Birkin with SVT Engine for Sale

[slomove]

Oh well, I have (reluctantly) decided to sell my Birkin. I have owned the car for 15 years of fun and drove it on many memorable group trips (USA 2005, Pacific Northwest 2007, Rocky Mountains 2009, Black Hills 2011, NorCal 2012, Grizzly Bear Blat 2013, Montana/Idaho 2015).
Nowadays I just don't use the Seven enough anymore and I need to make space for other projects and a likely future move.


Price: $24,500


For now I have included a few older pictures (see below) but will take and post a complete set of photos when the current restoration job is finished (mid September).
So far this is only a teaser but let me know by all means if anybody is interested.


This is a '98 live axle Birkin S3 that has a lot of upgrades over the years and an almost new Focus SVT engine. I bought the car with only 600 miles on the clock in 2003.
Total mileage is approx. 57,000 for the chassis, 40,000 for the gearbox and LSD, 25,000 for the wide-track front and 2,500 miles for the engine.
Color of wings and and nosecone is intense yellow (Toyota Sun Fusion code 5A3). Other surfaces are highly polished aluminum.
I used the car with the previous engine occasionally on the track until 2010. Otherwise it has been mostly driven on long distance tours (up to 2 weeks/4000 miles) and many weekend trips and it is equipped accordingly.
California clear title as "1969 Birkin Lotus". The original owner had it titled as such first in California and later in Florida (title copies available) and I transferred it back to CA in 2003 without problems.


Engine:
Focus SVT engine (installed 2015), VCT hydraulic removed, adjustable cam pulleys installed.
The engine came out of a brand new Focus that was totaled en route to the dealership and stored until 2015 when I installed it with new clutch and throwout bearing. Now approx. 2500 miles.
An almost identical SVT sister engine (installed in a Caterham) showed around 175 rear wheel hp @7000rpm on a precision hub dyno.


Following a list of upgrades and noteworthy items. I think it is fair to say this car is quite well equipped.


Mechanical, intake, exhaust, ECU, tranny, cooling, etc.:
- Jenvey 45mm individual throttle bodies
- Intake box with integrated trumpets (uses Chevy HHR size air filter, K&N version installed)
- Penney & Giles Hall Effect throttle position sensor (contact-less magnetic sensor)
- Emerald ECU, upgraded to K3 version with baro compensation
- Lightened steel flywheel
- Underdrive front pulley and optimized serpentine belt routing
- Quantumechanics semi-close T9 gear box, top oil change plug added.
- Quaiffe LSD
- Raceline wet sump with "no-mess" Aeroquip quick disconnect oil change plug
- Laminova oil cooler (oil/water heat exchanger)
- Remote mount oil filter
- Aeroquip push-on oil fittings and hoses
- Raceline cast aluminum water rail with front accessible thermostat
- All silicone coolant hoses (2 years old)
- Header wrap
- Raceco muffler with titanium shell, re-packable
- Gustafson gear-reduction starter
- Lightweight small alternator


Chassis, suspension, wheels:
- Wide track original Birkin front suspension upgrade
- Short steering arms (original steering arms included)
- Camber infinitely adjustable with left/right hand threaded bushings: takes only minutes without removing rod-ends or a-arm bolts
- Eibach springs 350lbs/" front, 215 LBS/" rear
- Protech shocks with special valves for lightweight cars
- QA1 Heim Joint rear trailing arms with protective cover washers
- Birkin original 15" alloy wheels (I run 205 wide tires all around but used to have 195 front and 225 in the rear on these rims as well). One spare rim is included.
- 4x Toyo Proxes R1R 205/50R15 tires approx 75%-80% tread left


Safety:
- Fuel Safe custom fitted fuel cell with check-valve box fuel pickup (avoids fuel starvation when cornering).
- Newton "AeroStyle" flush fuel filler cap
- Solid state capacitive fuel level sender.
- Rear outside access aircraft style fuel filler cap
- AFFF fire suppression system installed (nozzles for tank and engine bay)
- Solenoid operated battery disconnect with dash mushroom button (zero battery leakage current when turned off)
- Hand fire extinguisher can be mounted under driver knees for touring or between seats for track events
- Rear end chassis tubing reinforced for tank protection
- Tunnel reinforced cage with multiple propshaft hoops and stringers.
- Brake light flasher module
- Ballistic nylon bellhousing shatter shield
- Tall roll bar (chromed) with modified mounting for quick removal
- Skid plate with armored front rock catcher/cruncher
- Slim center high mount brake light included but not mounted at the time


Cockpit/electrical:
- Brand new windscreen glass installed
- Completely rewired with "Painless Performance" harness, all color coded, numbered and tagged PEX wires (all original wiring was removed).
- ECU, fuse box and relays easily accessible on hinged panels under dash
- Lightweight Odyssey PC625 battery
- Heater core and fan was removed (useless and dead weight)
- Brushed and black anodized custom aluminum dash
- In-dash gage-style Whistler Cruisader radar detector, receiver mounted in nosecone
- In-dash Innovate wideband AFR gage wired to ECU for data logging and optional closed-loop operation
- "Idiot Light" for low oil pressure (<15 psi) and high coolant temperature (>105 C)
- Bright 4-LED white shift light in dash (center of view)
- "Longhorn" compressor signal horn
- 12V outlet for GPS, phone etc.
- SPA Alpha suede 270mm diameter steering wheel, removable with quick disconnect
- Billet aluminum stopwatch bracket on steering wheel hub (fits Hanhard classic stopwatch, not included)
- Brazilian rosewood shift knob (wood keeps the shift hand cool)
- New removable and heat insulated tunnel cover panels (stock was riveted fiberglass shell)
- Cobra "Roadster7" seats, driver side lowered. The seats are 14" wide with good side support wings. Should approx. fit people with up to 38" jeans size.
- G-Force 5-point 3" wide belts (sub belt is 2")
- Scuttle mounting features are modified and fluid reservoirs moved away for quick scuttle removal (to get easy access to the back of the dash)
- Complete wiring schematic and wiring table available (except later additions: "Idiot Light", Radar and wideband AFR sensor wiring)


O.K., just noticed I exceeded the 10,000 character post limit, so description to be continued in following post......

[slomove]

Continued description:

Outside:
- Special louver in bonnet with air transfer box for driver side footwell venting (avoids boiling feet)
- Custom small headlights with Hella hi/low beam projector modules (SAE version), integrated LED day running lights and turn signals
- Custom billet aluminum rear lights (LED, red/yellow/white)
- Custom mirrors on stainless steel stems, slightly convex
- Folding polished aluminum boot cover
- Brand new Line-X polyurethane rear wing rock protectors
- Custom transparent "gull-wing" half-doors/wind deflectors included but not mounted at the time
- Roll-up sun-roof/birkini top (also effective for rain) included but not mounted at the time. This can be closed while sitting in the car, no contortions required.
- Detachable rear end luggage rack for touring included but not mounted at the time.



Finish:
- The painted surfaces (new paint in 2009) were covered with paint protector film (ClearBra)
- The aging film was removed recently and the paint is still in almost virgin condition.
- All bare aluminum surfaces are freshly mirror polished.


Also available:
- Lots of car specific tools, spares, materials and accessories included for free if needed/wanted (e.g. intake vacuum balancer, timing light, leakdown&compression tester, spare front wings, fluids, alternator etc.)
- Custom lightweight enclosed tilt-bed trailer with electric brakes, el. winch and interior AC/DC lighting (3500 lbs GVW, does not need ramps) - $1000
(I used the trailer for car transport and occasional track side camping)

[johnh]

Thanks for all the great times, Gert and Rosie! And I've enjoyed those trips I wasn't on through your photos and stories. I've wrestled with the same thoughts re my car.

---john.

[slomove]

Yes, we enjoyed the trips as well. Good company and thanks for coming along :)

[slomove]

I would like to make it official now that this car is ready for sale. Restoration is complete and everything shiny. I have added a few items to the description in the first post that I forgot.
I have created a photo collection on Dropbox that you can access here (hope that works): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ik1yhleoh...fqJCFIasa?dl=0
Included are a bunch of new pics that I took today.

For now I am listing at a fixed price of $24,500 for the car and $1,000 for the trailer.

Let's see what interest there is on the usual Sevens forums. In a few weeks I may go to Craigslist or commercial sales/auction sites. For some strange reason I don't mind if it takes longer to sell the car...

[Papak]

I would be very interested in the trailer. PM if that's an option. Thanks, Kevin

[slomove]

Car and trailer are sold! The buyer is from El Segundo. He is aware of this forum.

[Roll a 7]

Hello Gert & Rosie, We had many great days on blats and at the various track events!! Hope that we can still hit the road once in a while, like we did last May with Clark. If you are moving in this direction, be sure to let me know. Hope that ALL is going well with you. Brad

[slomove]

Hey Brad, good to hear from you. I guess our trip in May was the last bigger outing with the Seven. Thanks for organizing that and several previous Paloblats as well.
For now I am without a sports car and doing such a drive in a Hyundai Santa Fe is, well, not very promising. And my electric VW Golf is not going that far. Maybe sometimes with another more interesting car....

I guess I need to have another look at my old Birkin next week. The buyer had a massive engine damage after driving only a few dozen miles (seized exhaust camshaft) and I have no real idea what could have caused that with an almost new engine that was just broken in at maybe 2500 miles. Maybe the oil pump gave up but why should that happen?

[V-Robb]

Sorry to hear, Gert. Hopefully it gets figured out without too much fuss.
You know, one of the last times I've been on a nice blat was when I headed up in the mountains with you and your son, around Christmas time a couple/few years ago, and then my battery blew up like a balloon and almost popped!
Ah, good times.
Cheers,
Robert