Caterham · 1973–present

Caterham 7

The Caterham 7 (or Caterham Seven) is a super-lightweight sports car produced by Caterham Cars in the United Kingdom. It is based on the Lotus Seven, a lightweight sports car sold in kit and factory-built form by Lotus Cars, from 1957 to 1972. After Lotus ended production of the Lotus Seven, Caterham bought the rights to the design, and today make both kits and fully assembled cars. The modern Caterham Seven is based on the Series 3 Lotus Seven, though developed to the point that no part is the same as on the original Lotus. Various other manufacturers offer a sports car in a similar basic configuration, but Caterham owns various legal rights to the Lotus Seven design and name. The company has taken legal action in the past in order to protect those rights, although in South Africa, it lost its case against Birkin on the basis that it never obtained the claimed rights from Lotus.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Lotus Seven

All Caterham 7 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

History

Colin Chapman had been a Royal Air Force pilot, studied structural engineering, and went on to become a innovator in motorsports design. He founded Lotus Engineering Ltd. His expertise on light, powerful cars and performance suspensions guided much of his development work with the basic design philosophy of, "Simplify, then add lightness". His Lotus 7 had its debut at the 1957 Earl's Court Motor Show in London. They were priced at £1,036 including purchase tax but it cost £536 in kit form as no purchase tax was required. It weighed 725 lb (329 kg). Fast and responsive, the Lotus 7 was one of Chapman's masterworks, an advanced machine that surpassed the earlier Lotus 6 as a vehicle that could perform well on the track and be driven legally on the road. In 1973, Lotus decided to shed its kit car image and concentrate on limited series motor racing cars and up-market sports cars. As part of this plan, it sold the rights to the Seven to its only remaining agents, Caterham Cars in England and Steel Brothers Limited in New Zealand. At the time the current production car was the Series 4, but when Caterham ran out of the Lotus Series 4 kits in 1974 they introduced its own version of the Series 3, as the Caterham Seven. The modern-day Road sports and Superlights (in "narrow-bodied chassis" form) are the direct descendants of this car and therefore of the original Lotus 7. Chassis and suspension. As with the Lotus Mark VI before it, the original Lotus Seven used an extremely light space-frame chassis with stressed aluminium body panels. Although the chassis has had numerous modifications to strengthen it and accommodate the various engine and suspension setups (and to try to find more cockpit space for the occupants), this basic formula has remained essentially the same througho

Racing

The Lotus 7 was conceived by Chapman as a car to be raced. Whilst still a prototype, in September 1957, it was raced at the Brighton Speed Trials and by the end of 1958 Graham Hill was winning races with the Coventry Climax-engined 'Super Seven'. The car has had a strong racing history throughout its life under both Lotus and Caterham stewardship. Amongst the marque's more famous races was the victory in the Nelson Ledges 24-hour race in Ohio when, against a field including works teams from Honda and Mazda, a four-man team from Caterham (including both Jez Coates and Robert Nearn) won by seven laps (after 990 laps) in a modified Vauxhall HPC. After dominating open class races for decades, Caterham Super 7 Racing, a one-make championship for Caterhams, began in 1986. Caterham 7 races have since expanded to include club and competitive races in the United Kingdom, continental Europe, Canada, the United States and Asia. In 1995 the Caterham Academy, a novices-only format, was introduced in the UK. For £17,995 (2009 price), entrants get a modified Roadsport kit (although a factory-built option is available for extra cost) with a sealed 120 bhp (89 kW) engine and 5-speed gearbox. Having completed the ARDS license qualification, the season then consists of four sprints followed by four circuit races. The academy is designed as the first step in a well-established chain of Caterham race formats, such as the Caterham Motorsport Ladder which consists of Road sports B then Road sports A, R300, Superlight and Eurocup, or the Caterham Graduates Racing Club. The car was banned from production car racing in the UK in 1976 for being too successful. This prompted Caterham Cars' boss Graham Nearn to produce T-shirts which read "Caterham Seven, the car that's Too Fast to Race ...". More

Current range

The existing range provided by Caterham Cars comprises a choice of two chassis types (the traditional narrow-bodied 'Series 3' chassis and a wider 'Series 5'). All road going Caterham 7s are powered by a 2.0 Ford Duratec engine except the 170, the Caterham academy cars are powered by a 1.6 Ford Sigma engine. All models are available either factory-built or as a self-build kit (620 factory built only). Until mid-2013, the factory had offered options around the Rover K-series engine, including the entry-level "Classic" with a 1.4-litre, capable of 0–60 in 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 110 mph (180 km/h). But with the cessation of the engine production and new EU emissions regulations, the end of the engine's production also removed the "Classic" from the company's model line-up. As of 2017, the company maintains two separate ranges for mainland Europe (Euro 6 compliant) and the United Kingdom, reflecting the different legislative systems. As of 2015, the range was simplified and is now simply a number, reflecting the horsepower per tonne, with 'S' or 'R' packages for either street or track use. Most versions (not the 170) are available on the standard S3 or on the wider SV chassis. The European models end with the number "5" while the UK models end in a "0". Until September 2018, when European pollution and fuel consumption guidelines testing were changed to WLTP from the earlier NEDC, the European range consisted of the Seven 165, 275, 355, and 485. The 165 and 355 were both discontinued in September 2018, leaving only the 275 and 485. The UK range for 2022 is 170, 360, 420, and 620; the 170 model (once again available in Europe as well) is powered by a 660-cc Suzuki engine, while the more powerful variants have 2.0-litre Ford engines. 170. The 170 is the current entry-

Model history

=== 50th Anniversary editions === Caterham celebrated the 50th year of Seven productions with a couple of special edition "50th Anniversary" paint options. In addition, as part of the 50th-anniversary celebrations in early June 2007, they showcased the X330 concept car. Based on the CSR, the X330 employs a supercharged version of the Duratec engine to produce 330 bhp (246 kW). The use of lighter-gauge steel and of carbon-fibre instead of GRP further improves the power-to-weight ratio. Caterham says that they have no plans to put this car into production. CSR. The CSR represents the top of the range and in some respects can be considered a separate model. It has its own chassis, suspension, and interior and is available with 2.3-litre (200 bhp or 260 bhp) Ford Cosworth Duratec engine. Quoted performance for the CSR260 is 0–60 in 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h). There is no home-build option; the factory supplies the finished car. In 2006, Caterham introduced the CSR Superlight. Based on the CSR260, this model adds a 'Superlight' lightweight specification to the CSR, further extending the CSR260's already epic performance envelope. The 2.3-litre Cosworth-powered Caterham CSR260 Superlight brings all the performance credentials associated with its stablemate; performance is quoted as a 0–60 mph time of 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h). The Superlight swaps the windscreen, carpet, heater, and weather gear on the standard car for a limited-slip differential and a quicker steering rack. There is a 25-kilo weight reduction over the standard CSR260, this model variant also adds distinctive Superlight styling to the exterior, including a wind deflector, a carbon-fibre dashboard and wings, a black powder-coated cockpit, and a quick-release MOMO

Caterham 7 literature

The Caterham 7 has spawned many books, test reports, and articles, many of which are still in print. Lotus & Caterham Sevens Gold Portfolio, 1957–1989 Edited by R.M. Clarke, Brooklands Books, 1989, test reports and articles from magazines around the world ISBN 1-85520-000-7. Lotus & Caterham Seven Gold Portfolio, 1974–95 Edited by R.M. Clarke, Brooklands Books, 1996, test reports and articles from magazines around the world ISBN 978-1-85520-330-3. The Legend of the Lotus Seven Dennis Ortenberger, Osprey, 1981, reissued in 1999 by Mercian manuals ISBN 0-85045-411-5. The Lotus and Caterham Sevens, A Collector's Guide Jeremy Coulter, Motor Racing Publications Ltd., 1986, ISBN 0-947981-06-3. Lotus Seven: Restoration, Preparation, Maintenance Tony Weale, Osprey Automotive, 1991, includes Caterham Sevens up to 1990 ISBN 1-85532-153-X. Caterham Sevens: The Official Story of a Unique British Sportscar Chris Rees, Motorbooks International, 1997, ISBN 978-0-947981-97-6. Side Glances, Volumes 1, 2, 3. A fourth volume is entitled Side Glances: The Best from America's Most Popular Automotive Writer, Peter Egan, Brooklands Books, and Road & Track. Peter Egan's books are collections of his Road & Track column "Side Glances". Many feature his Lotus Sevens but there is also information on Caterham Sevens. Lotus and Caterham Seven: Racers for the Road, John Tipler, Crowood Press, 2005, ISBN 978-1-86126-754-2. The Magnificent 7: The enthusiasts' guide to all models of Lotus and Caterham Seven, Chris Rees, Haynes Publishing, Second edition 2007, ISBN 978-1-84425-410-1. Why build a Seven? Putting a Sportscar on the Road, a personal record, Michael Eddenden, 2010, self-published via lulu.com, the building of a Caterham 7 from a Club perspective, it includes much on Lotus and Caterham Seven

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Caterham 7
Manufacturer: Caterham Cars
Production: 1973–present
Assembly: United Kingdom: Dartford
Class: Sports car
Body style: Open two seat
Layout: Longitudinal front-engine, rear-wheel drive
Transmission: 5-speed manual, 6-speed manual, 6-speed sequential manual
Kerb weight: 545 kg
Predecessor: Lotus Seven
Successor: Caterham 7 CSR (for Caterham 7 SV)
sp: uk

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2670408CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caterham_7CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1373455521 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Caterham_7_Roadsport_SV.jpgCC BY 2.5 · Photo: Sjmmarsh at English Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.