02 Apr 07
I approached the breaking my Caterham cherry - in the 2.3-litre £38,995 flagship that's capable of reaching 60mph in just 3.1 seconds before hitting a 155mph top speed - with just a shade of nervousness (although I tried to not let it show). I was tossed the keys from the guy at the factory in Dartford and given detailed instructions: 'It's parked outside. Hope you've got a coat'.
Er, well no, I didn't. I'd been so full of adrenaline at the thought of finally getting behind the wheel of a Caterham, sensible things like a coat, gloves or a hat weren't on my mind. But if you're not willing to put up with some discomfort while driving a Caterham, then you may as well stick to your air-conditioned, leather-seated cocoons on wheels. I was up for the challenge.
The CSR is another Caterham that deems the windscreen unnecessary - although this time for weight-saving, rather than cost-cutting reasons. In its place is a carbon fibre lip - which again did bugger all to stop the full force of the rain, hail and wind from pummelling my face.
With all that performance on offer, my only limitation was my pain threshold - as with any increase in speed, the speed at which the elements hit my face increased too. Blasting down the motorway towards home, noisy bursts of acceleration were interspersed with copious expletives - the CSR is seriously, seriously quick.
