Good evening everybody!
Newbie from Rome
I'm Italian and i love mi bike, tasty food, good wines, beautiful women... and my english is awful obviously!
I'm here for a simply reason: i'm falling in love with caterhams.
The thing started 2 years ago, picked up an autocar magazine, the pages opened on a big photo of a r500 running in london's tunnel... it was like a thunderstruck! watching the car and thinking SHE'S THE ONE was an automatic reflex. Hope you know what i mean.
I know maybe i look like a naif enthusiast (true) but i hope in the next months joining the ranks of seveners... after doing a little madness like sell a flat to buy a car!!!
think i'll need all you support and wise advice at the moment choice!! thanks in advance.
Sorry for the long write and the butchery of english language.

Hi madmagcat - welcome to 7-DNA!



I actually used to live and work in Rome - actually lived in Grottaferrata, and worked at Cinecitta

Feel free to ask as many questions as you like!

Welcome Madmagcat

Looks like you have your priorities in order

Hi Eugene! thanks for the welcome!

the fact you're in Rome is fantastic! i have read your treads e your page about Eugene! Chapeau Monsieur votre voiture est magnifique.

In my dreams about the colour scheme of my future cat i'm thinking about a variation on the chess scheme inspired by Eugene.
hope some day we can talk about it in front a glass of wine!

Hi Mad!thanks.

Priorities are importants in a man's life... but beautiful women can change the order

Eugene
Sorry Eugene i've made a mistake. Now you don't live in rome at the moment right? Told you my English is horrible!

No, not in Rome any more...
Was there for about 2 years, 2003/2004 I think - would have to check records to be certain it was those 2 years.

A great city!

Eugene

I'm looking for caterhams in the italian websites and discover hugly aliens sold like true caterhams. Here is full of traps because cat cars are rare beasts and people know nothing about.
Prices are high and the market is very little. I see a loooong search in my future
i've found a super seven 1.6 16v year 1998 the dealer talk about a cross flow engine 110 hp with 2 weber 40 engine serie "ax" of kent engine built in South Africa. and the price is 14.800 pounds.
what do you think about it?

The AX block Kent (Crossflow) is a great engine, and very traditional.
You would be able to have the engine upgraded to about 170 BHP fairly easily.
Is there a link to the car?

Eugene
http://www.autosupermarket.it/auto-usata/caterham-caterham-veneto-benzina-18900-euro- 13460645.html

hope the link works

Looks a lot like Eugene did a few years back... other than colour, and I had clam wings when it had a Crossflow in it.
I would say that is a nice looking car.
(It says 16V, but the Crossflow is 8V)

But for Italy, would you not want left-hand drive?

Eugene
http://www.cuboauto.it/annunci/auto-usata-caterham-caterham-1550844.html

and this is the hugly alien! the dealer wrote caterham, model ariel atom replica built in 2009 but with historical register date 1980 (to avoid paying taxes i think). A little bit confused sounds to me ahah!

Eugene
Left-hand drive would be better... but i'm open minded people with no prejudice but the italian seveners says with the right-drive it easy spank the girls walking on the pavement!!
seriously at the moment I try to adjust the sight. it's a totally new world for me and know nothing about the different engines and the technical specs, the positives and negatives of each one.
the situation is:
future budget 25-28.000 pounds stretched at top.
the car will stay with me for a very long time so depreciation is not an issue.
use of the car 95% road with fast driving,(do you know the beautiful roads in Tuscany and umbria?)
range of power between 160-200 hp
the ideal car is the roadsport r with 180 hp but it's not imported in italy.
I've read a lot of threads here, on pistonheads, and italian forums and i know a less powered caterham brings you a lot of fun but i'm sure after few months the need of more power will bite me.
so i have 2 options:
A) all in with the money try to get the best specced car i can find in this little italian market.

b) Buy a less modern,specced and powerful example, with the spare money start an upgrade to my taste and needs like a taylor suit.
i'll have to choose a caterham....the future is brilliant

Hello madmagcat!

I'm in Portugal and if I knew what I now know (a cliché, then), I would have bought an English car, with RHD and with some upgrades already in. The reason why is that in Continental Europe, Sevens, more so Caterhams, tend to be highly expensive... probably due to niche market.

How complicated is the importing procedure?

Welcome madmagcat. I used to own a Ferrari so I'm sort of Italian at heart