Caterham revealed, and subsequently sold out another retro-inspired Seven at the Goodwood Revival, the Seven Supersprint.
The latest limited-run Seven sold out, aptly, in seven hours, the brand announced. It's the fastest-selling Caterham the brand has ever made; the Sprint on which it's based became the fastest-selling car Caterham has made when it was released last winter, with all 60 units finding homes within a week of orders opening.
The Supersprint is based on the same recipe as the Seven Sprint, with a three-cylinder engine under the bonnet, and 95bhp in place of the Sprint’s 80bhp. A limited run of 60 units, in retro-inspired paint, was available.
Caterham claims that the Supersprint offers “the ultimate in gentleman racer style”, with a wood-rimmed steering wheel and small Brooklands windscreen. The Supersprint was offered in single or two-seat formats. The single-seat Supersprint features a tonneau cover for the passenger side.
The throwbacks extend to the exterior, too. There are six paint schemes, each with a main colour and contrasting coloured 'noseband' around the front grille, with each scheme named after a circuit.
Simon Lambert, Caterham’s motorsport and technical boss, said: “This is unquestionably the Seven Caterham would have developed if we had been here in the mid-1960s – and it benefits from being injected with the passion and power of the modern incarnation.”
Options include a tonneau cover for the two-seat Supersprint at £330, a windscreen and hood at £1995 and lowered floors at £495. The Supersprint starts at £29,995. Each car gets a numbered plaque on the dashboard.
Read more:
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I know it's unfair to compare
I know it's unfair to compare new with second hand but if I could fit in a Caterham (I tried to rent one but couldn't safely operate the pedals) there's no way I'd spend £30,000 on one of these. There are so many decent used examples for a third to half as much and they look better too. Caterhams are like Morgans, the new ones don't look as good. I suspect you can't tinker as much with the new engines etc, which is half the fun.
I think they have missed a trick here...
Good as I'm sure Suzuki triple is, I can't understand why Caterham didn't capitalise on their history of using Ford lumps and use the 1.0 Ford Ecotech triple here - OK, it's made for transverse mounting, but surely it wouldn't be such a massive job to engineer it to fit longitudal...
Just think how sweet it would be with the lightweight Ford 1.0 triple kicking out 138 hp and 155 lb ft as it does in the Fiesta Red & Black Edition powering it?
Suzuki
I suspect that the Suzuki comes with its own gearbox which would simplify installation and maybe Suzuki was keener to do the deal. Plus there is a certain appeal with having just enough horsepower which makes the thing enjoyable, rather than hopelessly illegal and frightening!
@Landy
Ecoboost 3cyl has a cast iron block, it's as heavy as the 1.6 4cyl, which makes it pointless.
if you ask nicely
will they do this upgraded engine for a 160?