This is the new Caterham Seven Supersport. It weighs 520kg, packs 140bhp and will hit 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds. Top speed is 120mph.
Pub stattage resolved, the Supersport – the first new Seven in two years – derives from the race car that competes in the Caterham Supersport championship, before being fed through a Bertha-style refining machine to make it road-usable.
See more pics of the Seven Supersport
None of which is discernable from the spec: you get that 1.6-litre Ford Sigma engine, a five-speed ‘sprint’ ratio box, lightweight flywheel, a motorsport limited slip diff, uprated race-spec springs and dampers, stiffer anti-roll bars, a track-biased dash with change-up lights, composite race seats and a four-point race harness.
Caterham director Mark Edwards said: “We’ve built faster and more powerful accelerating cars before, but the Supersport will excite sportscar fans, including those on a budget.” It certainly won’t excite those with expensive dental work or those suffering from Spondylolysis. Yes, we said “Spondylolysis” (look it up).
If you’re handy with a spanner, you can buy the kit for £19,995 and bang it together yourself. If you’re not handy with a spanner and want to prevent bludgeoning your fingers into a bloody pulp, Caterham will supply it ready-made for £22,995. Which frankly we recommend. Heed the lessons the chaps learnt when they tried to knock one together…
UPDATE: as if by magic, and with summer officially underway, we now have this very car parked downstairs in the Top Gear car park (nestled next to our long-term Renault Wind). We’ll let you know what we think…
