I,m 84 yrs old and still drive my Westfield V8 around the British country roads and always at break neck speeds every week end come rain, hail or sunshine.
I'm 73 and I wish I still had my clone 7. I built it 27 years ago from scratch. Kept it 5 years. Still see it around. I found it very tiring to drive, but what a blast it was. Good on you Michael. Your life has purpose with one of these insane things in your life. Keep it as long as you can, it'll keep you young....
have never seen one in person but loved it the moment i got the collectors card when i was a boy. has to be the coolest car ever and am really glad they are still made this way.
What a wonderful video and agree with everything he says about the seven - I'm off to get into mine now, a must for anyone who enjoys true driving pleasure.
Great video Roger. Glad to see you have joined the Caterham Appreciation Society ! I can confirm you can get 160mph from a 620R but you will need a change of pants after ;-)
thanks Pete, I was mighty impressed, watched all your videos on the subject so now I'm now looking for a 620S SV - may order a new one, plus a supply of new pants !
@@RogerBaileyOnCars In a 360 you'll top out at about 120mph. But it'll feel like 240mph. And honestly straight line speed is boring. Check out my race videos - the big long straights are just... meh. You hold the wheel still, you stand on the right pedal, stuff goes past, fuel gets burned. The car is so sure-footed there's absolutely no drama. But corners - ah now corners are where the fun is.
Regarding pulling out of parking spaces 'blind' I find the old chrome headlight housings provide a useful extra 'mirror' in such situations. I also happen to think they look great especially with the bare aluminium body.
Quite a long time ago I owned a genuine Lotus 7 only a 1500 cc Ford but it did have twin 40 Webers. This was in the era of Ford Anglia and Mk1 Cortina so you can imagine both the relative performance and even more the ease with which it went round corners! It was my every day (and only) car for 6 months every summer for 3 years (my insurance company thought it was a 'good idea' not to drive it in the winter). The hood did indeed make getting in and out a bit of a trial so my preferred solution was a centre zipped tonneau cover. With the tonneau in place over the passenger seat you stayed completely dry, and relatively warm, in any weather provided you kept above 30 mph! Even the 1500 Lotus 7 was reputed to have a quicker 0-60 than an E type Jag yet the only time I managed to get along side one at a set of traffic lights the driver wouldn't play and just waved me on!
I fell in love with this machine over 40 years ago the first time I saw the opening scenes with Patrick McGoohan in "The Prisoner." Every time since, whenever I see even an image, I get giddy and almost breathless with desire to make one my own. Even as a 73 year old American woman, my lust for one has not abated one bit. Thanks for posting.
I have a Robin Hood S 7. Not as powerful as this, but still great fun. From a earlier comment , I also use the chrome headlights as extra mirrors. Us 'older' drivers are able to get reasonable insurance for these types of cars
It's your articulate commentary that makes your videos so great. It would be nice to hear a bit more detail about the handling and see you push it a bit around some tight corners. Thanks!
Rodger, thank you for the video! I am 71 and like your style. If the Crete don't rise, I am buying a Caterham 7 with a 178 HP fuel injected 2.0-liter Ford Zetec twin-cam inline-four. Who needs a BMW R1200GS anymore? Not me! Yippy!
@@RogerBaileyOnCars Rodger, My wife walked into my home office as I was watching your video and I managed to get her to look long enough to say "Is that the one you are buying?" I replied, "Not this exact one, but one like it." To add credence to my buying decision, I pointed out your elder status. After watching for 20-30 seconds she said she liked it. You helped put me over the acceptance hump. After 47 years of marital bliss, I have found it is always good to get the spouses approval for ... everything. Thank you again! :-)
Hi Roger Thanks for another great video - I loved caterham when I tried one - I suggest trying a Morgan 3 wheeler - amazing fun - I’d say very similar but also very different!
To take my story further; at the age of 68, I wrote off my 29th Lotus (Elise 111r) in Sept 2020.... a damned Deer stepped out in front of me with zero warning (came from a hedge?) and I ended in a ditch against a tree. The Elise looked appalling, no front bodywork, missing one wheel and both front suspensions torn back. And yet..... the main chassis didn't move a FRACTION.... as far as I can tell....... and I stepped out without a single scratch...... but sore hands and wrists! . I have now replaced it with my 30th Lotus...... another Elise 111r. Age doesn't have to be a limitation on Lotuses. I look laughable getting in and out (I'm 16 stone) ...... but I don't give a DAMN what other people think..... I can still drive it! And it still leaves me smiling from ear to ear almost every time! Again, out of interest, I bought my 1st (a Lotus 7 S1) when I was 19 so I am just under 50 years as a Lotus driver! I hope to make the 50 and beyond!
Yes, good vid, and glad you love the 7! it`s fun on the road, ,but to experience it to the full, take it on track.I`ve started racing the Academy car (1.6 sigma engine). I think the Duratec 310r is probably the ideal spec for a driver like myself. Many of you will prefer the 420 and 620 ,as it has more grunt, and you`ll leave some supercars for dust.Look forward to you maybe doing another vid with it on track
Roger. Seeing you get into the Caterham with the roof in situ reminded me of when I used to have an MG Midget. However, that was 30 years ago and I used to be a heck of a lot more supple then :-))...
@@RogerBaileyOnCars - Triumph and MG. Two great motoring names that have died (I say MG has died because I don't rate their last saloon car incarnations as being proper MG's!). Off the top of my head, the list of cars that have come from both MG and Triumph is quite staggering. Though I'm sure there are one or two I/we wouldn't want to be reminded of :-))... Was your Spitfire a 1500? If so, it had the same inline 4 cylinder engine as my MG. From what I can recall, it was a very torquey engine :-)) Even in the winter I'd drive with the hood down. Bloody freezing it was. The only problem I had, was the roof becoming incredibly rigid due to the cold and a right bugger to get back up again :-))...
Young people wont drive top down in winter these days, too soft. I had 2 x spitfires a v old mk3 which fell to bits, a slightly younger mk 4 which was a tuned up 1400 & had modified suspension - that car basically fell apart too :-)
@@RogerBaileyOnCars - My old MG was falling apart too. Door sills had gone so I sold it to someone who wanted to restore one. I agree with you about the young being too soft, though I have to admit, being well past the 50 years mark, I tend more towards comfort in cars too. Though I can't quite get rid of my desire for speed. But I've always said that speed doesn't kill. Bad/Poor driving kills. But comfort and my current 11 year old Cooper S do not really go hand in hand. Neither does the speed bit. It's nippy, but not fast. So I'm thinking, early next year, to get a 2nd hand BMW 335d XDrive. That should suffice for both of my needs. :-))...
The seven has been my dream car since I was a teenager. I’m nearly 50 now. It’s still my dream car. Yet I’ve never even stood beside one. Never mind taking one for a drive. It’s a dream that was put on hold for many years but I expect to have my own before I’m 50. 🤞
Love these cars , I am a aspiring mechanic and currently build kitcars for a local racing team. So far weve build chassis's with a ford zetec black top engine ( cup spec ) ,a built toyota 4age engine and carbureted 13b rotary. Little rockets on wheels these things.
SV model with S pack is certainly suitable for day to day driving. I believe you can change the pedal position backwards and forwards and side to side in order to get more space for your feet, great review, surprised you don't have more subs
Hi Roger , great video and I like to think I could get in and out of one as easy as you did , spotted your blue Porsche on the Wirral last week and you were right it's an absolute stunner for sure , stay safe and keep up the good work , all my best Joe Perry 🏎🙂
Roger Bailey hi Roger , yes I am Joe Perry and I do play guitar but I'm not the one from areosmith sadly 😊, I live in New brighton with my daughter and I'm a sports car enthusiast like you , I've had a few over the years but I currently have a 2000 Porsche boxster S in black and a 1972 MGB GT in racing green with chrome spoke wheels , you've got me interested in a jaguar xjs recently so may add no 3 when find the right one 😊
Good evening Roger , just in from my birthday tea at the fox and hounds ,52 today blimey , thank you for that and yes your right of course especially as I'm right on the coast , my Porsche is here and my MGB is in my best friends garage in heswall , I quite fancy a black XJS for some reason and it would be easier to find an XK8 but I'm drawn to the S , maybe my age and my dad used to sell them when they first appeared My best Joe Perry
I was given a passenger ride in one at a track day, narrow body, its like sitting in a coffin on wheels, very fast in the right hands and very exciting.
Hello Roger, Yours is one of the best Caterham videos I have seen. Also, as one of your viewers mentioned, I remember "The Prisoner " series, which inspired me to own two Lotus 7s in my youth (both with twin cam engines) and more recently a Caterham HPC. They all delivered everything you mention but I would add that I found them slow and noisy compared with motor cycles. Most sports bikes will propel you to 60 in about two and a half seconds, and it is accomplished in relative silence with factory exhausts. However I was reading this week in our local Chronicle that a chap down the road here has a 1970 Vauxhall that hits 248mph in under 7 seconds on a drag strip. Wow, that must be fun!! (But he cannot pop to the shops as you and I do|) Anyhow, thank you for the pleasure and time taken to do the video. Cheers.
nice hearing about your 7's Chris, you're right not much beats a sports bike and that Vauxhall must be a sight to behold, thanks for the comments, cheers - Roger
I seriously want to test drive this lovely machine now! But I'll start with the 80 HP one first; I started driving only two years ago. 😁 I do wish you could have provided us an example of this car's engine note.
When I had my Morgan +4 back in the early ‘60s we referred to this as “bugs in the teeth motoring”. Not at all practical, but I did manage to transport a 20’ ladder, stuffed into the passenger footwell. Criticism of ingress/egress of the Caterham is nowhere near as embarrassing as the sight of this 76 year old getting in and out of my ‘69 Type 54 Lotus Europa!
Roger Bailey - Yes, that’s when I was first smitten, but the practical bone in my head made me buy a ‘73 Triumph TR-6 instead. 17 years ago I decided to indulge myself. I love driving my Europa, repowered with a Renault cross-flow hemi, but getting out of it now is like falling/crawling out onto the pavement!
Quick question: How does the lowered floor option impact visibility? You're already sitting pretty low in the Caterham, without the lowered floor option, as it is, no? Thanks.
Hi Nick, your prob going to need the lowered floor option, and the SV (series 5) wide body is well worth trying out. I'm 6.1 and don't fit well in the narrow original S3. Porsche videos to come soon !
I haven't had the pleasure of driving a Caterham 7, but I have had the pleasure/oppertunity to drive 2 series 4 Lotuas Seven's, complete with the genuine Big Valve Lotus Motor. They were both insanely fast, and like nothing else I have ever driven, and one day, perhaps when I give up motorcycling and/or collecting rare and unusual cars, I will own one, or something similar, such as a Catheham ?
Beautiful! This was poetry to watch and hear. i'm glad you got a chance to enjoy such a fine machine. It was fascinating to learn about the different features. Great learning experience for a car ignoramus like me. I found you through "eh joe" and #nosmallcreator hashtag. I make original music and share on my RUclips channel. Just last week, I started vlogging about creativity. Glad to have found you and happy to support this channel. Cheers! 🙌🏿
Your opening statement-responce-1st,they're not going to wreck it because they know the value of money. 2nd, will only drive it fast when appropriate to see what it will do. 3rd, will treat it with respect because they know that car will kill you flat out. I've come to find out that all of this doesn't register with younger folk or rich bastards.
Thinking of getting one of these and putting in a fully built E85 tuned 540HP SR20, just for the track. Would it be manageable if suspension was setup correctly?
I think I’ll stick with my S2000, love my comfort too much. But these are demon motors, when did Chapman design it? 1957. Now same basics but better engine transmission and brakes. Dampers too will be light years ahead of those from 60 years ago. Pure fun
Roger Bailey certainly is, I’m lucky my workshop has enough apex height to fit a car lift in and it’s up in my roof until summer. I’m an old fart boomer, did a lot of rallies, built a RWD CORSA with an all steel engine that revved beyond 9 after my Mk2 simply wore out and the shell cracked up. The S2K is my mental replacement for those days Revs to 9 has a diff decent ‘box and scares me silly. Just wish it was sequential like the Hewland in the old corsa. It’s soul food in mid Wales on the mountain roads.
Roger Bailey trust me I’m no poseur. Lucky if the car gets a wash more than once a year, but I do count my blessings. The corsa motor took engine wizard Martin Bowyer two years to build, it cost more than an S2K complete! But that was 97 before that car hit the tarmac. It got me buzzed on high rev engines (look up Andy Burton Peugeot and old friend with a real screamer, now banned by the MSA) Post motor sports it’s the ideal car that loves being driven.
I was within a few weeks of ordering a Lotus Super 7 and needed the money for something else. Nice to know it is still alive and well and living under an assumed name. Ah youth...mine not yours
Ageing....? Ha ha! I drive an Elise (almost as tight to get into and out of, once the roof's up)….. and I do so most days.... I have access to a 7, too and I can get in and out of both, I'm 66...…. and 16 stone.... and fat!! What do I think about a Skinny 56 year old getting into a 7......? Bloody kid, I say! I'm now on my 29th Lotus, beginning with a Lotus 7 Series 1 when I was 19. All it needs is practice and a burning desire to drive a car that actually does what you tell it to, the instant that you tell it! When you get into your 60s...…. I hope you're still driving a Lotus. I will say, the interior of my Elise is more civilised than my 7.... but I love both!
I will, I hope, Roger.... until my body fails me. The nice twist is that both my son and my daughter have bought themselves Elises, too. We are Lotus mad, all three of us.
@@RogerBaileyOnCars Oh.... by the way.... we live near an 2nd World War abandoned airfield. And...... my son's first foray into driving cars was on that airfield.... the car was a Caterham 7 and he was 9. My daughter did the same, but a few years later than my son. No better way to start them off, in my opinion.
FANTASTIC, BOUGHT MINE IN '69 SOLD IT IN' 86
..FANTASTIC!
Mine ROAD RACING LOTUS 7.
Well done for capturing why they are so much fun.
cheers Michael
I,m 84 yrs old and still drive my Westfield V8 around the British country roads and always at break neck speeds every week end come rain, hail or sunshine.
Thanks for sharing this Michael, it gives me inspiration, keep it up !
You should twin turbo it!
I'm 73 and I wish I still had my clone 7. I built it 27 years ago from scratch. Kept it 5 years. Still see it around. I found it very tiring to drive, but what a blast it was. Good on you Michael. Your life has purpose with one of these insane things in your life. Keep it as long as you can, it'll keep you young....
A Caterham is the most pure, visceral & involving drive, ever. No exceptions, no substitute.
have never seen one in person but loved it the moment i got the collectors card when i was a boy. has to be the coolest car ever and am really glad they are still made this way.
What a wonderful video and agree with everything he says about the seven - I'm off to get into mine now, a must for anyone who enjoys true driving pleasure.
thanks Mark , enjoy :)
Great video Roger. Glad to see you have joined the Caterham Appreciation Society !
I can confirm you can get 160mph from a 620R but you will need a change of pants after ;-)
thanks Pete, I was mighty impressed, watched all your videos on the subject so now I'm now looking for a 620S SV - may order a new one, plus a supply of new pants !
160mph in a caterham - what ?!
@@RogerBaileyOnCars In a 360 you'll top out at about 120mph. But it'll feel like 240mph. And honestly straight line speed is boring. Check out my race videos - the big long straights are just... meh. You hold the wheel still, you stand on the right pedal, stuff goes past, fuel gets burned. The car is so sure-footed there's absolutely no drama. But corners - ah now corners are where the fun is.
Petrol Ped s
I drove a 69 Lotus 7 with a Ford 1600 cross flow head and dual Webers.
The single greatest experience of 55 years of motoring!
Regarding pulling out of parking spaces 'blind' I find the old chrome headlight housings provide a useful extra 'mirror' in such situations. I also happen to think they look great especially with the bare aluminium body.
indeed chrome headlights look great and useful too !
Awesome video - I've had the pleasure of driving one and you nailed it with your description of the sensation.
That car is a peace of art , i have seen some of these few years ago in my city
Hey Tassos great to hear from you - thanks
I drove a Caterham last year, an older one than yours, what a stunning machine, I agree with all your points
Erol Vukasinavic glad you enjoyed your drive, thanks for looking in
Quite a long time ago I owned a genuine Lotus 7 only a 1500 cc Ford but it did have twin 40 Webers. This was in the era of Ford Anglia and Mk1 Cortina so you can imagine both the relative performance and even more the ease with which it went round corners!
It was my every day (and only) car for 6 months every summer for 3 years (my insurance company thought it was a 'good idea' not to drive it in the winter). The hood did indeed make getting in and out a bit of a trial so my preferred solution was a centre zipped tonneau cover. With the tonneau in place over the passenger seat you stayed completely dry, and relatively warm, in any weather provided you kept above 30 mph!
Even the 1500 Lotus 7 was reputed to have a quicker 0-60 than an E type Jag yet the only time I managed to get along side one at a set of traffic lights the driver wouldn't play and just waved me on!
thanks for sharing your great memories of a cracking car Simon
Caterham 7 look so cool
I fell in love with this machine over 40 years ago the first time I saw the opening scenes with Patrick McGoohan in "The Prisoner." Every time since, whenever I see even an image, I get giddy and almost breathless with desire to make one my own. Even as a 73 year old American woman, my lust for one has not abated one bit. Thanks for posting.
that Prisoner show did it for me too
another great video Roger, very watchable, keep them coming
Cheers Gary I will
I have a Robin Hood S 7. Not as powerful as this, but still great fun. From a earlier comment , I also use the chrome headlights as extra mirrors. Us 'older' drivers are able to get reasonable insurance for these types of cars
Robert Willis dont see many robin hoods around, the ones I've seen look great
It's your articulate commentary that makes your videos so great. It would be nice to hear a bit more detail about the handling and see you push it a bit around some tight corners. Thanks!
Patrick Felstead thanks I appreciate your saying that - more detail & corners - right !
For more on handling, I've always liked this one from Chris Harris:
ruclips.net/video/JAwNfgvF_Ww/видео.html
I'm guessing that's a Welsh accent? Which is always a favorite for narrations in my book, thanks to John Cale.
Rodger, thank you for the video! I am 71 and like your style. If the Crete don't rise, I am buying a Caterham 7 with a 178 HP fuel injected 2.0-liter Ford Zetec twin-cam inline-four. Who needs a BMW R1200GS anymore? Not me! Yippy!
go for it Greg
@@RogerBaileyOnCars Rodger, My wife walked into my home office as I was watching your video and I managed to get her to look long enough to say "Is that the one you are buying?" I replied, "Not this exact one, but one like it." To add credence to my buying decision, I pointed out your elder status. After watching for 20-30 seconds she said she liked it. You helped put me over the acceptance hump. After 47 years of marital bliss, I have found it is always good to get the spouses approval for ... everything. Thank you again! :-)
Great video Roger, love the Caterham 7 I fell in love with it when watchinng TV series The Prisoner
Hey transitvandoors thanks for looking in, I tried (in vein) to capture that prisoner opening scene
Hi Roger
Thanks for another great video - I loved caterham when I tried one - I suggest trying a Morgan 3 wheeler - amazing fun - I’d say very similar but also very different!
thanks mick, I may get to try a 3 wheeler
It used to say in the brochure...people will cheer as you drive by !.....they did too ...
Fourth video of yours I have watched and I am enjoying your enthusiasm and passion for cars, keep it up.
MrCarrera28 this is a great thing to hear, thanks, I’ve more in the pipeline 👍
To take my story further; at the age of 68, I wrote off my 29th Lotus (Elise 111r) in Sept 2020.... a damned Deer stepped out in front of me with zero warning (came from a hedge?) and I ended in a ditch against a tree. The Elise looked appalling, no front bodywork, missing one wheel and both front suspensions torn back. And yet..... the main chassis didn't move a FRACTION.... as far as I can tell....... and I stepped out without a single scratch...... but sore hands and wrists! . I have now replaced it with my 30th Lotus...... another Elise 111r. Age doesn't have to be a limitation on Lotuses. I look laughable getting in and out (I'm 16 stone) ...... but I don't give a DAMN what other people think..... I can still drive it! And it still leaves me smiling from ear to ear almost every time! Again, out of interest, I bought my 1st (a Lotus 7 S1) when I was 19 so I am just under 50 years as a Lotus driver! I hope to make the 50 and beyond!
great story Ian thanks for sharing it and keep it up!
Yes, good vid, and glad you love the 7! it`s fun on the road, ,but to experience it to the full, take it on track.I`ve started racing the Academy car (1.6 sigma engine). I think the Duratec 310r is probably the ideal spec for a driver like myself. Many of you will prefer the 420 and 620 ,as it has more grunt, and you`ll leave some supercars for dust.Look forward to you maybe doing another vid with it on track
thanks, good luck with your academy drives, the track is the place to be
i'm not sure this car would suit me but a very good video
it's a man type of car
maybe try one :)
Yes, go on Roger!!
fantastic filming
thanks
thanks!!
Excellent. Video. Keep them coming
Thank you - I will !
Many thanks for a great review.
Another great review Mr B
thanks Al, appreciated
That is SUCH a cool find! I LOVE your content Roger!
Devin Leary thanks for stopping by, and I really appreciate your comment
amazing review well done, hoping for more to come
thanks Gina
Another brilliant video Roger! Keep em coming :)
Hey Llewelyn Guildford thanks - will do !
I would love one of these, always thought I’d look silly in one but after seeing this video it kind of looks cool!
Roger. Seeing you get into the Caterham with the roof in situ reminded me of when I used to have an MG Midget.
However, that was 30 years ago and I used to be a heck of a lot more supple then :-))...
kinda reminded me of my old Triumph Spitfire - dare I say ?!
@@RogerBaileyOnCars - Triumph and MG. Two great motoring names that have died (I say MG has died because I don't rate their last saloon car incarnations as being proper MG's!).
Off the top of my head, the list of cars that have come from both MG and Triumph is quite staggering.
Though I'm sure there are one or two I/we wouldn't want to be reminded of :-))...
Was your Spitfire a 1500? If so, it had the same inline 4 cylinder engine as my MG. From what I can recall, it was a very torquey engine :-))
Even in the winter I'd drive with the hood down. Bloody freezing it was. The only problem I had, was the roof becoming incredibly rigid due to the cold and a right bugger to get back up again :-))...
Young people wont drive top down in winter these days, too soft. I had 2 x spitfires a v old mk3 which fell to bits, a slightly younger mk 4 which was a tuned up 1400 & had modified suspension - that car basically fell apart too :-)
@@RogerBaileyOnCars - My old MG was falling apart too. Door sills had gone so I sold it to someone who wanted to restore one. I agree with you about the young being too soft, though I have to admit, being well past the 50 years mark, I tend more towards comfort in cars too. Though I can't quite get rid of my desire for speed. But I've always said that speed doesn't kill. Bad/Poor driving kills. But comfort and my current 11 year old Cooper S do not really go hand in hand. Neither does the speed bit. It's nippy, but not fast. So I'm thinking, early next year, to get a 2nd hand BMW 335d XDrive. That should suffice for both of my needs. :-))...
The seven has been my dream car since I was a teenager. I’m nearly 50 now. It’s still my dream car. Yet I’ve never even stood beside one. Never mind taking one for a drive. It’s a dream that was put on hold for many years but I expect to have my own before I’m 50. 🤞
I hope you manage to get one, I hear they hold their value extremely well.
It's been a year Handley...what progress have you made ?
Hi Roger😃 I have been waiting for your next video! Absolutely beautiful! 💖💖💖👍🙋
Thank you Karla, great to hear from you
Thumbs up as soon as I heard the intro. Fuck yea. Unfortunately I'll be middle aged before I can afford one.
Allyson Frye when your old get one, you'll be still young inside
Very very good video Roger
hey thanks Ed
Love these cars , I am a aspiring mechanic and currently build kitcars for a local racing team. So far weve build chassis's with a ford zetec black top engine ( cup spec ) ,a built toyota 4age engine and carbureted 13b rotary. Little rockets on wheels these things.
SV model with S pack is certainly suitable for day to day driving. I believe you can change the pedal position backwards and forwards and side to side in order to get more space for your feet, great review, surprised you don't have more subs
interesting point about the pedal box, thanks
welcome
perfect commentary, nice editing skills, more content please Señor Bailey
gracias Pedro
agreed... quality all round
another great video Roger
thanks for saying ;)
inspires me to get a Caterham, nice work here, thanks
The best Click Bait Title I've read all year ...... but it's not even a click bait title :) Great Caterham Vid Roger !!!!
thanks 😂👍
I would definitely use daytime running lights!!
Hi Roger , great video and I like to think I could get in and out of one as easy as you did , spotted your blue Porsche on the Wirral last week and you were right it's an absolute stunner for sure , stay safe and keep up the good work , all my best Joe Perry 🏎🙂
Joe Perry thanks ! thanks for looking in - yes drive safe
Roger Bailey hi Roger , yes I am Joe Perry and I do play guitar but I'm not the one from areosmith sadly 😊, I live in New brighton with my daughter and I'm a sports car enthusiast like you , I've had a few over the years but I currently have a 2000 Porsche boxster S in black and a 1972 MGB GT in racing green with chrome spoke wheels , you've got me interested in a jaguar xjs recently so may add no 3 when find the right one 😊
you have a couple of great cars there Joe, XJS needs a garage of course or the rot will set in !
Good evening Roger , just in from my birthday tea at the fox and hounds ,52 today blimey , thank you for that and yes your right of course especially as I'm right on the coast , my Porsche is here and my MGB is in my best friends garage in heswall , I quite fancy a black XJS for some reason and it would be easier to find an XK8 but I'm drawn to the S , maybe my age and my dad used to sell them when they first appeared
My best
Joe Perry
I was given a passenger ride in one at a track day, narrow body, its like sitting in a coffin on wheels, very fast in the right hands and very exciting.
Great video. Nicely shot. Excellent commentary. 👍🏻
IM 😎
thanks for saying ImpManiac
Great stuff sir! Get yourself some Biggles goggles for Christmas!
cheers Simon, I might just do that !
I know exactly what you mean I get the same feeling going for a walk on the beach
Hello Roger, Yours is one of the best Caterham videos I have seen. Also, as one of your viewers mentioned, I remember "The Prisoner " series, which inspired me to own two Lotus 7s in my youth (both with twin cam engines) and more recently a Caterham HPC. They all delivered everything you mention but I would add that I found them slow and noisy compared with motor cycles. Most sports bikes will propel you to 60 in about two and a half seconds, and it is accomplished in relative silence with factory exhausts. However I was reading this week in our local Chronicle that a chap down the road here has a 1970 Vauxhall that hits 248mph in under 7 seconds on a drag strip. Wow, that must be fun!! (But he cannot pop to the shops as you and I do|) Anyhow, thank you for the pleasure and time taken to do the video. Cheers.
nice hearing about your 7's Chris, you're right not much beats a sports bike and that Vauxhall must be a sight to behold, thanks for the comments, cheers - Roger
I seriously want to test drive this lovely machine now! But I'll start with the 80 HP one first; I started driving only two years ago. 😁 I do wish you could have provided us an example of this car's engine note.
What an outstanding video Rodger and no wonder 36,000 other people thought so too.
Sorry 37k lol
thanks Joe - i can’t believe a Sudden 36k and now 37k
Motoring enlightenment.
Motoring at its best in a basic elementary machine.
The SV isnt just for flabbies, the wider stance means better handling. Js
Another super video dude. That car is madness 😜
Construction Machines Channel hey thanks for saying, appreciated
Marvel as your sump is ripped apart by speed humps
When I had my Morgan +4 back in the early ‘60s we referred to this as “bugs in the teeth motoring”. Not at all practical, but I did manage to transport a 20’ ladder, stuffed into the passenger footwell. Criticism of ingress/egress of the Caterham is nowhere near as embarrassing as the sight of this 76 year old getting in and out of my ‘69 Type 54 Lotus Europa!
Europa sounds great, I was smitten by them back in the early '70's
Roger Bailey - Yes, that’s when I was first smitten, but the practical bone in my head made me buy a ‘73 Triumph TR-6 instead. 17 years ago I decided to indulge myself. I love driving my Europa, repowered with a Renault cross-flow hemi, but getting out of it now is like falling/crawling out onto the pavement!
WOW!!! Very Cool car!!!! Glad you see your channel is growing quickly. #BestWishes.Take care. :-)
Thank you Adele, best wishes :)
Quick question: How does the lowered floor option impact visibility? You're already sitting pretty low in the Caterham, without the lowered floor option, as it is, no? Thanks.
Visibility was good despite my slouching !
Great Video 👍 thanks
you are welcome Nick :-)
wow, vids getting better Roger
cheers Jed !
How tall are you Roger. ? I’m 6’3” and thinking I’d need the lowered floor?? More on your new Porsche please.
Hi Nick, your prob going to need the lowered floor option, and the SV (series 5) wide body is well worth trying out. I'm 6.1 and don't fit well in the narrow original S3. Porsche videos to come soon !
I haven't had the pleasure of driving a Caterham 7, but I have had the pleasure/oppertunity to drive 2 series 4 Lotuas Seven's, complete with the genuine Big Valve Lotus Motor. They were both insanely fast, and like nothing else I have ever driven, and one day, perhaps when I give up motorcycling and/or collecting rare and unusual cars, I will own one, or something similar, such as a Catheham ?
tough to give up our pass times, although a 7 may be a good substitute
That was a good review.
thanks
HAD ONE, OR SIMILAR.
Yeah
Do the doors fit in the boot space?🤔
Lewis O'Kelly yes they do 👍
Pure Lotus still going strong since 1957.
I saw one of these driving in torrential rain eastbound on the M4 without the top up it looked like a mobile bathtub
Okay, I did NOT expect that intro music... I like though...
No music please, I want to hear the pops and bangs
Beautiful! This was poetry to watch and hear. i'm glad you got a chance to enjoy such a fine machine. It was fascinating to learn about the different features. Great learning experience for a car ignoramus like me. I found you through "eh joe" and #nosmallcreator hashtag. I make original music and share on my RUclips channel. Just last week, I started vlogging about creativity. Glad to have found you and happy to support this channel. Cheers! 🙌🏿
Chantmagick thank you so much, coming from you and having been to your channel this is a great compliment
Your opening statement-responce-1st,they're not going to wreck it because they know the value of money. 2nd, will only drive it fast when appropriate to see what it will do. 3rd, will treat it with respect because they know that car will kill you flat out. I've come to find out that all of this doesn't register with younger folk or rich bastards.
Thinking of getting one of these and putting in a fully built E85 tuned 540HP SR20, just for the track. Would it be manageable if suspension was setup correctly?
I recently drove a 620R that was 311 BHP it was manageable but only just, 540 would be interesting
@@RogerBaileyOnCars Might start with a 400HP tune on premium petrol, sounds like it will do the job, and a lot more reliable.
T Bone 400 should do it 👍😂
Hi Roger I love this car so much you got weather for it too👍🏼 I definitely can’t wear skirts drive this car lol 😂
I imagine you'd enjoy this driving around the highlands 😊
Cool car
Nice review! You should try and get a drive in a light car company rocket.
Maybe one day!
all gassed at the end lol
Amazing production again :-) Ive always wanted to own a Caterham to see how it compares to Motorcycling.
Thank you Victor, great hearing from you, yes its a bit like a motorcycle !
beats motorcycling
Spun mine in to a ditch...engine was ripped off its mountings...but it still drove me home
I think I’ll stick with my S2000, love my comfort too much. But these are demon motors, when did Chapman design it? 1957. Now same basics but better engine transmission and brakes. Dampers too will be light years ahead of those from 60 years ago. Pure fun
S2000 is superb, hope its a keeper
Roger Bailey certainly is, I’m lucky my workshop has enough apex height to fit a car lift in and it’s up in my roof until summer. I’m an old fart boomer, did a lot of rallies, built a RWD CORSA with an all steel engine that revved beyond 9 after my Mk2 simply wore out and the shell cracked up. The S2K is my mental replacement for those days Revs to 9 has a diff decent ‘box and scares me silly. Just wish it was sequential like the Hewland in the old corsa. It’s soul food in mid Wales on the mountain roads.
Tom Taylor-Duxbury wow, now I’m impressed !
Roger Bailey trust me I’m no poseur. Lucky if the car gets a wash more than once a year, but I do count my blessings. The corsa motor took engine wizard Martin Bowyer two years to build, it cost more than an S2K complete! But that was 97 before that car hit the tarmac. It got me buzzed on high rev engines (look up Andy Burton Peugeot and old friend with a real screamer, now banned by the MSA)
Post motor sports it’s the ideal car that loves being driven.
I was within a few weeks of ordering a Lotus Super 7 and needed the money for something else. Nice to know it is still alive and well and living under an assumed name. Ah youth...mine not yours
osadaron car great reacing
I am seventy three and I am getting one as soon as I can instal a hoist in the garage to lower me in.
do it !
Go for a ride on a powerful motorcycle if you really want those sensations
"You'll drive this car with your mouth shut" - because you don't want insects flying into your mouth...
Also what engine is in this?
not sure its a day to day car, nice review
no I'm not sure either as it happens !
May I ask how tall you are?
6 feet + half an inch :-)
@@RogerBaileyOnCars Interesting you don't seem to have any trouble getting in or driving.
Very nice. New supporter. Iamacreator. Full view.
TK Knowles thank you creator
Now, if you could only get KAR120C for your registration plate...
not one clip with the engine sound.... :(
..and a Westfield…and a Tiger….and a Robin Hood….and a Locost….etc etc
I want one I want one I want one.
What 308 hp 💨
Cool. Now try a Donkervoort.
If I could I certainly would !!
Great flexibility Roger, so an added benefit of driving a Caterham would be a regular yoga workout?
JakobusVdL yes indeed !
Supra review pls
if I can get one !
Ageing....? Ha ha! I drive an Elise (almost as tight to get into and out of, once the roof's up)….. and I do so most days.... I have access to a 7, too and I can get in and out of both, I'm 66...…. and 16 stone.... and fat!! What do I think about a Skinny 56 year old getting into a 7......? Bloody kid, I say! I'm now on my 29th Lotus, beginning with a Lotus 7 Series 1 when I was 19. All it needs is practice and a burning desire to drive a car that actually does what you tell it to, the instant that you tell it! When you get into your 60s...…. I hope you're still driving a Lotus. I will say, the interior of my Elise is more civilised than my 7.... but I love both!
sounds like you had some amazing rides Ian, hope you keep it up !
I will, I hope, Roger.... until my body fails me. The nice twist is that both my son and my daughter have bought themselves Elises, too. We are Lotus mad, all three of us.
@@RogerBaileyOnCars Oh.... by the way.... we live near an 2nd World War abandoned airfield. And...... my son's first foray into driving cars was on that airfield.... the car was a Caterham 7 and he was 9. My daughter did the same, but a few years later than my son. No better way to start them off, in my opinion.