2001 Championship Winning Graduate Race Car For Sale

[jellwood]

Car Number 1 - 2001 Championship Winning Car - £10,500

 

Built in 2000 by Caterham Midland (on W plate), maintained by Team Parker Racing, 1600 Vauxhall engine, Full FIA Roll Cage, Side Impact Protection Bar, "Black Pack" colour coded lights & windscreen surround, MOMO steering wheel, Lap Timer, 2 sets of wheels (alloy and steel rims), tyres only one race old. Bodywork in great condition. Cost new £16,500. Just had a complete engine and gearbox overhaul. Ready to win the 2003 Caterham Graduates Championship. Comes complete with setup guide and race tuition if required.

 

£10,500

 

Photo available at http://www.graduates.org.uk/forsale/index.html

 

Jamie Ellwood

0116 2559349 or 07801 880620

jamie@ellwood.co.uk

 

[cranep]

Are cars that have been raced more likely to need more work on them? What are the risk of buying a "only used on roads" compared to one that has been raced ? Apart from the obvious e.g has it been crashed etc..

 

Looking on the Web site there are a few cars that I like the look of. Anyones advice would be gratefully appreciated.

 

Paul

[Stormer2]

Paul,

A race car will have been driven hard, but then again who doesn't drive any Caterham hard. At least the race car will have been mechanically meticulously maintained, probably thoroughly checked over at least once a month in race season (as opposed to having been polished a lot.). Unless you buy a race car that has just been pranged, and not properly repaired, you are also guaranteed to get a straight car. Make sure that Arch have repaired any chassis accident damage, it will be as good or better than new. If you consider a race car for purchase even as a road car, get one that has run at the front. This car will be guaranteed straight, (it wouldn't be quick if it wasn't), and anything that is suspect will have been changed for new. My view is a good ex race car often presents tremendous value for money, just add carpets.Make sure you find out it's race history, a few lap records and major circuit wins can all add to the pleasure of ownership.

[Tim Sture]

You have to check the condition of each individual car. For example, when I was passing Caterham a few weeks ago I popped in to have a look (idle curiosity only, as I got a Superlight secondhand in June) - the two supergrads cars there looked distinctly tatty.

 

I sold my Academy car in June, had only done two races and was in basically sound condition but paint etc not perfect. Mark Behling who did the Academy with me in 2000 recently sold (or at least advertised his car) through Blatchat - he had done a handful of graduate races (so his car had done more track miles) but he was meticulous at cleaning the car - he once told me he used to lie under the car and clean the chassis regularly. He was asking more for his car and I think he probably deserved to get it.

 

Certainly, you should not in my opinion be put off simply because a car has been used for competition - such a history might alert you to do the checks you should have done in any event on any car, whether with a competition history or not.

 

If I had not bought the superlight I actually got, I would probably have bought an ex-race roadsport that was for sale around May/June.