Finest for: Simplicity
For greater than 70 years, the Caterham Seven in all its varieties (Lotus and Caterham) has been setting a defining customary for pure driver thrills.
Should you don’t care about refinement, disregard fashionable crash-safety assessments and surprise as an alternative what sort of sports activities automotive will entertain you most generally and vividly wherever you occur to be, this diminutive British sports activities automotive is difficult to beat.
Essentially the most inexpensive manner into a brand new Seven is the Caterham Seven 170, which begins at £28,990 for those who’re keen to wield the spanners and construct it your self.
With its 84bhp turbocharged 660cc Suzuki engine, the Caterham appears to be like a little bit weedy on paper, however a kerb weight of as little as 440kg means 0-60mph will be finished and dusted in lower than 7.0sec, the gargling three-pot engine encouraging you all the way in which.
Above the Seven 170, Caterham now presents the retro-themed Tremendous Seven 600 and Tremendous Seven 2000. Prolonged entrance cycle wings and loads of physique chrome trim give these vehicles traditional Seven appears to be like, however they will nonetheless be purchased and in-built equipment type, the latter providing 180bhp of Ford Duratec energy.
Transfer up once more and also you’re into correct efficiency Caterham territory, the place correct motorsport-ready fashions will be discovered with as a lot as 310bhp, sequential gearboxes, full roll cages, track-ready slick tyres and absolutely adjustable suspension methods.
Right here, even the madcap Caterham Seven 620R could possibly be yours, absolutely factory-built and able to go, for lots lower than the value of a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4.
Cheaper Sevens get a stay rear axle and lack the trip sophistication of the pricier De Dion-equipped vehicles, however with their skinny tyres and wrist-flick steering, they will nonetheless dance this fashion and that via corners, entertaining like solely light-weight vehicles might.
You may have to just accept fairly a couple of on a regular basis usability compromises, however as a driver’s automotive pure and easy, the Seven is head and shoulders nearly something on 4 wheels.
