Chris Harris video: Morgan vs Caterham
Chris explores the wonders of back to basics British sports cars with a Morgan and a Caterham Seven
Because there really is nothing quite like a Caterham. There are faster cars, there are cars with downforce and lord knows what else, but sitting squished against the transmission tunnel and the chassis bars, gripping the 'ickle wheel, you do sometimes wonder if driving nirvana begins and ends with a small car from Dartford.
This version is a Supersport R. I wanted a non-loopy Seven because I thought it would make for a better on-road video. Then I jumped in it and couldn't believe how fast it was! Over 180hp from the Ford Duratec and a 535kg kerb weight. That makes this supposedly ordinary one about as fast the craziest R500 from a decade ago.
The Morgan 3 Wheeler couldn't be less similar to the Seven. In fact it couldn't be less similar to any other car on sale. It's already a small cult and a few days in one makes you understand why. Feeling the lazy pulses of that V-twin through the bodywork, learning how to place the car (is it a car?), drinking in the responses of people to what must be the best-received machine on UK roads right now. It makes people smile - it is The Happy Car and that's an epithet many drivers' will find hugely attractive.
It's also a right old challenge to drive fast, and having just spent some time in a Jaguar C-Type I now know what inspired the driving position.
You can probably tell that I enjoyed my time with both of them.
Hope you enjoy the vid.
A few articles recently, and now this one, have made it harder than ever to avoid looking for one.
It'll happen one day.
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