We're picking up our Caterham SV on th 13th!

[jhamlinx2]

My husband Jeff and I are flying down to San Diego on the 13th to take possession of Randy Chase' Viper Blue SV - The Adrenaline Gallery's first build, I believe. We'll be driving it back to its new home in the Sierra Foothills - a 500 mile drive. I've been watching the weather forecast and it looks like it will be rain most of the way, so we'll probably start out with weather gear up, as the weather will worsen the closer we get to home. That doesn't concern Jeff in the slightest. He's just looking forward to finally getting to drive HIS Caterham. Me??? I've put any thoughts I might have had of driving down the road with a scarf over my head, looking something like Audrey Hepburn, on the back burner... way on the back burner. Instead, I'm wondering if there is ANY way I can enter and exit this new darling of ours with any semblance of decorum with the rain gear up! At this point in time Jeff is thinking he'll probably end up stuffing me in feet first kind of like a sausage, and getting me out will be just the reverse, and I'm thinking he's probably very close to right. I'm hoping the first lesson I'll learn as a Caterham owner is... who cares what I look like!! People will be looking at the car, not me! Please tell me I'm right!

We're looking forward to many outings in and around Sierra Foothill wine country, and for that matter, wherever a whim takes us. We also look forward to hearing from and meeting those of you living in nearby greater Sacramento and the Bay area and sharing some fun rides and stories.

Julie Hamlin

[Sean]

Welcome! Sounds like you are in for a fun ride. Take it easy in the rain.

[MHKflyer52]

Hi Julie,

First wear slacks and yes people will be watching as you get in but that is half the fun I do believe so have fun.
Watch this video and it will become self evident.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs0nKATEkq4

Remember it is part of the reason the Caterham is what it is a fun car.

[jhamlinx2]

Thanks, Sean. Jeff is a great driver. I'll report in with pics the day after.

[jhamlinx2]

Thanks, Sean. Jeff is a great driver. I'll report in with pics the day after.

[Sean]

Clarification: In the Caterham, you are invisible in broad daylight. In the rain, you will be invisible in conditions of poor visibility. :)

[jhamlinx2]

Yes... Jeff is already thinking like a biker on a very short bike. I'm thinking an air horn would be a good accessory :) And I'm hoping the invisibility extends to getting in and out!

[slomove]

...... I've put any thoughts I might have had of driving down the road with a scarf over my head, looking something like Audrey Hepburn, on the back burner...

Welcome in the club!

Don't let the scarf fly. Dancer Isadora Duncan got killed in 1927 when the scarf got caught in the rear wheel of her Bugatti.

[magnusfeuer]

... Dancer Isadora Duncan got killed in 1927 when the scarf got caught in the rear wheel of her Bugatti.

Which is the way to go. Quick, glamorous, and people still talk about it 95 years later.

/Magnus F.

[Sean]

Which is the way to go. Quick, glamorous, and people still talk about it 95 years later.

Good point! Maybe I'll do that.
Step 1: Get Bugatti
Hmmm... This may take a while...

[magnusfeuer]

When my time has come, I'll probably write "Bugatti" on a post-it note and tape it over the Caterham badge, remove the rear wings, go for a drive with my not-at-all-gay 10 ft scarf flapping in the wind behind me, and hope for the best.

[magnusfeuer]

Wait. She died in a f*cking Amilcar, which she just named "Bugatti".

I can do this in a Renault 5 TL from 1984 with the same level of flair.

>sigh<

[slomove]

Wait. She died in a f*cking Amilcar, which she just named "Bugatti".

I can do this in a Renault 5 TL from 1984 with the same level of flair.

>sigh<

Oh crap, what an embarrassing way to die. And I read somewhere her head hung on only by a thread. Not really glorious, either.

[Sean]

Julie and/or Jeff,

Please tell us about your drive home in your new Seven, once you stop smiling enough to type.

[randychase]

It was not without some drama. The funny thing is, there are only two things that are bolted together by Caterham UK, and then we do the rest. These two things are the differential into a mounting frame, and then the footbox pedals. We have now experienced two issues.

Last week we noticed a driveline clunk and found that the two bolts used to hold the differential in were loose. We now will check all of these. We applied loctiite, torqued, and marked the heads.

Jeff and Julie lost the clutch pedal about 50 miles from home in Stockton. Jeff spent some time in the footwell reattaching the clutch pedal to the linkage. We will now check all of these pedal connections here at the shop.

I think otherwise, they were happy.