Fifty years on, the Caterham is going strong. John Griffithsgets to grips with it
The final, apocalyptic scene of the cold war satire, Dr Strangelove, has its anti-hero whooping astride a nuclear bomb as it hurtles towards Armageddon. Driving a Caterham 7 is a lot like this, really, but with a more grin-inducing outcome.
If the late Colin Chapman, the motor racing engineering genius who founded Lotus, were to look down later this month on a smallish factory in the shadow of Dartford Bridge, he would be astounded.
There, in steady production on a well-organised assembly line, he'd recognise a car as identical in appearance to the one he first designed 50 years ago, which laid the foundations for the Norfolk sports carmaker's turbulent existence.
He'd see the same basic little two-seater body; the same exposed front wheels, the same bug-eyed, old-fashioned headlights sitting atop separate mudguards. What began life in the 1950s as the ultra-lightweight Lotus 7 - it weighed well under 500kgs - became the Caterham 7 more than three decades ago, when Lotus passed on ownership to the Caterham-based Nearn family in Surrey.
It is one of the very few cars that can make Porsche's 911, née 1964, appear young and, astonishingly, almost slow.
Come to think of it, the most powerful version of the little Caterham could snap briefly at the heels of Bugatti's super-supercar, the 1,000bhp Veyron, at least up to 120km/h, when the 7's near brick-like aerodynamics start coming into play.
The ability to embarrass Porsches and Ferraris should not be that surprising. Caterham's flagship, Cosworth-powered CSR 260 has exactly that amount of horsepower in a car still weighing just 575kg. That equates to almost 500bhp per ton; more than most of Stuttgart's and Maranello's finest can muster and not that far off the nearly two-tonne Veyron. That the cheque needed for a Veyron would also buy more than 20 of the CSR 260s only adds to the little British two-seater's charms.
Except, of course, that nothing is for free. Appearances to the contrary, in performance engineering terms all versions of the Caterham 7 - starting in kit form at €18,950 before Irish taxes - have evolved considerably over the years.
Suspension development has improved the ride and cornering experience dramatically from Chapman's original. Power outputs are higher than he ever envisaged. But creature comforts are all noticeable by their absence.
Not until the buyer forks out for the cheapest, 200bhp CSR model does he even get self-cancelling indicator stalks. The others make do with a pre-war-origin toggle switch turned on its side to operate left-right instead of up and down. Finished turning? Just remember to switch it off or leave all around you gnashing their teeth.
That primitive switch embodies the philosophy of the Caterham 7. It weighs about one-twentieth of a conventional indicator assembly - the lightest possible weight. Agility and purity of driving experience is at the core of the 7's raison d'être.
No one could justify buying one for reasons of utility, and in that respect the 7 can only be regarded as a classic big boy's toy. But for many of the 500 enthusiasts scattered around the world who buy one each year - 50 per cent of output goes to export - it is a toy with purpose. Most are put to use on "track days" at racing circuits, safe from speed cameras, and the cars form the basis of an international amateur motor racing culture, with six of Caterham's own championships across Europe.
Ansar Ali, the former Ford and Lotus marketing executive who staged a management buy-in to Caterham with venture capital group Cinven two-and-a-half years ago, can think of 11 Le Mans 24 hours drivers who graduated through driving Caterhams.
The motorsport side has grown so much that Ali is developing it fast into a multi-faceted, international business proposition. There is a motor racing "academy", conceived by former owner Graham Nearn, where would-be racers opt for a complete package - a 120bhp racer for self-assembly, technical seminar, set-up day, race licence formalities, race training and a season's entry fees.
"The cars are identical, engines are sealed, there is no separate preparation allowed so it's a level playing field. Now we sell out all 56 UK academy places every year."
Ali also packages a business-to-business franchise for circuit operators looking for additional revenue schemes, supplying cars and infrastructure for circuit "experience" days. "Looking outwards at places like China and India, everyone's building F1 circuits," he says, "but what about the other 51 weeks of the year?"
Without question, all the models are a hoot to drive; even the slowest and cheapest "Classic" accelerates to 100km/h in little more than 6 seconds. The CSR 200 and 260, with a much evolved chassis from the basic models, achieve the same in little more than three seconds - unmatched by almost any other car.
New production processes, including laser cutting of chassis components and robot welding, give the body a new level of stiffness that amplifies already taut handling. The noise erupting from the side exhaust perched less than 3ft from the driver's ear is nothing short of intoxicating; a joyously, politically incorrect bellow. The world and its wife hear you coming so turn, look - and mostly give a thumbs-up or chuckle.
ServicePerformance: 0-100km/h 6.5 secs, max 177km/h 0-100km/h 3.1 secs, max 250km/h
Fuel consumption: Between 5L/100km and 15L/100km depending on model and use of right foot.
Prices:
No official dealer in Ireland but in the UK: €18,950 (£12,950) before Irish taxes for basic 105bhp,
1.4litre K-Series Classic in kit form - €54,150 (£37,000) before taxes for CSR 260.