[Auto] Caterham on the Project V sportscar: "we don't need to chase numbers"

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Caterham CEO Bob Laishley seems pathologically wary of the usual political gibberish, a man whose media training amounts to saying – after he’s told you a juicy secret – “that should probably be off the record”. I like Bob a lot. He’s a straight talker and a terrible liar. But even he might have a bit of a job convincing diehard Caterham fans that an electric mini-supercar might well be the future of the brand. Although given the Project V, it might not be as hard as it sounds.

Mainly because the Project V – ‘V’ standing for voltage or velocity – is a pretty car in the metal, with a wasp waist and three bubble profile, strong shoulders and a simple rear end. There’s a distinct lack of 21in rims, Lambo doors and leather made from otter nipples, just an elegant silhouette and some muscular surfacing. It’s small, simple and the better for it.

 

The front has shades of Porsche, hints of the stillborn Caterham/Alpine C120, even the never quite there Caterham 21 of the mid-Nineties, a ghost of the Jannarelly Design 1. Although that’s not really that surprising, seeing as Caterham’s chief designer is actually... Anthony Jannarelly. But once you’re up close and personal, this is a car that has both character and proportion, intent but not fuss. It’s really rather excellent.

Saying that, it is quite the departure from the Seven, a car that circumvents fashion by being reliably unfashionable, barely changed in style since 1958 when Lotus first released the car into the wild, even if the mechanical specification doesn’t share a single part with those old stagers. But where the Seven still has cycle wings, a tent for a roof and a heater that parboils only your left knee, the Project V is entirely new ground for the company. It’s got a roof, for a start.

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/first-look/caterham-project-v-sportscar-we-dont-need-chase-numbers