Renault's partnership with the Brits at Caherham has fallen apart, which is a real shame if you ask us. Why? Because that was their one and only chance to make an incredibly light sportscar… like in the good old days.
Caterham's bread and butter model, the 7, is based on a Lotus from yesteryear and while it might not have 4-zone climate control and park assist like all the German cars these days, it's as light as a feather.
Emerging from the chronicles of the Internet today is this funny little clip shot in September 2011 at Legoland Windson. A bunch of British car enthusiasts though they'd test he legendary lightness of a Caterham 7 Fireblade and assembled a 4-man team to lift it.
The two burly men at the front have no problem holding onto the suspension arms, even though the heavy Honda four-cylinder engine is closest to them. The two at the back can't really hold on and they look like they're in pain. But even though some might have popped a disc, these four proved that you can lift a Caterham using only moderate manpower.
"So what's a Caterham 7 Fireblade?" we hear you ask. Well, Caterham has always enjoyed putting motorbike engines into their cars. In 2001, a Honda Fireblade engine was offered in a live-axle chassis, offering 130 hp at a screaming 10,500rpm. That's not a lot, but it means the whole thing weighs approximately 450 kilograms.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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