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Just over two months after it debuted its new sports racer, the SP/300.R, to great success, Caterham Cars has unveiled another offering, the first new addition to its world-renowned Seven range in two years. The car is called the Supersport, and the company says it’s one of the purest versions yet of the iconic British sportscar.
Derived directly from the race car that competes in the highly-successful Caterham Supersport championship, the road-going Supersport borrows all of the track version’s performance essentials, but is fine-tuned for the road, making it arguably the purest street-legal Seven.
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The 140 hp vehicle carries the DNA of Colin Chapman’s 1950s concept of ‘less is more,’ and remains true to the legend’s philosophy of lightweight, minimalist machines that place outstanding handling characteristics and the thrill of driving at their core.
It’s powered by a Caterham Motorsport-tuned 1.6 litre Ford Sigma engine, mated to a five-speed manual transmission with ‘sprint’ ratio gearing. Features include a lightweight flywheel, uprated springs and dampers borrowed directly from its race car cousin, stiffer anti-roll bars, track biased dash with integrated change up lights and an aero screen.
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Equipped with CR500 Avon tyres sitting on 13-inch wheels, the car comes with composite race seats and a four-point race harness instead of standard seat belts, which of course completes the track-inspired experience for the owner.
Weighing just 520 kg, the Ford lump gets the Supersport from 0-100 kph in just 4.9 seconds and takes the car to a top speed of 193 kph. As is the case, buyers can choose to get the Seven Supersport as a factory-built vehicle or in component build-it-yourself form, which brings down the cost of ownership.
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seriouly….wth is this????
let me tell u mr sagatron, this is caterham..and if you want to feel, u are part of the road, just pure driving, this is the type of machine that u should have..
now this is a proper car!
Erp… with that windshield, i reserve that kinda comment. A proper driver’s car maybe?
wow.. streetlegal.. nice… but if raining how???? so is it a convertible…
Hi Anthony…just wondering can we brought the DIY version to Malaysia or not………is it legal or possible at all……..seen few people DIY this car from scratch while i was in UK…look very interesting and doable…
Yeah, how much it cost/taxes to buy the DIY version in Malaysia?
On second thought, they sure say ‘don’t have this category’ just like what the electric bicycle is in now.
Not sure. How would the car work around type-approval here?
always loved caterhams, esp those csr260 vauxhall powered ones….would be great if theyd use maybe honda k20 lumps instead , i think the vtec sound would complement the outlook perfectly.
BMW 6-Series Convertible Better!
noob comment
“Road going” is a misnomer on the 7. The Supersport is first and foremost a track beast and secondly a weekend-only machine. Daily commute useability? Methinks it’s crap.
Maybe not this Supersport
But why not? they have more sedate versions with more weather friendly options..like a windshield and a canvas roof. That few extra tenths extra acceleration wont really mean much in a more road friendly car…its still bloody quick however you cut it.
On the plus side, its also a damn frugal car to pot around town, and small,…which makes it a good city car.
Getting a Caterham goes beyond that of owning a road legal go kart. Owning a Caterham gives you the the experience of Colin Chapman’s mantra of “to add speed, add lightness”. For the price you pay for something like these overseas, its a hell of a bargain. As a car enthusiate, If you haven’t driven something this light before, make it one of your life’s “must do” list.
Wait till you try with other lightweight monster….the Cobra replica…..expecially one with a 427 big block…. talk about a scary ride.
Awesome machine…now that’s a real man’s car….
myself already weigh some 14% of how much this car does. bigger men really gonna upset its power to weight ratio