Driven: Caterham CSR260 (2005-)

By: Andrew Frankel

03 May 05

CSR sticks to tarmac "like toffee to trousers"

IN THIS FEATURE

Indeed if it has a problem, it is that it borders on being too fast for British B-roads. If you drove it as fast as you possibly could, I'd bet big money that a Ferrari Enzo wouldn't stay with it cross-country, but this is an entirely academic point: to unleash the full potential of the CSR's performance on an unsuspecting British public would, in most cases, be criminally irresponsible. It's not that the CSR can't handle its power - it can with ease - but to use it to its full, phenomenal effect is to ask questions of other road users to which they cannot be expected to know the answer.

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Happily, however, there are always race tracks to retire to and it is only here that many CSR owners will find out exactly what they've bought. On the track you can let the air be knocked out of your lungs as it lunges forward, devouring gear after gear until acceleration starts at last to abate at around 140mph, limited only by its hopeless aerodynamics. Round a circuit you can tone your neck muscles with the g-force it will pull in the corners and discover that even if you drive it so fast it starts sliding - and that is very, very fast - it does so in such a friendly manner it becomes a condition to be sought out, not avoided.

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It has faults, naturally. The fuel tank is too small for long distance work on road or track, it's still damn difficult to climb into when the hood's up and the luggage space behind the seats isn't going to cope with long holidays or weekly trips to Tesco. It's not cheap, either.

But to a certain sort of die-hard enthusiast, it will unquestionably be worth it. I'll declare now that I have loved Caterhams since I was a boy. I've built one, raced another, crashed a third and owned a further two. But this one caps them all. I can give it no higher commendation to say that had I the time to enjoy it and the wherewithal to buy it, I'd not be writing this story right now but, instead, a cheque to Caterham Cars.