Check one off the bucket list!

[bamnow]

My bucket list has always had on it either a Series 3 Lotus Super Seven, or an early Caterham. My current classics include a 1963 Triumph Spitfire and a 1963Austin Cooper- both provide a tremendous amount of fun, but don't generate the same sort of grin as a Super Seven. Well I'm all smiles as I just bought an early twin cam Caterham.

Having restored both of the previous mentioned classics, I know I'll have lots of questions for this group, so hopefully you'll be patient with me! The car has been sitting for awhile, so I'm shipping it to our other home and shop in the Chicago suburbs to give it a complete fettling. I hope to have the car back to our second home here on the Central Coast sometime this summer.

Not sure if this is the right place, but I thought I'd start with my first question. Does anyone know what the early (pre-1980) Caterham nose badge looked like? My car has a Lotus badge on it and I want to put the Caterham one back on it. If anyone has a picture that would be appreciated.

Thanks to all!

[Doug Liedblad]

You might also try the Lotus 7 Club and their forum, Blatchat

They have been around longer and might have a better history.

Also try Caterham Cars in the UK.

[moosetestbestanden]

Not sure if this is the right place, but I thought I'd start with my first question. Does anyone know what the early (pre-1980) Caterham nose badge looked like? My car has a Lotus badge on it and I want to put the Caterham one back on it. If anyone has a picture that would be appreciated.

I'm not sure anyplace will be the right place (just better places, like the ones Doug mentions), but here goes:

You don't say the year of the car (and should do, please) so I googled around a bit looking for a 1975 Caterham and found this car.

and this car.

and this web site.

Based solely on what I'm seeing in these places I'm willing to hazard a guess that many of the early cars had Lotus badges on them - Nearn probably got a box full of them when he bought the rights etc., and probably hadn't gotten around to having his own made.

In a box somewhere I have a brochure from a visit I made to Caterham back in the early 80s. I'd hunt it down if I could remember where the box is (!) but I don't think the pictures on it would be relevant. By then all the twin cams were gone. It was pissing rain that day and my memory of the cars in detail (but not the ride I was given!) is as foggy as the weather was that day.

HTH.

Edit: There is also the US Sevens web site. Ask over there as someone may know more.
Edit 2: Welcome aboard!

[bamnow]

Thanks for the recommendations. My car is a 1978 that came in as a kit to Canada.

Sorry for the confusion re my comment "Not sure if this is the right place....." I was not sure if this was the right place within the forum to post this question.

I'll check with Caterham.

[Sean]

Does anyone know what the early (pre-1980) Caterham nose badge looked like?

I think it is probably one of the black/silver ones like this one or this one, but don't know for sure - there may be more than one "right" answer to the question. Caterham UK would likely know, or Blatchat as suggested by Doug. Please let us know when you find the answer.

This is the appropriate section for most of your first post, except for the question at the end. Not that anybody here will mind too much. But if you become a more active participant as time goes on, it'll probably make future searches easier for you to post questions in the Q&A section. Or not. Whatever. :)

[GWise]

If you haven't found it yet, you can find out certain things about your car from the chassis number:

http://7faq.com/owbase/ow.asp?ChassisNumbers#h9

I think Caterham went to Vegantune Twin Cam heads near '78.