Static Rally - Lotus & Caterham special edition

"Static Rally" is a bi-monthly meetup of oldtimers that takes place in Wavre. This for a total of 12 times between April and October. It's organized by Nicolas supported by family and friends, as well as a few welcome sponsors. It's completely free. A parking lot and entire street of a business park are privatized for the morning. Read this newer post for the full retrospective of the year.

I'm one of the regulars of the 7 Sevens that usually meet there. The pack comprises 3 Caterham 170S, a very modern looking 1978, a 1992 "Prisoner" edition, as well as a yellow Tiger 6, and a yellow Westfield. Most of us are connected and coordinated through the Lotus7_BW group. It's all good fun, casual chit-chat, having a look at all the other oldtimers, eating french fries and burgers for lunch, then share some beers.

In June, Nicolas and the team announced they planned a special edition focused on Lotus and Caterham cars whatever their vintage. With the help of the CTLB (Club Team Lotus Belgium) as well as the 'Lotus Seven Club - Belgium area' and communication to House of Speed customers, this was quite a success.

Beside a good number of Lotus, 16 Sevens or so were present, mostly Caterham, a pair of Westfield, the usual Tiger 6, a Donkervoort and a Sylva Striker.

After an awful week, the weather was just perfect. I wouldn't have betted on the opportunity to remove my sweater and jacket, but the 17°C of the morning turned into 30°c at noon and 33°C on the way back home. Making for one of the most unpleasant drive of the 170S to date. It was so hot that the lack of sidescreens (doors) improved the experience.

Attendance from usual classic cars (with british models really well represented) was lower than usual, the push around the Lotus & Caterham special edition was maybe a bit too strong and they probably felt less welcome.

To me, the highlight of the day was the red Caterham 275 of David, which is full of hidden little improvements, exactly what I like. The color is truly superb. Too bad he's planning on selling it to get an Elise instead.

We spent some time talking with owners we didn't know yet, comparing the versions, the widths, the engines, the everything. It was also an occasion to check that everybody was still equipped with clips on their front calipers. Most already switched to split pins, and David had tie wraps securing the original R clips.

The "Gulf" 170S had the engine warning light on and didn't run smoothly. The experience shared by members of the 160-170 Facebook group allowed for a quick diagnostic : the intake plenum was missing a rubber bung just below the throttle body. I didn't have my OBD scanner with me, but I suspect a "P0172 system too rich" error code as shared by Ben on the FB group. I assume it's leaking pressurized air rather than ingesting more air than the MAF sensor measures between the air filter and turbo.