RE: Caterham confirms supercharged R600

RE: Caterham confirms supercharged R600

Author
Discussion

Krikkit

26,500 posts

180 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
blindswelledrat said:
I must be in the minority here.
Whilst I love it, 45k for a modestly powered engine welded into some steel bars seems extortionate.
Don't get me wrong, I am not a woman saying "How much??????", merely looking at this objectively.
Seriously, why does this cost more than something like a Focus St? What is your money being spent on?
I dont understand it at all.
It costs them a lot of money to develop these engines, it might sound modestly powered, but development costs to make these reliable are massive. Couple that with the cost of making a quality product at the end of the day, not just bodge-welding a chassis together that'll hold it all, factor in a bit of profit to keep the company solvent, and it'll all add up.

HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
Plus of course Ford develop the Focus platform, and then produce and sell them by the million!

ETA: and then they share the platform with Volvo and Mazda who produce and sell millions more...

Edited by HustleRussell on Thursday 4th October 11:07

scubadude

2,618 posts

196 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
Furyblade_Lee said:
I honestly feel though unless they put a few driving / traction aids it will be too much for the road and they will have to be careful if they sanction an official roadgoing version. Someone will put one through IVA independently though I am sure. Some friends have kitcars / 7's with 3-400bhp and you would not want joe public riding round in those. You need to be a) a mentalist and b) have a fair degree of driving talent and restraint, or c), they will have a huge accident.
<mouth hanging open in shock smilie>

What?

I bet your some nutless looser who works in health and safety, has to do a risk accessment before using a toilet and buys bread thats pre-sliced and the crust is removed aren't you?

Joe Public does not buy Caterhams, you need to be informed and finaced to even consider one.

There needs to be risk in life, there needs to be 300bhp lightweight cars, there needs to be sharp points on scissors and some source of adrenalin- modern man is reduced to such a dribbling wreck by the nanny state as it is and you want driver aids on a powerful lightweight specialist car???

Christ- grow a real pair or hand your girlie ones in on the way out sunshine- this is a motoring forum FFS.


Good stuff Caterham, this looks awesome- PLEASE do not ever listen to boneheads like the above. The best traction control for a caterham is a rightfoot with a brain behind it.

Just IMVHO of course :-)

suffolk009

5,344 posts

164 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
Krikkit said:
Or, for wet-weather work commutes, a set of waterproof overalls and full-face crash helmet!
I had a K R500 with an aeroscreen. Goggles for sunny days, lid and biker wets for the commute to Spa!

andy_s

19,397 posts

258 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
HustleRussell said:
blindswelledrat said:
I must be in the minority here.
Whilst I love it, 45k for a modestly powered engine welded into some steel bars seems extortionate.
Don't get me wrong, I am not a woman saying "How much??????", merely looking at this objectively.
Seriously, why does this cost more than something like a Focus St? What is your money being spent on?
I dont understand it at all.
rofl

dunno where to start with this one!
Have a go anyway.

Davey S2

13,075 posts

253 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
I'd be happy with the 140bhp Supersport.

cvega

402 posts

158 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
45k ? yeah...no.

Bund

2,623 posts

220 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
RacerMike said:
It's here at Rockingham testing with us today.....and my God does it look quick!
Ill be there on Saturday as Im looking to drive a Supersport next year. Are you supported?

Megaflow

9,347 posts

224 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
How silly is that?




Fabulous...

hehe

I'll have mine with the bare minimum required to make it road legal please, light and plates. No of this heater or windscreen tat!

cloud9

blindswelledrat

25,257 posts

231 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
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[redacted]

EggsBenedict

1,770 posts

173 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
scubadude said:
Furyblade_Lee said:
I honestly feel though unless they put a few driving / traction aids it will be too much for the road and they will have to be careful if they sanction an official roadgoing version. Someone will put one through IVA independently though I am sure. Some friends have kitcars / 7's with 3-400bhp and you would not want joe public riding round in those. You need to be a) a mentalist and b) have a fair degree of driving talent and restraint, or c), they will have a huge accident.
<mouth hanging open in shock smilie>

What?

I bet your some nutless looser who works in health and safety, has to do a risk accessment before using a toilet and buys bread thats pre-sliced and the crust is removed aren't you?

Joe Public does not buy Caterhams, you need to be informed and finaced to even consider one.

There needs to be risk in life, there needs to be 300bhp lightweight cars, there needs to be sharp points on scissors and some source of adrenalin- modern man is reduced to such a dribbling wreck by the nanny state as it is and you want driver aids on a powerful lightweight specialist car???

Christ- grow a real pair or hand your girlie ones in on the way out sunshine- this is a motoring forum FFS.


Good stuff Caterham, this looks awesome- PLEASE do not ever listen to boneheads like the above. The best traction control for a caterham is a rightfoot with a brain behind it.

Just IMVHO of course :-)
Yeah, because doing this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWE07IKJU98 on the road is just so realistic...

ewenm

28,506 posts

244 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
blindswelledrat said:
I cannot work out why this car costs £45k. If it is as simple as you both think, explain it.
It fits in there in Caterham's product range. If you look at what stuff you get for your £45k, then it looks expensive. If you look at what other new cars at £45k offer similar performance, it makes more sense and in fact looks like very good performance for money.

They are a business rather than a charity of course.

_Leg_

2,798 posts

210 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
thinfourth2 said:
You can always tell those that have never owned a caterham

They want the wet weather gear

Caterham owners normally realise a hat is far more sensible, lighter, cheaper and crucially dryer
Whilst Ive never owned a caterham Ive had a couple of sevens (currently no windscreen never mind doors).

The general method of avoiding getting wet when the rain comes has always been, accelerate.

It goes over the top then. Mostly.

blindswelledrat

25,257 posts

231 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
ewenm said:
It fits in there in Caterham's product range. If you look at what stuff you get for your £45k, then it looks expensive. If you look at what other new cars at £45k offer similar performance, it makes more sense and in fact looks like very good performance for money.

They are a business rather than a charity of course.
I get that, but my view of it is that its performance is so good because it's so light, and it is so light because it so basic. No frills, no extras, no anything.
Looking it another way, what cars can you get with 275 bhp which might not offer the performance, but have the expense of all the natural mod-cons of a normal car i.e. would logically be more expensive to produce. An example would be a 300 bhp Evo X for aprroximately a third less. That would logically be more explensive to produce because it has so much more substance to it, yet costs a third less. That's my point

robmlufc

5,227 posts

185 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
blindswelledrat said:
An example would be a 300 bhp Evo X for aprroximately a third less. That would logically be more explensive to produce because it has so much more substance to it, yet costs a third less. That's my point
But the Evo wouldn't be able to touch an R500.

blindswelledrat

25,257 posts

231 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
robmlufc said:
But the Evo wouldn't be able to touch an R500.
Sigh.
Of course it wouldn't. That isnt my point in the slightest.
I am purely referring to the cost of producing a 300bhp car.

HustleRussell

24,602 posts

159 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
Blindswelledrat- look up 'economies of scale', and for further reading, research the cost of land, labour, overheads etc in the UK and compare & contrast with those of 'Asia, Africa, South America, New Zealand and Thailand' (assembly facilities for Mk3 Focus according to Wikipedia). Then consider the number of Caterhams produced vs the number of Ford Foci.

Dave Hedgehog

14,541 posts

203 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
the new Caterham **** ME !!

shoestring7

6,138 posts

245 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
I can remember a long and illuminating conversation not so long ago with a couple of senior Caterham engineers.

Both agreed that around 180-200bhp was the sweetspot for a road-going Caterham. Any more just brought frustration.

SS7

robmlufc

5,227 posts

185 months

Thursday 4th October 2012
quotequote all
blindswelledrat said:
Sigh.
Of course it wouldn't. That isnt my point in the slightest.
I am purely referring to the cost of producing a 300bhp car.
Slower car costs less, faster car costs more. Makes sense.