Caterham Super Seven 1600

I've been using the Soft Bits standard shower cap for the last 2 years, it's been great ! Whenever I'm parked-up on a trip I put the half-hood and shower cap on. The only time I've had an issue is when there's proper heavy rain, as water leaks on to the scuttle and then down into the footwells. The solution here is a long-nose shower cap, which I got today. This has an extended front which covers all of the bonnet louvres and the K&N air filters. It's definitely more of a faff to put on compared to the standard item, but does give you complete rain cover over the whole car. I'll be using both !

It's very much winter here in London so I'm just doing a few little bits on the car whilst it's in the garage, until the salt clears off from the roads. I cut down the front number plate back when I got the car, but never got around to doing the rear plate. I used 3M dual-lock to mount the number plates, so it's very easy to remove them.  I cut the rear plate down to its minimum legal size, which is 10mm of space around the characters, using a multi-tool saw and then sanding the edges. Looks much better I think. Hopefully will be back on the road soon !

I spec'd the car with the wood-rimmed Moto-Lita steering wheel option, which is a 12-inch wheel. Whilst it looks great, it is a little bit too big for the standard chassis car. Luckily Moto-Lita do a smaller 11-inch version, which I got today. I went for the flat spoke design, I think it looks really nice. It fits directly onto the standard 9-hole Moto-Lita boss. I really like the smaller size, it gives you more space in the car, your elbows work at a smaller angle, and it is quicker to turn. Should have got this last year !

Caterham and Aston Martin dealer HWM organised a visit to the new Caterham factory in Dartford last Sunday. This was a chance for owners of both marques to view the new facility and talk to staff. It was a 9am start, and apart from a few drops of rain it was pretty good weather all morning. Around 50 people turned up, as well as most of the staff from HWM and some from Caterham as well. Twenty or so Caterhams made it there, but some turned up in other vehicles. There was a very nice 90's car which is the basis for my retro-styled model. The new factory is fully operational now, what a difference from the old Kennet Road place ! HWM brought a selection of new Astons including a DB12 Volante in the same colour as my car. A little photo shoot was required.

Last week I got to do a proper road trip, from London to North Wales and back. It was very much a last minute adventure. I checked the weather forecast on Monday morning and it was high pressure all week. So Monday afternoon I set off. First stop was the Double Tree by Hilton outside Chester, a place I had stayed at before. This was to get the initial motorway drive done before heading into Wales. For Day 2 I had a room booked at the Chainbridge Hotel in Llangollen. I wanted to stay at Portmeirion but it was fully booked, so instead my plan was to visit Portmeirion in the morning and then head over to the Chainbridge. I set off early and drove to Bangor, then down to Porthmadog, arriving at Portmeirion at 10am.  Had a good wander around, the weather was amazing ! After lunch I headed off to Llangollen, driving through the Snowdonia roads. The Chainbridge Hotel is perched on the side of a hill overlooking a river. It's quite an interesting place, had a nice meal and then an early ni...