[Auto-Moto] Caterham Seven 420 Cup

[-Sethu]

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

As a brief aside, you might argue that those employees deserve some fun: Caterham’s order bank currently exceeds its 500-car annual production capacity – so much so that the showroom at Gatwick is being converted into a second production plant. (The first remains in Dartford.) Business is deservedly good, although tough decisions lie ahead. Caterham lost access to Ford’s 1.6-litre Sigma engine last year and the 2.0-litre Duratec powering the bulk of the range is guaranteed until 2025 but can’t go on forever. Finding suitable replacements isn’t an easy task, and the spectre of electrification – anathema for an outfit that worships at the altar of lightness – looms.

But that’s all for another time. Now that the 420 Cup recipe is available to the public, this is our chance to get to know it. Expect it to be spectacular, but spectacular enough? At more than £54,000, the asking price is going to make even hardcore Seven acolytes pause for thought. After all, this isn’t even the fastest Seven Caterham offers. The supercharged Caterham 620R, with which the naturally aspirated 420 Cup shares its gearbox and dashboard, remains the true supercar slayer in the range, toting almost a third more power than the new track-day star. However, it is the 420 Cup that promises the most intense Seven experience achievable on both road and track. Time to find out if it delivers.

Range at a glance
Caterham’s range of Sevens has surprising breadth, given every car sticks rigidly to the same lightweight template. The entry-level 170 uses a 660cc Suzuki triple, although every other model is powered by a version of Ford’s 2.0-litre Duratec unit, which is supercharged to more than 300bhp in the 620. Gearbox options are limited to a five-speeder by Mazda or,  at the upper limits of the range, a six-speed sequential by Sadev. Most models are available in either narrow-body or widened SV-body guise. S trim is standard on most Sevens, with the racier R spec a cost option. Factory-built cars cost £2595 more than build-at-home kits on everything below a 420 Cup.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/caterham/seven-420-cup