Category: Roadsters 
Price Range: £15,995 to £42,595
Breathtaking driving experience, one of few cars that's good on both road and race-track, quality, history, design, lightness, performance
The ride's a bit shabby, comfort is poor, cramped cabin
If you're tempted by the pros, the cons won't matter; if you're put off by the cons, the pros won't - we're in the first of those camps
Few cars come close, really. Driving a Caterham is back-to-basics performance motoring. It's loud, it's windy, it's noisy, it doesn't ride particularly well, but none of that really matters, to be honest. Occupants sit low - ground clearance is minimal and the seats are virtually on the floor - and the driving position is good, which is great for the race track, enhancing the driving experience and impression of speed, but can pose visibility problems on the road. There's no power steering, no ABS, no traction control; in fact, no electronic gizmos at all, and all the better for it. The steering is immediate, terrifically responsive and accurate, and loaded with feel of what the front wheels are up to. How heavy the steering is depends on which wheels and tyres you've specified, and different engines or whether you're carrying a passenger can change the handling character of a Seven too - they're that sensitive, that communicative. The ride is often harsh, but the trade-off is terrific control of the body's movements and superb responsiveness and agility, allowing you to place the Seven exactly where you want to; and if you want a little slide out of a slow corner now and again, the throttle's response and steering sharpness let you have that too. Brakes are un-assisted, so pedal feel is heavy, but the payback is really adjustable braking pressure. If you're used to driving normal cars, then the alertness of a Seven will blow you away - it feels more like karting than regular, cocooned motoring.
Modern factory-built Caterhams all come with derivatives of Rover's K-Series engine, although that situation can't continue indefinitely and we expect Caterham to announce other options shortly. The base Classic model gets a 105bhp 1.4-litre unit, which is still sprightly enough to push it to 60mph from standstill in 6.5 seconds, with its bluff shape limiting top speed to 110mph. Top speed isn't really the point though, Caterham engines only exist to make the boring bits between corners pass more quickly. And that they do with aplomb, whether it's that base version, or a 1.6-litre K Series with 115bhp (0-60mph 6.2s), or 1.8-litre units with 140bhp (5.3s), 165bhp (4.7s), 200bhp (3.9s) or 230bhp (3.4s). You can also get motorbike-engined cars, while some home-built cars and older Sevens come with Vauxhall, Ford, Cosworth-Ford or Lotus engines. Although bike-engined Sevens aren't built by Caterham, the company's after-sales department can put you in touch with a specialist.
