Am I mad?

[Mad Professor]

Ive had several 7s and would trade my Z in for another like a shot if SWMBO dodnt object so much
I like my Z but dare i say it that its just a bit anaesthetised cf a 7
If you want the 7 for a short blat on a warm summers day then its hard to beat
After more than say 30 miles it gets waring on the ears, face and back to be honest
On anything buit B roads its pointless -i always felt vulberable with SUVs and lorries as i was so low in the 7 -its hard to be seen
Go for one on old school carbs as they sound epic and even a plane jane xlfow 135 bhp 1.7 supersprint is plenty quick enough -were talking circa 270 bhp per tonne . ive had live and dedion axle 7s and either are fine .Those that have owned a 1.4 or 1.6 k series say they are the nicest to drive due to the weight dsitribution and revvy 16 v engine -i cant speak to that as ive never had a k .A xlfow to zetec converison is another possibility with more reliability and more power -a cooking 1.8 zetec engine on twin 40s will push out 150 bhp without any internal mods .

 

[Crazy Harry]

Ive had several 7s and would trade my Z in for another like a shot if SWMBO dodnt object so much
I like my Z but dare i say it that its just a bit anaesthetised cf a 7
If you want the 7 for a short blat on a warm summers day then its hard to beat
After more than say 30 miles it gets waring on the ears, face and back to be honest
On anything buit B roads its pointless -i always felt vulberable with SUVs and lorries as i was so low in the 7 -its hard to be seen
Go for one on old school carbs as they sound epic and even a plane jane xlfow 135 bhp 1.7 supersprint is plenty quick enough -were talking circa 270 bhp per tonne . ive had live and dedion axle 7s and either are fine .Those that have owned a 1.4 or 1.6 k series say they are the nicest to drive due to the weight dsitribution and revvy 16 v engine -i cant speak to that as ive never had a k .A xlfow to zetec converison is another possibility with more reliability and more power -a cooking 1.8 zetec engine on twin 40s will push out 150 bhp without any internal mods .

Yea with you most of the way here. Their natural habitat is twisty rural roads not motorway driving. I took mine through the Dartford crossing going north through the tunnels - had to queue from the A2 junction through to the tolls - was a bit funny looking up at the artic wheel nuts next to me; couldn't reach the basket to chuck my money in with the racing harness on but the sound of the carbs and exhaust going through the tunnel was fantastic :lol:

I've found that you have to anticipate the actions of other cars far more - they don't expect you to travel so fast round bends and roundabouts. I changed to a yellow nose cone to stand out a bit more and now drive with headlights on. Used to use it for my 70 mile each way commute to work some days in summer - you can't do that and have a bad day

A standard day out for us is at least 100 miles. we've got bucket seats which support better than the early bench type seat and they do provide some movement forward and backwards - I'm not that tall (5'8") so that might be in my favour. I run without side screens and roof as much as I can - you do get buffeted and the area behind the windscreen is negative pressure so first timers always look like they are fighting for breath.

There's a lot of stuff it doesn't have - radio; heater but for me that's the attraction. When I can't get in it (or more likely out of it) any more I fancy an Austin 7 special (with doors) it's old school motoring no gismos. We're just at the start of 7 season but with the Zed as my daily driver the topless season is all year now. For me a great combination.

OP if you were in Norfolk I'd be happy to take you for a blat.