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Welcome to totalkitcar online …
A very warm welcome to totalkitcar online … Had a drive of the Caterham Super Seven 2000 this week. My first Caterham Seven drive of 2025. Still quite a novelty picking up a press car from their new and huge Dartford X factory.
Caterham Super Seven 2000
It’s all very state-of-the-art there. An automated reception where you input details into the computer screen and it then takes your photo for your visitor’s pass.
The Super Seven 2000 is the top model in their Heritage Sevens range, with the 2000 part of the name denoting it’s a Ford Duratec 2-litre engine, which produces 180bhp giving a power-to-weight ratio of 321bhp per tonne.
So, although it has the specification to match a Seventies Seven, its performance levels are all 2025.
As tested, the kit form version costs £40,990 (add £2595 if you want Caterham Cars to build it for you) although the press car was embellished with half the options list. A grand total of £11,100, in fact.
The custom paint colour, Porsche Sand Beige contributes £2000 to that cost and it also features stuff like High Intensity LED headlights and sidelights (£800), Lowered Floors (£600), Mohair weathergear (£1500), Ventilated Front Discs, with four-pot calipers (£800), then there items from Caterham’s Signature line-up – custom Brodie Huntington seats (£1950) and black leather covered roll-bar (£750).
Out on the road, it’s hardly surprising that the car feels more than lively, what with its potent power-to-weight but I found it slightly confusing. With that level of performance my brain is telling me this Seven should have ‘cycle’-style front wings rather than old school clamshells but I’m not sure if that’s because I am more tuned into R420 or 620R stripped-out models rather than those from the seventies, although there really is nothing to dislike.
To find out more visit www.caterhamcars.com.
NEW RELEASE – SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2025 ISSUE – OUT NOW
As we head into what is the Autumn issue (September/October 2025) we keep up the momentum with some more quality entertainment for you, the highlights of which are as follows:
BAT CARS – RB200 – Richard Batey is one of the UK’s foremost tattoo artists and one of the newest kitcar manufacturers with his Toyota MR2 Mk3-based RS200 pastiche. We were delighted to be offered the EXCLUSIVE via the first customer car, belonging to Paul Higham. You are certainly not going to miss it in its Porsche Lizard Green livery.
Beautiful Chamonix by Beck G-Club G550 Limited Edition Spyder. Just 55 built in 2004. 3in tubular steel chassis, independent suspension at both ends and a 2-litre air-cooled VW engine delivering 180bhp.
INDUSTRY GREATS – RAY CHRISTOPHER – Ray is one of the greats for sure. He began by building lots of notable hot rods becoming known as The Rodfather for good reason. he then became part of the leading GT40 replica maker, GT Developments plus he also had over 1000 professional wrestling bouts.
V8 STEALTH BEETLE – Perhaps the ultimate Beetle ‘sleeper’? It hails top South African engineer Jean Fourie and it’s great.
ALL ABOUT CYCLEKARTS GB – If you are not familiar with the wonderful and growing hobby of Cyclekarts get ready to be enthralled. These things are intoxicating, fascinating and great fun. They are also closely linked with our hobby.
LOTUS DUTTON LOTUS – A fascinating tale of the very first Dutton in 1967, the Mantis. Tim based the car on what he was told was a Lotus Eleven. Years later it came into the ownership of Graham Capel, one of the UK’s most notable historic Lotus experts. Something didn’t seem right with the Dutton’s underpinnings. Graham did some digging and finally pieced a curious tale together discovering it was actually based on Lotus Mk8. A fascinating tale.
MEV EXOCET FIRST TIME BUILD – Superb first time build, which sums up the appeal of the Mazda MX-5 Mk3 donor used for the Exocet as JAMES WEBBER discovered.
JUSTIN REEVES’S DAX RUSH – Chef Justin is a serial kitcar fanatic and his latest car is a superb Rover V8-powered example of the DAX RUSH. As with all of Justin’s cars, this one is a corker.
Plus lots more besides …
NEW RELEASE – SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2025 ISSUE – OUT NOW
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We are getting a lot of new subscribers on the totalkitcar YouTube channel. If you like this website, you are sure to find something you like on the ‘totalkitcar YouTube channel’? In addition to our usual monthly video upload, we now have a weekly series called the ‘totalkitcar History Files Series. The latter isn’t rocket science. We verbally look at old kitcars with photos added, but we seem to be capturing peoples’ imaginations.
As the name suggests we look at some of the classic marques, great cars, not so great cars, plus the personalities, events and designers who have graced this wonderful industry over the last 75 years.
If you don’t already subscribe to our channel (just search ‘totalkitcar YouTube Channel’ on YouTube) please do, as it’s free and if you click ‘all’ you’ll be notified every time a new video drops. Finally, may I ask you to hit the thumbs up button please as that helps the channel greatly. THANK YOU, dear reader.
totalkitcar History File Series (in association with the Enwin Motors channel). Don’t miss out, subscribe for FREE now.
Search YouTube for the ‘totalkitcar YouTube Channel’ or follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/@tkcmag.
Our popular TRACKDAY CALENDAR is where you can find out where, when and how much by CLICKING HERE. Now updated to cover OCTOBER, NOVEMBER and DECEMBER 2025.
IF YOU LIKE CLASSIC KIT CARS & SPECIALS you are in luck. Clicking that button will take you back in time with features on old kitcars, personalities and generally interesting companies who worked within the specialist car and sixties motorsport movements. I really hope you are enjoying them. Not all of them are kitcar-related per se but they all celebrate the underdog and often feature the wonderful world of sixties motorsport.
Classic Kit Cars & Specials has a new home at totalkitcar.com.
A lot of classic clubman motorsport features highlight underdog artisans that we hope will appeal to you dear reader, the sort of companies that we’ve often all heard of but on whom detailed information is often hard to find. Shorrock, Wade Turbochargers, Jack Knight Developments, Cannon Cars, Tom Killeen, David Ogle the list goes on and on. The sort of companies and individuals that our specialist and kitcar forebears from the sixties would have been very familiar with. You’ll find these subjects contained in CLASSIC KIT CARS & SPECIALS.
In CLASSIC KIT CARS & SPECIALS this week we tell the full story of the brilliant JBA Engineering marque and their hugely popular Falcon traditional roadster in all its guises. Hard to believe that you haven’t been able to buy one for twenty years. Still much-missed, but thanks to the enthusiastic JBA Owners Club their legacy remains. CLICK HERE to go there.
SNIPPETS 1 …….. The British Motor Museum is inviting families to enjoy an adventure of sounds, science and sustainability with Beep-Beep, Build this half term from October 25 – November 2. Children can make LEGO® car models for local community pantries this Christmas, join the scientists in the lab for Beep-Beep, Boom through a series of mind-blowing experiments, search for the Black Cats hiding in the museum and explore the ‘Driven by your Senses’ Family Trail and Beep-Beep Family Tour!
The Big Build takes place every day when children can design and make car creations that will be donated to children who haven’t had the chance to experience owning their own LEGO®! There are thousands of bricks to choose from, and help is needed to create all kinds of imaginative car models so that they can wing their way to happy new homes! The Big Build is part of the Museum’s Brick Bank scheme, collecting pre-loved LEGO® bricks and donating them to the children who need them most.
The Science Show: Beep-Beep, Boom will run from October 28 – 3 at 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 2pm!
Beep-Beep Family Tour runs from October 25 – 27 and November 1 – 2 at 11.30am. Children can find all kinds of fascinating sounds amongst the car collection as they embark on this exciting family tour! This will finish in the sound-based exhibition “Beep-Beep, Yeah! – The Sounds and Songs of the Motor Car”, which features John Lennon’s iconic white Rolls Royce, a simulator replicating the rumble of a BRM P15 V16 and a Bentley Bentayga with a high-tech sound system that visitors can jump inside and experience!
The Black Cat Trail takes place every day when children can search around the museum for the hidden black cats and with a torch, discover the colour of each cat’s eyes! “Driven by Your Senses ” Family Trail also takes place each day and will
lead visitors on a journey of discovery using touch, sight, hearing and smell!
Emma Rawlinson, Lifelong Learning Officer at the British Motor Museum, said: “This half term, we’re inviting families to enjoy an adventure of sounds, science and sustainability! The Big Build is an exciting community project that brings joy to kids who’ve never had the excitement of owning their own LEGO® before. We also have a wide range of different activities each day that are sure to encourage creativity”
Museum entry is just £46 for a family in advance, or £52 on the day, £17 for adults in advance or £20 on the day, £15 for concessions in advance or £18 on the day, £9 for children (5-16 years) in advance or £10 on the day and under 5s are FREE.
There is also the option to Gift Aid or donate your entry fee and get an Annual Pass in return at no extra cost. To find out more information about the activities, please visit the website athttps://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/october-half-term
SNIPPETS 2 …….. The RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is reserved exclusively for pre-1905 vehicles, yet each year it welcomes remarkable ‘new’ discoveries from the very dawn of motoring.
Such is the event’s enduring appeal that early motorcars continue to emerge, are painstakingly restored and then showcased in the world’s longest-running motoring celebration.
One such extraordinary newcomer is a very rare c1904 Opel Darracq, which will make its debut on next month’s illustrious trip from capital to coast. Unearthed in the basement of a German university, the car has undergone years of meticulous restoration and is now ready to join hundreds of other veterans on the historic road to Brighton on Sunday, November 2.
As with all new entrants, the car has been reviewed by the Dating Advisory Committee of the Veteran Car Company Ltd, which verifies the authenticity of major mechanical components – chassis, engine, transmission, axles, radiator and steering – before issuing a Certificate alluding to its age. Each year, the VCC approves around 10 to 15 pre-1905 vehicles from around the globe. Some have been known of for decades, while others, like this newly discovered Opel Darracq, are welcome fresh additions to the ever-enthusiastic veteran car movement.
Adam Opel originally founded his company in Rüsselsheim am Main in 1862 to produce sewing machines before expanding into bicycles and, eventually, automobiles.
To boost production, in 1901 Opel signed a licensing agreement with the French marque Darracq to produce a range of cars featuring bespoke Opel bodies mounted on proven Darracq chassis and running gear. The first models were powered by a two-cylinder engine, with more powerful four-cylinder versions following soon after. The latest addition to the Veteran Car Run is one of these ultra-rare 20/24hp examples.
The car’s survival story is remarkable. Its remains were discovered in 1960 by the father of current owner Marc Heinemann, hidden in the basement of Hannover Technical University – safeguarding it from the wartime fate of many veteran cars that were melted down. Though initially in poor condition, the Opel Darracq was renovated and went on to take part in local rallies and appear in Opel showrooms over the following decades. In 2010, stewardship passed to the next generation of the Heinemann family.
In 2022, a full restoration was commissioned to return the car to its original specification, complete with a rare Landaulet-style body featuring an open driver’s seat and enclosed passenger cabin.
“The London to Brighton is the most fitting event for such cars and the perfect opportunity for us to complete the story of this very special Opel Darracq now that it has been returned to its original condition,” explained Heinemann. “Our goal this year is simply to complete the Run successfully with this piece of motoring history. We will also be displaying the Opel Darracq on Pall Mall on Saturday in the St James’s Concours, allowing enthusiasts and collectors to view the car in detail.”
The inimitable RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Run comes at the end of the Royal Automobile Club’s flagship London Motor Week bringing seven days of motoring high profile events and celebrations to a wonderful conclusion.
This year’s highlights include the Art of Motoring exhibition held at the Iconic Images Gallery in Piccadilly (November 29- October 1), the free-to-attend St James’s Motoring Spectacle (Saturday, November 1) staged on Pall Mall which is closed to through traffic and a series of high profile lectures in the Club’s London clubhouse on Pall Mall as well as notable industry and awards dinners. RM Sotheby’s London Sale also returns to The Peninsula London on Saturday, November 1 with some notable collector’s cars coming under the hammer. A full list of London Motoring Week events can be found here.
Full details of the 2025 RM Sotheby’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (Sunday 2 November) including entries and route details are available on the event website at www.veterancarrun.com.
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So, that’s about it from me for this week, so I’ll bid you a great seven days, with plenty of enjoyable driving and I look forward to welcoming you once again next Friday – October 10.
Best regards
Steve