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Caterham’s New Heritage Models Promise Loads of Driving Enjoyment, They’re Not Cheap

The mustached founder of Lotus presented a seriously fun sports car in 1957. Perfectly encapsulating the “simplify, then add lightness” mantra, Colin Chapman’s masterpiece was produced in limited numbers until 1973, the year Caterham purchased the rights to the quirky sports car.
2023 Caterham Super Seven 17 photos
Photo: Caterham
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It’s hard to believe that Caterham still makes the Seven today, more than six decades after the original came into being at Lotus’ original factory on 5-7 Tottenham Lane in Hornsey. So, what is the secret to this longevity?

Similar to Germany’s quintessential sports car, the Seven kept evolving. Caterham didn’t rest on its laurels, patting its back and lying to itself that that’ll do. Similar to the Porsche 911, the Seven also flaunts that rare quality in a sports car, that certain something that makes it without equal.

It’s not a high-volume automobile, though, but a specialty automobile whose primary objective is to deliver loads of driving enjoyment. The latest members to be added to the Seven family are the Super Seven 600 and Super Seven 2000, which are now available to configure in Europe.

Revealed in the metal at the Retromobile Show in Paris, the heritage models celebrate 50 years of Caterham and take inspiration from Caterham’s original Super Seven series. There are many differences, though, starting with the pricing: €36,895 for the lesser variant and €51,195 for the larger engine.

That’s approximately $40,250 and $55,850 at current exchange rates, the kind of money that could otherwise get you a nicely-equipped crossover. Said crossover, however, is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. While it may be a lot more comfortable, techy, and practical on a daily basis, the sport utility vehicle doesn’t put as much emphasis on sportiness as the Seven does. It also doesn’t hold a candle to how these open-top thrillers make you feel in every single corner and with every single gear shift.

As implied, the 600 rocks a small-displacement motor. Its 660-cc engine is a Suzuki-supplied turbo with 84 horsepower on tap, the same powerplant found in the 170. Closely related to the 340, the 2000 takes its name from the Ford-supplied Duratec naturally-aspirated mill. Good for 170 ponies, the four-cylinder lump is joined by de Dion-style chassis as opposed to the lesser variant’s live axle. The only extra that really matters is the limited-slip differential. What’s more, the Super Seven 2000 can be further improved in the handling department with the help of sport suspension.

Unashamedly inspired by Super Sevens from the '70s and '80s, the heritage models are available in eight colors. Four are completely new to the Seven’s range, not seen on any other Seven to date. Those newcomers are Bourbon, Ashdown Green, Windsor Blue, and Fawn. The car’s exterior wouldn’t be complete without a set of nice alloys, with customers offered a choice of Gold, Body, or fully custom centers with a diamond-cut lip.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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