2015 Caterham Seven 270R first drive

It’s a new member of Caterham’s more simple range, called the 270R. But, given that by the second paragraph of the 270R press release you’re into three-asterisk modifier territory, all things are relative. Buying a Caterham is never going to be simple.

In as short as I can make it, though: there are now five models, whose numerals roughly equate to their power-to-weight ratio. Deep breath: there’s the base three-cylinder 160 (80bhp), a 1.6-litre 270 (135bhp), 2.0-litre 360 (180bhp), 2.0-litre, dry-sumped 420 (210bhp), and the range-topping, supercharged 2.0 620 (310bhp).

Only the 160 and 620 haven’t been affected by the change. All the others have had a Roadsport, Supersport or Superlight model dropped to allow their existence. And all are available with an S Pack, which is tailored for road users, or this R Pack, which contains racier elements. 

Except? Except that the 160 is only an S and the 620 is only an R. The wider-bodied version is also still available and - look, buying a Caterham is still an experience that involves a lot of looking at options lists and ticking the right boxes.

As well it should be, because detail, when it comes to Caterham specifications, is important. Example: the car you see here is a 270R, which arrived at Millbrook shortly before it was registered. But we also drove a 270S on the road and at the test track. 

At face value it ought to be the same as the 270S. But, that car's wider body, bigger wheels and no limited slip differential meant the gap between how they drove was vast. And given the option, it is the narrow-bodied R that remains the one to go for. By a mile.

In the form as tested, it’s as close as the Seven remains to the old Supersport, which we’ve long thought is as peachy a Seven as they come. 

The engine is a 1.6-litre Ford Sigma unit making 135bhp. The R pack adds a wider front track, sports suspension, an adjustable rear anti-roll bar, bigger brake master cylinder, a lightened flywheel and a limited-slip differential, plus some other options – seats, harnesses, and so on – that don’t affect the mechanical spec.

It adds £3995 to the £19,995 base price. Factor in another £3000 for Caterham to build it for you and an £800 ‘on the road package’ and here you have a £27,790 car, before other options. I’ll come to those later. 

On top of all that, alloys of 13in diameter rather than 15in are an option, but at least at no cost, and you should also tick that box: they wear 175/55 Avon CR500 tyres both front and rear, and Caterhams have always handled most sweetly on small wheels.

Certainly, this one does. Our drive was confined to Millbrook Proving Ground’s Hill Route, but given that was designed with one thing in mind – to give a car’s chassis a tremendous workout – that’s no bad thing. 

This Seven might have a new name, but the intrinsic character of the old Supersport is still well and truly intact. The driving position is like slinking into a tight bathtub – and sometimes just as wet, from experience – and the footwell snug.