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| Lots of variety! |
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| Looking good in the sun |
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| If I can't drive one, might as well be driven in one! |
Monday 14 September 2015
Caterham South Visit
Some nice pictures form the trip to Caterham's showroom in Crawley. Unfortunately couldn't drive anything being under 25 - I guess I'm not your typical Caterham owner - but a good day all the same.
About Me
I have dived headlong into this blog without properly introducing myself - how rude!
There is a bit of a history of engineering in my family and I have continued that theme attaining a MEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Sheffield. Now I work for a company at the forefront of the tidal turbine industry. That's the engineering "credentials" out the way, now for the car interest...
I'm not totally sure of the root of my enthusiasm for cars, but I do have early memories of F1 Grands Prix and playing with toy cars. This developed into making many cars out of lego (definitely qualifies me to build a Caterham!) as a child. Following the early stuff the interest has always been there, helped by my uncle's build of an Ultima GTR (http://www.m250.co.uk).
The real love of cars blossomed as a learnt to drive. Once I could freely explore the open road and the drivability of different vehicles it was then I knew that cars would be a big part of my life. Early cars consisted of largely driving my mum's cars - a Toyota Aygo, which had a remarkably willing three cylinder engine - and various iterations of the Fiat 500, which is just never going to be a manly vehicle. Then we move onto my cars, starting with the Ford Fiesta (2014), which had an incredibly impressive three cylinder turbocharged 1.0l engine; it was so capable to drive that you never would have suspected that it was such a small engine - managed 45MPG too! More recently I test drove the Fiesta ST from Ford's latest line-up and was completely blown away. Not only did it build upon the great chassis in the Fiesta it felt even more planted and now had a suitable 200BHP. Needless to say it quickly became my everyday car. As an everyday car it is damn near perfect; reasonable space for four, golf clubs fit in the boot, looks great (below), drives amazingly, makes a great noise and does 40MPG - all that for under £20k!
As quick as the ST is the lure of more speed and true track machine has enticed me into building the Caterham, along with the fun of the build!
There is a bit of a history of engineering in my family and I have continued that theme attaining a MEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Sheffield. Now I work for a company at the forefront of the tidal turbine industry. That's the engineering "credentials" out the way, now for the car interest...
I'm not totally sure of the root of my enthusiasm for cars, but I do have early memories of F1 Grands Prix and playing with toy cars. This developed into making many cars out of lego (definitely qualifies me to build a Caterham!) as a child. Following the early stuff the interest has always been there, helped by my uncle's build of an Ultima GTR (http://www.m250.co.uk).
The real love of cars blossomed as a learnt to drive. Once I could freely explore the open road and the drivability of different vehicles it was then I knew that cars would be a big part of my life. Early cars consisted of largely driving my mum's cars - a Toyota Aygo, which had a remarkably willing three cylinder engine - and various iterations of the Fiat 500, which is just never going to be a manly vehicle. Then we move onto my cars, starting with the Ford Fiesta (2014), which had an incredibly impressive three cylinder turbocharged 1.0l engine; it was so capable to drive that you never would have suspected that it was such a small engine - managed 45MPG too! More recently I test drove the Fiesta ST from Ford's latest line-up and was completely blown away. Not only did it build upon the great chassis in the Fiesta it felt even more planted and now had a suitable 200BHP. Needless to say it quickly became my everyday car. As an everyday car it is damn near perfect; reasonable space for four, golf clubs fit in the boot, looks great (below), drives amazingly, makes a great noise and does 40MPG - all that for under £20k!
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| Current Fiesta ST (Nickname Stu) in a moody city centre car park shot |
As quick as the ST is the lure of more speed and true track machine has enticed me into building the Caterham, along with the fun of the build!
Tuesday 25 August 2015
The Dream Begins
Around about the middle part of this year, I had the very bright idea to build a performance car that I could have a bit of fun with. After a lot of research and careful deliberation, a Caterham was the object of desire. This was only further confirmed when the chance to drive a Cat around Castle Coombe was presented to me by a friend from university, who had also embarked upon this noble quest. In the time spent whizzing around the track, I knew I HAD to have one; this was what driving was about and it put the biggest grin on my face!
Research continued, revealing the new Caterham line-up for 2015. For a total Caterham rookie, the 270 seemed like a sensible place to start; impressive performance, but a car I hoped I could explore the limits of, although the 360 was an attractive prospect. I envisaged a trip to Caterham's new showroom in Crawley, would be able to provide some answers and clarify the comprehensive options list. The new showroom was an impressive space, with many cars to behold. Unfortunately, their insurance would only allow those over 25 to test drive a car; that scuppered my plans somewhat. After some discussions and a cursory test ride, a 270 was decided upon as a sensible place to start. I will not spout on about the intricacies of the exhaustive options list, rather I shall summarise:
Caterham 270, S Pack, Caterham Yellow matt black stripes and yellow pinstripes, black 13" Apollo wheels and four point race harnesses are the highlights. Going for a look something like a bee! Not only does a Caterham look good in bright, bold colours, but it also helps you to be seen, something which I did encounter on the test ride. Such a small, low Caterham can easily be missed by other road users, so a bold colour should help me be seen! There was a great deal of deliberation between the specification above and the classic green with a yellow stripe and noseband, but I have made my decision!
Caterham 270, S Pack, Caterham Yellow matt black stripes and yellow pinstripes, black 13" Apollo wheels and four point race harnesses are the highlights. Going for a look something like a bee! Not only does a Caterham look good in bright, bold colours, but it also helps you to be seen, something which I did encounter on the test ride. Such a small, low Caterham can easily be missed by other road users, so a bold colour should help me be seen! There was a great deal of deliberation between the specification above and the classic green with a yellow stripe and noseband, but I have made my decision!
Now the suspense ensues as I wait until JANUARY for the kit to arrive, with all sorts of questions bursting into my head on the topics of rust protection, paint protection, insurance, IVA tests etc.
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