DJM Posted 30August, 2016 Report Share Posted 30August, 2016 If you like the Elise/Exige then keep an eye out for a Caterham 7 instead. Having had them, if I had to put up with the unreliability of the Lotus, I'd get a 7 instead and have what is by far and away the best fun car for the roads here. They're not fast top end, but they get there faster than pretty much anything else on the road and they're an absolute hoot to drive. Perfect for the daft speed limits of Aus. I had a Westfield (Lotus 7 replica). Fantastically pure driving experience but you need a death wish to drive one on the road. I sold mine soon after returning from a spirited drive around RedHill. I reflected on that drive and decided I may not survive many more like that. Riding a bathtub into trees at high speed would not end well. Mine was a 600kg, 240hp, 9300rpm bathtub.Uspides - cheap thrills and hold their value, feel exciting at moderate speed (unlike a GT3) and tyres and brakes last forever. Engines typical Toyota 4AG cheap as ships from wreckers. Fantastic on track with little to no preparation.Downsides - zero weather protection, scary driving beside trucks or SUVs and dangerous driving through a flocks of seagulls taking flight and heading for your head or sternum at high speed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike-S Posted 30August, 2016 Report Share Posted 30August, 2016 Westie with an S2000 engine ? Friends of mine built the first one of those in the UK, damn thing was batshit mental. 160mph down the main straight at Catalunya and still pulling, I think we all shat ourselves that day.While I get exactly where you're coming from, I always found the 7 to be better in the "knowing your limits" department and the Westfields never handled as well as a genuine 7. I've only known a couple of Westfields that handled well and the money invested in them to do that would've bought a very well specced Caterham.I'm just waiting to see if the Aus government change the import rules as they've discussed, if so I'd get one new from friends who now run the Caterham dealership in the Midlands. Run it in at Donington before shipping it ??Doesnt get away from the fact it's a bathtub with a wheel at each corner though, the incoming bird strike is always a possibility as well. While driving to a trackday in the UK many years ago, I clobbered a pigeon in my Subaru, it wheeled up over the roof and landed in the passenger seat of my mate in his Caterham behind me. 7am on a Sunday, he didn't need us lot pissing ourselves at him driving along with feathers flying out of it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUT Posted 30August, 2016 Author Report Share Posted 30August, 2016 15 years ago I was looking at clubbies. I ended up buying my Sprite which has a 4AGE etc in it. It scratched that small, light, Toyota powered fun car itch and looks great. It even has a decent roof. I don't think I would go for a full on clubby now unless it was track dedicated - but that's not really my gig. And even the Sprite makes me a little uneasy when I'm giving it a bit. I had a run in with some pre-killed road kill on the Hume at night in pouring rain whilst passing a truck (looking up at the top of the truck wheels) - not much protection in a car like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJM Posted 30August, 2016 Report Share Posted 30August, 2016 Westie with an S2000 engine ? Yep Westfield SEiW - wide body, independent rear end. S2000 engine and 6 speed, Quaife LSD. Best handling car I've owned, I would have thought every bit as good as a live axle caterham. What else can you buy that'll do 0-100 in 4.0 and cost under $40k. Drive to the track, outrun much more exotic machinery and drive home again.Mine hit an aero wall at about 220 km/h. I refused to run an aero screen after a guy with a little aero screen copped a seagul in the sternum at Sandown. Just imagine a couple of kilos thrown at your chest at 200km/h that would bloody hurt if it didn't kill you.[URL=http://s187.photobucket.com/user/1600turbo/media/Cars/Westfield/DSC004411.jpg.html]g Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV911 Posted 31August, 2016 Report Share Posted 31August, 2016 Now there's an idea...Westie/Caterham with a 13b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clutch-monkey Posted 31August, 2016 Report Share Posted 31August, 2016 Was one for sale with a series 7 13b (still stock twin turbos) for 26k. Seriously mental. Could think of many simpler ways to die without magic spinning triangles of doom :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeM Posted 31August, 2016 Report Share Posted 31August, 2016 A twin turbo rotor in a Westie/Caterham? Crikey that'd be fun!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clutch-monkey Posted 31August, 2016 Report Share Posted 31August, 2016 i seriously considered it but realised i'm not quite done with life yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJM Posted 31August, 2016 Report Share Posted 31August, 2016 This guy has a death wish for sure. Turbo rotary featherweight hillclimb open wheeler. Shiiiiit. Sorry GUT, thread hijack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeM Posted 31August, 2016 Report Share Posted 31August, 2016 Jeeeeebus!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coastr Posted 31August, 2016 Report Share Posted 31August, 2016 yeah - going by the thread title - what would you buy? Not that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV911 Posted 31August, 2016 Report Share Posted 31August, 2016 Yea, bugger that! An injected 13b bridgeport would be plenty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clutch-monkey Posted 31August, 2016 Report Share Posted 31August, 2016 mt cotton is an.. interesting track. turbo rotary wouldn't help that haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUT Posted 17September, 2016 Author Report Share Posted 17September, 2016 An update:I sniffed around a couple of GT3's. One had the potential of a part swap + cash with the Carrera. I think maybe I'm too much of a tight-arse. Didn't try hard enough so no deal was done. And I haven't made the mistake yet of actually going for a drive in one, so I don't really know what I'm missing. I'll save that for another day when the itch returns.I think Panteras have gone the way of the Tasmanian Tiger. I think one might have been spotted in country VIC - or was that a Puma?Anyway, I picked this lovely beast up - '94 928 GTS. 5.4l & 345hp of V8 goodness. Manual. Sounds great, goes hard.I'll play with this for a while. And the best news is, I don't have to sell the Carrera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MFX Posted 17September, 2016 Report Share Posted 17September, 2016 An update:I sniffed around a couple of GT3's. One had the potential of a part swap + cash with the Carrera. I think maybe I'm too much of a tight-arse. Didn't try hard enough so no deal was done. And I haven't made the mistake yet of actually going for a drive in one, so I don't really know what I'm missing. I'll save that for another day when the itch returns.I think Panteras have gone the way of the Tasmanian Tiger. I think one might have been spotted in country VIC - or was that a Puma?Anyway, I picked this lovely beast up - '94 928 GTS. 5.4l & 345hp of V8 goodness. Manual. Sounds great, goes hard.I'll play with this for a while. And the best news is, I don't have to sell the Carrera. Here we go, you've gone over to the dark side..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUT Posted 17September, 2016 Author Report Share Posted 17September, 2016 Here we go, you gone over to the dark side.....Dipping my toes in the water, so to speak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevepGT3 Posted 17September, 2016 Report Share Posted 17September, 2016 An update:I sniffed around a couple of GT3's. One had the potential of a part swap + cash with the Carrera. I think maybe I'm too much of a tight-arse. Didn't try hard enough so no deal was done. And I haven't made the mistake yet of actually going for a drive in one, so I don't really know what I'm missing. I'll save that for another day when the itch returns.I think Panteras have gone the way of the Tasmanian Tiger. I think one might have been spotted in country VIC - or was that a Puma?Anyway, I picked this lovely beast up - '94 928 GTS. 5.4l & 345hp of V8 goodness. Manual. Sounds great, goes hard.I'll play with this for a while. And the best news is, I don't have to sell the Carrera. GTS + Manual = Win Win Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUT Posted 17September, 2016 Author Report Share Posted 17September, 2016 GTS + Manual = Win WinThe manual transmission was the clincher. It's been converted to manual, but I have the auto box. Rest assured, it's never seeing the underside of this car under my watch!It's been 20 years between V8's for me - what was I thinking!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGB Posted 17September, 2016 Report Share Posted 17September, 2016 Welcome to the dark side! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANF Posted 17September, 2016 Report Share Posted 17September, 2016 Well done, looks amazing!Welcome to the 928 club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WOKA Posted 17September, 2016 Report Share Posted 17September, 2016 Looks stunning.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike-S Posted 17September, 2016 Report Share Posted 17September, 2016 Checked it out this morning at the Cafe, bloody lovely looking thing ?Good the Carrera doesn't have to go, mind you the way the negotiations were going with Luke's mate I'm not surprised it's staying ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-Kay Posted 17September, 2016 Report Share Posted 17September, 2016 An update:I sniffed around a couple of GT3's. One had the potential of a part swap + cash with the Carrera. I think maybe I'm too much of a tight-arse. Didn't try hard enough so no deal was done. And I haven't made the mistake yet of actually going for a drive in one, so I don't really know what I'm missing. I'll save that for another day when the itch returns.I think Panteras have gone the way of the Tasmanian Tiger. I think one might have been spotted in country VIC - or was that a Puma?Anyway, I picked this lovely beast up - '94 928 GTS. 5.4l & 345hp of V8 goodness. Manual. Sounds great, goes hard.I'll play with this for a while. And the best news is, I don't have to sell the Carrera. Love your work there buddy!You're going to have to give me your storage provider's number Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HH1 Posted 17September, 2016 Report Share Posted 17September, 2016 Simply beautiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fraz Posted 17September, 2016 Report Share Posted 17September, 2016 @GUT Puma ?Congrats mate, great colour, trim combo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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