When I decided to place the order for the Caterham in early 2001, my plan was to wait until the build was complete and the car fully sorted before putting the Westfield up for sale. The Caterham finally reached that stage at the start of last summer; however, the Westfield remained steadfastly in place in the garage. After more than 24 years of ownership and 45,000 miles, we'd been through a lot together. First was the major rebuild in 2004 where virtually everything but the frame was replaced and upgraded with an aim towards improving handling, braking, acceleration, driver involvement, and reducing weight. Multiple modifications were also made to improve the interior and exterior aesthetics and improve practicality for touring. It went from a comfort spec 1400 lb crosflow-powered car, to a 1225 lb Duratec-powered weapon optimized for attacking back roads.
Despite maintaining the same VIN thanks to the frame carry over, the car was now so different from what I had purchased in 2001, it was really considered Westfield #2. That project was followed by upgraded cams and headwork in 2007 to bump the power by 20hp to 210, then a major Covid engine rebuild which included more aggressive cams and headwork, forged rods and pistons, keyed crank, fully balanced bottom end, and more. That engine was held back to 225hp thanks to an undersized exhaust, but an honest 240ph + is there once that is corrected. We also covered over 14,000 miles on tours all over the Western US. During those 24 years, the Westfield only failed me twice. Once on the freeway when the original crossflow engine's alternator pulley shattered and took the water pump belt with it, and once after returning from USA2005 when my makeshift alternator bracket on the Duratec broke. Other than that, the car had been bullet proof. Bottom line, the emotional attachment was strong. My heart and brain were simply not aligned.
I finally came to grips with letting it go about a month ago; deciding to use this winter as the time to prep it for sale. That included giving it a thorough detailing and mechanical once-over, taking lots of photographs, shooting new driving videos, and doing everything I could to generate demand, then putting it up for sale in the Spring on Bring a Trailer or other outlets. Serendipitously, I recently connected with someone who lives about an hour from me who was contemplating a se7en and hoping to see one in person. After a visit and a drive, we cut a deal and the car was taken to its new home over the weekend.
Despite maintaining the same VIN thanks to the frame carry over, the car was now so different from what I had purchased in 2001, it was really considered Westfield #2. That project was followed by upgraded cams and headwork in 2007 to bump the power by 20hp to 210, then a major Covid engine rebuild which included more aggressive cams and headwork, forged rods and pistons, keyed crank, fully balanced bottom end, and more. That engine was held back to 225hp thanks to an undersized exhaust, but an honest 240ph + is there once that is corrected. We also covered over 14,000 miles on tours all over the Western US. During those 24 years, the Westfield only failed me twice. Once on the freeway when the original crossflow engine's alternator pulley shattered and took the water pump belt with it, and once after returning from USA2005 when my makeshift alternator bracket on the Duratec broke. Other than that, the car had been bullet proof. Bottom line, the emotional attachment was strong. My heart and brain were simply not aligned.
I finally came to grips with letting it go about a month ago; deciding to use this winter as the time to prep it for sale. That included giving it a thorough detailing and mechanical once-over, taking lots of photographs, shooting new driving videos, and doing everything I could to generate demand, then putting it up for sale in the Spring on Bring a Trailer or other outlets. Serendipitously, I recently connected with someone who lives about an hour from me who was contemplating a se7en and hoping to see one in person. After a visit and a drive, we cut a deal and the car was taken to its new home over the weekend.
With only four cars in the shop, it is looking a little empty, but one thing I've realized over the past couple of years is that five toys is too many for me. I just can't drive each one often enough. That problem is exacerbated when two of those cars are se7ens and vie for attention when the mood hits to drive one. At this point there are no plans to replace it with something else, but I do have long term plans to build a 140-150 hp Twin Cam for the Elan, redo the top end of the 993, and perform an engine swap (Rocketeer V6?) in the Miata. I'll keep busy.
Although Westfield updates to the website cease with this post, the Westfield pages live on in the Ex's section and are still accessible via the same URL:
https://www.throttle-steer.com/westfield1.html
Although Westfield updates to the website cease with this post, the Westfield pages live on in the Ex's section and are still accessible via the same URL:
https://www.throttle-steer.com/westfield1.html
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