CATERHAM SUPER SEVEN 600

If the 1600 wasn't retro enough for you, now here's a'6Os special with just 84bhp

- JAMES DISDALE

A cutting-edge electrified future beckons for Caterham, but there's clearly also a heavy sense of nostalgia sweeping through the corridors of its Dart ford factory. While plans for a lightweight electric sports coupé are forming, the firm is also mining its past for the latest versions of its evergreen and unashamedly combustion-engined Seven.

After the success of last year's retro-themed Super Seven 1600, which has been culled due to the demise of its 1.6-litre Ford Sigma engine, Caterham has added 2000 and 600 versions. We have driven the former and liked it a lot, so now it's time for the latter, arguably the most authentic evocation of the original Lotus Super Seven.

Packing a Cosworth-tuned 1.3-litre four-pot Ford engine, the 1961 special made a modest 85bhp.

By contrast, the new 600 has the smaller, turbocharged 660cc Suzuki three-pot from the entry-level 160 model, but it develops only a single horsepower less than its ancestor.

The similarities don't end there, because there's also a live rear axle (the more sophisticated de Dion rear is reserved for the more potent 2000) and skinny 155-section tyres.