Choosing the Manufacturer

The first thing to do is to decide which Clubman to build. There are a huge number of options out there, from Westfield to Caterham to Fraser to Birkin to Elfin…..the list goes on. Given that I have no experience what-so-ever in the mechanical department, I decided to limit my choice to the local companies, leaving Westfield and Birkin.

The first thing to do, obviously, is visit each company. First trip was to Frank at Motowest, the local Birkin distributor. Frank runs an LPG and cruise control installation business, but you wouldn’t know it given the shop floor is covered with in-progress kit cars, plus the odd rare racing bike or two. It’s a well set-up workshop with all the tools and equipment you could need to build a car, plus he’s happy with people having their projects on his floor (or all over his floor when an oil-line gives way…..)

My impressions of the Birkin were good – it’s an extremely close replica of the Lotus 7 / Caterham, with similar lines and dimensions. The fixtures and fittings to my inexpert eye all looked to be extremely good - the car just worked as a unit, and looked less like a kit car that's been cobbled togther and more like a production car quality. All the parts fitted into an overall whole.

What I also liked was that Frank stood and chatted for ages on the car, the options, the abilities, the other options, how the other cars were coming together, how his car was coming apart for improvements then going back together etc. I certainly didn’t get the feeling that I was being sold anything, or that there was any sort of pressure. Which is nice when you don’t have a clue.

The next trip was to Westfield. Westfield is a name I knew in England, and it would be interesting to see what it was like over in Aus.

The Westfield’s in WA are imported chassis from the UK, modified for local standards and the dreaded ADRs. The showroom there is also littered with in-progress Westies, plus a few Cobras (one of the other lines of the Replica Motor Car Company).

Again, quite an impressive setup, plus I got to take the demonstrator out for a spin. I hadn’t driven a clubman for a while, so it was fantastic to take one out again. I must admit to being a little surprised at how squirrelly it was in the back end – nothing scary, I just knew that there was some back-end activity available when required ;-)

This was a great deal of fun, until I discovered that the throttle would stick in the fully open position if you floored it. I found this out when I lifted off the throttle as the bus in front of me slowed to a stop – and the Westfield kept on launching itself at the back of the bus. Luckily, I managed to turn the engine off complete and use the ample brakes to not wedge myself under the rear end, and roll it backwards into a car-park, much to the amusement of a few onlookers.

Not that it coloured my opinion – these things can happen, and it’s not like it was a serious fault, but it did dampen the amount of fun I could have…..Other points I liked about the Westie was that it was wider, giving more room for driver and passenger and making it a little more practical.

Overall, however, I decided on he Birkin – it was closer to my Caterham, and in my opinion looked more like what I was after. As I have said (and will no doubt say many times), I’m no engineer, so I cannot comment on various qualities around chassis design and suspension setup. I just bought with my eyes and heart and went for it.