03 May 05
So what they did was keep the one thing that defines the Seven - its 1950s throwback shape - and change almost everything else. Power now comes from a Cosworth developed, 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine, replacing the Rover K-series unit that has powered most Sevens for the last 15 years. Given the ghastly goings-on at Longbridge, the directors of Caterham may come to consider this move came not a moment too soon. Tuned to give the 260bhp referred to in the car's name (a 200bhp version is also available), this is by far the most powerful engine ever offered for sale in a Seven.
Indeed it would likely have overwhelmed the car had Caterham not also completely redesigned the chassis and suspension, even drafting in former Lotus Formula 1 driver John Miles to optimise the suspension settings. After retiring from F1 35 years ago, Miles has become one of Britain's pre-eminent chassis engineers and, now in his sixties, his talents remain undimmed.
For the most astonishing thing about this new Seven is that, once you've become acclimatised to its utterly outrageous performance, it's actually very easy and reassuring to drive. Using pushrod suspension similar in concept to that used by F1 cars, the CSR sticks to dry tarmac like toffee to your trousers while the brakes, with little more than half a tonne of car to slow, feel so strong they'd set the airbags off... if, of course, it had any.
But expect that, just because this is a modern Seven, it must now conform to modern convention and you'll find yourself in for a shock. Not only are there no airbags, it has neither ABS nor traction control. And if you want paint, or even the car to arrive in one piece rather than several cardboard boxes, you'll pay extra. What your £34,000 buys is not little luxuries, but probably the most involving, exciting proper road car - rather than a road-legal racing car - currently out there.
