Car: Caterham Seven Superlight R500
Prices: £36,995
Insurance Group: 20 [est]
Emissions: n/a
Performance: Max Speed 150mph / 0-60mph 2.88s
Fuel Consumption: (combined) 23mpg [est]
Safety: 4-point lap & strap belts, quick release steering wheel
Dimensions: Length/Width/Height mm 3100/1575/800mm
Old School Meets New School
Our Rating: No Rating Available
Driving the Caterham Seven Superlight R500 is not for the meek of heart . One can tell that just by looking at the car. The frame has no doors, no windshield and taller drivers will have their heads sitting above the roll bar. If you have never driven a car like this before you probably want to start with something a little tamer like the Caterham Seven Roadsport 125bhp. This car is only for experienced race drivers.
The first thing you need to know about the Caterham Seven Superlight R500 is that it comes with an all alloy Ford 2.0 liter Duratec engine that does not rely on a typical quick hit of forced induction. Instead it makes its pure power the old fashioned way: with polished ports, gas-flow heads, roller-barrel throttle bodies and an aggressive cam profile. All of this power is delivered with a six-speed close ratio gearbox which is also available with an optional Caterham Motorsport-engineered sequential transmission.
All of this engineering leaves the driver speechless as they hit the gas for the first time and go from 0-60 in about 2.88 seconds. Yes, wipe your eyes and read that again. This car will go from 0-60 in 2.88 seconds. That speed will beat any normally produced Ferrari, Porsche or Lamborghini. 0-60 in 2.88 seconds doesn't impress or scare you? How about taking the car to the top speed of 150mph?
Sure, pure speed is awesome in its own right, but the Caterham Seven Superlight R500 is not just about speed as with all Caterham cars this car can take a turn better than any street legal car you can buy. Imagine smoking your friend in their Lambo off the line then pulling away after the first turn as they wonder why they spend so much money on a car that can be beat everywhere by a car that costs as little as $60,000. Again, this is not a mistake. The Caterham Seven Superlight R500 retails for as little as $60,000.
The Caterham Seven Superlight R500 is able to get such amazing speed while keeping serious corner maneuverability due to the overall lightweight. The whole car weighs in at less than 1,200 pounds. You could put three of these on a scale and still have less total weight than one Nissan 350z.
The lightweight of the Caterham Seven Superlight R500 also makes this one of the most cost efficient super sport cars to own. The less weight means that there will be less wear on the tires and the brakes meaning more miles on them. The light weight also lends itself to excellent fuel mileage. Even if you ran yourself around the country side at a fever pitch you will still only burn about 23 miles per gallon. That is better gas mileage than a lot of six cylinder production cars.
Another great thing about owning a R500 or any other Caterham for that matter is that they hold their value better than almost any other car in its class. R500s in great condition can hold upwards of 65% of their value three years in to ownership.
You may get a few friends tell you that you are stuck in the past, but who's going to have the last laugh when you leave them sitting at the starting line eating the dust of the R500's 0-60 in 2.88 second?