Caterham Super 7 Reviews

Two new Caterham models make eight Sevens for Australia.

The tiny British sports car company that will help bring Alpine back from the dead is finally accelerating into the 21st century. Caterham cars is now planning a model range that will include SUVs and city runabouts alongside its traditional 1950s-inspired sports cars.It is also well advanced  with its work on a joint venture with Renault that will revive the Alpine name in 2016 on a sports car to be shared between the companies, in a deal similar to the one that spawned the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86.Caterham has just shown its newest model, the AeroSeven Concept, but it's the model expansion that's the real news. "In the very near future, the Caterham name will sit proudly on crossovers, city cars as well as a range of sports cars for everyone," says Tony Fernandes, the co-chairman of the Caterham Group."Caterham will show itself to be a progressive, open and entrepreneurially-powered car brand that will deliver and surprise in equal measure. It has been a British institution for the last 40 years, and automotive secret in many ways."We may be a small voice now, but we're on our way to engineering a decent set of lungs." Caterham is best known as the modern maker of the old-school Seven that was originally designed and developed by Colin Chapman, the brilliant engineer who was the driving force for the Lotus team in Formula One and road cars.The AeroSeven Concept picks up the original thinking from Chapman's time and drives it forward in a car that still has a front-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive, even if it's the first Caterham with techno tweaks including traction and launch control.Fernandes says the AeroSeven pulls technology from throughout the company, including the carbon fibre expertise of the - tail-ender - Caterham F1 outfit. There is no production plan for the AeroSeven yet, and the Australian boss of Caterham says he has only just heard about the SUV and city car projects."It's exciting news. It's just nice to see there are development funds," Chris van Wyk tells Carsguide. "It used to be a case of survival, but all of a sudden there are doors opening everywhere. I don't think people understand the breadth of the company yet. They are even making airline seats out of carbon fibre using Formula One technology."Fernandes is the driving force behind the AirAsia airline, now claimed to be the most profitable in the world, but is also devoting plenty of effort to Caterham. "The joint venture with Renault to produce an all-new sports car for both the Alpine and Caterham brands demonstrates our clear intent on doing this right, doing it sensibly, but above all, doing it the Caterham way," Fernandes says."And, because we're a flat company, we're a quicker company. When we say we're going to do things internally, we do them. We don't procrastinate and lose momentum through legions of middle-management decision makers, we just do it."This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover 

Though British track specialist Caterham is determined to branch out into the world of production cars, the company hasn’t forgotten its roots and is still developing models based on the legendary Lotus Seven chassis.Its latest is the 2013 620R, which replaces Caterham’s previous R500 range-topper. The 620R makes its official debut on Thursday at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed, which runs from July 11-14 on the grounds of Goodwood House in the U.K.Powering the car is a supercharged version of Ford’s 2.0-litre Duratec four-cylinder engine. Caterham fans will recall that this is the same engine featured in the previous R400 and R500 models but in its latest guise the engine has been tuned to deliver 232 kW and 296 Nm of torque.This makes the 620R the most powerful road-going Caterham to date, though it doesn’t come close to matching the 372 kW of Caterham’s track-only RS Levante of 2008.Still, we doubt there will be few complaining about the 620R’s lack of power. With the car likely to tip the scales at under 550 kg (a final figure is yet to be announced), 232 kW should ensure it reaches 100 km/h in just 2.79 seconds.Unique features of the 620R include its nosecone, which has been reshaped to optimize airflow around the car and for cooling purposes. It also gets carbon fiber interior panels, a Q/R race steering wheel and 13-inch wheels shod with Avon ZZR tires.In case you’re interested, pricing is set at 49,995 British pounds (approximately $81,000 in straight conversion to Aussie dollars, but expect an extra whack if it arrives here). If this is a bit steep for you, Caterham is also working on an entry-level Seven that is expected to cost roughly one third the price of the 620R. In addition to this, Caterham is also working on a less hardcore 620S model equipped with many of the 620R’s goodies but the same engine.On hand to drive the new 620R at its launch this Thursday will be Caterham’s Formula One reserve driver Charles Pic. A display model will also be on Caterham’s stand throughout the Goodwood Festival of Speed.www.motorauthority.com 

Most Lego models are created from off-the-shelf kits full of specialised parts, but a Spanish student is proving you can use ordinary Lego to build extraordinary things.Civil engineering student Fernando Benavides de Carlos, 27 – whose online name is ‘Sheepo’ -- created this intricate model of a Caterham 7 using more than 2500 pieces of the iconic children’s toy.The 45cm model includes as working steering and suspension, electric drive, a five-speed gearbox (with reverse), and disc brakes. He used a computer program to help design the model, which can be operated via a remote control. De Carlos said it took around 300 hours to build the Lego Caterham. "I started the car the past October, but I had many problems with the design because I couldn't put in the car all mechanisms I wanted. In March I developed a new gearbox (my third generation of sequential gearboxes) which is smaller and more reliable. With this new gearbox I was able to complete the car in April."The sequential gearbox was the hardest part. To build this car, I needed to design a completely new gearboxt. I built a smaller and more reliable mechanism, keeping and features of the second gen gearbox, like gear ratios and auto-clutch."He’s also created a similar model of Land Rover’s iconic Defender and a Porsche, and has published the instructions for all models on his website -- 448 pages of them – in case you’re keen to create your own.We haven’t read through all the instructions, but with that much Lego around the house, we’re betting one of the first ones should be: don’t walk around the house barefoot.And while these cars are ones he's designed himself, would he like to one day design an official Lego kit? "Of course... I think this is the dream of all Lego fans," he says.This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn 

The bare-bones British sports car company is now in the hands of Tony Fernandes, a Malaysian businessman who owns Air Asia Bhd as well as the Lotus grand prix team. There is even talk that Fernandes could re-brand his F1 outfit as Caterham if he loses an ongoing dispute with Renault F1 over use of  the Lotus name in Formula One. There are obvious implications from the buyout in Australia, as Caterham has only sold three cars since 2007 and faces an end to its  operations in 2013 because the cars are not available with the ESP  stability control that becomes mandatory across the country from 2012. "We're living on borrowed time at the moment. Hopefully this means  good things," the managing director of Caterham Cars Australia, Chris van Wyk, says. "Caterhams tells me it will not bother with this traction control nonsense because they don't need it for Europe. But I surmise that Caterham will have more support and investment in  future. Everything I'm hearing about the new ownership is up a level.  In that case, the chance of them doing ESP may improve." Caterham has never been a big seller in Australia, partly because of  relatively high pricing for a car which is basically unchanged since  it was created by Lotus founder Colin Chapman as the Lotus 7 in the 1950s. The Caterham is a no-frills, open two-seater that is often sold  as a kit car - something not possible in Australia - in other countries. A price cut this year has generated more interest but van Wyk is still  disappointed by the lack of interest in the cars. "It's really a Claytons franchise at the moment. I've only sold three  cars since 2007," he admits. "The so-called 'clubman' inquiry in Australia is at the $30,000 level. And we're not there. It's very frustrating, because I love the brand  and the product. I thought we would get a few sales now we're $55,000 or $60,000 driveway, but it hasn't happened." Fernandes says he intends to make Caterham - which only sold 500 cars  in 2010 - into a global brand in the exclusive sports car class of  brands such as Aston Martin. Caterham, named after the London suburb where it was originally based, employs about 100 people at a factory south of the British capital and  posted a $2 million profit last year. But van Wyk has seen one positive from the Fernandes buy-in, and a new Caterham that's painted in the same colours as this year's Lotus F1  cars driven by Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen. "I have a very good prospect that wants a car in the Lotus livery. So  that's a positive," van Wyk says.

Not one Caterham was sold last year and only one in 2008. "Yep, last year was the first year I had no deliveries at all, so I am not a rich man," says Caterham Cars Australia spokesman Chris van Wyk. He says they have two problems. "The price is too high and most Clubman buyers want a kit car, something that we do not offer," he says. "In my experience with this market, most buyers want to build a $40,000 kit car, or they may pay up to around $60,000 for a built-up car. Very few have the ability to pay more. So even now, we are really still too expensive for the market, but as the Caterham uses quality components, we cannot compete with other clubman cars directly on price. Some of these competitors used some second-hand or reconditioned components in the past, which we do not do. We have Bilstein shocks, Eibach springs for example. "This means we are really looking at buyers who can afford a BMW Z4 or a Porsche Boxster, but for most of those our car is too focussed and basic. The cost of ADR homologation is also horrendous and this hits the smaller manufacturers disproportionately hard, as we have to amortise those costs over a small volume of cars. "So, whichever way you cut it, we will always have a very small customer base." Yet he is confident of at least a 100 per cent sales increase this year with the base model two-litre model costing $82,950 which is $26,050 less than outgoing $107,700 SVR 200. Van Wyk says the price drop was due to "the more favourable currency exchange rate, the reduced duty and a revised, less expensive engine". And rather than just offering one model, Caterham now has its largest range of Sevens on offer. The Roadsport SV 175, Superlight SV R300 and CSR 175 are all powered by a two-litre engine developed with Ford in the UK. The new Euro 4 four-cylinder engine produces 129kW of power and replaces the previous "very nice, but also very expensive" hand built Cosworth 2.3 litre with 147kW. "The engine is a jewel, handmade in the F1 engine factory, but it is about $50 000 just for the engine," van Wyk says. There is also the base model $64,900 Seven Roadsport SV 120, which replaces the SVR 120 and is powered by a 1.6 Ford Sigma. "Our Roadsport SV 120 model also dodges the dreaded luxury car tax, because it posts fuel consumption at under seven litres per 100km," van Wyk says. "So if someone is looking for a fun sports car for the road, we now have much more affordable models from which to choose." The Seven Roadsport SV 175, which is based on the outgoing SVR 200, is intended for road use and has weather protection, but no airconditioning. It features a short-throw manual five-speed gearbox, unassisted direct steering, unassisted brakes and owners will still be able to see the front suspension and steering at work from the driver's seat. There is also a specification decrease on the Roadsport SV 175 against the SVR 200. It now comes with 14-inch wheels and a five-speed gearbox rather than 15-inch wheels and bespoke Avon CR500 tyres, with the six-speed Caterham designed gearbox, which is now a $6795 option. The 175 also has with De Dion rear suspension, electrically heated windscreen, heater, padded armrests, cloth seat trim and carbonfibre fascia, sills and rear guard protectors. The track-oriented Seven Superlight SV R300 has jettisoned all but the bare essentials to keep the weight down, so there is no heater, windscreen or weather protection, although they can be fitted as options. However, it does come with a bespoke six-speed close-ratio gearbox, adjustable suspension, 15-inch alloy wheels and carbonfibre wind deflector and front guards, and costs $92,530. Top of the Caterham Seven range is the $95,530 CSR 175 with inboard front suspension, independent rear suspension and adjustable dampers and front anti-roll bar. The CSR shares the 254mm ventilated front disc brakes with the SV 175 and the SV R300, but has larger 254mm solid rear discs and wider rear tyres offered as an option. At the budget end is the Seven Roadsport SV 120 with its 1.6 litre Ford Sigma engine, five-speed manual gearbox, De Dior rear suspension and 14-inch wheels. It still comes with such niceties as full weather protection, electrically heated windscreen and cloth trim. Caterham Seven sports cars are based on the 1957 Colin Chapman-designed Lotus 7. Caterham Australia also orders in complete or kit-form racing cars with prices dependent on customer specifications. "But to date I have not received any orders. There is not really a suitable racing series for them in Australia," van Wyk says. Caterham models Seven CSR 175, 2.0 Caterham-Ford, $95,530 Seven Superlight SV R300, 2.0 Caterham-Ford, $92,530 Seven Roadsport SV 175, 2.0 Caterham-Ford $82,950 Seven Roadsport SV 120, 1.6 Ford Sigma, $64,900

We’ve blended all the highlights in a one-minute tasting plate. All the glamour, all the glitz and definitely all the green gadgetry.The LF-A is being touted as the new Lexus sportscar and expected to go up against Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche and other high performance supercars.Apart from these almost-production ready coupes, the show is shaping up to be a restrained affair as carmakers continue to battle the fallout from the global financial crisis. Just three smaller foreign brands, Caterham, BMW Alpina and Lotus are attending this year.In 2007 26 foreign brands lined up with the Japanese carmakers at the show. Despite the low attendance by carmakers, Tokyo is traditionally a show full of quirky city cars and concepts. Electric cars, from plug-in hybrids to full-blow electric vehicles remain popular, following on from the green theme at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show.What's Hot:TOYOTAFT-EV II: This is the second generation of Toyota's electric car concept with a futuristic edge. Drive-by-wire technology and a solar panel on the roof give this urban commuter a distinct edge. Looks a little like the iQ sold in Europe. FT-86 Concept: Look beyond the lines are you'll see Toyota's new Celica. The rear-drive compact sportscar will borrow Subaru's 2.0-litre boxer four.CATERHAMThe world debut of the CSR 175 EU4, a more powerful version of its CSR.LEXUSThe much talked about LF-A is rumoured to get a 370kW V10, making it the most powerful production Lexus made. The front "mid-engine" layout is said to deliver outstanding handling.SUBARUThe Hybrid Tourer Concept is being touted as a new incarnation of the SVX. We hope for Subaru's sake it will not carry the SVX tag if it every makes it into production. The Tourer is far more attractive and practical. The gullwing coupe combines the boxer four-cylinder with hybrid power. A pair of motors provide regenerative braking, pure electric drive or a combination of both. Apart from showcasing the hybrid drivetrain, the concept also has a new direct injected version of its 2.0-litre four cylinder engine, which is likely to appear in a few years.HONDALike many carmakers, Honda has spilled the beans on some of its cars. The CR-Z concept is the close to production ready version of its hybrid coupe, powered by a petrol 1.5-litre four cylinder and the same electric powerpack we see in the Civic hybrid. The Skydeck is a futuristic six-seater hybrid using ultra-light weight materials. The big wagon may provide a pointer to what the next-generation Odyssey might look like. Inside, the Skydeck has "floating" slim-line seats with entry provided by huge opening gullwing doors.NISSANCarmakers love motorcycle-inspired cars. Nissan has lifted the wraps off its Land Glider, a compact four-wheel city commuter car. The two-seater uses electric motors and the driver and passenger sit in tandem, like a motorcycle. The car also leans into corners.SUZUKIWith green a continuing theme, Suzuki's Swift hybrid is a pointer to a new plug-in hybrid for short-distances.MAZDAThe Hiroshima-based carmaker has concentrated on its new Sky Concept to showcase a new Sky-G petrol and Sky-D diesel engine, as well as a new six-speed automatic gearbox.MITSUBISHIDo not think of the Concept PX-MiEV as a new off-roader. Mitsubishi says the PX crossover just houses a new plug-in hybrid system that gets around 3.0 litres/100km. Apart from its drivetrain, the interior uses seat upholstery that kills bacteria and gets rid of offensive odours. The i-MIEV Cargo is also a new commercial van concept taken from the i-MIEV electric car.SUZUSHOYou may not have heard about it but this Japanese kit car specialist has combined a tuned 200kW 2.3-litre turbo engine from the Mazda3 MPS and a lightweight body to deliver a hot-shot sportscar, the Supasse V. The V gets an aluminum twin-tube monocoque spaceframe chassis with a fiberglass body. Suzusho is a specialist builder of lightweight sportscars with a great deal of experience with Lotus 7 replicas. The Supasse is expected to sell in Japan for around $80,000. 

We’ll find out over the next year or so as British car manufacturer Caterham – makers of the legendary Seven – develop a new model through online suggestions from the public at a site called Splitwheel.com.With its roots deeply entwined with Lotus, Caterham is known for lightweight sports cars, of the kind where you get four wheels, an engine … and precious little else.This makes them perfect as track cars of course. And it also makes them popular as kit cars. When you don’t have to worry about pesky things like airconditioning, power seat adjustment and rear-seat DVD systems, a car can be a very simply prospect to construct.It remains to be seen whether this will be true of the Splitwheel Caterham. If the world at large designs the car, we’re likely to end up with … well, anything.The Americans will want about 10 cupholders, to start with. And really large ones, to hold the takeaway cups over there, where there are apparently a few Starbucks still open and serving what passes for coffee.They’ll probably want big seats too, because they need to accommodate the result of slurping all those Super-Size-Full-Cream-Choco-Malto-Lattes … which is big seats.And there’ll be a certain percentage of the Australian population – those who thought the rerun of Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift was truly Movie of the Week – who will insist on a high double-winged spoiler, of the kind mostly found on those Subaru WRXs and Mitsubishi EVOs patrolling the post-teen dating beat. As well as a few unfortunate remaining Hyundai Excels and Toyota Supras that were bizarrely subjected to customisation in the belief that this would make them sexy.The French will need a few ashtrays, too, since everybody there is required by law to smoke a packet of foul-smelling filterless cigarettes every day to keep the country shrouded in the film noir-ish fog that enhances tourist brochure views of the Eyeful Tower.And most of the Germans will be trying to decide which overly-complicated satnav/GPS/audio/info/microwave/toaster system should be shoved into the dash. At least, that’s judging by the models coming from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. Porsche is too busy buying up the rest of Volkswagen (which owns Audi, in any case).The Swedish will insist on front wheel drive, quadruple-sashed seatbelts and airbags everywhere – including the floor and ceiling.But the Chinese probably won’t make any suggestions about engineering or design. They’ll just wait to see what Caterham builds, and copy it.India will simply wait until the British venture fails. And then buy it to make a matched trio with Jaguar and Land Rover. 

Caterham is an English company that has been building the iconic Clubman 7 since it bought the rights to do so from Lotus in 1973. Caterham Cars Australia is headed by Chris van Wyk and has started taking local orders on the lightweight road rockets.Although there have been Caterham kit cars in Australia for many years, this venture is the first time the brand has been represented officially as a manufacturer.“It's lovely to finally represent the brand here, and in it's 50th year,” van Wyk says.As a result of strict ADR criteria, the company is offering one model - the SVR 200. It is powered by a Cosworth-tuned 2.3 litre four-cylinder DOCH 16-valve Ford Duratec engine producing 147kW. That may not sound like much, but with the car weighing 575kg the company claims the SVR 200 will go from 0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds.The car is equipped with a six-speed gearbox, limited slip diff, De Dion rear suspension and adjustable Eibach/Bilstein springs and shocks.“It is the purest sports car money can buy,” van Wyk says. “In most cars you hop in and travel to where you need to go, with this you really strap it on to your body. All of a sudden you have an engine and four wheels. You become part of the car.”The only thing not small or lightweight about the car is the price. The SVR 200 will start at $107,700 for the base model.“As this thing has top-quality components in it, we need to charge this price for it,” van Wyk says. Traditional Clubman customers looking to spend $40,000 on a kit car aren't what he is after.Instead, the SVR 200 is aimed at people who want a high-performance car they can use at track days and tarmac rallies such as Targa Tasmania or Duttons events. Van Wyk sees the car's rivals as European sports cars, not Clubmans and kit cars. He says one of the car's key strengths is its low running costs compared to European rivals.“This thing you can go and play all day and the tyres are fine, the brakes are fine,” he says.”If you have an accident it isn't too expensive to fix.”With expectations centred on the track, customers will be able to order their Sevens with racing parts direct from the factory.Rollcages, fire suppressors, a racing dash and ignition cut-out switches are options. However, there is one comparison the Caterham won't escape: Elfin.Although the Elfin began life based on the popular Seven platform, it has since evolved into a Holden V8-powered monster. With the Elfin Clubman starting at $84,990, van Wyk is eager to start taking orders on a cheaper Caterham later this year. He is finalising details to add the SVR 1600 to the Australia range with a price around $80,000.In the meantime, van Wyk is keeping his expectations in check.“We'll have a low sales volume, but how low I'm not sure,” he says.People interested in driving a Caterham this year had better act quickly.With each car made to order, van Wyk says that if a customer orders now it should be delivered just in time for Christmas.