Caterham Cars

Colin Chapman's Lotus Cars launched the Series 1 Lotus Seven in 1957. Revised Series 2, Series 3, and Series 4 versions followed in 1960, 1968, and 1970 respectively. Caterham Cars had been a major Lotus 7 dealer during the 1960s. Its founder, Graham Nearn, purchased the rights to continue manufacturing the Seven design from Chapman in 1973, after Lotus announced its intention to discontinue the model. Caterham initially restarted production of the Lotus Seven Series 4; when that proved unpopular, production switched to a Series 3 model in 1974.

In 1974, under the name Seven Cars Limited, Caterham built 20 production cars with chassis numbers 1 to 20, and one prototype with chassis number 0. All 21 cars produced that first year were fitted with the Ford Lotus Twin Cam 1557cc engine, with the exception of chassis number 7, which was intended for racing and fitted with a 1962cc twin cam engine sourced from Alfa Romeo.

Until 1987 the offices, factory, and showroom were located in Caterham, Surrey. Production and administration moved to a new factory in Dartford, Kent in 1987. A Caterham South showroom and service facility operated in the original town adjacent to the railway station until February 2013, when the premises were sold for development. A Caterham Midlands showroom also operated outside Leicester.

In 2012, elements of Caterham Cars moved into a facility in Leafield, Oxfordshire, formerly used by the Arrows F1 team and the Super Aguri F1 team. This site also accommodated the Caterham F1 team, which competed in Formula One between the 2012 and 2014 seasons. Graham Macdonald joined Caterham in 2007 as Chief Financial Officer and became CEO in 2012, overseeing the acquisition by VT Holdings. Bob Laishley moved from Chief Strategy Officer to CEO in July 2022, bringing over 40 years of experience in vehicle design, engineering, and project management, including six years as Program Director for NISMO road cars including the Nissan 370Z and GT-R. In 2024, Caterham Cars moved production to a new facility in Dartford, Kent.

As with the Lotus Seven, Caterham Sevens are constructed from aluminium sheet attached to a tubular steel chassis. Nose cones and wings are either GRP or carbon fibre depending on specification. All Sevens are front-engined with rear-wheel drive and two seats. Their high performance is achieved through light weight — less than 500 kg on some versions — rather than particularly powerful engines. Caterham Sevens lack a fixed roof, doors, radio, air-conditioning, airbags, traction or stability control, ABS, satellite navigation, and cruise control. The car is recognised by driving enthusiasts for its focus on driving enjoyment, making it an ideal track or race car.

Colin Chapman and Lotus helped pioneer the British kit car industry; the Lotus Seven was offered in kit form to allow buyers to avoid new car tax in the UK. Caterham continued offering cars in complete knock down (CKD) kit form. All Caterham Sevens are still offered in kit form in the UK, except for the CSR model. Modern Caterham kits differ from most kit cars in that all parts are supplied ready to assemble, requiring no donor car, fabrication, or special skills.

In the United States, as of 2014, Caterham named Superformance their official distributor. Sevens are shipped to the US in part-built form and sold as rolling chassis through Superformance's dealer network. The initial US line-up included the Caterham Sevens 280, 360, 480, and 620R.

Three chassis options are offered: Series 3 (S3), Series 5 (SV), and CSR. The chassis were originally brazed at Arch Motors; when manufacturing moved to Westbury, the chassis became welded.

The Series 3 is the most popular variant and retains the dimensions and layout of the Lotus 7 Series 3. The Series 5 (SV) was introduced in 2000 to accommodate drivers over 6 ft (1.8 m) tall; it is longer, taller, and wider than the S3 and 25 kg heavier. The CSR was launched in 2005 following extensive research and development; it is based on the SV dimensions but features a revised and stiffer chassis, inboard pushrod front suspension, fully independent rear suspension, improved aerodynamics, Cosworth engines, and a new integrated dashboard.

In 1994 Caterham produced the 21, using a modified Seven spaceframe chassis with a new GRP roadster-style body including a wrap-around windscreen and fold-away fabric hood manufactured by Oxted Trimming Company. The 21 benefited from a stiffer setup than the Seven. Caterham underestimated the development effort involved, and delays caused many depositors to defect to the Lotus Elise and other vehicles. Only 48 units were ever made. The 21 had moderate racing success in the Belcar 24-hour series in Europe and is credited with helping Caterham develop the widetrack setup used in the SV models.

The SP/300.R is a track-only model designed by Caterham alongside Lola Cars, limited to 25 units per year.

Historically, engines were supplied by Ford, specifically Ford Kent engines or Cosworth-derived race-prepared BDA/R units enlarged to 1.7 litres and generating 150–170 bhp. In the early 1990s, Caterham began using 1.4-litre K-Series engines from MG Rover for base models and Vauxhall engines for higher-specification variants. In 2001, Caterham designated MG Rover as sole engine supplier for factory-built Sevens; that arrangement ended with the collapse of MG Rover, and the 2005 model introduced a Ford Duratec engine. Since 2017 several cars have been built with the direct-injection turbocharged Ford EcoBoost 1.6-litre engine.

A 250 bhp Caterham JPE (Jonathan Palmer Evolution) briefly held the world record for production car 0–60 mph acceleration at 3.4 seconds until bettered by the McLaren F1. The Superlight R500 is powered by a 2.0-litre Ford Duratec producing 263 bhp at 8,500 rpm with a power-to-weight ratio of 520 bhp per tonne and a 0–60 mph time of 2.88 seconds. The 620R, introduced in September 2013 and based on the R500, is supercharged with 315 PS (311 hp) at 7,700 rpm and a 0–60 time of 2.79 seconds. The gearbox is either the Ford T9 five-speed, a Mazda MX-5 five-speed, or Caterham's own six-speed unit.

For the 2012 season, Team Lotus was officially renamed Caterham F1 Team. The team continued to compete under that name in 2013 and 2014 before financial difficulties caused it to fold.

Between 2012 and 2014, Caterham raced in the GP2 Series under the name Caterham Racing, rebranded from the Caterham Air Asia team that had raced in the 2011 season. The team used the same green and yellow livery as the Formula 1 team and was intended to act as a feeder team for the Caterham F1 Team. Initially based in Hingham, the team moved to the Leafield Technical Centre alongside the Caterham F1 team in August 2012, and both operations were terminated in 2014.

The Caterham Motorsport Ladder is a progression through the Caterham championships, beginning with the Caterham Academy. The Academy was introduced in 1995 as a novices-only format called the Caterham Scholarship. Entrants receive a modified Roadsport kit with a sealed Ford Sigma engine and five-speed gearbox. Approximately 1,000 racing drivers have been created through the Caterham Academy. The ladder progresses through Roadsport B, Superlight R300, Superlight R400, and Superlight R500 levels; the R400 is the premier British championship, powered by a 220 bhp Cosworth engine with a Quaife six-speed sequential gearbox.

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