Photo: screenshot from Caterham's US website
The Caterham F1 Team might be going through a pretty tough moment, but the car building division is enjoying pretty good year-to-date sales volumes in many markets around the world. Since January, the British manufacturer specialized in niche sports cars has entered the U.S. market, and now it's expanding its model lineup with two brand new nameplates.
Recently unveiled at the Monterey Car Week in California, the Caterham Seven 360 and 480 have been designed with the Stateside enthusiast in mind. Both models are modern iterations of the Lotus Seven, an open-top two-seater that embodies the mechanically simple and low weight Lotus philosphy.
Both US-spec Caterhams are propelled by a 2-liter Ford Duratec four-pot gasoline mill. In the 360's case, the engine has been tuned to deliver 180 ponies and 143 lb-ft (194 Nm). If you think that's a little bit low on power, just remember that the Seven weighs a little bit over 515 kilos (1,135 lbs), translating to a competitive power-to-weight ratio and a 4.9-second naught to 62 mph (100 km/h) time.
Besides the pretty spartan interior and firm suspension, the most prohibitive detail about the new Caterham Seven 360 is its starting price: $44,900. Step up to the Seven 480 and you're looking at $52,900, a blistering quick 3.4-second naught to 62 mph run and 237 hp and 206 lb-ft (279 Nm).
If the price and lack of creature comforts are not enough to scare potential buyers off, we remind you that Caterham's presence in the United States is handled by Superformance, the unique distributor for the British brand in this part of the world. Sevens are shipped to the U.S. of A. in part-built form and sold as rolling chassis via Superformance’s network of dealerships.
Both US-spec Caterhams are propelled by a 2-liter Ford Duratec four-pot gasoline mill. In the 360's case, the engine has been tuned to deliver 180 ponies and 143 lb-ft (194 Nm). If you think that's a little bit low on power, just remember that the Seven weighs a little bit over 515 kilos (1,135 lbs), translating to a competitive power-to-weight ratio and a 4.9-second naught to 62 mph (100 km/h) time.
Besides the pretty spartan interior and firm suspension, the most prohibitive detail about the new Caterham Seven 360 is its starting price: $44,900. Step up to the Seven 480 and you're looking at $52,900, a blistering quick 3.4-second naught to 62 mph run and 237 hp and 206 lb-ft (279 Nm).
If the price and lack of creature comforts are not enough to scare potential buyers off, we remind you that Caterham's presence in the United States is handled by Superformance, the unique distributor for the British brand in this part of the world. Sevens are shipped to the U.S. of A. in part-built form and sold as rolling chassis via Superformance’s network of dealerships.
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