Caterham, an automaker which made a name for itself by building the Lotus 7 under license since 1973, has developed yet another evolution of the Seven. Ladies and gents, cue the 310.
Launched today in the UK and already on sale from £24,995 in fully-built form, the 2017 Caterham Seven 310 isn’t just a successor to the Superlight R300. The Seven 310 is described as being “the perfect balance of power and confidence-inspiring handling characteristics.”
Emerged from developments made by the motorsport program, the lightweight two-seat sports car is powered by a 1.6-liter Ford Sigma engine. What the hell does an old Ford engine, which happens to be co-developed by Yamaha, do in a car that’s slated to arrive at dealers in early 2017?
Criticism aside, the 1.6-liter four-cylinder Sigma develops 152 horsepower thanks to hotter camshafts and a different engine mapping. Compared to the Caterham Seven 270, this fellow here accelerates 0.2 seconds faster to 62 mph (100 km/h; 4.8 seconds), on to a top speed of 126 mph (203 km/h), 4 mph (6 km/h) more than the Seven 270. It’s a seriously exhilarating machine.
What makes the Caterham Seven 310 special, however, is not the car per se, but the fact that existing Seven 270 owners can opt for this upgrade for £1,495. When you think about it, that’s not bad at all if you take into consideration how much driving fun you get in return.
And on that bombshell, the Caterham Seven 310 can be equipped with LED headlights. Indeed, that’s an optional extra and a first for the British automaker. The option will eventually become available across the lineup.
Simon Lambert, chief motorsport & technical officer for Caterham Cars, tells that the 310 is “like an unplanned baby. A wonderful surprise that instantly becomes your favorite. We weren’t expecting it but, of course, we wouldn’t change a thing now. If Caterham was only going to make one car for the rest of its days, this would be it.” Excuse my French, but that's high praise.
Emerged from developments made by the motorsport program, the lightweight two-seat sports car is powered by a 1.6-liter Ford Sigma engine. What the hell does an old Ford engine, which happens to be co-developed by Yamaha, do in a car that’s slated to arrive at dealers in early 2017?
Criticism aside, the 1.6-liter four-cylinder Sigma develops 152 horsepower thanks to hotter camshafts and a different engine mapping. Compared to the Caterham Seven 270, this fellow here accelerates 0.2 seconds faster to 62 mph (100 km/h; 4.8 seconds), on to a top speed of 126 mph (203 km/h), 4 mph (6 km/h) more than the Seven 270. It’s a seriously exhilarating machine.
What makes the Caterham Seven 310 special, however, is not the car per se, but the fact that existing Seven 270 owners can opt for this upgrade for £1,495. When you think about it, that’s not bad at all if you take into consideration how much driving fun you get in return.
And on that bombshell, the Caterham Seven 310 can be equipped with LED headlights. Indeed, that’s an optional extra and a first for the British automaker. The option will eventually become available across the lineup.
Simon Lambert, chief motorsport & technical officer for Caterham Cars, tells that the 310 is “like an unplanned baby. A wonderful surprise that instantly becomes your favorite. We weren’t expecting it but, of course, we wouldn’t change a thing now. If Caterham was only going to make one car for the rest of its days, this would be it.” Excuse my French, but that's high praise.