Jump to content
Click here if you are having website access problems ×

Superlight

johnnyseven

By johnnyseven
in For Sale

 Share

Recommended Posts

Jumpin Jack Flash

Jumpin Jack Flash

Posted
Posted

Johnny,

Good luck, to my opinion the original Superlight 1997 was one of the best Sevens ever built. I still remember the test drive I did with the demonstrator in Caterham.

I appreciate it that you are looking for an original car. In the long run, it will give you the most pleasure and profit, if you ever want to sell it.

There is one even more exotic version of the Superlight, that is the 1998 Club Sport. Keep your eyes also open for that one!

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jonathantennantbtinternet

jonathantennantbtinternet

Posted
Posted

I have a very early '96 Superlight 007

Very original except the previous owner powder coated the wheels and wheel rims when they should be polished so I'm now looking for a second set. It even still has the spare wheel and carrier fitted, though I've been told to remove it as it adds 20kg . 

Original Superlights are getting rare to find and sadly I've seen some horrible molested ones with poor resprays, non original colours, the wrong seats, wrong wheels etc etc. I've seen some that are not true Superlights but have the badges .

Jon

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
C7GCS

C7GCS

Posted
Posted

Speak to Sevens and Classics - they usually have a Superlight in stock

My brother still has one of my original Superlight (we actually had 3 between us over the years), two 1.6 and a later 1.8  In many ways the 1.6 was sweeter, but the 1.8 was fine after sorting the cooling.

I would say the mk.1 Superlight remains "the original and the best".  However I also owned a Sigma Superlight for a year and that was very good too, but there is something about the original... one of those cars that deserves to be very sought after in future - its a great package.  There other greats that followed such as the SLR, R300 & 400.  R500 was a totally different animal of course, but its nice to experience the SL which was the beginning of a totally new era for Caterham.

To me - the 80s was all about X-Flow, BDR HPC and eventually the early 90s VX race cars and HPC road cars.  The mid'90s was a completely different world with the K-series cars and the SL played a very significant part in making the K epic.

In summary: grab one while you can.

oh and if buying, don't forget to checkout the good old Superlight Register http://www.thecaterhamregister.net/superlights.htm former cars of mine on there were nos. 34, 74 and 91 (I'm even seen chatting at the East Kent club meet in the photo of car 91 on this site :) 

I wish this SL register was kept upto date as it forms the basis of a great resource (I have been trying to get my JPE added to the relevant section - but no response from the webmaster these days which is a great shame :(

Anyway good luck getting an original early Superlight - you won't regret it, they are great and always will be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
C7GCS

C7GCS

Posted
Posted

Great cars I just kept coming back to.  In my time I've owned Superlight 34,74 and 91 - I passed the last one onto my brother who still has it with 10,000 miles on the clock now, and whilst SL #91 was ordered with all the bells and whistles from new (factory 1.8 with dry sump, oil cooler, and later the 4:1 exhaust and SLR wheels, and lowered floor) - there is a lot to be said fo the standard 1600 SL, which most are, with no options, as this is a car they certainly got just about right first time - future classic if Caterham's ever go that way.  Then there's the values today - £16k tatty project to £22k for a very low mileage 'mint'er' these days it would appear - but IMO whatever price point - mk.1 Superlight is still worth every penny, and when word gets out how good they still are today, prices can only really go one way in future.

see the Superlight register for more info on particular models - I still use this today for reference even though its content is now out of date.

http://www.thecaterhamregister.net/superlights.htm

I briefly owned a later Sigma 150Superlight - as I was so curious what they were like.  This gets the thumbs up too, and I liked the later metric chassis, hydraulic clutch and improved ride-height on the public highway (suspension and exhaust positions), but The 1600K SL remains the original and the best - for its day, it was well ahead of its time, and remains still very much up there with the best of them today.  What more do you need in a seven (okay, maybe 160hp in the same package as the SL, but that's the R300 really and a slightly different animal: throttle bodies and tuning start to effect fuel consumption and simplicity of the original concept - all fine, but each to their own)

enjoy, when you get one..

M

Link to comment
Share on other sites
johnnyseven

johnnyseven

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks for the comments- unfortunately with the increase in car dealers that specialise in caterhams most cars that come up for sale at reasonable prices are quickly hoovered up by the dealers- not that there's anything wrong with that- it just makes finding the right car that more difficult for the private buyer.           I've still got a vx HPC so I'm not desperate - just fancied scratching the Superlight itch I seem to have-i looked at a couple of superlights ten yrs ago -but went with the hpc - if I had done it the other way round I guess I would be looking for the vx now  lol

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...