Caterham Seven
Encyclopedia
The Caterham Seven is a super-lightweight sports car
produced by Caterham Cars
in the United Kingdom. It is based on the Lotus Seven
, a lightweight sports car sold in kit and factory-built form by Lotus Cars
, from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. After Lotus ended production of the Lotus Seven, in 1972, Caterham bought the rights to the design, and today make both kits and fully assembled cars. 2007 marked the 50th year of production of the Lotus/Caterham 7.
The Caterham Seven is a small, lightweight, two-seater sports car renowned for its performance and handling. Various other manufacturers offer a sports car in a similar basic configuration, but Caterham owns various legal rights to the Lotus Seven design and name. The company has taken legal action in the past in order to protect those rights. In South Africa, it lost its case against Birkin (a competitor) on the basis that it never obtained the rights from Lotus that it claimed it had. The modern Seven is based on the Series 3 Lotus Seven, though Caterham have developed it to the point that no part is the same as on the original Lotus.
design. Chapman, a Royal Air Force
pilot, studied structural engineering and went on to become one of the great innovators in motorsports design.
After the war Chapman became a highly successful race driver and then founded Lotus Engineering Ltd. in 1952. Chapman’s vision of light, powerful cars and performance suspensions guided much of his development work with the basic design philosophy of 'adding lightness'. The Lotus 7, which is almost identical to today's cars debuted at the 1957 Earl’s Court Motor Show in London.
The first Lotus 7s were priced at £1,036 including purchase tax but it cost only £536 in kit form as no purchase tax was required. It weighed only 725 lb (328.9 kg). Fast and responsive, the Lotus 7 was one of Chapman’s masterworks, an advanced machine that surpassed the earlier Lotus 6 as a vehicle that could perform beautifully on the track and be driven legally on the road. The 7’s basic (and much copied) design was to stand the test of time, continuing in its popularity for the ensuing 50 years.
The 7’s evolution continued when, in 1973, Caterham Cars obtained manufacturing rights from Lotus to enable Lotus to move away from 'kit cars' and produce more up-market sports cars. Caterham renamed the car the "Super 7" – an apt name, as it was becoming clear that the car’s fundamental design was nearly impossible to improve having the right balance of strength and handling with a very light weight. Caterham's original offering was the Series 4, since that was the current production car at the time of the handover from Lotus. Unfortunately Caterham suffered numerous supply problems with the Series 4 and by the middle of 1974 they had reverted to the Series 3, which was perceived to have better sales potential anyway. The modern day Roadsports and Superlights (in "narrow-bodied chassis" form) are the direct descendants of this car and therefore of the original Lotus 7.
, initially from various Fords, later from the Morris Ital
. De Dion rear suspension
was introduced in the mid-1980s and both geometries were on offer until 2002 when the live-axle option was phased out. The modern Superlight employs adjustable double-wishbone suspension with front anti-roll bar and a de-dion rear axle, located by an A-frame and Watt's linkage
.
The Caterham 7 range was based exclusively on this Series 3 chassis until 2000, when the SV (Series V, or Special Vehicle) chassis was released, aimed at accommodating the increasing number of prospective buyers who could not fit comfortably in the Series 3 cockpit. The SV chassis offers an extra 110 mm (4.3 in) of width across the cockpit, at a cost of 25 kg (55 lb) of extra weight, and both chassis sizes are available today in Roadsport and Superlight variants. The SV chassis subsequently provided the basic dimensions for the Caterham CSR
. The suspension was completely redesigned, bringing the front suspension inboard, using pushrods, and replacing the De-Dion rear axle with a lighter, fully independent, double-wishbone layout with new coil/damper units. Additional chassis modifications resulted in a 25% increase in torsional stiffness. The CSR was released in October 2004, with a Cosworth Duratec engine and is currently available from the factory in either 200 bhp or 260 bhp form.
) by using a 2 litre Vauxhall Touring Car engine, putting out around 250 bhp and reducing weight to around 530 kg (1,168 lb) by such measures as removing the windscreen in favour of an aeroscreen. The JPE was quoted at 0-60 mph times of around 3.5 seconds and, with Jonathan Palmer at the wheel, set a 0-100 mph-0 record of 12.6 seconds. Around 1997 the cross flow range was replaced by 8v and 16v Vauxhall units which, in various guises lived on until the end of the VX-powered Caterham Classic, in 2002.
The Rover
K-series made its appearance in 1991, initially as the 1.4 litre engine from the Metro GTi
. This engine became the backbone of the range for the next 15 years. The 1.6 litre k-series appeared in 1996 and the 1.8 litre a year later. 1996 also saw the addition of the 'Superlight' range, a range that successfully focussed initially on reducing weight and subsequently on bespoke tuning of the k-series to ever-higher outputs. Weight was saved by removing the spare wheel (and carrier), carpets, heater and often the windscreen (replaced with an aeroscreen), hood and doors. Lightweight "Tillet" GRP seats were usually fitted along with carbon-fibre front wings and nosecone (note however that items such as heaters and windscreens could still be specified by the Superlight customer if they so wanted). Wide-track suspension was added to the superlight, increasing the track at the front to match that at the back. The later Superlight-R offered the dry-sumped VHPD (Very High Performance Derivative) variant on the 1.8 litre k-series. Output was now up to around 180 bhp, in a car that now weighed as little as 490 kg (1,080 lb). Three years later Caterham took the same concept to a new level and created the iconic Superlight R500, still based on the Rover 1.8 litre k-series but now tuned (by Minister Racing Engines) to around 230 bhp at 8,600 rpm in a car weighing just 460 kg (1,014 lb). The R500 was initially available in kit-form, but quickly became a factory-build only item. Quoted performance figures still make impressive reading; 0-100 mph in 8.2 seconds (although EVO magazine quotes 8.8 seconds). Perhaps unsurprisingly, such a stressed engine required frequent "refreshing" in order to keep it on the road and a series of engine revisions was undertaken throughout the R500's life in order to increase reliability. This culminated in 2004 with perhaps the most extreme production Caterham of all; the R500 EVO was bored out by Minister to 1,998 cc and delivered 250 bhp. At £42,000, the R500 EVO was hardly a sales success - it is widely believed that just three examples were sold. It did however succeed in setting a series of performance car benchmarks several of which last to this day; the 0-100 mph-0 record was set at 10.73 seconds (in second place was a Ferrari Enzo costing ten times as much) and, until the end of 2006 it remained the fastest production car timed by EVO magazine around the Bedford Autodrome West Circuit, ahead of a Porsche Carrera GT. Only the Radical SR3 1300 has subsequently posted a faster time than the R500 EVO.
After the demise of Rover and Powertrain
, Caterham started the process of phasing out the Rover k-series engine and replacing them with Ford engines; the Sigma
engine for Roadsports and the 2.0 litre and 2.3 litre Duratec
engines for the more powerful Superlight and CSR ranges. Although Caterham's website suggests that there are a few models (such as the Superlight R300) still available with a k-series engine, this migration is largely complete.
Caterham have had something of a tentative relationship with the installation of motorbike engines into their cars. Since 2000, a Canadian firm has been selling Caterham 7 models using the GSXR1300 engine used in the Suzuki Hayabusa. It reportedly does 0-62 in under 3 seconds. In 2000 the Honda CBR1100 engine was installed into a 430 kg (948 lb) superlight chassis to create the Caterham Blackbird, delivering 170 bhp at 10,750 rpm (although just 92 lbft of maximum torque). The Blackbird offered near R500 performance for rather less money (Top Gear quote 0-60 of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 143 mi/h at a new cost of £25,750). In 2001 a Honda Fireblade engine was offered in a live-axle chassis, via James Whiting of Ashford, Middlesex. Quoted power was 128 bhp at 10,500 rpm. Both of these models have ceased production. There has also been at least one installation of the RST-V8, created by Moto Power; a 2 litre, 40 valve 340 bhp V8 made from a pair of motorcycle engines joined at the crank. An early, pre-production review of the car/engine combination exists on the EVO website. In Feb 2008, the "Caterham Seven Levante" was announced, featuring a supercharged version the RST-V8, offering over 500 bhp, installed in a modified Caterham chassis, with bespoke bodywork. Made by RS Performance (described in the press release as "Caterham's new performance arm"), the Levante is intended to be a limited run of 8 cars at a cost of £115,000 each.
The Lotus 7 was conceived by Chapman as a car to be raced. Whilst still a prototype, in September 1957, it was raced at the Brighton Speed Trials and by the end of 1958 Graham Hill
was winning races with the Coventry Climax
-engined 'Super Seven' The car has had a strong racing history throughout its life under both Lotus and Caterham stewardship. Amongst the marque's more famous races was victory in the Nelson Ledges 24-hour race in Ohio when, against a field including works teams from Honda and Mazda, a four-man team from Caterham (including both Jez Coates and Robert Nearn) won by seven laps (after 990 laps) in a modified Vauxhall HPC.
After dominating open class races for decades Caterham Super 7 Racing, a one-make championship for Caterhams, was begun in 1986. Caterham 7 races have since expanded to include club and competitive races in the United Kingdom, continental Europe, Canada, the United States and Asia. In 1995 the Caterham Academy, a novices-only format, was introduced in the UK. For £17,995 (2009 price), entrants get a modified Roadsport kit (although a factory-built option is available for extra cost) with a sealed 120 bhp engine and 5-speed gearbox. Having completed the ARDS license qualification, the season then consists of four sprints followed by four circuit races. The Academy is designed as the first step in a well-established chain of Caterham race formats, such as the Caterham Motorsport Ladder
which consists of Roadsports B then Roadsports A, R300, Superlight and Eurocup, or the Caterham Graduates Racing Club
.
The car was banned from racing in the USA in the 1960s, as being "Too fast to race" and again in the UK in the 1970s for the same reasons, which prompted Caterham Cars boss Graham Nearn to produce 'T' shirts with "Caterham Seven, the car that's "Too Fast to Race...". Both bans were later lifted. In 2002 an R400 won its class (and came 11th overall out of 200 starters) at the Nürburgring 24-hour
race by 10 laps, ahead of competition that included Porsche and BMW racecars, leading, once again, to a ban on entry in subsequent years.
comprises a mixture of chassis types (the traditional narrow-bodied 'Series 3' chassis, the wider SV chassis and the CSR chassis), of engines (k-series engines, which are now being phased out, Ford Duratec engines for the more powerful variants and Ford Sigma engines for the lower-powered models) and of models (Classic, Roadsport, Superlight, CSR, in ascending order of price). All are available either factory-built or as a self-build kit. It is anticipated that the k-series engine will shortly disappear from the lineup, resulting in an all Ford engine range.
At the beginning of December 2008, the R500 was featured on the popular BBC television show Top Gear
, putting in a timed lap of the Top Gear circuit of 1 minute 17.9 seconds. This is, to date, the eighth fastest official lap timed by the show, faster than, amongst others, the Bugatti Veyron
. This feat was considered even more impressive due to the coldness of the conditions which made it difficult for the test driver (The Stig
) to get heat into the tyres. Shortly afterwards, on the 14th December show, Top Gear made the R500 its '2008 Car of the Year'.
represents the top of the range and in some respects can be considered a separate model. It has its own chassis, suspension and interior and is available with either 2 litre (200 bhp) or 2.3 litre (260 bhp) Ford Cosworth Duratec engines. Quoted performance for the CSR260 is 0-60 in 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 155 mi/h. There is no home-build option; the factory supply the finished car.
In 2006, Caterham introduced the CSR Superlight. Based on the CSR260, this model adds a ‘Superlight’ lightweight specification to the CSR, further extending the CSR260’s already epic performance envelope. The 2.3 litre Cosworth-powered Caterham CSR260 Superlight brings all the performance credentials associated with its stablemate; performance is quoted as a 0-60 mph time of 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 155 mi/h. The Superlight swaps the windscreen, carpet, heater and weather gear on the standard car for a limited slip differential and a quicker steering rack. Twenty five kilos lighter than the standard CSR260, this model variant also adds distinctive Superlight styling to the exterior, including a wind deflector, a carbon fibre dashboard and wings, a black powder coated cockpit and a quick-release MOMO steering wheel. Of particular note are ‘Dynamic Suspensions’ Damper units developed by specialist Multimatic for the car. The damper units lend the already capable CSR a further edge in terms of handling and cornering performance. It features the same 2.3 litre (260 bhp) engine as the CSR260, but weighs only 550 kg (1,213 lb) and has a power-to-weight ratio of 472 bhp-per-tonne.
Lotus & Caterham Sevens Gold Portfolio, 1957-1989
Edited by R.M. Clarke, Brooklands Books, 1989, ISBN 1 85520 0007, Test reports and articles from magazines around the world.
Lotus & Caterham Seven Gold Portfolio, 1974-95
edited by R.M. Clarke, Brooklands Books, 1996, ISBN 978-1855203303, Test reports and articles from magazines around the world
The Legend of the Lotus Seven
Dennis Ortenberger, Osprey, 1981, ISBN 0-85045-411-5 (Reissued in 1999 by Mercian manuals.)
The Lotus and Caterham Sevens, A Collector’s Guide
Jeremy Coulter, Motor Racing Publications Ltd., 1986, ISBN 0-947981-06-3
Lotus Seven: Restoration, Preparation, Maintenance
by Tony Weale, Osprey Automotive, 1991, ISBN 1-85532-153-X, Includes Caterham Sevens up to 1990.
by Chris Rees, Motorbooks International, 1997, ISBN 978-0947981976
by Peter Egan, Brooklands Books and Road & Track,
Peter Egan's books are collections of his Road & Track column Side Glances. Many feature his Lotus Sevens but there is also information on Caterham Sevens.
Lotus and Caterham Seven: Racers for the Road
by John Tipler, Crowood Press, 2005, ISBN 978-1861267542
The Magnificent 7: The enthusiasts' guide to all models of Lotus and Caterham Seven
by Chris Rees, Haynes Publishing, Second edition 2007, ISBN 978-1844254101
Why build a Seven? Putting a Sportscar on the Road, a personal record.
by Michael Eddenden, 2010, Published by lulu.com, ISBN 978-0-557-54398-4
The building of a Caterham Seven from a Club perspective, it includes much on Lotus and Caterham Seven owners.
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
produced by Caterham Cars
Caterham Cars
Caterham Cars is a manufacturer of specialist lightweight sports cars based in Caterham, Surrey, England and part of the British motor industry. Their only current model, the Caterham 7 , is a direct evolution of the Series 3 Lotus Seven designed by Colin Chapman and originally launched in 1968. A...
in the United Kingdom. It is based on the Lotus Seven
Lotus Seven
The Lotus Seven is a small, simple, lightweight two-seater open-top sports car produced by Lotus Cars between 1957 and 1972....
, a lightweight sports car sold in kit and factory-built form by Lotus Cars
Lotus Cars
Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics...
, from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. After Lotus ended production of the Lotus Seven, in 1972, Caterham bought the rights to the design, and today make both kits and fully assembled cars. 2007 marked the 50th year of production of the Lotus/Caterham 7.
The Caterham Seven is a small, lightweight, two-seater sports car renowned for its performance and handling. Various other manufacturers offer a sports car in a similar basic configuration, but Caterham owns various legal rights to the Lotus Seven design and name. The company has taken legal action in the past in order to protect those rights. In South Africa, it lost its case against Birkin (a competitor) on the basis that it never obtained the rights from Lotus that it claimed it had. The modern Seven is based on the Series 3 Lotus Seven, though Caterham have developed it to the point that no part is the same as on the original Lotus.
History
Today’s Caterham cars have a blend of traditional styling and modern components. They can trace their lineage directly to an original 1950s-era Colin ChapmanColin Chapman
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman CBE was an influential British designer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of Lotus Cars....
design. Chapman, a Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
pilot, studied structural engineering and went on to become one of the great innovators in motorsports design.
After the war Chapman became a highly successful race driver and then founded Lotus Engineering Ltd. in 1952. Chapman’s vision of light, powerful cars and performance suspensions guided much of his development work with the basic design philosophy of 'adding lightness'. The Lotus 7, which is almost identical to today's cars debuted at the 1957 Earl’s Court Motor Show in London.
The first Lotus 7s were priced at £1,036 including purchase tax but it cost only £536 in kit form as no purchase tax was required. It weighed only 725 lb (328.9 kg). Fast and responsive, the Lotus 7 was one of Chapman’s masterworks, an advanced machine that surpassed the earlier Lotus 6 as a vehicle that could perform beautifully on the track and be driven legally on the road. The 7’s basic (and much copied) design was to stand the test of time, continuing in its popularity for the ensuing 50 years.
The 7’s evolution continued when, in 1973, Caterham Cars obtained manufacturing rights from Lotus to enable Lotus to move away from 'kit cars' and produce more up-market sports cars. Caterham renamed the car the "Super 7" – an apt name, as it was becoming clear that the car’s fundamental design was nearly impossible to improve having the right balance of strength and handling with a very light weight. Caterham's original offering was the Series 4, since that was the current production car at the time of the handover from Lotus. Unfortunately Caterham suffered numerous supply problems with the Series 4 and by the middle of 1974 they had reverted to the Series 3, which was perceived to have better sales potential anyway. The modern day Roadsports and Superlights (in "narrow-bodied chassis" form) are the direct descendants of this car and therefore of the original Lotus 7.
Chassis and suspension
As with the Lotus Six before it, the original Lotus Seven utilised an extremely light space-frame chassis with stressed aluminium body panels. Although the chassis has had numerous modifications to strengthen it and accommodate the various engine and suspension setups (and to try and find more cockpit space for the occupants), this basic formula has remained essentially the same throughout the Seven's life (with the exception of the dead-end Series 4, which used steel for the cockpit and engine bay and glassfibre for the bodywork). Early cars used a live rear axleLive axle
A live axle, sometimes called a solid axle, is a type of beam axle suspension system that uses the driveshafts that transmit power to the wheels to connect the wheels laterally so that they move together as a unit....
, initially from various Fords, later from the Morris Ital
Morris Ital
The Morris Ital was a medium-sized saloon car built by British Leyland from 1980 until 1984.-Design and launch:The Ital was first launched on 1 July 1980. It took its name from Giorgetto Giugiaro's ItalDesign studio, who had been employed by BL to manage the re-engineering of Morris Marina, a car...
. De Dion rear suspension
De Dion tube
A de Dion tube is an automobile suspension technology. It is a sophisticated form of non-independent suspension and is a considerable improvement over the alternative swing axle and Hotchkiss drive types. A de Dion suspension uses universal joints at both the wheel hubs and differential, and uses a...
was introduced in the mid-1980s and both geometries were on offer until 2002 when the live-axle option was phased out. The modern Superlight employs adjustable double-wishbone suspension with front anti-roll bar and a de-dion rear axle, located by an A-frame and Watt's linkage
Watt's linkage
Watt's linkage is a type of mechanical linkage invented by James Watt in which the central moving point of the linkage is constrained to travel on an approximation to a straight line...
.
The Caterham 7 range was based exclusively on this Series 3 chassis until 2000, when the SV (Series V, or Special Vehicle) chassis was released, aimed at accommodating the increasing number of prospective buyers who could not fit comfortably in the Series 3 cockpit. The SV chassis offers an extra 110 mm (4.3 in) of width across the cockpit, at a cost of 25 kg (55 lb) of extra weight, and both chassis sizes are available today in Roadsport and Superlight variants. The SV chassis subsequently provided the basic dimensions for the Caterham CSR
Caterham 7 CSR
The Caterham CSR is the latest model from sports car manufacturer Caterham Cars. The CSR is the most heavily modified Caterham, though it still retains the basic look of the Super Seven. The CSR has two engine options based on the same Duratec block, though modifications and power output differ....
. The suspension was completely redesigned, bringing the front suspension inboard, using pushrods, and replacing the De-Dion rear axle with a lighter, fully independent, double-wishbone layout with new coil/damper units. Additional chassis modifications resulted in a 25% increase in torsional stiffness. The CSR was released in October 2004, with a Cosworth Duratec engine and is currently available from the factory in either 200 bhp or 260 bhp form.
Engines
Early cars used the Lotus Twin Cam engine (subsequently manufactured by Vegantune), followed by Ford cross flow engines. The first Cosworth BDRs appeared around 1983, in 1600 cc 140 bhp form, followed by 1700 cc 150 bhp versions three years later. By 1990 the top of the range engine had become the 2 litre Vauxhall HPC, as fitted to the Vauxhall Calibra, putting out 165—175 bhp. In 1993 Caterham created the JPE special edition (named for Formula 1 driver Jonathan PalmerJonathan Palmer
Dr. Jonathan Charles Palmer is an entrepreneur and former racing driver from England. Educated at Brighton College, he won the 1981 British Formula Three Championship and the 1983 European Formula Two Championship. He participated in 87 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on September 25, 1983...
) by using a 2 litre Vauxhall Touring Car engine, putting out around 250 bhp and reducing weight to around 530 kg (1,168 lb) by such measures as removing the windscreen in favour of an aeroscreen. The JPE was quoted at 0-60 mph times of around 3.5 seconds and, with Jonathan Palmer at the wheel, set a 0-100 mph-0 record of 12.6 seconds. Around 1997 the cross flow range was replaced by 8v and 16v Vauxhall units which, in various guises lived on until the end of the VX-powered Caterham Classic, in 2002.
The Rover
Rover (car)
The Rover Company is a former British car manufacturing company founded as Starley & Sutton Co. of Coventry in 1878. After developing the template for the modern bicycle with its Rover Safety Bicycle of 1885, the company moved into the automotive industry...
K-series made its appearance in 1991, initially as the 1.4 litre engine from the Metro GTi
Rover Metro
The Metro is a supermini car that was produced by the Austin Rover Group division of British Leyland and its successors. It was launched in 1980 as the Austin miniMetro. It was intended to complement the Mini, and was developed under the codename LC8....
. This engine became the backbone of the range for the next 15 years. The 1.6 litre k-series appeared in 1996 and the 1.8 litre a year later. 1996 also saw the addition of the 'Superlight' range, a range that successfully focussed initially on reducing weight and subsequently on bespoke tuning of the k-series to ever-higher outputs. Weight was saved by removing the spare wheel (and carrier), carpets, heater and often the windscreen (replaced with an aeroscreen), hood and doors. Lightweight "Tillet" GRP seats were usually fitted along with carbon-fibre front wings and nosecone (note however that items such as heaters and windscreens could still be specified by the Superlight customer if they so wanted). Wide-track suspension was added to the superlight, increasing the track at the front to match that at the back. The later Superlight-R offered the dry-sumped VHPD (Very High Performance Derivative) variant on the 1.8 litre k-series. Output was now up to around 180 bhp, in a car that now weighed as little as 490 kg (1,080 lb). Three years later Caterham took the same concept to a new level and created the iconic Superlight R500, still based on the Rover 1.8 litre k-series but now tuned (by Minister Racing Engines) to around 230 bhp at 8,600 rpm in a car weighing just 460 kg (1,014 lb). The R500 was initially available in kit-form, but quickly became a factory-build only item. Quoted performance figures still make impressive reading; 0-100 mph in 8.2 seconds (although EVO magazine quotes 8.8 seconds). Perhaps unsurprisingly, such a stressed engine required frequent "refreshing" in order to keep it on the road and a series of engine revisions was undertaken throughout the R500's life in order to increase reliability. This culminated in 2004 with perhaps the most extreme production Caterham of all; the R500 EVO was bored out by Minister to 1,998 cc and delivered 250 bhp. At £42,000, the R500 EVO was hardly a sales success - it is widely believed that just three examples were sold. It did however succeed in setting a series of performance car benchmarks several of which last to this day; the 0-100 mph-0 record was set at 10.73 seconds (in second place was a Ferrari Enzo costing ten times as much) and, until the end of 2006 it remained the fastest production car timed by EVO magazine around the Bedford Autodrome West Circuit, ahead of a Porsche Carrera GT. Only the Radical SR3 1300 has subsequently posted a faster time than the R500 EVO.
After the demise of Rover and Powertrain
Powertrain Ltd
Powertrain Ltd was a British company based in Birmingham which designed, manufactured and marketed car engines and transmissions. It was a subsidiary of Phoenix Venture Holdings and a sister company to MG Rover...
, Caterham started the process of phasing out the Rover k-series engine and replacing them with Ford engines; the Sigma
Ford Sigma engine
The Ford Sigma is a small straight-4 automobile engine sold by Ford Motor Company. First evolution of engines were sold as the "Zetec-SE" . After the upgrade Ford renamed Sigma to Duratec. Last upgrade of engine is named Duratec Ti-VCT...
engine for Roadsports and the 2.0 litre and 2.3 litre Duratec
Ford Duratec engine
The Duratec is a range of four, five, and six-cylinder gasoline engines produced by the Ford Motor Company, used in Ford, Mazda, Volvo, Caterham, Morgan, Tiger, Ginetta cars and by specialist engine tuner Cosworth....
engines for the more powerful Superlight and CSR ranges. Although Caterham's website suggests that there are a few models (such as the Superlight R300) still available with a k-series engine, this migration is largely complete.
Caterham have had something of a tentative relationship with the installation of motorbike engines into their cars. Since 2000, a Canadian firm has been selling Caterham 7 models using the GSXR1300 engine used in the Suzuki Hayabusa. It reportedly does 0-62 in under 3 seconds. In 2000 the Honda CBR1100 engine was installed into a 430 kg (948 lb) superlight chassis to create the Caterham Blackbird, delivering 170 bhp at 10,750 rpm (although just 92 lbft of maximum torque). The Blackbird offered near R500 performance for rather less money (Top Gear quote 0-60 of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 143 mi/h at a new cost of £25,750). In 2001 a Honda Fireblade engine was offered in a live-axle chassis, via James Whiting of Ashford, Middlesex. Quoted power was 128 bhp at 10,500 rpm. Both of these models have ceased production. There has also been at least one installation of the RST-V8, created by Moto Power; a 2 litre, 40 valve 340 bhp V8 made from a pair of motorcycle engines joined at the crank. An early, pre-production review of the car/engine combination exists on the EVO website. In Feb 2008, the "Caterham Seven Levante" was announced, featuring a supercharged version the RST-V8, offering over 500 bhp, installed in a modified Caterham chassis, with bespoke bodywork. Made by RS Performance (described in the press release as "Caterham's new performance arm"), the Levante is intended to be a limited run of 8 cars at a cost of £115,000 each.
Racing
Graham Hill
Norman Graham Hill was a British racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. He is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport — the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.Graham Hill and his son Damon are the only father and son pair both to...
was winning races with the Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H...
-engined 'Super Seven' The car has had a strong racing history throughout its life under both Lotus and Caterham stewardship. Amongst the marque's more famous races was victory in the Nelson Ledges 24-hour race in Ohio when, against a field including works teams from Honda and Mazda, a four-man team from Caterham (including both Jez Coates and Robert Nearn) won by seven laps (after 990 laps) in a modified Vauxhall HPC.
After dominating open class races for decades Caterham Super 7 Racing, a one-make championship for Caterhams, was begun in 1986. Caterham 7 races have since expanded to include club and competitive races in the United Kingdom, continental Europe, Canada, the United States and Asia. In 1995 the Caterham Academy, a novices-only format, was introduced in the UK. For £17,995 (2009 price), entrants get a modified Roadsport kit (although a factory-built option is available for extra cost) with a sealed 120 bhp engine and 5-speed gearbox. Having completed the ARDS license qualification, the season then consists of four sprints followed by four circuit races. The Academy is designed as the first step in a well-established chain of Caterham race formats, such as the Caterham Motorsport Ladder
Caterham Racing
Caterham Racing is a term used to describe Motor Racing of Caterham Seven-type sportscars.-History:The Caterham Seven is a small sports car produced by Caterham Cars in the United Kingdom. It is based on the Lotus Seven, a lightweight sports car sold in kit and pre-built form by Lotus Cars, from...
which consists of Roadsports B then Roadsports A, R300, Superlight and Eurocup, or the Caterham Graduates Racing Club
Caterham Graduates Racing Club
Caterham Graduates Racing Club is a British motor-racing club for privateer racing drivers in Caterham Seven type cars.-History:The Caterham Graduates Championship was started in 1998 by competitors from the 1997 Caterham Scholarship...
.
The car was banned from racing in the USA in the 1960s, as being "Too fast to race" and again in the UK in the 1970s for the same reasons, which prompted Caterham Cars boss Graham Nearn to produce 'T' shirts with "Caterham Seven, the car that's "Too Fast to Race...". Both bans were later lifted. In 2002 an R400 won its class (and came 11th overall out of 200 starters) at the Nürburgring 24-hour
24 Hours Nürburgring
The 24 Hours Nürburgring is a touring car and GT endurance racing event on the Nürburgring Nordschleife . With a lap length of over , it allows the participation of more than 200 cars, and over 700 drivers.-Overview:...
race by 10 laps, ahead of competition that included Porsche and BMW racecars, leading, once again, to a ban on entry in subsequent years.
Current range
The existing range provided by Caterham CarsCaterham Cars
Caterham Cars is a manufacturer of specialist lightweight sports cars based in Caterham, Surrey, England and part of the British motor industry. Their only current model, the Caterham 7 , is a direct evolution of the Series 3 Lotus Seven designed by Colin Chapman and originally launched in 1968. A...
comprises a mixture of chassis types (the traditional narrow-bodied 'Series 3' chassis, the wider SV chassis and the CSR chassis), of engines (k-series engines, which are now being phased out, Ford Duratec engines for the more powerful variants and Ford Sigma engines for the lower-powered models) and of models (Classic, Roadsport, Superlight, CSR, in ascending order of price). All are available either factory-built or as a self-build kit. It is anticipated that the k-series engine will shortly disappear from the lineup, resulting in an all Ford engine range.
Classic
The Classic represents the entry-level offering from Caterham. It is available only in the Series 3 chassis size and, as standard, comes with a 1.4 litre k-series engine (whilst available) and five-speed gearbox. There is no heater, hood or spare wheel carrier as standard (although all these can be added as options). In all other respects it is the same as a Roadsport. Quoted performance with the 1.4 litre engine is 0-60 in 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 110 mi/h.Roadsport
The Roadsport is available in both S3 and SV chassis sizes and is more or less a Classic with a more powerful engine and a few more extras as standard; heater, hood and spare wheel/carrier are all standard as are carpets. At the moment the engine options encompass both Rover k-series (160 bhp) and Ford Sigma (125 bhp or 150 bhp) options, although the k-series is expected to disappear from the options list once supplies are exhausted. Suspension is the same as for the classic; double-wishbone and anti-roll bar at the front and de dion axle located by an A-frame at the rear.Superlight
The Superlight is available in both S3 and SV chassis sizes. The list of standard equipment reflects the Superlight's bias to track work; Wide-track front suspension, 6 speed gearbox, Carbon fibre dashboard and front wings, GRP aeroscreen and seats, racing harness, removable steering wheel. Quoted weight for the Superlight is about 50 kg (110 lb) less than the Roadsport, due in part to the lack of a spare wheel and carrier. Engine options again are something of a temporary mix of incoming Ford Sigma (150 bhp) and outgoing Rover k-series (160 bhp) for the R300. Both the R400 and R500 use the 2 litre variant of Ford Cosworth Duratec engine, in different states of tune. The R400 is quoted at 210 bhp, the R500 at 263 bhp. With the recent launch of the R500 (April 2008), Caterham made available the options of a sequential gearbox and launch control. Quoted performance for the R500 is 0-60 in 2.88 seconds and a top speed of 150 mi/h.At the beginning of December 2008, the R500 was featured on the popular BBC television show Top Gear
Top Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
, putting in a timed lap of the Top Gear circuit of 1 minute 17.9 seconds. This is, to date, the eighth fastest official lap timed by the show, faster than, amongst others, the Bugatti Veyron
Bugatti Veyron
The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engined grand touring car. The Super Sport version is the fastest road-legal production car in the world, with a top speed of . The original version has a top speed of...
. This feat was considered even more impressive due to the coldness of the conditions which made it difficult for the test driver (The Stig
The Stig
The Stig is a character in the British motoring television show Top Gear. The character plays on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, with the running joke that nobody knows who, or indeed what, is inside the character's racing suit. The character was the creation of presenter Jeremy...
) to get heat into the tyres. Shortly afterwards, on the 14th December show, Top Gear made the R500 its '2008 Car of the Year'.
CSR
The CSRCaterham 7 CSR
The Caterham CSR is the latest model from sports car manufacturer Caterham Cars. The CSR is the most heavily modified Caterham, though it still retains the basic look of the Super Seven. The CSR has two engine options based on the same Duratec block, though modifications and power output differ....
represents the top of the range and in some respects can be considered a separate model. It has its own chassis, suspension and interior and is available with either 2 litre (200 bhp) or 2.3 litre (260 bhp) Ford Cosworth Duratec engines. Quoted performance for the CSR260 is 0-60 in 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 155 mi/h. There is no home-build option; the factory supply the finished car.
In 2006, Caterham introduced the CSR Superlight. Based on the CSR260, this model adds a ‘Superlight’ lightweight specification to the CSR, further extending the CSR260’s already epic performance envelope. The 2.3 litre Cosworth-powered Caterham CSR260 Superlight brings all the performance credentials associated with its stablemate; performance is quoted as a 0-60 mph time of 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 155 mi/h. The Superlight swaps the windscreen, carpet, heater and weather gear on the standard car for a limited slip differential and a quicker steering rack. Twenty five kilos lighter than the standard CSR260, this model variant also adds distinctive Superlight styling to the exterior, including a wind deflector, a carbon fibre dashboard and wings, a black powder coated cockpit and a quick-release MOMO steering wheel. Of particular note are ‘Dynamic Suspensions’ Damper units developed by specialist Multimatic for the car. The damper units lend the already capable CSR a further edge in terms of handling and cornering performance. It features the same 2.3 litre (260 bhp) engine as the CSR260, but weighs only 550 kg (1,213 lb) and has a power-to-weight ratio of 472 bhp-per-tonne.
50th Anniversary editions
Caterham have celebrated the 50th year of production with a couple of special edition "50th Anniversary" paint options. In addition, as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations in early June 2007, they showcased the X330 concept car. Based on the CSR, the X330 employs a supercharged version of the Duratec engine to produce 330 bhp. The use of lighter-gauge steel and of carbon fibre instead of GRP further improves the power-to-weight ratio. Caterham say that they have no plans to put this car into production.Caterham Seven literature
The Caterham Seven has spawned many books, test reports and articles, many of which are still in print.Lotus & Caterham Sevens Gold Portfolio, 1957-1989
Edited by R.M. Clarke, Brooklands Books, 1989, ISBN 1 85520 0007, Test reports and articles from magazines around the world.
Lotus & Caterham Seven Gold Portfolio, 1974-95
edited by R.M. Clarke, Brooklands Books, 1996, ISBN 978-1855203303, Test reports and articles from magazines around the world
The Legend of the Lotus Seven
Dennis Ortenberger, Osprey, 1981, ISBN 0-85045-411-5 (Reissued in 1999 by Mercian manuals.)
The Lotus and Caterham Sevens, A Collector’s Guide
Jeremy Coulter, Motor Racing Publications Ltd., 1986, ISBN 0-947981-06-3
Lotus Seven: Restoration, Preparation, Maintenance
by Tony Weale, Osprey Automotive, 1991, ISBN 1-85532-153-X, Includes Caterham Sevens up to 1990.
- Caterham Sevens: The Official Story of a Unique British Sportscar
by Chris Rees, Motorbooks International, 1997, ISBN 978-0947981976
- Side Glances, Volumes 1, 2, 3. A fourth volume is entitled Side Glances: The Best from America's Most Popular Automotive Writer
by Peter Egan, Brooklands Books and Road & Track,
Peter Egan's books are collections of his Road & Track column Side Glances. Many feature his Lotus Sevens but there is also information on Caterham Sevens.
Lotus and Caterham Seven: Racers for the Road
by John Tipler, Crowood Press, 2005, ISBN 978-1861267542
The Magnificent 7: The enthusiasts' guide to all models of Lotus and Caterham Seven
by Chris Rees, Haynes Publishing, Second edition 2007, ISBN 978-1844254101
Why build a Seven? Putting a Sportscar on the Road, a personal record.
by Michael Eddenden, 2010, Published by lulu.com, ISBN 978-0-557-54398-4
The building of a Caterham Seven from a Club perspective, it includes much on Lotus and Caterham Seven owners.
External links
- Caterham Cars Official website
- Caterham Motorsport Information Official Caterham Motorsport Resource
- Caterham USA
- http://www.uscaterham.com/showroom/comparison-chart.html