Choosing a kit

Well, it’s been over a year since I first considered getting a seven, and I considered most different models of them. I started off with Caterham (as do many people, I expect) and dreamed about a Superlight for a few months. Jason at their showroom took me out for a slide in one (his driving is unbelievable - how he gets away with doing that on the public roads, anyway....) and I was sold on sevening. The driving experience was all I had expected, and then a good bit more thrown in.

Slowly, the reality sunk in that nearly £20,000 for a decent spec Superlight was way beyond my means, and that a more sensible alternative had to be found. Birkin looked good for a while, especially with their £9,000 for a Zetec-powered car. Unfortunately, while the car is everything you’d hope, £9,000 is more than optimistic, and £15,000 is probably closer. So that was Birkin.

Westfield are no better, and I’m not a fan of their post-lit body shape. While it is possible to build a Westfield on a budget, it’s not if you buy any parts from them. Their salesmen were pushy and generally cheesed me off with continual phone calls, rather than allow me my own time. So sorry Westfield, no deal.

The Dax Rush looks somewhat different to other sevens, and their square headlights accentuate it (and yes, I know some people do put round lights on them!) They didn’t really appeal, not really sure why. I think their looks do tend to polarise opinions.

The Sylva Striker was appealing in a stripped-out kind of way. Very basic looks, but well proportioned and therefore appealing because of it. In the end, I decided I wanted something a bit more curvaceous and muscular looking. And so we come to the Tiger Super Six.

The Super Six is a design that’s been around for around ten years, with continual updates thanks to Jim Dudley, proprietor of Tiger and the engineer responsible for their cars. It uses a larger box section than most other kits, which gives it a stiffer chassis but does add weight. It can take just about any engine you fancy, though Tiger are very geared up towards the 2.0l Pinto from the Ford Sierra/Cortina/Granada etc. However, an increasing number of Tigers are being built using the later 1.8 and 2.0l Ford Zetec engines, which are 16v units providing 130-150bhp in standard form on injection. A number of companies, including Dunnell, will supply uprated engines and management systems that will easily give 190bhp+. These don’t come cheap, and a decent rebuilt engine with all the electrics and other parts required might well end up costing £2,500 to £3,000.

Since I’m building on a budget (well, less than £8,000) the Zetec’s out. It would just about be possible, but I’m not that keen on putting in an engine which has a whole load of expensive (and possibly less than reliable) electronics holding it all together. Let’s face it - it’s not meant to be a thoroughly sophisticated modern car. It’s a form of a simple concept that harks back to British sports cars of the 1960’s, where the sheer thrill of driving a light, powerful sports car was more important than air-conditioning, anti-lock brakes and traction control.

So the car’s going to be built with a 2.0l Pinto, which will be reclaimed from a Ford which no longer requires it (the tendency of Fords to rust like sunken battleships makes second-hand engines very cheap...). A local engine builder who has worked on Neil Wain’s Six will be rebuilding it, with a reasonable amount of tuning going on while it’s apart. More of that on the specification page.



Last Updated 15May00
© Andy McMinn