It looks like a standard Seven, but it goes like the proverbial
off a shovel. Meet the Supersport R
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| Caterham Supersport R |
To the untrained eye, it's the same old Seven. To the people
at Caterham it's the Supersport R, a muzzled track-car for the road that
replaces the R300 at the fast end of the showroom. It's based on a regular
Supersport, from which it nicks some bespoke racy dampers, but ditches the
14-bhp, 1.6-litre engine for a 180bhp, 2.0-litre Ford Duratec for extra R-ness.
Maths tells us that 180bhp and 535kg equals 336bhp per tonne, which is more
than a Porsche 911 Turbo. Zero to 60mph takes 4.8 seconds, so it's brisk, but
just 0.1 seconds quicker than the regular Supersport
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| Caterham Supersport R |
What really counts is the
extra meat you get from the Duratec from, say, 40 to 70mph. No waiting for
turbochargers, no time to gather thoughts, just instatn chompy revving. The
firm suspension makes for a rather sweaty ride on bumpy roads, but it'll give
fair warning before sending you towards the verges. And besides, if you want
squishy leather and a radio, get a Roadsport. Otherwise, prepare for thin seats
and a stiff ride on your way to the circuit, which obviously-is where you'll be
going. Once there, the limited-slip diff will help to trim corners into neat
lines. And, at just 175mm wide, the rear tyres will feel far more playful than
fat, grippy ones
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| Caterham Supersport R |
If you are James May, it will cost 24,995 Euro for the
parts, and you will build it yourself. Otherwise, it's 27,995 Eurp if Caterham
bolts it together for you. That's 4K more than a basic Supersport, but still
cheaper than the old R300, which had lashings of mostly unnecessary carbon
fibre. For 1,250 Euro, you can have a removable weather pack, including a roof,
flappy doors and a windscreen to deflect wasps. So it still takes a bit of
commitment, but it's not as silly as less roofy rivals such as the Radical. Not
too bare. Not too hard. Not too fast. But still amusing and very satisfying.
Could this be the perfect Seven recipe? It worked in the R300, and it works
again here. Some will crave more absurd thrills, but there's always the R500 or
Ariel Atom for that. Just one grumble: the five-speed manual 'box might stain
for those last few miles-per-hour on longer circuits. you can have a
six-speeder fitted for 2,995 Euro, but that pushes the price over 30k. And that
would be draft
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| Caterham Supersport R |
Caterham Seven Supersport R Specs
The numbers: 1998cc, 4cyl, RWD, 180bhp, 143lb ft, n/a mpg,
n/a g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 4.8secs, 130mpg, 535kg
Caterham Seven Supersport R Price: 27,995 Euro
The Verdict: If Goldilocks were choosing her Caterham, she'd
probably settle on this. And so would we
