I love this car!! (Caterham 7)

Member Name: gubbins

Product:	Caterham 7
Date:	11/08/00 (803 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: speed, fun factor, show-off appeal, adrenaline rush....

Disadvantages: weatherproofing equipment

Oh my God!! Where did this car come from? What, with doors made out of 3mm plastic, and a power to weight ratio of 404 bhp to a tonne, this car is to be taken lightly. VERY lightly.

With the R500 weighing only 460 KGs, and pushing out an awesome 230 bhp from it's 1.8 litre rover k series lump, this car must be up there in that "great hall of fame" with such cars as the Porsche boxster, Lamborghini Diablo and Lotus Elise.
This car would certainly be able to take on the Mitsubishi evo, and the Lamborghini Diablo with ease up to 70 miles an hour, but upwards, the aerodynamics deficiency lets this brute of a car down. Bit of a shame really.

This car isn't all that bad inside. It has elements in the windscreen to stop it misting up, it has a two speed heater, it has comfy seats so really, this car could be used for everyday use (if you're man/woman enough to drive it!!)

In the wet, you would be mistaken if you thought it wouldn't handle because it does. It hugs the road amazingly considering the torque and weight, so much so that it can be pushed almost as hard as if it were in the dry.

There are many sorts of Caterhams you can get, ranging from the ford engine (an older, discontinued range) to the Rover engine (a faster, cleaner, more efficient engine). It can also then be divided into three sorts of Caterhams from then as well - The classic range, The road sport range, and the superlight range (this includes the superlight R500, the fastest one of the lot).

The Classic Range
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The classic range consists of one sort of engine. The 1.6 Vauxhall unit: It pushes out 100 BHP at 5’500 RPM and a healthy 107 lbft of torque. It can tackle 0-60
MPH in 6.7 sec’s. And 0-100 KPH in 6.9 sec’s making it a pretty quick car, but not so fast as a Roadsport Caterham. If you wanted to go for the classic range, but wanted something quicker, then you could go for the 1.8 litre Supersport tuning package. It pushes the BHP to 120 and torque to 122lbft, but you may as well just go straight for the Roadsport package.
This Classic Road Caterham goes for about £10’995.00 on the road, but can be higher or lower depending on mileage, if its new or old etc.

The Roadsport Range
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The roadsport package consists of three types of engines. The 1.6 Rover K series, the 1.8 Rover K series and the 1.8 VVC Rover engine. The 1.6 Rover K series engine has 115 BHP at 6’000 RPM, and 107 lbft of torque, making this quicker than the classic 1.6 Caterham, but slower than the 1.8 Cars.

The Roadsport 1.8 version is really the last point at which anything is really practical. It has all the gear really: Heated windscreen, heater and comfy seats, and a small boot to compliment. If I was getting a Caterham that I was going to use every day, I’d get this one, because from this Car upwards they just either get too fast or too impractical (i.e. no windscreen!!)

The Roadsport 1.8 VVC is an improvement on the original 1.8 engine. It produces 150 BHP at 7’000 RPM and 128 lbft of torque, making this, again quicker, but also more expensive. This Caterham goes for about £15’650.00 on the road and, again depending on whether it’s new or old, and how many miles it’s done can affect the price.

The Superlight Range
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The superlight range is for hard-core drivers only!! In this range there is the road, R500 and Blackbird variants. The R500 need’s no introduction, but one thing I will say is that I have heard this go and it is so loud it feels like your ears are bleeding, and also the cost. It goes for about £31’950.00 and is well worth the money. It has no padding on the seats apart from tiny little strips of rubber, and NO creature comforts.

The Road version can go from the 133 BHP version, to the 140 BHP 1.8 engine, to the 190 BHP 1.8 VHPD engine, making this very "tailor made" really. It consists of all the necessities, apart from a windscreen and heater, and can go VERY fast. The engine makes you tingle as it rumbles so much, and the car is brill to drive.

Now the good bit. The Blackbird. This car really is the bees knees, and has a Honda Blackbird MOTORCYCLE engine in it, meaning more power, less weight (always a good combination.) This really is a prototype, but they have gone on sale for £23’500.00.

I hope this review has helped you in your quest to buying, what I feel, is the most fast, brutal, exciting bit of metal you can buy for the money involved. I love mine and will for a long time to come!!

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