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свети атанасПравославни икониI’m going to eventually start an “AlNavarro.com” blog for stuff that doesn’t have to do with Se7ens or even cars, but until then, this will have to do.

I watched the Celtics vs. Lakers game last night, the 4th game of the 2008 Championship. I haven’t watched much NBA basketball this year, and don’t consider LA or Boston “my team”. In fact, I don’t have that sort of affiliation/interest in any single sports team. For some reason, I have always been interested in/championed outstanding individuals and just followed them from team to team. Sort of like Senna from Lotus to McLaren to Williams. Or Barrichello from Ferrari to Honda (yes, you can laugh now).

But the Celtic team this year has really been inspiring. The trio of former superstars (now, kind of just stars) Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce are finally having their day in the sun…their shot at the brass ring. And they are making the most of it, and seeming to really enjoy themselves and their teammates. And there are the other supporting players on the team, like House and Powe and PJ Brown.

When I tuned in last night, мебели стара загора the Celtics were down by 18 in the 3rd. I wasn’t hopeful. They pulled free video poker how to play backgammon no deposit bonus online casino 888 no download casino play roulette craps game black jack download american roulette play video poker baccarat free casino game no download online casino free money on line casino wagering roulette online online casino betting free online casino slots free craps best casino roulette gambling internet casino gambling uk best casino online full pay video poker no deposit casino code best craps game black jack tournament best online casino site craps online game newest online casino free slots no download play blackjack online free dueces wild video poker black jack gambling online video poker game free casino cash no deposit video poker tutorial play free video poker how to win at black jack casino roulette casino guideedfa how to win at roulette rules of craps casino game online real money backgammon baccarat casino online free video poker game play free video poker video poker odds video poker tournaments back to 12 behind pretty quickly, but then went down 15 or 18 quickly. But then, something happened. They started to make shots and get stops. And in time, they got to within 2. Momentum (and the Force, probably) was with them. Then a few key buckets later, it was signed sealed and delivered.

The best part of all of this to me is that the Celts themselves let a similar lead slip in Game 2. The Lakers got to within 2, but could not close.

I’m looking forward to Father’s Day, when the Celts try to close the series out, in LA.

So, through a set of random occurrences, we wound up with the use of the in-laws’ BMW Z3 over the weekend. This is the original 1.8 liter model — very pretty in silver over red with a black top. They drive it only occasionally and it literally still has that new car smell.

I drove the Z over to meet my in-laws at a local diner for breakfast and to swap cars. I took some twisty country roads to get into what passes for a town around here. Roads I’d driven dozens of times before in the Caterham.

It was certainly illuminating. The acceleration in every gear lacked the ferocity of the Cat, even at wide open throttle. The steering and overall handling were frighteningly imprecise in comparison…corners that I could take at 45 or higher in the Se7en were best done at 30 or less in the Z…and the amount of body roll was amazing. The Z felt kind of vintage (it is over 10 years old now) in comparison to the Caterham. I wonder if an S2 would have a similar feel…

Okay, so perhaps it’s unfair to compare apples to oranges. But for now, it’s all I got.

Last Tuesday I waved goodbye to my beloved Orange Caterham Superlight R. I was singing Bon Jovi’s “Never Say Goodbye” the whole drive over to meet the transporter and really, for the whole week.

Here are some pix of Orange getting loaded onto the transporter. Very sad. But as they say, when “God closes a door, He opens another.”

NOTE: PIX WERE TAKEN WITH MY PHONE CAM. I DON’T THINK I HAD THE RIGHT SETTING, BECAUSE THESE ARE THE LARGEST FILES THAT WERE SAVED. ;-(

There’s a term in marketing called “buyer’s remorse”…a sense of regret that comes after buying something — usually something of significant cost/value.

After blatting Orange around in NYC a little before driving it home for pretty much the last time, I definitely had more than a few twinges of regret. While I understand that, rationally, it’s the right move for me and the family right now, I still felt a bit sad.

The car is really f-ing fast and oh-so-satisfying to drive. It’s also very well sorted…once I jumped the battery (it had been sitting for a few weeks in my friends’ NYC retail clothing showroom), it started cleanly every time I turned the key after that. Twice at gas stations (better safe than sorry, I’ve found out!), and once after stopping for a bite to eat. And still tight as a drum.

Reactions to the car from spectators continued to be more of the same. I met an older woman who had one that she raced in SCCA back in the day. And a very attractive younger woman walking with her boyfriend who stopped and exclaimed something like “Oh my goodness, that is so amazing. My dad had one just like it.”

Another feeling one gets (besides pride) when driving the Se7en around town is just how small it is. I waited in stop and go (again with the well-sorted comment!) and was dwarfed by every other car….even the subcompacts.

I wonder now, how the Series 2s would feel in comparison. Running carbs and such. Hmmm…

Another PITA factor that comes with selling the car is having to update GardenStateSevens.org. I’ll have to make it more generic and not so specific (focused on one particular car). Oh well. Sigh.

So this past Saturday I drove the car into NYC to participate in the LEO (NY/NJ Chapter of Lotus Ltd. club) display at the New York International Auto Show. This is the big one at the Javits.

My drive in was one of the least fun ever. Traffic wasn’t bad, it’s just that the drive across NJ on Route 78 was so boring and the temperature was about 29 degrees when I left my house. Even with a fleece, full face helmet, and lined gloves I arrived literally shaking.

The actual display was a lot of fun. The LEO members in attendance (some with and some without cars) were all very nice, and the display got a lot of traffic. It didn’t hurt that we were near one of the security entrances.

I worked the front lines a bunch answering questions and chatting with showgoers. Orange enjoyed a prominent spot on the front row and since it was the only Se7en there got a lot of attention.

I then drove downtown with fellow USA7s member and Tail of the Dragon alum Jon C. (”Boxologist”) to my friends’ store in NoLita and we set the car up for display. It looked good in place, and will be stored there until early May. If you’re in NYC in April be sure to check it out. The store is on Elizabeth Street between Houston and Prince.

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This Saturday, I will be driving Orange into NYC for the first time ever — to rendezvous with fellow members of the NY area Lotus Enthusiasts Organization (LEO) for a display outside the Javits Center/NY Auto Show.

The club display will be there from 9 AM to 7 PM. After that, I will be heading down to put the car into my friends’ store, Groupe 16/20 (267 Elizabeth Street, between Houston and Prince) for display until early March.

Should be an interesting drive in and throughout town. If you’ll be in the city, stop by and see the car (and if you’re in the city this Saturday, its owner).

I put Orange up for sale this week. Sad, but true.

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Interested parties should shoot me an email.

-Al

It’s been a while since I’ve written here, so I thought I’d pop up a post.

There’s a good reason why I don’t post so much about the car in the winter — because I mostly don’t use it during the months of December, January, February, and March. I live in New Jersey and we get snow, sleet, and other sorts of frozen and partially frozen precipitation in the Winter months.

I do try and start the car once every other week or so, temperature permitting. As I’ve mentioned before, Orange can be a fussy cold-starter. And although I do have the battery hooked up to a tender, you only get about 5 to 7 tries at a start before the factory issue battery (or at least mine) gives up. I’m going to look into an odyssey battery and better starter motor down the road.

This year was the first year that I used Stabil for my gas during the winter layover…I had been reluctant to use an additive since i run an ATL fuel cell that’s packed with foam. It’s important that the foam stay moist, so I check it every time I’m out at the car and top off if I can see foam above the fill level.

I don’t have a jack or jack stands yet, so I just pump the tires up to 40 psi (normally at 18 or 21 PSI). I haven’t noticed any flat spots when I’ve gotten the car out in the Spring the past 2 years. Speaking of the Spring, I’m going to do 3 things immediately: replace existing “r500″ rollbar with the new Caged FIA bar that I picked up last Fall. Also, I’ve noticed that the front left fender support is VERY close to the tire, so I’m going to get that adjusted. And finally, I’m going to have the new passenger side floormat cut for the fire extinguisher I had mounted in front of the passenger seat.

The USA7s Club is having a meet at the Carlisle Import & Kit show in May, so I’ll be there with Orange. Probably only on Saturday, May 17th.

Today, one of my favorite Jalopnik.com writers announced he is leaving the site.

It’s none other than Jonny Lieberman, who came down to the Tail of the Dragon meet this past summer. A guy I’m proud to call a friend.

In his goodbye post, Jonny listed his favorite Jalopnik moments. I’m named in two (/blush). So right back at you, here’s my thousand word essay, capturing my favorite Jalopnik moment: the day I first met Jonny in person.

Photo taken by Jonny at the Deal’s Gap gas station early the first morning of the meet, as he walked over from his Hoondai rental car. The pic shows Mazda E., Arya E., Norm B., and Michael D. and I with our cars. I had just met Norm and Michael minutes before. A few minutes after this photo was taken, I led the group out on a very fun, slightly damp drive of the Dragon, Jonny shoehorned somehow into my composite & carpet passenger seat. Good times. Good times.

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Today at the best automotive blog ever, the Question of the Day is “What’s the best model car you’ve ever built?”

And while my own exploits are very limited, I want to share pix of the model we raffled off at the 7-7-7 meet last summer. It was built from a Tamiya JPE kit by fellow Seven owner Bill Power and is simply amazing. No really. Apparently these are harder to build than the real thing.

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