Category: Affordable Sports 
Price Range: £15,995 to £42,595
Heroic performance, steering feel, balanced handling.
Expensive, poor weatherproofing, hot and noisy on long drives, no ABS.
Stripped-back sportscar offers supercar thrills for a fraction of the price.
The Caterham 7 has always enthralled car enthusiasts with its old-world looks and Porsche-humbling performance, and the top-of-the-range Roadsport 175 is no exception.
Picking up where the 1.6-litre Roadsport 150 left off, this new 7 gets a bigger 2.0-litre engine that bumps up the power to 175bhp.
If that doesn't sound like much, remember this car weighs just 555kgs - almost a third of the weight of a Porsche 911. That's how the Caterham can go from 0-62mph in a storming 4.8 seconds, although its brick-like aerodynamics eventually catch up with the 7 and limit its top speed to a blustery 138mph.
The 175's engine is also available under the bonnet of the tracksuited R300 Superlight, but here it comes without both the adjustable dampers and close ratio 6-speed manual, instead making do with a five speed 'box.
The more real-world 'for all seasons' 7 also comes standard with a heater, windscreen and full hood to keep out the worst of the elements.
Prices for the Roadsport 175 start at £21,995 for a self build. A proper factory build will set you back another £3,000 and, once you've been through the options list, you'll reach £30k in no time. But as you'll see, there's still little to match the 7 for pure driving fun.
