Caterham 170 experience

TL;DR : I've bought a garage Against my will, yet another saga that began on Christmas week  🎄🎅☃️ We were on holidays at the belgian coast, with the Caterham kindly stored at House of Speed during their week off. I came to think that it had been sleeping outside for nearly 2 years and it was well overdue to find a it better sleeping quarters. In about 5 minutes, two or three options looked promising : a well located and very secure garage box, a small warehouse, and a small house that had been flooded 5 years ago. On the way back home, we stopped by the 80 m² (square meters) warehouse, to find that the entrance had been pimped a bit, but the roof was covered by a tarp. That was an instant no-go. The small house, already converted as a garage, had allegedly a buyer already. The prospect of being that close to the river didn't enchant me more than that either. Finally, that reasonably-priced garage was well located, a short 10 minutes from home. The place looked familiar, and ...

TL;DR a chunky boy  With my previous portable air compressor lost in action trying to get the Kia up to spec', I was is need of a decent replacement. For sure I tried the courtesy hose at the local gas station. It was either blocked by a car parked in that spot, or the compressor was turned off and I ended removing air from the car. After 18 months, the convenience of a battery-powered portable option would have been missed. My use ranged from regular re-inflation of our daily cars; dealing with the bicycles including fixing punctures; inflating a basketball or two... to dealing with an unexpected warning light on the road to Summer vacations. Related to the Caterham, I took the compressor along each time we ventured a bit further away than usual. For instance, I used it to lower the pressure once in the Vosges and Black Forest for maximum grip, then got the Seven back to prescribed pressure before the 500km trip back, for maximum efficiency on the motorway. In line w...

TL;DR  : Buckle up Yeah I know that I previously told that I wouldn't partake in any racing with my 170S, afraid of breaking the engine after the upgrades and all. We're 9000km later, and it proves to be as reliable as it has always been, with the engine temperature really kept under control and no sign of anything to worry about. So here we are. As I was hinting my friends at House of Speed yesterday that they didn't really have had a proper try with my car yet, they told me there would be a track day next week, and that it would be the best place to have a go. I knew there's usually one in October, but I hadn't seen or heard anything about that recently. The HoS newsletter was actually written already, and was sent soon after that talk . Twice a year, Belgians On Track  do schedule a track day at the Mettet circuit . It's not their only gig but the other one is in France, thus a bit further away. I've met one of the organizers a bunch of times already, an...

  Fig.1 :   banana for scale TL;DR Trekking gear, caring about volume 🦌 After missing most of Summer driving opportunities, my intent is to make for it in September one way or another. The vision of a Seven at a campsite always tickled my fancy. Especially since our yearly holidays are nothing less than 3 weeks under a tent. Roughly speaking, I've probably slept for year in a tent since 2000. That began as a scout leader, followed by holidays with various groups of friends and nowadays as a family of four.  In those instances volume and weight are no concern, and even a classic Mini Cooper could store plenty for two people. 🏎️ Going camping with a Seven is really an other game, as 120 liters in the boot is all we have. There is virtually no space in the cabin at all. Assuming the car jack and lever would be relocated to the engine bay, the full boot area could be available for camping equipment. Clothes and luggage would go in the " Boot bag " I got from Soft Bi...

(TL;DR was : at 20€, a must-have  on my list)  

TL;DR mirrors are required by law for a reason EDIT : I actually already covered the subject last year . .. but I will keep both posts. Driving like Noddy in his little yellow car is certainly part of the appeal of owning such a toy. It didn't take us long to try this on the beach in winter last year. It was cold AF, and we certainly learned that driving without side screens is not very enjoyable because of the massive air turbulence. At any speed over 70 kph, the experience is close to what I imagine breathing with a CPAP must feel like. Some fear they'll lose their sunglasses; I wasn't convinced my beanie was really safe either. You certainly need earplugs. On top of the battering, the lack of side mirrors wasn't optimal. It was barely OK on empty country roads, but they are really missing when driving around town during rush hour. Looking for small "F1" style mirrors similar to the ones I had on my bike back in the day, I found those super cheap models o...

TL;DR a half hood can be useful, see below how to fit it   After 8 months and about 22 000 km with the Caterham, it is clear that it's best enjoyed topless. And I mean the car. When bad weather is a concern, putting the full roof on is a 5 minutes venture when done carefully. The car is actually covered in seconds when done by two people. After that, most of the time is dedicated to fiddling with the velcro and tensioning the hood sticks with the belts.  Since we’re both on the slim side and, let’s be honest, not exactly tall (I’m around the same height as Colin Chapman), getting in and out of the car is no trouble at all. Even with the full roof installed, we've long mastered the very procedural little dance it requires. Plus, the car has lowered floors and a removable steering wheel, making entry and exit a breeze. All that to say that I didn't see a reason to get a half hood. That is excepting on very particular conditions : really hot and overly sunny days. I came...

        TL;DR works fine on the inside of the sidescreens   Some random thought about keeping the plastic windows clear from mist led me to remember that Rain-X is a thing. Do not apply the 'original' glass formula on plastic.  They offer a version dedicated to helmet visors and bike windscreens. With the windows clean and dry, it was sprayed and wiped with a soft cloth, then left to dry. After 15 minutes or so, it was buffed with a second clean and dry cloth.  I did apply it on both sides of the sidescreens, the windows on the sides of the full hood, and the rear window. The internal surfaces were my main concern.  It really works well, I think I haven't had to use the chamois leather inside even once since it was applied, 5 months ago now. I'll admit most of the driving didn't involve the hood, but the times it did were really really wet and damp.  On the outside, it works well too, keeping the rear window clear from ra...

  Another must-have on my list : the long nose shower cap. Most useful when you don't have a garage and enjoy driving with the roof off. It was made to order by Soft Bits For Sevens , really a premium product. The underside has a metallic coating that doubles as a heat shield. With the new type of tail lights and no independent fog and rear lamps to attach to, the shower cap comes with additional plastic hooks to catch the bottom of the rear body panel. I'm happy that I can rely on the spare wheel carrier instead. Weight without the pouch : 1130 grams EDIT on 2025-09-03 : specifications to order one for a 170 (any) or 165 (with a spare wheel)      SCL 2 : Long Nose Shower Cap - Door Mounted or Tripod Mirrors      Car Specification: Series 3 , Non FIA ( H2 )      Mirror Style: Standard or Eccles door mirrors      Rear lights: LED lights  pro-tip :    F or extra versatility,  ask Soft Bits for ...

  TL;DR a cheap way to drive without the side screens legally EDIT : I'm dumb enough to cover the subject twice, here's the 2025 version . .. Part of the fun with a Seven is that the sidescreens can be removed in a matter of seconds. The downside is that the rearview mirrors are fitted just below the windows and are removed too. Fitting the mirrors on the stanchions permanently is impractical as it prevents the doors from fully opening and leaning on the bonnet. Which is really convenient as it adds some ease of access to the cabin, even more so with the roof up. Looking for some cheap "F1-style" mirrors, I found super cheap motorcycle kits on Aliexpress, around 8€ a pair pp incl. cheap. As their base is designed to fit into the end of a handle bar, some adapter would be required. I ended quickly designing a slim handlebar-shaped adapter with a flat square base. The fitting is done with a long-ish M5 screw that replaced the central windscreen screw. Havin...

Hiding your documents below the passenger seat is not a good idea they told me. They were right.  It gets quite wet down there with the water ingress in the passenger footwell. I still have to find where it comes from. Thankfully the only valuable document in there was my proof of registration and it's so plasticky that it would probably survive a cycle in the washing machine. The insurance and MOT-equivalent were laser printed on quality paper and just needed drying with paper towel on the window sill. Inkjet printed sheets such as the copy of the certificate of conformity issued by Caterham France (with the original kept safely at home) and the road legal certification for the Philips Ultinon LEDs were just a messy block but could be re-printed anytime. Other than that, this 10€ allegedly water and fire proof document holder is rather nice. I'm sure it wouldn't let any rain or splash get in. But no zipper could tackle full-on immersion for days.