Caterham Seven

Fantastically hardcore new Seven is a competition car with numberplates

- RICHARD LANE & MATT SAUNDERS

MODEL TESTED 420 CUP

Price £54,990

Power 210bhp

Torque 150lb ft

0-60mph 4.2sec

30-70mph in fourth 4.9sec

Fuel economy 27.1mpg

CO2 emissions na

70-0mph 46.0m 

We like

● Chassis' tweakability makes for not only a more capable Seven but also a more intriguing and engaging one

● Combination of red-raw transparency and intuitive handling borders on the sublime

We don't like

● Expensive after options. This is a Seven that costs more than a well-optioned Ariel Atom

● It's very demanding away from the track and lacks slickness when not being thrashed

Caterham doesn't need to build specific, rarefied versions of the Seven in order to homologate its racing cars, but if it did, the result would look like the 420 Cup.

This unmistakable, caged and liveried new model is, in the words of its maker, "a machine built specifically for the race track" and as such takes its mechanical lead from the uncompromising 420R-based Caterham Seven Championship racer. It is, for all intents and purposes, a road-legal version of the slick-shod competition car, only with a little 'luxury' thrown in here and there and, usefully, a passenger seat. It's also a concoction that Caterham employees have apparently been enjoying internally for a while, mostly at track days, where the package has been disguised as an existing Seven, to remain incognito.