe that I can now reveal its fate. The episodes "Many happy returns", "Do not forsake me oh my darling" and "Fall out" all fea­ture KAR 120C, but not the same car as the opening sequence, indeed as many as five cars may have been used.

Every six months or so, Lotus would change its press car, howev­er, with typical Colin Chapman ingenuity a new car would be built, the tax disc, number plates, and chassis plate off the old car would then be transferred to the new car thereby "avoiding" new car pur­chase tax, the old car would be dismantled. This was the fate of our "original car". I have no idea what happened to the car or where it is now - maybe you know different?

Incidentally, the car used in the episode "Fall out" came from Caterham Cars second hand stock and was a 109E hastily pre­pared overnight by David Wakefield. In one sequence we see a man in white overalls cleaning the car, this man is Graham Nearn.

Many thanks to David Wakefield, Peter Brandt, Max Hora and Graham Arnold for their assistance with my research. Darren Green.

Somerset & Wessex Scenic Drive - Last year we ran a Scenic Drive/Treasure Hunt in Somerset. Those who joined in seemed to enjoy themselves. In 1995 we are aiming for a wider audience, therefore out goes the treasure hunt and into Dorset we go.

The route will be approx. 80 miles taking in some interesting (hopefully) features and some exciting (definitely) roads. There must be some call for events other than Sprints and Hillclimbs, so show your support by voting with your right foot.

Sunday, 14th May is the day. More details will be published in Somerset and Wessex Area Ramblings nearer the time. Rhett Land.

March 1995 ( l 0

SURREY AREA -1995 CALENDAR

DATE EVENT ORGANISER

Thurs. 16/3 Darts: Surrey-v-Guests. Guy Thurs. 11/5 Run down to Kent meeting at Pluckley. Guy Sun 4/6 Area outing to History on Wheels

museum, Eton. Nick R. Thurs. 15/6 Group photo at the Arkle. Angus Sat or Sun Valence hill climb - convoy run 1/2 July and spectate. Tony P. Sun 9/7 Summer BBQ and boating

at Farncombe boathouse. Nick D/Angus Sun 6/8 Archery/Clay Pigeon shooting and picnic. Terry Mon 28/9 Area outing to Silverstone HSCC

race meeting. Angus Sun 17/9 Treasure Hunt. Nick R./Guy Sun 5/11 London to Brighton run breakfast

and spectate. Matt November Paint balling outing. Guy Sat 16/12 1995 Christmas dinner. Angus

It's a fairly full program, but has been carefully organised to avoid clashes with the national events and the major motorsport events (Le Mans, Goodwood, GP, etc.). Some of the dates are provi­sional, and all need organising, and I plan to include the calendar in each area report throughout the year so that you can all see the latest position.

With all that event planning going on, what about the January meeting? Well, it was a good turnout, with 30+ people and five cars - not bad for the Surrey area on a wet night. Most of the talk was of the program for the year, but it was good to welcome sev­eral new faces.

Finally, all you Club members in Sussex, Kent, North Kent & South London, Middlesex etc. areas, you are cordially invited to show how good you all are at Darts, in a 'Surrey -v- The Rest' match, at the Arkle, on Thursday 16th March. I look forward to welcoming you there. Happy Sevening, 'Captain Clipboard' Angus.

SWITZERLAND HAS A NEW PRESIDENT!

After 14 years as President of the Lotus Seven Owners Switzerland, our good friend Roger Savare has stepped down and taken a back seat as Honorary President. The onerous task has been taken on by Andre Bisang and we wish him every success.

Roger's new position will allow him to sit in and oversee Club pol­icy in an advisory capacity whilst still retaining the mantle of Swiss International Event Organiser and Magazine Editor. His continu­ing role within the framework of LSOS will be greatly appreciated by members of the Lotus Seven Club of Great Britain as anyone who has ever attended the St. Moritz meeting will readily testify. Hopefully we will still hear the immortal words "Gentlemen, start your engines!" or "Andre, why are you driving a Chesterfield?" (sorry, in-joke!). For those of you who have yet to sample Swiss hospitality the Swiss International event is during the first week­end in July. See you there!! Chairman Lol.

Low Flying

N U K i Still the money rolls in! Is there no end to the generosity of you lovely lot?

The Penultimate chapter perhaps?

A final word from: Warwickshire Area Christmas Dinner

Is this the final chapter and happy ending for '94?

£6091.64

£100.00

£ 6191.64

N U K E T H E L E U K CAMPAIGN'95

T h e O p e n i n g C h a p t e r The book is now open and running with a starter for 10 from our very own Wildman family in the Middlesex Area! £ 10.00

By now Fiona Kerr should be buried up to her neck in faxed recipes and samples of Seven cuisine for inclusion into her Seven Cookery Book and I for one can't wait to try them out. The thought of deep fried NGK's in lightly sea­soned Mobil 1 is making my mouth water. Yum yum! (Please note a change of address for Fiona: 8 Hillfield Road, Bilton, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV22 7EW. Tel: 01788 522482 Fax:01327 302446)

Emporer King Prawn Guess Who?!

I € U K Brian Poulton is definitely going to do the Lands End to John O'Groats run in his Seven. It's something he has always wanted to do and is determined to do it this year. So you lot, while Brian is working out the logistics and dates for the run, get a big jam-jar and start saving some sponsorship money. Sponsor forms will be sent to Area Organisers for distribution to members. It's the best part of 900 miles so Brian's own investment in fuel and wear and tear alone will be substantial so let's do our best to make it worthwhile for him and the Fund.

Brian will welcome company on the trip. He can be con­tacted daytime on 0923 259620 or fax on 0923 233546.

John Riley, the Area Organiser of the new Merseyside Area, has offered to set up a Corporate Charity Karting Event for our Nuke the Leuk Campaign. John has organ­ised these events twice before for two local hospitals and raised a staggering £14,500 - magnificent or what? - and a load of fun by all accounts. More details to follow soon. Steve Winterberg

S o w h a t a r e y o u w a i t i n g f o r ? C o m e o n , j o t d o w n t h e r e c i p e a n d s e n d i t t o F i o n a , t h e n g e t t h e m a p o u t a n d t h i n k a b o u t h o w

YOU a n d Y O U R A R E A

c a n h e l p B r i a n a s h e t r a v e l s t h e l e n g t h o f t h e c o u n t r y . T h i s h a s t o b e T H E C l u b e v e n t of t h e y e a r a n d t h e t h o u g h t of a l l t h o s e S e v e n s e s c o r t i n g B r i a n a c r o s s c o u n t y b o r d e r s u p a n d d o w n t h e c o u n t r y j u s t m a k e s m e s h i v e r . . . . !

B u t t h e n , y o u m i g h t j u s t w a n t to s t a y a t h o m e a n d p o l i s h i t i n s t e a d , e h ? E d .

Sole manufacturers of Lotus and Caterham Seven chassis for over thirty years. All chassis and body unit restoration is carried out using only correct specifications and production tooling. All forms of tubular and monocoque chassis component restoration by the specialists. We do not charge for advice and estimates. Please contact Bruce Robinson or Don Gadd.

ARCH MOTOR & MNFG CO LTD REDWONGSWAY HUNTINGDON CAMBRIDGESHIRE PE187HD Telephone 0480 459661 /2/3

Low Flying M a r c h 1995

X FLOW - BDR • LOTUS T/C • K SERIES • VAUXHALL Specialist engine building, modification and

rebuilding for both road and track. Full parts and machining service, cylinder head work, tu f f t r id ing,

camshaft t iming, one-off components, etc. I provide a personal service backed up by 16 years experience wi th

engines. If you want to rebuild for the coming season, whether for fun , or a serious campaign, give me

a ring and we can discuss your options.

ROLLING ROAD TUNING NOW AVAILABLE! Take the opportunity to have your car set up for

opt imum performance and driveability. Correct mixture strength and ignit ion t iming are essential for best

performance, and if engine damage is to be avoided.

USED AND NEW PARTS Full range of new parts available, (too many to list),

w i th the added advantage that I have the experience to advise on suitability. Ring for your requirements.

I always have a quantity of good condition used spares for sale ranging f rom roller rocker assemblies through

dry-sump equipment to pistons, plus Formula Ford parts. All to be sold as seen and prices are negotiable.

PISTONS Forged pistons available for the fo l lowing:-

Crossflow - 1700cc & 1800cc, Vauxhall - 2000cc, Twincam - various sizes, Pre-crossflow - various sizes.

One-off specials also available if you need something really wei rd! If you are racing, ask me about special

two-r ing pistons for even lower weight and fr ict ion.

Forged pistons are much stronger and lighter than the standard item, and generally show a significant power

gain (up to 10bhp), whilst improving reliability too !

EASY WINTER UPGRADE If your crossflow engined Caterham has an "Unleaded"

distributor (from about 1989 onwards), you can gain approx 10bhp by changing to a different type. From

£70.00 + V.A.T.

CYLINDER HEAD UNLEADED CONVERSIONS From £75.00 + VAT. Allows full t ime running on

cheaper unleaded fuel. The basic conversion involves the f i t t ing of special valve seats to the head; special armour

plated valves also available for very high mileages.

ENGINE CONVERSIONS Crossflow - to 185 bhp, Vauxhall - to 250 bhp, BDR - to

220 bhp, BDA - to 270 bhp, Twincam - to 180 bhp. K-series rebuilding and modification now available.

CB11 4AY TEL/FAX: (01799) 524916

M O T O R S P O R T

OFFICIAL CATERHAM SERVICE AGENT

FIXED PRICE SERVICE AND REPAIR

FREE CENTRAL LONDON COLLECTION/DELIVERY

POST BUILD INSPECTION AND TESTING

RACE PREPARATION AND PADDOCK SUPPORT

CONTACT BARRIE DOWNIE

378 CLAPHAM ROAD LONDON SW9 9AR

0171 720 2686

C A T E R H A M IN T H E C A P I T A L March 1995 Low Flying

NEW WORKSHOPS & SHOWROOM NOW OPEN

30 - 40 CARS IN STOCK

Lotus & Caterhams Urgently Required

U.K. Collection - Immediate Settlement SALES: 0227 - 832200

PARTS/SERVICE/RESTORATION: 0227 - 722542 FAX: 0227 - 832201 K E N T S P O R T S C A R S

HIGH STREET (A257), LITTLEBOURNE, CANTERBURY, KENT CT3 1SX

B L A M E L O L A N D

G R I M . . .

for introducing me to your Club, I'm easily led when track time is offered! I first met them when on the first Les Circuits trip to Catalunya when I had my GTD40, so I alternated between overtaking Lol and chasing Grim in their Sevens (when we weren't all in the local garages fixing the cars, but Lol's probably told you about that).

Now I have got rid of the '40,1 am in the process of building a new, bigger and better toy which should be track ready this year for Les Circuits IV in September, and I just thought I'd warn you so you didn't all have coronary's (or wet yourself laughing) when you see it at one of the Goodwood events this year!

I guess the only thing in common with a Seven is that my car is front engined, rear wheel drive and has no roof - but although I built it to beat my old '40 around the track (which means under 1 min 34 around Goodwood), I just couldn't resist putting a silly body on it just to really embarrass anybody I overtook!

The chassis was built from scratch by Wisbech Engineering, and is a round tube affair with independent suspension front and rear,

a limited slip Corvette diff, 13" and 11" discs with AP Racing four pot callipers. Grim persuaded me (easily, it must be said) to put some air jacks on the car since with 3" ground clearance I can't get a jack underneath! The car rolls around on 8'x18" and 10x18" Antera wheels. Lastly, the engine is a dry sumped 383ci (6.2 litres) Chevy V8 with all the bits - is 450bhp enough? The body is a glass fibre 1937 Ford that I've modified to make more aerody­namic (told you I had a sense of humour).

It's all in bits again, and Grim is spraying the chassis as I write this (late January), so when you read this it should be back together and almost running. Then it's off to Goodwood (only five miles away) to see if not being on a circuit for nearly three years (and having a six month old daughter who doesn't want Daddy to die yet) has made me a more careful (read slower) driver!

I'm sorry if my car offends anyone (not!), but as I said at the begin­ning, blame Lol and Grim... James Shaw

T h e U l t i m a t e Anti-theft System

P i c k up this key a n d take the first

step in protecting y o u r S E V E N a n d

y o u r I N S U R A N C E P R E M I U M

( N o r t h K e n t )

C a t e r h a m C a r s A p p r o v e d S u p p l i e r s

is the only vehicle security system officially approved by Caterham Cars Ltd.,

V e c t a h a v e l a u n c h e d the n e w V E C T A S H A D O W at a cost of o n l y £235 I N C L U S I V E O F V A T A N D F I T T I N G F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n please contact:

3 ( N o r t h K e n t ) T E L : 0474 706526 o r 0850 362260 FAX: 0474 708719

March 1995 0 Low Flying

H A Y D O N C A R S The 'One Stop' Independent Lotus and Caterham

Super Seven Specialists

HAYDON CARS

Located in Salisbury, Wiltshire, GUY MUNDAY and VINCENT HAYDON are at your service for all your Lotus and Caterham Super Seven requirements.

CAR SALES -Guy Munday

A selection of fully serviced and warranted Lotus and Caterham

Super Seven vehicles always available, to suit all budgets. Please telephone for an up to date stock list, to arrange a

test drive or to simply obtain free advice on Lotus or Caterham Super Seven ownership.

SERVICE & RESTORATION - Cos Di-Martino Fully trained Lotus and Caterham Super Seven technicians are on hand for all your servicing requirements. From regular servicing to engine rebuilds, chassis changes to total restorations. Free courtesy car available whilst we tend to your vehicle. In addition, Lotus Seven Club members can obtain a special workshop labour rate of £20 per hour (+ VAT) upon production of club membership card.

PARTS - Ian Clark From a nut and bolt to a chassis, a vast selection from 1954 to date, covering all models and usually in stock.

Obsolete or unobtainable parts a speciality. We only supply genuine Lotus or Caterham parts where

possible and if it's in stock we guarantee same day or next day despatch.

Entrust with confidence your vehicle to Haydon Cars an unsurpassed understanding of the Lotus and Caterham marques

ensuring the highest standards at all times

Haydon Cars, Harnham Garage, Newbridge Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP2 8AA Sales & Service: Tel: (01722) 410077 Parts: Tel: (01722) 410099 Fax: (01722) 421212

OPENING HOURS: 8.30am - 5.30pm - SIX DAYS A WEEK - SUNDAY BY APPOINTMENT

Low Flying March 1995

TVRRCLL Fl FACTORV VISIT

Recen t l y I was lucky e n o u g h to be a b l e to visit t he Tyrrell Factory . The visit was o r g a n ­ised by Rac ing for Br i ta in a n d a b o u t t w e n t y p e o p l e a r r i ved a t t h e f a c t o r y for t he 10 o ' c l o c k star t .

by Mike Stamper.

Yamaha enguine 17,500 rpm! Photo courtesy of Ian (I'll get it out

soon) Clarke!

Is we arrived the cars were being loaded

onto a transporter for a trip to Jerez where they were testing and evaluating new dri­vers. We started our tour with a look at the 1994 cars and were told that this years would be rather differ­ent because of the new regulations. Externally the engine will look the same, only the internals will alter to provide a shorter stroke to produce a smaller capacity. The new engine has already been tested and will rev to over 17,500 rpm!

On to the design room where there are about eight CAD machines which are all linked by a network so that each designer can import anothers work. This ensures that (for example) the undertray designer and the engine cover designer come up with the same dimensions and fixing points.

We then moved on to various departments which produce the moulds for the carbon fibre parts and the model shop which makes the 1/4 scale models for the wind tunnel. We also visited the clean room where the bodies are made, this room has a pos­itive air pressure so that when the doors are opened the draft blows outwards and so does not suck in dust. It also has a high­ly efficient air cleaning system. Other areas included the auto­clave and machine shop.

As this time of year is the busiest, there were a large number of people working (on a Saturday) so we were able to talk to the workers, which made the trip even more interesting.

One of the most unbelievable aspects of the trip was the cost of parts. For example, a brake calliper for £4,000. One brake disk £1,500 and it only lasts two races. An oil radiator core £1,500 dumped after two races because it loses 10% efficiency. One quick release steering wheel at £4,500 and these disappear quite regularly as souvenirs. Wheel nuts which are machined are used only once, so after each wheel change they are thrown away.

At the end of the trip we were introduced to Harvey Postelthwaite who gave a brief talk and then asked for questions. Near the end of the question and answer session he asked "Who owns the Seven?" I can not tell a lie, so I admitted that it was mine. "When we are finished can I have a closer look?" he asked. When we left after a three and a half hour tour he followed me over and asked

if he could sit in the car. I offered him the key and at first he said no, but almost immediately said "... perhaps just round the car park". It seemed odd that the designer of an F1 car would drive a Seven round the car park with a large grin on his face, but on sec­ond thoughts a Seven would have the same effect on anyone interested in cars. Following my first statement perhaps I will never wash the seat either?

The tour was organised by Racing for Britain and cost £20. They are arranging more visits this year, including Penske and

McLaren. If you are interested, member­ship will cost £10 and details can be obtained from Steve Sydenham on 0480 411375.

Mike's model Seven-Yes, a model!

MI D A S E X A L

Racing and Sports Car Chassis Specialists Welding and Fabrication Work

TRADE 8 RETAIL

ORDERS WELCOMED

Manufacturers of Tubular Wishbones, Radius Rods, Panhard Rods, A' Frames, Anti-Roll Bars etc. , , , , „ „ , .

! • » S One-off component work welcomed, i'swtmjoml • imrnmm • Roll-over Bars up to 2 diameter. • urn1 •

Machine Shop Facilities.

We make replacement, tubular wishbones f ront and rear, Elan's, + 2's, Europa's & Elites 6 Sevens + many other components.

SPACEFRAME CHASSIS SPECIALISTS (REPAIRS OR REBUILDS) Partners: Mick and Doug Arthur

O F F I C E 23 Loseby Close. Rushden, Northants NN10 9HT T e l e p h o n e : ( 0 9 3 3 ) 5 5 5 1 2

W O R K S Unit 40, Litt le Staughton Ai r f ie ld ,

Bedfordshi re MK44 2BN T e l / F a x : ( 0 2 3 4 ) 3 7 8 9 9 5

March 1995 Low Flying

M A N S 1 9 5 P a u l T u r n e r f r o m B i r m i n g h a m j u s t l o v e s a c h a l l e n g e — I

Well, it looks like we have a sucker (volunteer?). I'm still wondering how I got into this, one minute I'm thinking "Someone will sort it out this year". The next minute I'm talking to Roy uttering words like "I'll do it". Has anyone seen my marbles ?

o, in an attempt to stimulate a little interest and get plenty of Sevens buzzing around Le Mans this year, I have agreed to be a contact for all the information you want.

First the essential information. The race this year is the weekend of the 17/18th June and as usual runs from 4.00pm Saturday to 4.00pm Sunday. There is final practice on the afternoon and evening of Thursday 15th June, if you can make it this is worth a look - you can never get enough of cars racing at night! It also means that you have to find something to do on Friday and there's only two things worth doing; one is seeing how much of the track you can drive around without getting stopped by the French Police, the other is to get excruciatingly drunk and then get sun­burnt sleeping it off in the afternoon (the last two years have been absolute scorchers). You'll recognise me, I look like a lobster!

This years race will include an even greater number of cars in the new Sportscar category which means that none of the cars would look out of place on the high street (much). These cars were real­ly good to see last year - it makes you feel good seeing someone thrash a Bugatti EB110.

There are many different ways to get to Le Mans, but I prefer the Portsmouth-Caen route, it's a decent crossing and a pleasant drive the other side. Any of the routes across the channel can be used, but if you land too far east you need to skirt around Rouen. For more information on crossings and routes give me a ring.

Again, once in Le Mans there are numerous places to stay, all depending on what you want. If you want to be able to sleep at night without the aid of alcohol then you probably don't want to be camping near the track. There are a couple of places that you can camp and they are right at the circuit (some are even inside the circuit). If you want a little more comfort there's the Chateau that the Club has used before, and there are numerous companies that offer hotels in and around the Le Mans area.

Once again if you want to know more give me a ring, I can supply information, telephone numbers and advice but unfortunately not money! Once I know more about what people want I'll get the information in Low Flying. So come on pick up the phone, it's that simple!

See you there. Paul Turner - Home Phone : 0121 705 6276 P S . Here's wishing the Lotus Esprits better luck this year!

MIKE BROTHERWOOD The Lotus Seven and

Historic Lotus Specialist

For servicing, restoration, spares, sales, engine rebuilds, tuning, static engine dyno, one-off modifications,

wiring, chassis work, accident damage, panelling etc.,

You name it, we do i t ! Quality w o r k and personal service

to suit your needs and pocket

COVENTRY CLIMAX ENGINES SUPPLIED AND REBUILT

Tel: 01249 817338 (Days) 01249 760284 (Eves) Fax: 01249 760530 (24 Hours)

M a n y t h a n k s for v o l u n t e e r i n g P a u l . I k n o w t h e r e a r e l o t s of S e v e n d r i v e r s w h o w o u l d l i k e m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n a n d w o u l d a p p r e c i a t e l i k e - m i n d e d c o m p a n y o n t h e trip. S o g i v e P a u l a r i n g , e v e n if y o u h a v e a l r e a d y b o o k e d . L e t ' s s e e t h e C l u b f l a g ( n o w t h e r e ' s a n o t h ­e r t h o u g h t ! ) f l y i n g i n F r a n c e o n c e a g a i n . E d .

FOLDING CHAIRS ABBEY SPORTS

Monks Cottage Court Lane Often ham

W O R C S WR11 5RP TEL 01 386 45304

Ideal lor Sprint, Track Days, club events or whan you're simply out and about; unfolding In a single movement, they are strong and offer superb comfort and support. Each chair Is supplied with it's own matching nylon bag complete with shoulder strap and measuring just 29" i 4" (Appro*). Fits easily Into the boot of all 2-seater sports cars. Choose from two attractive colours - Red or Blue, price £24.95 each ( • P ft P).

For more information, or to place an order (allowing up lo 28 days (or delivery) post cheque wtth your address on the back to Lotus Seven Owner Ken Puttock at: ABBEY SPORTS. MONKS COTTAGE, COURT LANE. OFFENHAM. WORCESTERSHIRE. WR 11 5RP TEL: (01 386) 45304.

n the UK - 1 Chair £24.95 + £4.50 = £29.45 - 2 Chairs £49.40 + £5.00 - £54.90

Low Flying M a r c h 1995

TotalL totalL u committed, totally Cateik am.

SPRING IS HERE'.! So let Arrowstar clear those cobwebs from your car before you take to the road for some serious driving! Choose any two of the special offeq below for an extra £10 discount!'

CENTRE

MaKWVSmRWClNG

FULL ELECTRICAL CHECKOVER We check • All terminals and electrical joints • Instruments, gauges and switches • Battery condition • Starter motor performance • Alternator output Only £49.00

PRE SEASON SPRUCE UP We carry out • Full underbody clean and check • Engine bay clean Only £59.00 It

IECK'N'1 PRE SEASON CHECK'N TUNE IVe carry out the following • Compression test • Valve clearance check • Carburettor set up & balance • Sun engine tuning check Only £39.50,

PAINTWORK With the utmost love and care we • Strip car as necessary • Prepare and paint colour to match wings • Re-build as necessary • Carry out full valet Only £599.00 OR special colour including wings Only £699.00

• Free MOT check followed by test or list of necessary work. If we put your car in for the test and it fails we will do any necessary work labour free!

Caterham Regalia Full range of this top quality clothing and accessories available to order - call now for colour brochure and price list.

We are now official CATERHAM MOTOR-SPORT AGENTS The total service for all your Caterham | needs including new car sales!

Special Offer Services • 'Complete car' winter rebuild £ 7 9 9 Fixed labour price to strip your car down to a bare chassis and rebuild with new parts, bushes and nuts & bolts as necessary. Engine, gearbox and axle labour extra. Exact all-in quote given on strip down.

• Flat floor suspension set up Full check with minor adjustments and recommendations £ 4 5 . 0 0 Full set up including bumpsteer and all necessary work £ 9 9 . 0 0

• Engine set up and tune and winter checkover including FREE ANTIFREEZE £ 4 9 . 5 0

• Gearbox rebuild Maximum labour charge • Axle or diff rebuild Maximum labour charge

£ 1 2 0 . 0 0

_ £ 9 0 . 0 0

Save Money on Sparco Top Quality Racewear and Accessories now! Rules have changed for 1995. Check that your suit complies with the latest FIA marking! • Ring your order now for next season • Special offers every month

FIA 2 racesuit (£298.00) Our price £279.00 Jolly' FIA suit (£185.00) Our price £175.00 Top Driver boots I£85.00J Our price £74.90 Racing' boots (£69.00i Our price £57.95

Gloves from Our price £25.99 Balaclavas from Our price £8.99 We will beat any genuine quote.

Sparco Leisurewear New from Italy - stylish top quality clothing ideal for Seven driving in the winter. Colour brochure available.

ARROWSTAR USED CAR LIST 1987Q 1700 SUPERSPRINT Long cockpit in red. Cloth adjustable seats, roll bar, heater. Excellent condition 1990G 1700 SUPERSPRINT 5-speed De Dion in green with yellow nose. Full S-type trim in red, red weather equipment, heater, Motolita. 8,000 miles 1991H 1700 SUPERSPRINT 5-speed De Dion in red cloth, adjustable seats, Isd, heater, FIA bar, latest suspension. 1992J K-SERIES SUPERSPORT Race car. 5-speed De Dion in yellow. Good spec. fully rebuilt for road or race 1994L K-SERIES in green with yellow nose. Full tan S-type, usual extras. 2.000 miles only, perfect condition 1994 VAUXHALL CHALLENGE RACE CAR in white. Quickrack, 4-pot brakes, etc. TWO RACES ONLY 1991 VAUXHALL CHALLENGE RACE CAR in blue/pink. Has been little used since full rebuild. any part exchange considered

• All cars supplied fully serviced and checked and with extendable warranty. • Free first service on all cars. • Finance available subject to status, written details available on request.

I Centremead, Osney Mead Industrial Estate. Oxford 0 X 2 ODQ

T e l e p h o n e 0 8 6 5 2 0 1 1 5 5 F a c s i m i l e 0 8 6 5 2 0 1 1 7 7

L I N C 0 L N S N E W Y E A R

S P R I N T

(nee again the Lincoln Lot would like to claim our cus-Itomary FIRST for 1995 by reporting that we had our

now annual New Years day Sprint, this time at a different location, R A F Cranwell.

We are of course indebted to Mai (if there isn't a tool for it I'll make one) Page who managed to convince the powers that be at Cranwell that, as they weren't using the airfield that day anyway, he knew some nice Lotus Seveners who could make good use of it. He explained that the safest place to go "Low Flying" was on an airfield, and that we would promise to pick up any bits that might drop off afterwards, and promised that a word would be had in the appropriate ear, re the New Year Honours list.

At the appointed hour, six Caterham and Lotus Seven's arrived at the guardroom to complete all the necessary paperwork to gain access to all that lovely wide and completely empty tarmac. In we went, out went the cones, and off went the first car. He roared down to the first cone and turned right and straight away discov­ered that R A F tarmac and tyres at sub zero temperatures = not much grip. Poor Scott returned a 54.45 sec. time in spite of that almighty slide, and set the time to beat.

Of the six cars in attendance, as you might expect no two were the same. It was interesting to see that John Garlants' 165 x 13 tyred untuned 1600 returned a best time of 56.49 see's and Kevin Musson's 1600 pre 7 3 racer only managed 51.03 see's, not such a significant difference. Of course Kevin said that his car was off tune, but all these racing types say that don't they! But that was­n't the quickest time of the day though, no that was reserved for Scott Banks with a very creditable 50.25 see's, not quite cracking the 50 sec. mark.

Anyway, we got the camera out and recorded the presentation of the trophy, which happened to be a very splendid example of a plastic Lilly cup which had been rolling about in my boot since the National Event. Due to the excessive amount of mould inside it, we decided to adjourn to the local hostelry at Scopwick to drink his health (and get warm).

An enjoyable day was had by all, and once again my thanks to Mai for making it all possible, and to Ruth Crouch for taking the excel­lent video of the event, and to Vic Wainwright for carrying out the thankless task of time keeping and recording the results.

An excellent day, hopefully to be repeated for many years to come. Peter Hull.

Results of Lincoln Lots' 1995 New Year Sprint

Name Run 1 Run 2 Run 3 Run 4 Run 5 Best Place

Scott Banks 54.45 51.15 50.77 50.83 50.25 50.25 1st

Kevin Musson 67.98 52.18 57.54 51.03 54.13 51.03 2nd

Peter Hull 54.13 52.45 52.37 52.63 53.52 52.37 3rd

John Crouch 52.99 52.69 56.20 52.90 52.59 52.59 4th

Mai Page 55.87 55.08 53.20 54.49 53.84 53.20 5th

John Garlant 61.41 57.77 59.49 56.59 56.49 56.49 6th

PR€-73 LOTUS 7 CLUB RRCING CHAMPIONSHIP

That's right, CHAMPIONSHIP ! We're now part of the 70's Road Sports Championship. All the Sevens will be in one class sharing the grid with the likes of Elans, TVR's , Jaguar and Marcos. Nimble Sevens matched against some fairly hairy machinery. We've got 1600cc and some of the others have 3500cc - so it should be interesting!

Why not nag your Area Organiser into action (Yeh! G o o n , g i v e ' e m a g o o d n a g E d . ) Come along and see us, we will be per­forming at a track near you. John Rees.

Low Flying Ma rch 1995

TCCHNICAl TOPICS T6CHNICAI SURG€RV - CXHflUSTS. Paul Dunnell of Dunnell Engines is our guest "speaker" this month and

he has some interesting and informative replies to Member's questions on the subject of exhausts.

Q Anthony Shaughnessy poses a common question amongst members looking to change their exhaust system; It would be interesting to find out about the characteristics of the different sys­tems that I could fit on my crossflow. I currently have the standard 4:2:1 rear exit.

A. If your main criteria is for performance, then the side exit sys­tem wins hands down. The question of whether to go for a 4:2:1 or 4:1 system depends largely upon your engine specification, and your personal requirements. The 4:2:1 system will generally give a wider torque band than a 4:1 system. The point however arrives where if the engine is in a semi descent stage of tune, and is using higher rpm effectively, then the 4:1 system produces more top end power at the expense of the bottom end torque. But of course, in order to first arrive at this stage you will be using camshafts with characteristics that make the engine groggy in the lower rev range.

I would say however that in my opinion, if your 1600/1700 x-flow is producing maximum power at less than 6,200 rpm, then for road use you would be better off with a 4:2:1 system. It is true that all 1600 Formula Fords use a 4:1 system, and that the most power we would see from one would be 107bhp at 6,400 but with a Hewland 'box you are able to choose nice close gear ratios to keep the engine on the boil!

Q. John Reeve has similar thoughts in mind with his questions: I've got an '88 1700 crossflow SuperSprint with the road going 4:2:1 rear-exit exhaust. I like the idea of changing the exhaust to a side exit, because:-

- It looks better (well, I think so anyway).

The present system rubs on the inside of the rear tyre and if I reposition it, it bangs on the suspension!

The exhaust gasses make the ali body very dirty very quickly and I'm fed up with having to keep polishing the rear panel.

But, a new four into one competition side exit exhaust is EXPEN­SIVE, would mean retuning the engine and I'm not especially after more power. So how about a cheap solution, like replacing the back pipe with a side exit one - or would I have to cut a few inch­es off the present system ahead of the silencer and move the silencer forward a bit to put a side exit pipe on the end?

- Will I have to retune the engine because of the changed back pressure -1 was hoping not to have to.

- Is a side exit pipe for the end of the silencer a standard part or will I have to have it made up?

- Any other problems I've not thought of, such as it's very noisy, or it will gas the passengers (and me), or it's illegal, or reduces power, or it's a dumb idea because ?

Oh! ...and just how much more bhp would a four-into-one system give me, in case I ever get rich enough to buy one?

A. The earlier answer to Anthony's question is also applicable to John. Perhaps I'm not the right person to comment on the price of the side exit system, but is it really that expensive? (Try giving James Whiting a call). If you do fit a side exhaust, then your engine requirements will not be radically altered. Yes it is true that you could possibly better optimise your ignition and fuelling, but unless you could guarantee that at present your engine was set to optimum +/- 1%, then who knows, perhaps it might be currently better tuned for the side exit exhaust!

I'm sure that the noise from a side exit will be greater than a rear, but certainly it can be made to be perfectly acceptable and within current legislation for the UK market.

Q. John Cox poses some questions regarding his "Cat". / now run a Vauxhall injection HPC complete with catalytic converter (side exit) and having suffered a problem with the Lambda probe at only 3,500 miles, I wonder is it possible to change the "system", without altering any other components. I seem to get conflicting advice from whoever I speak to.

The Lambda probe failure (which did not show up on two separate diagnostic computers) resulted in the engine running very rich and misfiring badly at highish revs.

- Could this circuit be disconnected from the engine electron­ics?

Does the catalytic converter sap any power on the Seven's installation?

- Could I change the system and retain the Cat system for MOT time?

- Is the Caterham race system noisier than the standard one?

- Is there another supplier that can provide a silencer/pipe to connect to the standard manifold?

I would really like to just change the silencer without going to the expense (and bodywork cutting) of the race system if possible, but I am concerned about upsetting the electronics of the engine. I

March 1995 Low Flying

TECHNICAL TOPICS read that Cats are very susceptible to damage and failure and are

inevitably expensive to replace, not only that, but they do get seri­

ously HOT and SMELL!!

A . T h e L a m b d a p r o b e (or E G O sensor ) is an in tegrated par t of

your eng ine . By m e a s u r i n g the o x y g e n con ten t in the exhaus t g a s

it is ab le to d e t e r m i n e the air fuel ratio ( c o m m o n l y e x p r e s s e d as

e i ther A F R or as a func t ion of L a m b d a 1). T h e e lec t ron ics use this

in fo rmat ion to ad jus t the fuel mix ture to obta in ideal cond i t ions for

cata lys t opera t ion , p e r f o r m a n c e a n d economy . To remove the

sensor wil l result in an uncont ro l led mix ture s t reng th . T h e ca ta ­

lyst itself d o e s s a p power , genera l ly in the reg ion of 7 - 1 0 % due in

par t to the inc reased back p ressure in the s y s t e m , a n d yes , they

do get hot a n d smel ly !

W h a t e v e r your cho ice of exhaus t s y s t e m , y o u must retain the

L a m b d a p robe . You cou ld r e m o v e your cata lyst f r o m the s y s t e m

to try a n d increase p e r f o r m a n c e but, as you say, it must be

in w o r k i n g o rder for your M O T test .

I a m rather su rp r i sed at the fai lure rates y o u

s e e m to be exper ienc ing . It is p e r h a p s of

note to say that if y o u use leaded fue ls then

you wil l inevi tably suf fer deg rada t ion of i

both cata lys t a n d L a m b d a probe. So I keep to S u p e r G r e e n .

Q. K e n n e t h C a m p b e l l has found the

c a u s e of tha t i r r i ta t ing c l ick . Since

installing a Vauxhall engine with a race

exhaust system I have found that after lift­

ing off at about 6,000 rpm there was a

noticeable click which appeared to come from

around the exhaust. I finally tracked it down to

the collector which is held onto the primary pipes with

two springs.

It would appear that when the exhaust gases meet at the collec­

tor, the pressure causes it to slide on the primary pipes and on lift­

ing off the springs are pulling it back into position.

- Are the springs rated to allow for different tuned pipe lengths

at a specific rev range?

- Do Caterham, or other specialists, provide uprated springs?

A. Try s o m e stiffer spr ings , or bet ter sti l l , m o u n t it so l id , ' cause it

ain' t m e a n t to m o v e !

Q. S t e v e S h a w w o u l d like our exper ts op in ion on the fo l lowing:

- Should the diameter of the primary 'manifold' pipes be greater

than the diameter of the head exhaust ports to aid in prevent­

ing spent exhaust gasses being drawn back into the cylinder?

- Should the volume (length/width) of each primary pipe be set

to a specific value depending on the cylinder capacity, so that

the exhaust gasses from one cylinder can help 'extract' the

gasses from the following cylinder, resulting in one continuous

flow at a specific engine rpm?

I'm sure the pipe from the collector to the expansion box has

some overall effect, but I'm not aware of what this might be,

apart from affecting the overall 'tuned length'? Could this be

explained.

The expansion box provides sound deadening by either: (a)

via baffles, which slow the exhaust gas speed but also cause

back pressure and loss in engine power; or (b) an expansion

compartment larger than each cylinder capacity; or (c) a per­

forated pipe surrounded with a larger diameter outer cylinder

filled with sound deadening material such as fibreglass.

Which is best?

The exit pipe after the expansion box has little if any effect on

the 'tuned length' of the entire system as the exhaust

gasses are no longer under pressure. True of

false?

Having said all this, some say back

pressure is desirable to increase engine

power output. How can this be?

A . It w o u l d be n ice to th ink that the re

is a g iven f o r m u l a that relates to all

eng ines for exhaus t des igns . W e use

two di f ferent c o m p u t e r p rog rams for

exhaus t s y s t e m ana lys is , but a lways

f ind that a l though they g ive a s tar t ing

point for deve lopmen t , the f inal des ign is

e s t a b l i s h e d f r o m e n g i n e d y n a m o m e t e r

resul ts.

Firstly, it is des i rab le to have the exhaus t p r imary p ipes

sl ight ly larger than the head por t . Th is is w h y we use C N C laser

cut exhaus t f langes to gua ran tee a perfect fit. T h e theory is tha t

by momen ta r i l y reduc ing the gas veloci ty at the junc t ion of t he

f lange to the head , p ressure pu lses can be part ia l ly st i f led before

hav ing any s igni f icant effect on the ou tgo ing cha rge . Go ing on to

your s e c o n d point , it must be s t ressed that exhaus t s y s t e m d e s i g n

is a func t ion of m a n y var iab les, but as a genera l rule in es tab l ish­

ing the p r imary p ipe d imens ions , w e w o u l d be c h o o s i n g a d i a m e ­

ter that is capab le of o f fer ing as little res is tance to g a s iner t ia as

is expec ted f r o m the g iven eng ine at it's pre fer red m a x i m u m oper ­

a t ing s p e e d .

T h e length of the p ipes are, as y o u say, impor tan t in es tab l ish ing

a t u n e d length . It shou ld be sa id tha t th is length on mos t e n g i n e s

is not cr i t ical to the neares t inch or so, but it is impor tan t that t he

overal l length of E A C H pipe shou ld be equa l . (So go and m e a ­

sure yours! ) S o m e t i m e s the best look ing s y s t e m s are not all

they ' re c racked up to be if a c o m p r o m i s e has been m a d e in o rde r

to fit it into the chass is . T h e tail p ipe to s i lencer p ipe has to m e e t

the s a m e cr i ter ia as the p r imary p ipes . However , if y o u go exces ­

sively large y o u risk reduc ing the gas s p e e d to such a n extent that

y o u kill off it's iner t ia a l together at a later point . (A g o o d e x a m p l e

Low Flying March 1995

TCCHNICfll TOPICS

C o n t ' d . . . is the 2 litre Mondeo system, where you'll see that the final pipe run is in a smaller diameter to the preceding section in order to increase it's velocity prior to exit, although in this instance, there's a good reason for the fudge!). With respect to silencer design, we prefer the perforated through pipe system, if it can be made both quiet and reliable. The exit pipe after the silencer is seen by the engine as part of the tuned length and as such it's length is important, although obviously if your system is 15' long, then by ratio 2" is naff all.

And finally, having dug myself a nice hole, I might as well carry on - is a little back pressure a good thing? All exhaust systems cre­ate a back pressure of some magnitude, and in any system a pressure wave (back pulse) will be generated that if not controlled can become of critical proportions. By altering the tuned length of the system you are in effect altering the magnitude and/or fre­quency of this pressure wave. In doing this it is quite possible that you are increasing the back pressure measured in the system, but perhaps the gain is greater than the loss.

With a Seven, the exhaust system is inevitably a compromise between performance and practicality. This point should be remembered in order to keep ones sanity! Paul Dunnell

M a n y t h a n k s t o P a u l for h i s i n v a l u a b l e c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e first i n o u r s e r i e s o f T e c h n i c a l S u r g e r i e s . E d .

S I E V E RACING

L O T U S a n d C A T E R H A M 7 S P E C I A L I S T S

A l l S e v e n w o r k u n d e r t a k e n i n c l u d i n g k i t b u i l d s , a c c i d e n t

r e p a i r s , r e p a i n t s a n d r e s t o r a t i o n s .

• ROAD and RACE ENGINES -REBUILDS, UPGRADES etc.

• SUSPENSION SET UP for ROAD and TRACK.

SEVEN SERVICING SERVICE X/FLOW 3000 £45.00 6000 £120.00 12000 £150.00

COSWORTH VAUXHALL £40.00 £40.00 £120.00 £120.00 £150.00 £150.00

ALL PRICES SUBJECT TO VAT.

T e l e p h o n e f o r m o r e d e t a i l s 0 1 2 7 9 6 4 7 2 6 1 (workshop)

0 8 6 0 4 4 3 7 0 4 (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 PARSONAGE EST., STANSTED, ESSEX

B R A I N T E A S E R A N S W E R S

W e l l , s o r t of! You s e e , n o t o n l y d i d w e g e t a n e x c e l l e n t r e s p o n s e t o M a d M a l c o l m ' s l i t t l e q u i z l a s t m o n t h , b u t t w o o f y o u c h a p s a l s o m a n a g e d t o s p o t h i s l i t t l e " d e l i b e r a t e " e r r o r ( d o n ' t w o r r y M a l c o l m , y o u r s e c r e t i s s a f e w i t h m e a n d I ' v e g i v e n a l l o u r A m e r i c a n m e m ­b e r s y o u r p h o n e n u m b e r ! ) .

S o h e r e a r e t h e a n s w e r s - d i d y o u g e t N o . 8 r i g h t ?

1) Letter of the Alphabet. 2) 7 x Wonders of the World. 3) 1001 x Arabian Nights. 4) 12 x Signs of the Zodiac. 5) 54 x Cards in a Pack ( with Jokers). 6) 9 x Planets in the Solar System. 7) 88 x Piano Keys. 8) 12 x Stripes on "Mad" Malcolm's American Flag, but thirteen

on the real one! 9) 32 x Degrees Fahrenheit at which Water Freezes. 10) 3 x Men in a Boat. 11) 24 x Hours in a Day. 12) 1 x Wheel on a Unicycle. 13) 57 x Heinz Varieties. 14) 11 x Players in a Cricket Team. 15) 29 x Days in February (when it's a Leap Year). 16) 64 x Squares on a Chess Board. 17) 2 x Peas in a Pod. 18) 21 x Dots on a Dice. 19) 18 x Holes on a Golf Course. 20) 20 x Questions in this Quiz.

S o , i g n o r i n g M a l c o l m ' s l i t t l e c o c k - u p , t h e first " c o r r e c t " fax a n s w e r I r e c e i v e d w a s f r o m M i k e C a r p e n t e r i n S u r r e y a n d s i m i l a r l y t h e first o n e i n b y p o s t w a s f r o m R a y H a l s a l l i n S u r r e y - a g a i n !

B u t l e t ' s b e fair a n d g i v e A n d r e w W a l k e r (I d o n ' t k n o w w h e r e f r o m b u t i t ' s p r o b a b l y S u r r e y ) a p r i z e a s w e l l , ' c o s h e w a s t h e first t o p o i n t o u t t h a t t h e r e a r e t h i r t e e n s t r i p e s o n t h e A m e r i c a n f l a g .

S o , d r o p a l i n e o r fax t o o u r " R u t h i n R e g a l i a " c h a p s , t e l l i n g h e r y o u r e s s e n t i a l d i m e n s i o n s a n d s h e w i l l g e t y o u r T-shirt off for y o u - k n o w w h a t I m e a n ? A n d o u r c o m m i s e r a t i o n ' s t o a l l t h e o t h e r e n t r a n t s b e t t e r l u c k n e x t t i m e . E d .

P S . N i c e try P a u l F l e e t w o o d - S t a r s o n t h e A u s t r a l i a n F l a g ( b o t h s i d e s ) i n d e e d !

M a r c h 1995

still reckon we should bring the exhaust up here, through the bonnet and "

Low Flying

T H E 1995 LOTUS F E S T I V A L EXHIBITION, PARTS

S A L E A N D AUCTION DONINGTON P A R K

EXHIBITION CENTRE SAT 8th A N D SUN 9th APRIL

'HUNDREDS OF CARS AND THOUSANDS OF PARTS" SUPPORTED BY LOTUS CARS LIMITED, M A N Y LOTUS DEALERS, LOTUS SPECIALISTS, LOTUS RESTORERS, LOTUS COMPETITION WORKSHOPS, LOTUS BREAKERS, LOTUS CLUBS AND LOTUS OWNERS F R O M BRITAIN, EUROPE AND THE REST OF THE WORLD. LOTUS TECHNICAL LECTURES, LOTUS VIDEO FILMS, ALSO CONTEMPORARY LOTUS PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION mmmm E m m m m M M a NEW AND USED LOTUS CARS, M A N Y OF T H E M FOR SALE M M ) IHHSSBP TOMBS A N AUCTION O F LOTUS CARS, LOTUS

M E M O R A B I L I A A N D LOTUS R E L A T E D ITEMS ETC. FOR T R A D E STAND, A U T O J U M B L E , C A R SALES OR AUCTION I N F O R M A T I O N , PLUS L O C A L B&B OR HOTEL

A C C O M M O D A T I O N LIST A N D P R E BOOKED E N T R Y TICKET DISCOUNTS, PLEASE CONTACT SUE HICKS THE LOTUS SHOW S E C R E T A R Y TEL: 0362 691144/694459 OR O N F A X 0362 695522.THE W H O L E SHOW TAKES P L A C E INDOORS 1 0 . 3 0 A M - 6 . 0 0 P M A N D IS F U L L Y H E A T E D . C A F E T E R I A , B A R , F R E E C A R P A R K I N G , IMtS]™) PRICES F O R THE G R A N D P R I X M U S E U M .

JUST O F F M l N E A R EAST M I D L A N D S AIRPORT

SUPPORTED BY FOOTMAN JAMES INSURANCE

Low Flying (23 ) March 1995

P a r t

A continuation of Steve Shaw's experience in improv­

ing the handling and roadholding of his own car.

S t a g e I

To recap on the story so far. My Seven has undergone improve­

ments (in my eyes) in the form of a hotter engine with the help of

Roger King (a hooligan car according to the Good, the Dangerous

and Pip) and new top link and anti-roll bar setup from Caterham,

married to the existing uprights. As we left it I had just ordered

Yokohama A001-R 185/70/13 tyres all round and thoughts were

turning to springs and dampers. The tyres have now been on for

some time and new springs and dampers for the past couple of

weeks. So how has the latest work with tyres, springs and

dampers performed after the previous alterations?

Weight Transfer Under Roll. Well, as was discussed in the last

instalment, the bane of all cars when it comes to handling is their

natural tendency to roll under cornering. This roll sets in motion

a transfer of weight from one side of the car to the other, usually

from the inner to the outer. This reduces the grip provided by the

inner tyres as they lose contact with the road surface and loads

the outer tyres, pushing it towards and eventually over its maxi­

mum available grip for a given slip angle. Which end of the car

suffers the initial loss or lessening of grip defines the cars natural

tendency to understeer or oversteer (see later).

Our primary requirement therefore is to equalise the available grip

at each corner, hopefully making a neutral handling car with the

maximum amount of grip available from all four corners. It is, after

all, the little contact patch between each tyre and the road that

provides all the cornering power. Anything else that is adjusted is

to maximise the potential from these four little patches.

Less Roll? Ignoring the static weight distribution of the car, the

obvious answer is strong springs to resist the roll and stop or min­

imise weight transfer, helping each tyre contact patch to do the

best it can. However, as we said last time spring rates on all but

race cars can't be set too high as they would give an unaccept­

able ride on our traditional British roads.

The next option is stiffer anti-roll bars which have the effect of stiff­

ening the apparent spring rates during roll without affecting com­

pliance on undulating straight roads. The problem here, as was

stated before, is that the effect of roll can be simulated by only one

wheel falling into a pot hole or traversing a bump, causing the car

body to twist in response. Not nice.

More importantly anti-roll bars 'rob' cornering power or grip from

the tyres by adding more weight transfer from the already lightly

loaded inner wheel to the heavily loaded outer. (This may help

balance the car end to end by robbing cornering power from the

end with more, obviously at the expense of overall cornering

power). Exactly the opposite of what we are trying to achieve.

This is one area where active suspension can be made to work,

by stiffening only the outer end of the anti-roll bar, as with Citroen's

latest advanced Xantia suspension.

Increased Spr ing Rates. With Sevens then, the best compro­

mise seems to be the stiffest acceptable springs with a medium

March 1995

anti-roll bar, the stronger springs cancelling out some of the effect

of the roll bar.

Stronger springs, up to a point, bring other benefits. On my car

the old spring rates were too soft, relying on the dampers to

attempt to reduce roll, which as we saw last time is not the job

they perform. Setting dampers too hard results in a very 'jiggly'

ride as they react to a change in state, but do not affect the end

result. For example, they resist the initial start of roll or bump,

causing a sharp jolt, but then allow the car to roll or settle to the

position allowed by the springs. Therefore stronger springs with

better damper settings can reduce roll and squat etc. while simul­

taneously providing a smoother ride.

The front springs on my car have gone from 105lbs to 260lbs at

the front and from 75lbs to 115lbs at the rear, a massive change

you might think, but the result has actually been a marked

improvement in ride quality due to the dampers now being set at

a more realistic level and the car riding more on the springs. The

relative spring rates front to rear also affect the amount of weight

transfer at either end, resulting in understeer or oversteer. At the

stiffer end of the car more weight is transferred, reducing the avail­

able cornering power. Therefore stiffer front springs increase

understeer, stiffer rear increase oversteer. However true, 'spring

rates' are as measured when fitted to the car, not their individual

values quoted when sold. Unequal length wishbones and angle

to applied force vary the ultimate spring value. The result is the

front springs on a Seven may not be as stiff relative to the rear as

you may think.

Coincident Roll and Gravity Centres. A final method of reduc­

ing roll, and one that many race cars come close to, is to arrange

it so that the car's centre of gravity and centre of roll at each end

are coincident. If this occurs no roll will be apparent and effec­

tively spring rates could be selected for comfort and not used to

resist roll. In most cars the height of the engine, petrol tank, occu­

pants etc. makes this ideal impossible, however... this knowledge

of roll heights can be used to great benefit.

Roll Transfer via Chassis. The car's chassis can be used to

affect the apparent handling by acting as a large torsion bar, trans­

ferring weight, or better still roll, from one end of the car to the

other. This causes the suspension at one end to work harder than

if it were isolated, balancing the total cornering power requested

from both ends. For example a car that rolls more at the front, due

to a larger difference in roll and gravity centres, will transfer some

of that roll to the back because of the stiffness of the chassis. This

causes the rear outer suspension to be compressed by a greater

amount than its roll rate alone would require, while reducing the

front roll angle. This evens out the total amount of cornering avail­

able, increasing it at the front, reducing it at the rear. Knowing

this, suspension can be modified to incline the car's roll axis to

increase roll transfer front to rear during cornering, decreasing the

usual understeer. This can be likened to having stronger rear

springs during cornering.

Low Flying

Inclined Roll Heights. With all Sevens the rear roll height is set by the location of the 'A' frame mounting bracket, mounted below the axle casing on live axle cars. It is about this point that the rear of the car will attempt to roll during cornering (as an aside this is one reason why these bushes wear out so quickly as they are resisting the natural roll centre(s) of the axle/suspension setup). With this roll centre effectively fixed the adjustable platform dampers will lower/raise the centre of gravity at the rear relative to the roll centre. At the front the roll centre is set by the point of intersection of three invisible lines drawn from a) the upper wish­bone, b) the lower wishbone to their point of intersection and c) a line drawn from the contact patch of the tyre to the above inter­section point. Where this last line crosses the centre line of the car is the location of the roll centre, as shown below.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 1

i ^Roll Centre

Obviously altering the damper spring seat will lower/raise this roll centre enabling the roll axis to be inclined if wished. Therefore, lowering the front roll centre below the rear, assuming similar cen­tres of gravity, will cause a greater 'chassis' transfer of weight at the rear reducing understeer.

Front roll height 'A' wants to roll a greater amount than rear 'B' . But as body can't twist, 'B ' is forced to roll more, reducing 'A' roll (B and A roll same amount). Therefore less weight transfer at front, more at rear so rear grip reduced, front improved. Result, less understeer.

Altered Suspension Pickups. One of the effects of Caterham's choice of shorter uprights for the latest Bilstein cars has been to lower the front roll centre, reducing the natural understeer ten-

Front roll centre

dency of De-Dion cars. This is one of the common 'tricks' used in one make racing to gain handling advantages. Note also the effect of castor angle on the turned wheel, increasing negative camber in the direction of load, towards the outside of the radius (although, granted, in a neutral steering car this has no effect as the wheel will not be turned).

Static Corner Weights. If weight transfer affects roadholding it should be obvious that ensuring (as near as possible) perfect sta­tic weight distribution will give the best possible start for a car's handling. Looking at the individual corners of the car it should also be apparent that the weight applied to each wheel under sta­tic loaded conditions will be different if nominal suspension setups are used, especially if only the driver is the usual occupant. This affects each wheel's ability to supply grip under similar conditions. Adjusting individual spring rates/weights by changing the spring platform height can be used to setup equal corner weights and hence even out the available grip.

Centre of Gravity. In addition to static corner weight, lowering the centre of gravity, as we have seen, will reduce the amount of body roll. In addition to the adjustable platforms of most dampers, which in front suspension geometry will also affect the roll centre, wheel and tyre combinations can be chosen to lower the overall car's height. My reasons for not going to the usual 185/60/13 combinations were given last time so I have restricted this option for my car.

N e x t m o n t h will s e e t h e c o n t i n u a t i o n of S t e v e ' s w o r k o n c l a m p e r s a n d s p r i n g s . E v e n if y o u d o n ' t r u s h o u t a n d c h a n g e y o u r o w n s e t u p , i t ' s w o r t h r e a d i n g j u s t t o g e t a b e t t e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g of w h a t h a p p e n s w h e n y o u t u r n t h e s t e e r i n g w h e e l ! E d .

LOTUS SEVEN CLUB OF

GREAT BRITAIN

S U N D A Y lVTAV 14th 1 995 S C A M M O N D E N D A M ( N E A R R I P P O N D E N , W E S T Y O R K S H I R E )

Completed Entry Form, Cheque and S A E to:

Doug Douglass 23 Sheraton Park Ingol Preston L A N C S P R 2 7AZ, T e l : 0772 736754

Signing O n 08:30 First Practice 09:30

Entries Limited T o 75 Drivers £ 3 5 . 0 0 Per Driver

Low Flying M a r c h 1995

R C J U V C N R T I N G V O U R A L L O Y S

by P e t e r B u r g e s s

The first section of Low Flying that I always turn to is the

small ads. I sometimes wonder why, for in all the eight

years I have been a member, I have never seen anything

that I particularly wanted to buy. The main problem is that with a

Series 4 Seven there are few people selling off second-hand bits

that I really want or need, and usually those that do are asking

realistic (i.e. high) prices.

But in the November issue it all came up trumps. There was an

ad for a set of Dunlop alloy wheels, the original £40 (for five!)

optional extra for the Series 4 and some earlier Sevens, when

new. Even though I had been quite proud of the fact that my car

still ran on its original steel wheels, complete with Cortina GT hub

caps (it made it stand out in a crowd if nothing else), the thought

of the genuine alloys made all the years of pouring over the For

Sale and Wanted worthwhile.

A call to Gary confirmed that they were in 'very good condition',

and although they were off a Sunbeam Tiger rather than a Seven,

the hole centres were identical. No problem, I was passing by

Leicester that weekend on the way to visit my sister-in-law, so I'd

take the cash and give them a thorough going over on the spot.

However things conspired to prevent my trip at the last minute, so

to avoid the risk of losing them to the dozens of other eager buy­

ers (eat your heart out) I asked aforementioned sister-in-law to

buy them sight unseen.

Stage 1 - Cleaning After

removing the tyres, the dirt,

corrosion and paint have to

be blasted off with very fine iron grit. Chris says he has never had

any problems with bi-metallic corrosion, and favours this method

over the chemical cleaning favoured by some other companies.

Stage 2 - Painting Diamond Styling use a three-stage paint

process, which they reckon gives the optimum long-term protec­

tion. First an etch primer is applied which forms a strong bond

with the aluminium alloy. A filler-primer then obscures small blem­

ishes and finally the finish coat, usually black or silver, is applied.

In between each coat of two-pack chemically-setting paint the

wheel is oven-baked at 100 degrees centigrade.

Stage 3 - Machining To get the profile of the wheel dead right,

and to provide the best possible finish to the 'exposed' areas of

aluminium, the wheel needs machining. This can be done by eye

or with a copy lathe. Diamond Styling has hundreds of patterns

for different alloy wheels, and makes up fresh ones as they are

needed. The cutter on the lathe copies its movements from a

plastic template which ensures that each wheel is machined iden­

tically. Usually it is necessary to machine off just a few thou­

sandths of an inch of material - enough to remove the unwanted

paint from Stage 2 and to get rid of any remaining surface blem­

ishes. Wheels which have a totally painted finish are machined

before they go through the paint work stage.

the idea of a quick rub with wire wool and then a spray with black

paint evaporated instantly.

Of course they were far worse than I had imagined, and the idea

of a quick rub with wire wool and then a spray with black paint

evaporated instantly. But all except one seemed structurally

sound, the main problem being that they looked like they had been

left outside for five years, with the consequent problems of surface

corrosion. The fifth wheel was a bit knocked about in the centre,

but would do as a spare as the damage would be covered by the

number plate.

Mark Oliver at Ratrace suggested I talk to Diamond Styling in

North London about reconditioning, and it was the best move I

could have made. Chris Talabi at DS runs a specialist wheel ren­

ovation business, and I am pleased to say that the finished result

is probably better than the original ever was when it left Dunlop.

The story below details what goes on.

Stage 4 - Finishing Although aluminium alloy doesn't rust like

steel, it still corrodes pretty quickly when its gets wet - the first sign

is that the beautifully shiny finish turns a dull grey. So to keep the

appearance as well as to provide long-term protection, it needs a

coat or three of clear lacquer. Chris bakes the lacquer on like the

paint, and then rubs all but the final layer with Scotchbright to

enhance the finish.

That's it really. The finished job was a revelation, probably better

than the wheels ever were when new. The fifth wheel, with the

damage in the centre, has been filled with aluminium weld and

now looks indistinguishable from the others. Of course, there is a

finite limit to the amount of repair work which can be done, but it's

always worth asking if you have a damaged wheel.

Replace or refurbish? The price of alloy wheels varies enor­

mously, but while it is quite easy to buy a wheel made for the

accessory market for as little as £75, the cost of replacing the gen­

uine original-equipment article is likely to be much more. Even on

a humble Nova GSi the bill for a single wheel is going to be well

over £100, while a forged alloy on a Porsche 928 needs a second

mortgage!

March 1995 Low Flying

H A Y D O N C A R S Independent Lotus and Caterham

Seven Experts

LOTUS SEVEN CLUB MEMBERSHIP

RECRUITMENT DRIVE We have a list of potential members

waiting to buy your Super Seven!

To help us increase club membership numbers, please allow

us to buy your car today!

Contact Guy or Vincent on: 01772 410077

or Fax the Facts on: 01722 421212

After hours: 01483 232578 (Guy) 0590 682508 (Vincent)

Harnham Garage, Newbr idge Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP2 8 A A

As long as the damage isn't too severe, refurbishment is a much more economical proposition. Diamond Styling charges £35.50 for a 13 or 14 inch wheel, £6.25 more for 15 and 16 inches, plus VAT. Judging by the amount of work that goes into each wheel, and the quality of the finished job, that's good value. And, of course, refurbishment is the o n l y option if you have a set of irre­placeable alloys from a classic car, like my Seven.

Cleaning your alloys There are ways to clean your alloys which take the hard graft out of the job. Spray-on cleaners are readily available at car accessory shops, though they work with varying degrees of success. Usually the idea is that you spray the liquid onto the dirty wheel, wait a short while, and then hose it clean. The effectiveness is largely down to the strength of the acid in the cleaner, but to avoid the risk of acid eating into the wheel or its protective coating, the strength is kept down. If you try hard enough you might find a garage workshop which will sell you a highly acidic cleaner - but be warned. Leave it on too long and you could ruin your wheels.

You can try to stop the wheels getting dirty in the first place. There's not much that you can do about road dirt, but you can buy shields which are fitted between the wheel and the brake disc to cut down on brake dust. They cost around £20 a pair.

Fitting and balancing Most tyre fitters, and it must be said, the car manufacturers themselves, fit the same knock-on balance weights to alloy wheels that they use for steel versions. These clip over the edge of the rim and are knocked in place with a hammer. It's not a very clever solution on alloys, for even if the fitter avoids damaging the wheel with the hammer, the sharp edges on the clips will almost inevitably scratch the lacquered finish which will be the starting point for water seepage and corrosion.

The alternative is to use stick-on balance weights. These are more time consuming to fit, but all good tyre fitters should have them on the shelf. Diamond Styling go further and insist that they are fitted out of sight on the inside of the wheel.

Chris can be contacted at D i a m o n d S t y l i n g , U n i t 2, W a l d o W o r k s , T r e n m a r G a r d e n s , L o n d o n N W 1 0 6 B D . Tel 0 1 8 1 9 6 9 9 6 9 0 . He'll give Seven Club members a 10% discount if you ask him nicely!

Our thanks to Auto Express for allowing Low Flying the use of their photographs.

Low Flying © M a r c h 1995

> • • • •

^ ^ ^ ^ 230 , 220 \ 2001 isor 1 7 0 V

|l 0 i50V 1* isor

u o r 1 3 0 V 120V 1 io V

PRICE £5,550

8

80 V 701 60 V 50 V

45 OCOE

- »e ocoe

EMS t

55 6 0 65

25 30 3 5

R.PW ,100

ELECTRONIC MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Full fuel injection and ignition system designed to be an upgrade for existing ZETEC owners or as an

option on our new engine range, offering significant advantages over the already impressive specification of the ZETEC unit. Other engine applications available - telephone for details.

D u n n e l l E M S f e a t u r e s t h e f o l l o w i n g : -• Full s e q u e n t i a l injection • Full c l o s e d loop control with self learning f u e l l i n g

• Inbuilt t ract ion control interface • Gear shif t indicator (user adjustable) • Soft/hard cut rev l imiter (user adjustable) • Full d a t a logging/ tacho replay • No extra mapping charges for ZETEC • Manufactured to BS5750/ISO9002

( includes EMS unit, twin thrott le bodies, l inkage/fuel ra i l , injectors, dedicated Seven wir ing loom, thrott le potentiometer, pressure regulator, user software e t c . . )

PRICE: £1,695 or a s a n o p t i o n o n o u r n e w e n g i n e r a n g e ( f o r e x a m p l e t h e D u n n e l l Z e t e c 2 l i t r e b i g v a l v e n o w p r o d u c e s 2 1 5 B H P w h e n f i t t e d w i t h D u n n e l l E M S a s a p p o s e d t o 1 9 0 B H P

w h e n f i t t e d w i t h W e b e r 4 5 c a r b s - s e e g r a p h a b o v e ) .

Additional Cost over carb engine: £695 DUNNELL 3P IGNITION MODULE (For WEBER carb engines)

This unique unit contributes to the DUNNELL ZETEC's low speed tractability and economy. It comes ready mapped for ZETEC, and is easily upgraded to full EMS specification if required at

a later date. Other engine applications possible - telephone for details.

Prices from £395.00 For further detai ls contact PAUL DUNNELL on (01449) 677726

UNIT 10, TOMO BUSINESS PARK, STOWMARKET, SUFFOLK IP14 5AY FAX: (01449) 770539 Agents t h r o u g h o u t E u r o p e a n d J a p a n

ALL PRICES SUBJECT TO VAT

March 1995 Low Flying

If m m m ^ m

The Lotus Seven Club welcomes the following nel Sean Brearey & Son ia Fletcher Keith Marriner HUDDERSFIELD, W Yorks DUBAI, United Arab Emiral Mark Brown Peter & Laura Marshall • TUNBRIDGE WELLS, Kent NORTH POLE, Alaska William Christie Sean Martin GRIMSBY, S Humberside ST PETER PORT. Guernsefl Morgan Cleasby John Mee BIRMINGHAM, W Midlands POOLE, Dorset Mr Couzens Miles Moseley EPPING, Essex MAIDSTONE, Kent Jack Davies Mike & Tina Neumann BICESTER, Oxon LONDON Francois Delegue Ian & Vera Noble PARIS, France ROMFORD, Essex Mike Dixon & J Hopkins Martin Nowell LIVERPOOL, Merseyside NORTHOLT, Middx Stephen & Jacquel ine Dodd Graham & Vivienne Ridgway WIRRAL, Merseyside WORCESTER PARK, Surrey David Eaton & Anne Hannah Peter Ringwood BARNSLEY, S Yorks NR MALDON, Essex Daniel Eaves Willo Roe TODDINGTON, Glos DUBLIN, Eire Alistair Falconer Char les Rogers & CANTERBURY, Kent Sarah Warrener Bruce Fogerty CHIDDINGFOLD, Surrey TIGARD OREGON, USA James Shaw Richard Galloway WATERLOOVILLE, Hants BEVERLEY N, Humberside Paul Soffe John Greengrass LONDON CROYDON, Surrey Simon Taylor Soren Haldager NEWPORT, Gwent STRAND, DENMARK Adrie & Paula Van Den Berg Simon Harris ROSMALEN, Holland LOUDWATER, Herts Christopher & Delia Vince Ian & Patricia Hoper LEIGH ON SEA, Essex WATERLOOVILLE, Hants Graham West Jeremy Hurlstone & READING, Berks Bridget Smale Eddie White & Marie Griffiths SHIFNAL, Shropshire NR ALFRETON, Derbys Timothy & Charmian Knight David Will iams HARROGATE, N Yorks MAESTEG, Mid Glamorgan Richard Koeberle Peter & Jean Wood LEICESTER, Leics KENDAL, Cumbria Malcolm & Sylvia Lanfranchi COLLINGHAM. W Yo rks Total Membership 1692

FORD GEARBOX SPECIALIST

STANDARD & SPECIAL RATIOS FOR CLASSICS, RACING, RALLYING, FAST ROAD W O R K & TRIALS

HELICAL C L O S E , S P O R T I N G C L O S E , R A C I N G C L O S E , 4 & 5

SPEED 1300 - 3000cc L O N G 1 ST G E A R S T H R O U G H O U T

WITH SLICKER SHIFT, I M P R O V E D S Y N C H R O M E S H &

LUBRICATION

LOTUS SEVEN WORK A SPECIALITY For technical talk or to obtain your information

pack contact BRIAN G. HILL - Designer of the Caterham 6 Speed Gearbox -

Evenings Mon - Fri 7.30pm - 8.30 pm on

0580 7141 14

ibers: BIASED? WELL, SINCE THE

EDITOR ACTUALLY OWNS A SEVEN

Low Flying 0

... WHO CAN SAY?

Cars and Car Conversions is still the most authoritative,

technical, performance tuning, motorsport

magazine on the market

ONLY £2.20 (and there's nothing in the Caterham parts

list to match that price, so spoil yourself this month!)

March 1995

LOTUS SEVEN CLUB AREA MEETINGS

AREA ORGANISER TELEPHONE VENUE DAY Cheshire & Staffs Peter Fletcher The Bickerton Poacher, Bulkeley, A534 between Nantwich & Broxton istTues Devon Tim Powell The Silverton Inn, Silverton, Nr Exeter - Cullompton to Exeter 1st Sun Durham Alan Walton 0325 300126 Cock of the North, on the A167 near Durham 2nd Tues Essex Paul Thrower 0787 280272 The Ship, 0.5 mile from A12 on B1007, between Stock & Galleywood,

South of Chelmsford 2nd Thurs Gloucestershire Andy Couchman 0451 821982 Puesdown Inn on the A40, 1 mile west of Northleach in Gloucs 1st Thurs Hants (Nth) & Berks Jon Pippard Phoenix Inn, on the A30 at Hartley Wintney Last Thurs Hampshire (West) Rupert Short 0425 657756 The Elm Tree, Ringwood 1st Tues Hertfordshire Dick Dixon 0920 871153 The White Horse, Wareside, Nr Ware (B1004) 1st Wed Kent & East Sussex John Cordingley 0795 874323 The Dering Arms, Station Road, Puckley, Nr Ashford 2nd Thurs Lakes & Lochs Eric Little 0228 710616 Roving venue, ring for details 2nd Wed Lancashire Doug Douglas 0772 736754 The Sirloin Inn, Hoghton, on A657 Nr. Hoghton Towers Last Thurs

Steve Liptrott 061 366 5866 Leics, Notts, Derby & Staffs John Shaw 0664 822688 The King's Arms, Hathern 1 st Thurs

Terry Dutton 01283 538968 Lincolnshire Wally Liles 0526 861210 The Royal Oak, Scopwick (B1188, 8 miles south of Lincoln) 3rd Tues London (S) & Kent (N) Richard Brunero

ftrnio U U a W i 081 300 5110 The Plough, Eynsford, Kent 1st Tues

Merseyside & District Roy Sang U O o J O r l ' '

0151 486 7120 (w) The Swan at Newton 8th March John Riley 0925 728370 K

Middlesex & West London Craig Wildman 081 561 6884 The Red Lion, Hillingdon Hill, Hillingdon 2nd Tues Norfolk Steve Davidson 0603 700400 (w) The Swan, B1118 (off A140 Nr Scole) Last Sun

0603 714707 (h) lunchtime Northumbria ,John Sweeney 0661 25623 Newburn Motor Museum 2nd Wed

The Aero Club, Middle Drive, Woolsington, Ponteland 4th Wed Oxford Brian Soper 0235 531632 The Chequers Inn, Burcot, Nr Dorchester-on-Thames 1 st Tues Pennine David Pearson 0532 509025 The Devonshire Arms, Cracoe, 4 miles north of Skipton, 2nd Wed

Robin Oldfield 0535 652284 on B6265 Skipton to Grassington road Scotland John Cherry 0141 649 9974 Lea Park Hotel, Bo'ness Road, Grangemouth. 2nd Wed Somerset & Wessex Rhett Land 0935 71394 Sporadic meetings. Phone for specific details. Suffolk Robin Baldwin 0787 210391 Joint meeting with Norfolk as above. Surrey Angus Denny 0483 301999 The Arkle Manor, A25 between Dorking & Reigate 3rd Thurs Sussex (West) Steve Winterberg 0903 892016 Crown Inn at Dial Post, off A24 2nd Wed Warwickshire Lizzie Backwith 0608 652337 The New Inn, Wroxton, (A422, 4M north of Banbury) 1st Wed Wiltshire & Berkshire Steve Shaw 0672 810419 (h) Winterbourne Arms, off Wantage road, north of Newbury, J13, M4 3rd Mon

0635 48222 Ext. 3317 (w) Yorkshire (South) Nick Henstock 0226 765463 The Royal Oak, Ulley, off A618 Nr J31, M1 Last Wed

Andrew Barefoot 0709 530190

CATERHAM OWNERS INSURANCE SCHEME " Y O U R ONLY OPTION"

AS ONE OF THE UK'S LARGEST CATERHAM INSURANCE INTERMEDIARIES YOU'LL FIND OUR RATES AND SERVICE UNRIVALLED AND OUR COMMITMENT SECOND TO NONE

AdnancSTlux & Company

124.LONDON ROAD, KINGS LYNN, NORFOLK.

PE30 5ES

ENQUIRIES : 0553 691266

March 1995 Low Flying

AREA v A P P £ K l i K j q S

L O N D O N CLASS IC M O T O R S H O W - 18/19TH M A R C H . X T A L E X A N D R A

P A L A C E , W O O D G R E E N , L O N D O N N 2 2 . A H U G E S ELECT ION O F T R A D E

S T A N D S , A U T O J U M B L E , A U C T I O N A N D C L U B D ISPLAYS, T O G E T H E R W I T H

A S P O N S O R E D C O N C O U R S E V E N T . A D M I S S I O N £ 5 PER. A D U L T . C A L L

0 1 2 9 6 631181 F O R . M O R E DETA ILS .

S P R I N C F I E L D S V I N T A G E

R C L A S S I C C A R R U N ,

C A M B S R L I N C S - 1 8 T H

J U N E . 9 0 M I L E R O U T E

F O R . A L L P R E - 1 9 7 9 V E H I ­

CLES , F I N I S H I N G A T

S P R J N C F I E L D S G A R D E N S ,

S P A L D I N C . C A L L 0 1 4 8 0

3 8 3 6 2 6 .

S O M E R S E T &. W E S S C X A R E A

T H O R N F A L C O N A N N U A L

GET T O G E T H E R - 1ST S U N D A Y

I N S E P T E M B E R . A L W A Y S A

V E R Y I N T E R E S T I N G G A T H E R ­

I N G . C A L L R H E T T L A N D O N

0 1 9 3 5 71394- F O R . F U R T H E R

I N F O R M A T I O N .

S O M E R S E T R W E S S E V A R E A - K A R T I N G A T E V E T E R - 1 8 T H M A R C H .

£ 2 0 P E R . P E R S O N , 1 . 0 0 P M S T A R T . R U N I N C O N J U N C T I O N W I T H T V R C L U B .

N U M B E R S L I M I T E D , C A L L R H E T T L A N D O N 0 1 9 3 5 7 1 3 9 4 F O R A V A I L A B I L I T Y

S O M E R S E T R W E S S P X

A R E A C R E A M T E A S A T

B R E N D O N H O U S E - 2 5 T H

J U N E . O N C E A G A I N W E

A R E I N V I T E D T O S P E N D

A F R I E N D L Y A F T E R ­

N O O N I N N O R T H

D E V O N . A I M T O A R R I V E

A R O U N D 2 . 3 0 / 3 . 0 0 P M .

C A L L R H E T T L A N D O N

0 1 9 3 5 7 1 3 9 4 F O R

A V A I L A B I L I T Y .

S O M E R S E T &. W E S S E X A R E A S P A R R F O R D M O T O R M U S E U M - 2 N D A P R I L . O N S U N D A Y 2 N D A P R J L , T H E

T V R C L U B IS V I S I T I N G T H E S P A R K F O R D M O T O R M U S E U M . W E A R E W E L C O M E T O J O I N T H E M , S T A R T I N G

A T N O O N A T T H E S P A R K F O R D I N N . C A L L R H E T T L A N D O N 0 1 9 3 5 7 1 3 9 4 F O R F U R T H E R I N F O R M A T I O N .

G R E A T N O R T H W E S T E R N V I N T A G E R C L A S S I C

C A R S H O W - 8 / 9 T H J U L Y . A T W O D A Y E V E N T

W I T H O V E R 5 0 0 H U N D R E D E N T R I E S

P L A N N E D . P H O N E 0 1 2 0 4 522311.

S O M E R S E T &. W E S S E V A R E A - O C T O B E R . R A R T I N G

II. V O U R C H A N C E T O G E T Y O U R S E C O N D F I X I N

' 9 5 - C A L L R H E T T L A N D O N 0 1 9 3 5 7 1 3 9 4 F O R F U R ­

T H E R I N F O R M A T I O N .

LE M A N S ' 9 5 - J U N E . A T T H I S P O I N T I N T I M E W E H A V E H O P E F U L L Y F O U R C A R S

T R A V E L L I N G I N C O N V O Y T O LE M A N S I N J U N E . A N Y O N E I N S C O T L A N D A N D T H E

N O R T H O F E N G L A N D W I S H I N G T O J O I N I N G US, C O N T A C T J O H N C H E R R Y O N T E L .

O R F A X . O N 0141 6 4 9 9 9 7 4 O R M Y A D D R E S S IS

1 6 2 M O U N T A N N A N D R I V E , R I N G S P A R K , G L A S G O W , C 4 4 4 S A .

S O M E R S E T R W E S S E X A R E A - N O V E M B E R . G E T T O G E T H E R T O D I SCUSS 1 9 9 6 ! C A L L

R H E T T L A N D O N 0 1 9 3 5 7 1 3 9 4 F O R F U R T H E R I N F O R M A T I O N .

S E R V I C I N G

R E P A I R I N G f 9

M A I N T A I N I N G 7** Sendilttc K%te& fan

PRE-TRACK & SPRINT CHECKS * ROGER KING ENGINE

REFITS • POWER MODS * FACTORY KITS FITTED

STEERING CHECKS ALL WITH PERSONAL SERVICE

- ctMtcut: (?6rUA TO&eden.

T H E B U S I N E S S C E N T R E , B R E W E R Y R O A D ,

H O D D E S D O N H E R T S . E N 11 8HF

T e l / F a x : 0 X 9 9 2 4 7 0 4 8 0

S O M E R S E T R W E S S C X A R E A S C E N I C D R I V E I N D O R S E T - 1 4 T H M A Y .

N O T R E A S U R E H U N T T H I S Y E A R , B U T A C H A N C E T O SEE S O M E

W E L L K N O W N ( A N D N O T SO W E L L K N O W N ) F E A T U R E S J U S T

A C R O S S T H E B O R D E R . M O R E D E T A I L S N E A R E R T H E D A T E .

C H E A M F A I R I N S U R R E V

- 8 T H M A Y O V E R T W O

H U N D R E D V E H I C L E S O N

D I S P L A Y I N A V I L L A G E

F A I R S E T T I N G .

P H O N E 081 3 9 3 2102 .

M I D S U M M E R M O T O R I N G L E G E N D S

A T T H E W H I T B R E A D H O P F A R M , T O N -

B R I D G E I N R E N T - 1 8 T H J U N E .

C O N C O U R S A N D T R E A S U R E H U N T I N

H O P F A R M C O U N T R Y S I D E . C A L L

0 1 6 2 2 8 7 2 0 6 8 .

P E N N I N E A R E A F U N R U N T O W H I T B Y - I 8 T H J U N E . P L E A S E

M A K E A N O T E O F T H E D A T E I N Y O U R D I A R Y N O W . T H I S E V E N T

W I L L S T A R T A T H A R R Y R A M S D E N S F I SH R C H I P R E S T A U R A N T I N

G U I S E L E Y N E A R L E E D S ( B IGGEST F I S H O I L I Y O R K S H I D O E S T H A N O )

A N D W I L L T A K E I N A N I N T E R E S T I N G R O U T E T O W H I T B Y S T O P P I N G

A T R I P O N A N D H E L M S L E Y P A R K I N G I N W H I T B Y W I L L BE

A R R A N G E D SO W E C A N A L L BE T O G E T H E R SO P L E A S E L E T M E

K N O W IF Y O U W O U L D L I K E T O BE P A R T O F T H I S G R E A T D A Y O U T .

M O R E D E T A I L S N E X T M O N T H . M A D M A L C O L M 0 1 2 7 4 3 9 3 2 8 6

( W ) O R 0113 2 5 0 7719 ( H ) .

B B C T O P G E A R C L A S S I C R S P O R T S C A R

S H O W , N E C - 6 - 8 T H M A Y -

D E M O N S T R A T I O N S , A U T O J U M B L E

A N D C L U B S T A N D S .

Low Flying 0 March 1995

E M B E R S L e x x e R g ViXK 6D , Could anyone tell me if the Bickerton Poacher is still, as advertised in Low Flying, a meeting place for Club mem­bers? We attended on 3rd December 1994 - but there was no-one there! Yours, Karl Roberts.

Your l e t t e r w a s p a s s e d o n t o P e t e r F l e t c h e r , t h e A r e a O r g a n i s e r for C h e s h i r e a n d S t a f f s a n d h o p e f u l l y h e w i l l h a v e a l r e a d y b e e n i n c o n t a c t w i t h y o u t o e x p l a i n t h a t t h e m e e t i n g s a r e v e r y m u c h " a s a n d w h e n " . S o r r y a b o u t y o u r w a s t e d t r i p K a r l . E d .

Dear Ed, Would you have any record of the present own­ership of Lotus Seven, Series 2 (1962) Reg. Number 7 JDV. I owned this car many years ago, and would like to know if it is still going. Yours faithfully, Mike Cheesman.

C o m e o n , o w n u p , w h o ' s g o t i t t h e n ? S o u n d s l i k e o n e for J o h n W a t s o n , o u r C l u b A r c h i v i s t , u n l e s s a n y b o d y o u t t h e r e k n o w s a n y t h i n g . . . . ? W e l c o m e t o t h e C l u b , M i k e . E d .

Dear Ed, In response to John Rees's letter regarding badge engineering, I thought long and hard before putting a Lotus badge on the front of my car, eventually fitting one when I received it as a birthday present. I feel that as these cars would never have existed without a certain Mr Chapman's know how and innovation at the time, a badge bearing his initials and the name of his company is hardly out of place on a car which can be so directly related to him.

I wonder how Mr Rees would have reacted a few weeks ago, when confronted with a very sub-standard type of kit car, (not even to Westfield standards) and adorned with no less than seven Lotus badges, parked next to my own '92 live axled Seven! This vehicle parked next to my own looked like it had been produced from left overs from a Mark 3 Cortina and various parts of scaffolding and RSJ 's .

While I can see the point John is trying to make, it's not that long since a car known as an Isuzu Piazza Turbo was produced, complete with Lotus badges, because Lotus happened to sort the suspension for them. Anyway no doubt everyone has their own opinions and ideas which I for one am quite happy to accept - live and let live as they say.

Anyway onto another point, the Technical Surgery page says you would like any questions or queries by the 20th January, well up here in the frozen north the mag. didn't arrive until the 19th!! I appreciate the distribution aspect to a certain degree is out of your hands, but a bit of leeway with dates might help!!

I would be very interested in helping/taking part in the Lands End/John 'O ' Groates effort, but would need more info on dates, expected duration etc. If Steve would like to contact me, please phone on 0253 354518. Also Gail , the Missus, is going to get some recipes together to let you have as soon as she gets round to it.

Finally (at last I hear you say) just a quick note to any­one within travelling distance of the Preston area, I am finally getting the treasure hunt together which I will run sometime when the weather gets warmer, and any pro­ceeds will go to the Nuke appeal; it will happen, but don't hold your breath. All the best, Brian Croston.

I t j u s t w o u l d n ' t h a v e h a p p e n e d B r i a n - y o u o n l y e v e r s e e J o h n ' s c a r s o n t r a i l e r s ! ( W h a t a b i t c h , e h ? ) . A s for t h e T e c h n i c a l S u r g e r y d e a d l i n e s , w h a t ' s y e r ' p r o b l e m ? - y o u h a d a w h o l e d a y to t h i n k a b o u t i t ! S e r i o u s l y , i n r e a l i t y I h a v e h a d t o e x t e n d t h e d e a d l i n e a n y w a y , s o e v e n if y o u r m a g g e t s t h e r e l a t e , w r i t e i n a n y w a y .

A s for t h e L a n d s E n d r u n , y o u r n u m b e r h a s b e e n p a s s e d o n a n d d o n ' t l e t G a i l o u t o f t h e k i t c h e n u n t i l s h e h a s f i n i s h e d t h e r e c i p e s ! E d .

Dear Ed, Could I please ask your help? Rev Limiter and myself reach the golden half century this year and we are planning to celebrate by attending the Swiss International Meeting. Last year's attempt did not come to very much so I am trying to put this together as early as possible. Perhaps the magazine could run an advert under either Letters or Wanted sections and contain the request for any other idiots of a similar age who are planning the journey. I have discovered that the AA pro­vide an excellent service in arranging for modestly priced hotels along the route so there is no thought of regaining lost youth, rheumatism or pneumonia by camping!

W A N T E D - A N I V O T H E R I D I O T S

F O R T H E SW\SS T R I P

Apply as above.

With no other desire than to help a worthy charity I enclose a cheque for £5 for Nuke the Luke and look for­ward to being flooded out with telephone calls of people keen to join us. My phone number at home is 01635 201914. Many thanks, C.C. Good.

( T h e r e , d o y o u t h i n k t h e y ' l l n o t i c e i t ? E d . )

March 1995 Low Flying

Dear Ed, With reference to Andy Briggs' letter in the January LF, about fitting a stereo. Until a few years ago my everyday transport was a +8 Morgan (that's the wimpy one with D O O R S , but that V8 is a lovely engine). It had a stereo fitted which I could not hear very well, especial ly with the sheepskin helmet on in the winter, me being normally topless. I made a head­rest with two wings angled forward slightly and mounted a speaker in each wing - it was a bit bulky and it was diffi­cult to hear anything else but I could hear the music perfectly - Wagner of course, not Madonna.

Now the important bit - it involves money. There have been a number of exhortations about taking care not to get ripped off when buying a second hand Seven, and there are always some advertised in LF. Can I take it that rip-off incidents are not related to cars advertised in LF? Have there been any duff cars sold deliberately through LF? If so, would you blacklist the vendor? I will be looking for a car soon and with no Seven experience it would be nice to have some confidence in the ads. I appreciate you cannot take any responsibility for ads, but it would be nice to think that conmen are excluded. Peter Oates.

R e s t a s s u r e d P e t e r t h a t , if w e a r e t o l d a b o u t a n y u n s a v o u r y c h a r ­a c t e r s , t h e n t h e y w i l l n o t b e a l l o w e d t o a d v e r t i s e i n L o w F l y i n g . P e r s o n a l l y , i n t h e t w o y e a r s I h a v e b e e n E d i t o r , I k n o w of o n l y o n e s u c h i n c i d e n t a n d w o u l d c e r t a i n l y d o e v e r y t h i n g I c o u l d t o p r e v e n t a r e o c c u r r e n c e .

A s for t h e s t e r e o , m i n e c o n s i s t s o f a 4 : 1 i n t h e l e f t e a r , t w i n 4 0 ' s i n t h e r i g h t a n d t h e w i n d f i l l i n g i n t h e b a c k g r o u n d - s h e e r h e a v e n ! E d .

Dear Ed, I write as a pensioner and veteran of many World Wars in response to the so-called explanation given to the House by Chairman Lol of the newly privatised utility SevenNat, formerly the Lotus Seven Club of Great Britain, and published recently in your august organ. It may be true that the Club organises more events, more track days and more racing than ever before. It may even be true that the Club is becoming more organised and profes­sional, but this can hardly be an explanation for the massive six pounds increase in charges.

May I remind your gentle readers that, even in these so-called pro­gressive times, one can still purchase two pairs of incontinence pants in Boots Dispensary for this tidy sum and still have sixpence for the bus home. I submit to your readers that this increase is entirely due to the extravagances of those fat cats in their chauf­feur driven "limousine" and entertainment of this Beryl woman, whoever She is? We should be told. Yours sincerely, J . R. Hartley (Mrs).

P.S. On a serious note, thanks to Kevin Russell for investigating the mystery of the damaging De-Dions. I discovered I had the same problem recently and was more than a little con­cerned. I hope that Jez updates the dear-old Assembly Guide with some notes on the subject for new boys.

I don't suppose you want to know that I like the idea of race coverage too?

W h a t ' s a s i x p e n c e ? E d .

Dear Ed, With reference to your published book list, you may also like to include two of the Brooklands series; "Lotus Seven Collection No. 1" and "Lotus Seven 1957-1980". As far as I am aware, these, plus those already included in your listing, are the only books solely devoted to the Seven that are available, (exclud­ing the Workshop manuals). I would be very interested to hear of any others that Club members (or other readers of "Low Flying") might know! Best wishes, David North.

T h a n k s for t h e u p d a t e D a v i d . E d .

Dear Ed, I refer to the Lotus Seven track days driving rules as detailed by Chairman Lol in January's Low Flying.

Given the appropriate concern over safety I am somewhat dis­mayed at the 'drive on the right rule'. As most circuits in this coun­try are driven in the clockwise direction, the majority of bends and corners are approached from the left side of the track, apexed right, and completed on the left. To obey the rule would result in cars 'weaving' across the circuit at the beginning and end of each straight in order to adopt a racing line and use the turning and clip­ping point markers appropriately.

AUXHALL

1 6 V A L V E 2 L I T R E V A U X H A L L E N G I N E P A R T S

STANDARD AND PERFORMANCE T A L K TO US FOR A L L Y O U R 2 LITRE 16 V A L V E

V A U X H A L L ENGINE R E Q U I R E M E N T S .

WE C A R R Y IN S T O C K THE ENTIRE R A N G E OF R E P L A C E M E N T C O M P O N E N T S FOR Y O U R ENGINE,

BE IT IN A N ORIGINAL UNIT J U S T NEEDING A F R E S H E N , OR IF Y O U A R E E M B A R K I N G ON A

S E R I O U S HP P R O J E C T , OUR M A N Y P O W E R P L U S OPTIONS WILL H E L P Y O U .

N o t to f o r g e t o f c o u r s e o u r p r o v e n r a n g e o f p a r t s a n d s e r v i c e s f o r t h e

LOTUS TWINCAM ENGINE

P l e a s e p h o n e o r f a x f o r o u r p a r t s c a t a l o g u e + l i s t s of e n g i n e u p g r a d e k i t s e t c . s t a t i n g e n g i n e t y p e .

W o r l d w i d e p a r t s d e s p a t c h - P O S T - U P S - S E C U R I C O R

PHONE 0509 412317 FAX 0509 416555

QED

Low Flying M a r c h 1995

u M G M B 6RS L6TTGRS " AKID EVEN MORE

Assuming the racing line is not common knowledge, would it not be safer to adopt a drive on the left rule, (although the rules should be appropriate to each circuit) as not only should this result in eliminating any unnecessary manoeuvres from one side of the track to the other, but in addition, drivers are more used to being overtaken on the right, with mirror use and settings in the standard position (what mirrors?!).

Having driven gearbox karts at speeds in excess of 100mph, only to find a driver moving across the racing line without apparent rea­son I am acutely aware of the danger caused by weaving on the track and the unnecessary responsibility placed upon the quicker driver fast approaching from behind. If my views are considered nonsensical I would be very interested to hear the reasons for the 'drive on the right rule'.

As a new member may I offer my thanks to the organisers of the North Weald event, which gave both Leah and myself an excellent introduction to sprint racing, Supersprint Cars for a superb car, Roger King for the help, and all those people whose ears I have 'bent' over the past months. Yours sincerely, Darren Smith.

G r a h a m C l a r k e , of R M A , e x p l a i n s a r u l e t h a t h a s b e e n q u e s t i o n e d b e f o r e : " D a r r e n , I h a v e b e e n a s k e d t o r e s p o n d t o y o u r l e t t e r d a t e d 2 4 t h J a n u a r y r e g a r d i n g o u r ' d r i v e o n t h e r i g h t ' r u l e .

W h i l s t I f u l l y u n d e r s t a n d , a n d t o a d e g r e e c o n c u r w i t h y o u r v i e w s , d r i v e o n t h e r i g h t , o v e r t a k e o n t h e l e f t , i s a n i n t e r n a t i o n a l m o t o r s p o r t r u l e t h a t h a s b e e n a r o u n d f o r e v e r . It m a y h a v e s o m e t h i n g t o d o w i t h t h e f a c t t h a t t h e g o v e r n i n g b o d y of m o t o r s p o r t i s F r e n c h !

Q u i t e s e r i o u s l y t h i s r u l e i s i n c o r p o r a t e d i n a l l t h e c o n t r a c t s w e s i g n w i t h c i r c u i t o w n e r s a s it is w i t h e v e r y g e n e r a l t e s t i n g s e s s i o n c o n t r a c t i s s u e d t o r a c e r s a l l o v e r t h e w o r l d . T h e i d e a i s b a s i c a l l y o n e o f o v e r t a k e o n t h e o u t s i d e . W h i l s t w e a c c e p t t h a t t h i s c r e a t e s a m a n o e u v r e w h i c h i s c o n t r a r y t o n o r m a l r o a d d r i v i n g i n t h e U K , it d o e s w o r k w e l l a n d i s s t r i c t l y e n f o r c e d b y o u r staff, e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e N e w c o m e r a n d I n t e r m e d i a t e s e s s i o n s a s i s t h e r u l e o f a b s o l u t e l y n o o v e r t a k i n g i n t h e b r a k i n g a r e a s . I r e a d i l y a c c e p t t h a t n o t a l l S e v e n C l u b M e m b e r s a r e r a c e r s b u t s o m e a r e a n d s o m e m o r e m a y b e . C a n y o u i m a g i n e t h e p o t e n t i a l c a r n a g e if w e c h a n g e d t h e r u l e !

P l e a s e b e a s s u r e d w e t a k e o u r r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s very s e r i o u s l y e s p e c i a l l y a l l m a t t e r s c o n c e r n e d w i t h s a f e t y . We a r e i m p l e m e n t ­i n g a s y s t e m o f C i r c u i t D r i v i n g M a n a g e m e n t w h i c h is w e l l p r o v e n w i t h a first c l a s s s a f e t y r e c o r d , r u n b y a t e a m w i t h a g r e a t d e a l of i n t e r n a t i o n a l m o t o r s p o r t e x p e r i e n c e . I a m s u r e y o u w i l l f i n d t h e C l u b d r i v i n g d a y s j u s t a b o u t a s s a f e a s i s p o s s i b l e . W i t h b e s t r e g a r d s , G r a h a m C l a r k e , R M A .

Dear Ed, I just wanted to add my name to the "Ratrace Fan Club" membership list. At the end of last year I had a bit of a con­

frontation with a curb near my house. Needless to say, the curb came off better than my Seven!

Well, by the time the pick-up truck arrived at the scene it was get­ting late on Saturday afternoon, but the chaps at Ratrace were relaxed and happy to wait. By Tuesday morning, when the insur­ance assessor arrived, Ratrace had produced a comprehensive list of work and components required. Although the damage looked superficial it turned out that some internal components had been bent.

Since then Ratrace have handled the work, liaised with the insur­ance assessor and basically done a great job. Plus they provide tea and jam doughnuts on Saturdays. I only have one suggestion for improving the service, and that is to get some of those custard doughnuts. Many thanks, Andrew Walker.

Dear Ed, Thanks for putting my letter in the February edition. I would be delighted if you would include my details in the list of Area Meetings. At this point in time we have hopefully four cars travelling in convoy to Le Mans in June. Anyone in Scotland and the North of England wishing to joining us can tel. or fax. on 0141 649 9974 or my address is 162 Mount Annan Drive, Kings Park, Glasgow, G44 4SA. Yours sincerely, John Cherry.

C o n s i d e r y o u r s e l f e l e c t e d , J o h n . R e a d e l s e w h e r e i n t h i s i s s u e for d e t a i l s o f P a u l T u r n e r w h o i s t r y i n g to c o - o r d i n a t e t h i n g s for t h o s e t r a v e l l i n g t o L e M a n s . E d .

W A L L Y LILES R A C I N G

CATERHAM & LOTUS

• R A C I N G C A R R E S T O R A T I O N & P R E P A R A T I O N

• FULL T R A C K SERVICE • DRIVER T R A I N I N G

TEL: 01526 861210

M a r c h 1995 Low Flying

S A U . . Please remember, ads must be in writing, enclosing payment where appropriate. Cars for Sale - £7.50 (Non-Members - E10) Parts & Wanted - FOC payable to Lotus Seven Club, quoting your membership number. Thank you. Oh - and please in your best handwriting!

F O R S A L E : 1992 C a t e r h a m 1600 d e d ion in black with metal ic blue

w ings a n d nose cone , w i th leather seats looks terrif ic. O n a Q plate,

5000 mi les , re -manufac tured engine, 4 speed box, lumeni t ion,

wea the r equ ipment , t onneau a n d car cover. £10,500 O.V.N.O. Call

A n d r e w B i n g h a m o n 0 5 9 8 7 5 3 5 9 7 (Devon) .

F O R S A L E : X F Block 6 9 1 M S q u a r e cap (+20 Bore) £25 . X F Head

por ted g o o d valves £45 . 4 C o n rods £25. 90 De dion shock and

spr ings f ront a n d rear £ 2 0 e a c h . Front upr ights and t runions £20.

Front ant i roll bar + moun ts £ 1 0 . 9 0 spec, bot tom w ishbones , 2 left

1 right £ 3 0 . 9 0 s p e c , t op l inks + 1/2 w ishbones £25. L ightened &

ba lanced X F f lywheel A P plate and cover £40. X F fuel p u m p £5.

90 Spec , de dion bench seats £30 . Call J Drury on 0775 7 1 1 0 6 1 .

F O R S A L E : Pair of W e b e r 40 D C O E s , secondhand but c lean, c o m ­

plete and boxed £ 2 5 0 . 4-2-1 Comp le te stainless steel rear exit

exhaust sys tem for a 1700 Ford Crossf low £100 O N . O Also, offers

invited for: 7000 R P M Rev. Counter ; we t s u m p oil pressure gauge,

non-al loy bel lhousing for crossf low/Ford gearbox, Lucas electronic

ignit ion unit. Call Jan Koszuta on 071 615 6338 (work) or 071 7 0 0

6045 (home, answer ing mach ine) . All par ts can be seen/col lected

f rom T h e Seven W o r k s h o p in H o d d e s d o n .

F O R S A L E : 1700 X/F low Super Seven, red, long cockpit 1989 chas­

sis fully checked and updated by Arch in 1994 to latest spec.

Bilstein suspens ion , de d ion, quick rack, FIA rollbar. Professional ly

built 160 bhp eng ine 1200 mi les o ld , dry s u m p e d . Supal i te whee ls

with n e w N C T tyres. Compet i t ion exhaust , 5 x s p e e d box,

adjustable cloth seats , 5000 mi les only, £11950 . Call Mr Hatt on

0763 8 3 8 4 0 1 .

F O R S A L E : Ca te rham Seven w indscreen sur round £10 . A lso Seven

car cover as new, cost £76 - offers. Elan Spr int 4 x speed gearbox

- offers. Call Nigel Pennington on 01923 267036 .

F O R S A L E : Set of 5 x K N Alloys wi th Goodyear NCT's, very well pol­

ished, spare unused , 1000's of miles left, about 1 0 % wear or less,

Ital centres, possible del ivery to new owner, £250 or near offer. Call

Br ian Cros ton on 0 1 2 5 3 354518 .

F O R S A L E : 1990, 1800cc Holbay Ca te rham Seven. Long cockpit ,

live axle in BR green wi th 6000 totally reliable miles. Adjustable

cloth seats , heated screen, full weather equ ipment , intermittent

w i p e r s , hea te r a n d t o n n e a u . Moto l i ta s t e e r i n g w h e e l , K N

a l loys/Goodyear NCT's . This car was built for regular road use and

reliability. T h e eng ine is built on a new thick wall block wi th forged

pistons and d y n o tested to 135 bhp. M u c h more power is easily

available by fitt ing a big valve head , compet i t ion exhaust and hotter

c a m . £9 ,950 O N O . Call S i m o n W a d e on 0 1 4 7 3 611573 evenings.

F O R S A L E : 5 x H P C whee ls and tyres, only 3,000 miles f rom new,

spare unused . All as new condi t ion, accept £ 5 0 0 O N O . Call Paul

Dal las on 0484 6 5 3 6 4 5 or mobi le 0378 135093.

F O R S A L E : Four 185 x 60 x 13 Yokohama A 0 0 1 R , used 4 x t imes as

new £110 . Four Pirelli P6's 185 x 60 x 13 wi th approx. 8 0 0 mi les

use very good condi t ion, £80 . S tandard roll bar £ 2 0 . (Live axle '93

car) . Call Steve O w e n on 0831 507819 dayt ime or 0 1 4 2 2 824592

after 7.00.

F O R SALE.- 1700cc crossf low eng ine approx. 165 BHP, tuf t r ided

crank, shot peened rods, o m e g a forged pistons, big valve por ted

head , inlet mani fo ld, tw in 4 0 D C O E Webers , l ightened f lywheel ,

c o m p . c lu tch, electronic ignit ion, a ldon distributor, d ry s u m p e d .

Ideal for hill c l imbs, spr ints or fast road use, very reliable, £1050. 4 -

1 S/S compet i t ion exhaust sys tem, £250 . Call Dave Gr indrod on

0161 723 4 7 1 3 (day) or 0161 761 1653 (eve.).

F O R S A L E : Ca te rham Seven , Augus t 1992 'K', long cockpit , de d ion,

red, 11,500 miles, S P R 1700 155 bhp engine, compet i t ion exhaust ,

heated sc reen , leather seats, pr isoner whee ls etc. £12 ,950 O N O .

Call Char les Brown on Banbury 0295 2 7 2 2 7 2 Ext 3042 (Work) o r

Covent ry 0203 599876 (Home) .

F O R S A L E : Ideal registrat ion number for a Lotus or Ca te rham Seven.

A 7 B O M , £ 9 8 5 inc lud ing t ransfer fee a n d plates. Call M r

Wate rhouse on 0734 699203 .

F O R S A L E : Ca te rham Seven, de d ion, K ser ies "Superspor t " . R e d ,

f lared wings, s tandard leather seats, t onneau cover, 1994 "L" regis­

tered, 6000 miles. Absolute ly immacu la te condi t ion. £14 ,950 . Cal l

Philip Brodey on 01869 245395 (evenings and weekends) or 01295

270333 (week days) .

F O R S A L E : Full rear d r u m to disc brake convers ion for De Dion car,

£180 ; Pre-1994 De-Dion tube as new £ 1 5 0 ; Radiator fan & cowl

pre '94 type £15 ; J P E front grill (7 logo) £ 3 0 ; Bare ali dash panel

£10 ; 2 x front f lared w ings - new but painted purple, sui table for

spray ing £35pr ; Fresh air heater wi th valve & cable £ 7 0 ; Steer ing

rack £35 ; Facet solid state compet i t ion electr ic fuel p u m p £25; Ford

spare whee l spacer £10 ; Vauxhal l ignit ion sys tem inc ECU, coi l ,

l oom, etc genu ine Ca te rham - Of fers?; 2 X 205/60 /13 A 0 0 8 R Tyres

2 5 % used £ 2 0 e a ; Bilstein spr ings 1701b fronts & rears £ 1 0 ea ; Set

of front d iscs/cal ipers fit all cars £75; Set std horns £10 . All used

parts max 5,000 mi les use, possibly a lot less!! C A R B O N F I B R E

PANELS! ! N e w parts manufac tured to order e.g. dash (inc corner

panels) fully cut out £125 ea ; Front cycle w ings to fit 13" whee ls per­

fectly £200 pair; race seats - similar to Ca te rham type but w ider

£ 2 5 0 e a N O VAT!!! Call Arn ie W e b b on 01883-627254 or on mobi le

0973 -187584 anyt ime.

F O R S A L E : Ignit ion pack for 16 valve Ca te rham Vauxhal l or

West f ie ld instal lat ion, comple te wi th coil £180 O N O . Coo lan t kit for

pushrod to Vauxhal l 16 valve convers ion (hoses, submar ine , head ­

er tank etc.) offers. Tel or Fax J o h n Cher ry on 0141 6 4 9 9974

F O R S A L E : Diff, 3.92 ratio, for de dion car, 2 0 0 0 m only, £ 4 0 0 . M B E

Ignition pack for Vauxhal l H P C , £250 . Luke four point harnesses ,

black, £35 each . N e w front f lared w ings , red, £30 each . N e w

chrome head lamp bowls, £25 each . N e w Cibie head lamps £ 3 0

Pair. Call A lan Yule on 0 1 4 4 4 4 8 2 9 8 8 dayt ime or 0 1 4 4 4 4 8 3 1 4 0

evenings.

Low Flying (35

F O R S A L E : Clutch cover, dr iven plate and cable for x- f low/Sport box.

500 mi les only, £20 . Pair of s tandard static seat bealts f rom long

cockpit car only £5. Call Nick Richens on 0 1 4 8 3 277037 .

March 1995

ALe.. . . W A N T E D : Lotus or Caterham Seven - books, adver­tising material, videos, models, kits, etc. Please send details to David North, 18 Swallow Close, Stone, Greenhithe, Kent, DA9 9PT.

F O R S A L E : Caterham Super Seven, 1992 long cockpit, live axle, 5,500 dry miles, BRG/Yellow nosecone. Yellow 4 x spoke Revolution wheels 6" x 14". SPR 1700 X/Flow engine, sports exhaust. Excellent condition £9,500. Call Colin Gibson on 01462 851138 or 01462 811741.

F O R S A L E : 1970 Lotus Seven Series 4, less engine. Rolling chas­sis. Car requires finishing. £4,000 no offers. Call John Rees on 01438 840268 evenings.

F O R S A L E : Caterham Super Seven Sprint, 1989. Immaculate con­dition, 6000 miles only. Live axle, short cockpit, BRG/Aluminium, new interior 1994, full weather equipment, inc. hood, tonneau and hood bag, Motolita steering wheel, Superlite wheels, 1700 X/Flow, new Webers (40's), large cooling kit and heater. £9,500 OVNO. Call Tony Hamer on 01327 858231.

F O R S A L E : Caterham 4 x point harness in black x 2, £70 as new. Steering rack, standard cycle wings model very little used £35. Call Paul Dallas on 0378 135093 (mobile) or 0484 653645.

F O R S A L E : 1989 de dion Seven (registered 1990), Dunnell Zetec 175 BHP engine, quaife 4 x speed gearbox, Bilstein suspension, painted white, full weather equipment, 4 x point harness, leather trans cover etc., choice of wheels/tyres and seats. As featured in Low Flying engine shoot out (December 1993). New car ordered. Price: £11,500 ONO. Call Steve Davidson on 01603 700400 or fax 01603 700301.

W A N T E D : Caterham Seven Supersport, standard or race pre­pared, cash available for right car. I want to race this year, so come on phone me. Call Paul Coombs on 0722 329414 or 0374 287713.

W A N T E D : Chris Rea "Auberge" and "Freedom" prints, framed or unframed. Best price paid! Call Guy Munday on 0483 232578.

W A > J T £ D : I am a big enthusiast of the Lotus Super Seven and am looking for a Lotus Caterham "Super Seven" to export to Switzerland. The car should have the following requirements:- It should be pre 1982 (Swiss noise and emission laws). LHD pre­ferred but not necessary. Valid MOT not necessary. It should run, but it does not need to take me back to Switzerland! All papers for export should be available (Owners Registration Papers., etc.). It can need major restoration work. It should not cost more than £7,500. I know my budget is not that generous but I hope you can help me. You may send your offers, by post, to my postal address Konrad Leu, Bodenackerstrasse 7c, CH 4334 Sissein, Switzerland. Or you may send a fax to my office, fax. no. 010 41 61 901 42 00. Please mark clearly for the attention of K. Leu on the fax.

W A N T E D : Long cockpit Seven urgently required by private pur­chaser, up to £10,000. Prefer competition car, damaged or kit that needs finishing considered. Please call Adrian Olsson on 0483 579864.

W A N T E D : Entries for 7 Club Scammonden Hill Climb, 14th May 1994. Call Doug Douglass on 01772 736754.

F O R S A L E : Lotus twin cam engine, dismantled ready for re-condi­tion, complete with two hole mounting starter motor, generator (yes that's right, generator!) distributor type 23D4, fuel pump, paper ele­ment type oil pump, flywheel and clutch and Miles Wilkins book on how to put it all together again. £200 the lot. Race tech oil pres­sure and temp, gauge (capillary type) £10. Smiths oil temp (capil­lary type) £10. Oil cooler kit for Ford 1600 X/Flow, 9 x row rad fits upright at offside of water rad. with thermo static sandwich plate, braided hoses, temp sensor pick-up point £20. 2 litre Sierra 5 x speed gearbox with quick shift lever £50. Oil thermostat for in line application with sandwich plate £5. Micro Dynamics EMS3 ignition system with rev. limiter, ballast resistor, mega spark 2 coil and instructions, £40. Rear exit exhaust as supplied with my 1982 car, no manifolds £35. Also heater matrix and valve for the same year, £20. One of those nasty engine cooling fans that mount ahead of radiator on the older Sevens ( W h a t , l i k e m i n e ? Ed). Yours for the price of the postage. Something for the weekend? 1965 Hillman Minx gearbox with laycock de-normanville overdrive - try getting that to fit! Free to any one who collects it! Shorrocks C142B super­charger, complete with all pulleys, hoses, brackets, 2 inch SU carb, air box, trunking, drive shaft, throttle cable, boost/vac gauge, 2 x sets of 8:1 pistons + .060" for Ford crossflow, all balanced, one set less than 3000 miles the other less than 1000 miles, Kent cam shaft 224 special grind at 112 degrees lobe centre, less than 1000 miles. Make me an offer. Call Nigel Riches on 01734 666106 (H) or 01734 359087 (W) or fax on 01734 668543.

W A N T E D : Goodyear NCT 195/50 VR 15 unused spare or nearly new condition. Call Robin Stevens on 01869 338670.

W A N T E D : A (damaged?) Lotus Seven (S2/S3) for restoration and rebuild, engine up to 1500cc/95 bhp twin Weber. Please write to Soren Haldager, Elmevang 10, DK2660 BR. Strand, DENMARK.

W A N T E D : Long cockpit 1700 Super Sprint, live axle, painted body, full weather equipment, must be a tidy car, preferably not on a Q plate. I've got about £9,000 to spend, so if your car is anything sim­ilar to the above, give me a ring on 0181 398 3936, ask for Harry Simons or leave your tel. no. on the dreaded answerphone! (I will return your call!!).

W A N T E D : Set of 5 x Superlites 6 x 1 3 must be as new, for Ital fit­ting, money waiting. Call Brian Croston on 01253 354518.

W A N T E D : 14" Minilites, Supalites or Revolution wheels for Triumph centres. Call Harvey Griffin on 0115 9497850

W A N T E D : FIA roll over bar for my 1987 Caterham de dion RHD. Call Bertin Seibold on 01049 8141 15875 (evening) or fax on 01049 8141 15743.

8k W A March 1995 Low Flying

Better V a l u e M o t o r i n s u r a n c e f o r S u p e r 7 o w n e r s Recommended by Caterham Cars, this exclusive scheme has been put together to provide better value motor insurance for Super 7 owners.

T h e B e n e f i t s # Competitive premiums. # Non standard risks considered including

modified vehicles, unusually high values, drivers with medical conditions, those with driving convictions etc

# Discounts for limited mileage and restricted driving

# Agreed values for vehicles over 20 years' old

# Generous discounts for vehicles over 5 years' old

# Laid up or transit cover for Racing 7's or whilst being built

Discounts for car security

Discounts for voluntary policy excess

The new C21 car is also included in the scheme

Instalment, Access or Visa facilities

Generous introductory discount

Discount for social use only (no commuting to business)

Fast efficient claims service

Immediate cover A s k f o r a q u o t e t o d a y - i t is g u a r a n t e e d u n t i l y o u r p o l i c y is d u e f o r r e n e w a l Our fully trained staff will help you as soon as you call. We make insuring your Super 7 quick and simple. Please ring Karen Liddle for a free quote and see just how easy it is.

Telephone 01344 779595 Fax 01344 777712 R C M Associates, Guildgate House, 180 High Street, Crowthorne, Berkshire, RG11 7HW.

ASSOCIAT€S(«£ €)LTD The Scheme is administered by R C M Associates who are the official brokers to Caterham Cars Ltd . R C M specialise in collectors/classic and vintage car insur­ances. They can also arrange policies for restoration and motor racing companies; Formula 1 teams and major racing car manufacturers are amongst their clients.

J-0

INDEPENDENT INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED The scheme underwriters are a British insurance com­pany whose products are only available through a very select panel of insurance professionals. Independent have 14 branches throughout the country and are prominent in the insurance of classic, collectors and one make schemes. They also insure your Lotus 7 Club.

SEVEN ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN HOSTLER. TEL: (01603) 667048