Wednesday 12th December 2012

Driven: Caterham Supersport R

Caterham releases a juicier version of its popular Supersport - and PH gets behind the wheel

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"Good grief." This is my first thought as I pull out onto a B-road for the first time in Caterham’s latest. Actually, the exact words are a little south of that on the ‘censorious acceptability’ scale, but they’ll do for now. The combination of a ham clutch foot, cold tyres, and a wet road result in a series of lurid wheelspins, even at half-throttle. Changing up a gear doesn’t really help matters. They talk about cars being communicative; this one is saying, in no uncertain terms, "If you want to play in conditions like this, sunshine, you’d better buck up your ideas."

Nothing but the essentials - in true Caterham style

It’s the new Supersport R we’re testing today. It sits somewhere near, but not quite at, the top of the Caterham range, and is essentially a meeting of the hard-charging two-litre Ford Duratec engine from the Superlight R300 and the slightly less hardcore, more road-oriented chassis of the 1.6-litre Supersport. So, for the £24,995 kit price (£3,000 less than the Superlight R; £3,500 more than the Supersport) it does without the carbon fibre wings & dashboard and quad-piston calipers of the soon-to-be-discontinued Superlight, and there’s a five-speed gearbox instead of the six. But on the plus side, you get a limited-slip diff as standard, as well as the Supersport interior, doors and dampers. In all, the Supersport R weighs 20kg more than the equivalent Superlight, but also gets a 5hp power hike to 182hp, meaning that in real terms its power-to-weight ratio of 340hp/tonne is just 3hp/tonne less than the R300’s.

As the roads dry out and the tyres warm up, the need to hold back diminishes and we can explore the Supersport R further. And if you’re looking for a surprise verdict here, well, sorry to disappoint – the Supersport R is everything you’d expect it to be. Visceral, exhilarating, breathtaking – pick your superlative. Any will fit.

Supersport R in its natural environment

Ironically, given the Supersport R’s complete lack of electronic driver aids, grasping the little Alcantara steering wheel between your mitts feels like holding a game console controller. The weighting is just perfect – meaty, but never overly heavy.

The suspension is, of course, firm and unforgiving, but there’s subtlety there, too. Unlike some light, stiffly-sprung sportscars, it never feels like it’s crashing through divots in the road surface, and mid-corner bumps don’t unsettle it anywhere near as much as you might expect. Understeer is non-existent. Oversteer is easily attainable, though. It’s always ever so predictable and while you have to be quick about it, it’s an easy thing to gather.

2.0 engine is an absolute hoot

The engine, in this form and in this chassis, is utterly sublime. With Caterham’s additions, including the company’s own map, a larger plenum, and a selection of internal upgrades. It feels as though it was made for a car like this, rather than a bought-in lump from a Mondeo. Throttle response is instantaneous. In fact, if you’re too gentle with it, the sudden shove forward will pull your foot away from the pedal, leaving you kangarooing down the road like an amateur. The only solution is to plant it confidently, which works out just fine, as there’s plenty of grip from the back end. Power and torque are both available in spades, no matter where you find yourself in the rev range. Hold onto the revs, though, and you’re rewarded with power almost all the way to the red line, the figures peaking above the 6,000rpm mark. The noise is ideal, too; a gnarly four-pot wail, punctuated with pops and bangs on the over-run.

The perfect B-road weapon?

Faults? They’re hard to find, really, if you take this car for what it is. Oh sure, it’s not all that comfortable (especially if you’ve a capacious backside like your correspondent), it’s noisy and there isn’t even a stereo. The doors are vestigial and the hood is still as much a gesture as it ever was. It isn’t a great companion on a motorway, and if you get out after a spirited drive while wearing shorts, you’ll probably burn your leg on the exhaust.

But to cite any of those as a reason not to buy one would be like suggesting you don’t drink milk because it’s got milk in it. Each can be suffixed by the phrase ‘You wouldn’t really worry about that if you were in the market for a Caterham’. You know what you’re going to get and you buy one because of that.

If your heart is indeed set on a Caterham, you aren’t going to go far wrong, no matter which model you choose. Each of them has the ability to leave you buzzing. But the Supersport R does the best job yet of offering monumental power-to-weight (and the ability to invoke involuntary adrenaline-induced swearing from time to time) in a more user-friendly, more road-centric package than the Superlight or CSR. The best of both worlds, in other words. As a B-road blaster, it’s hard to beat.

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CATERHAM SUPERSPORT R
Engine: 1,999cc 4-cyl, 16v, injection
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Power (hp): 182@7,300rpm
Torque: 143lbft@6,100rpm
0-60: 4.8 sec
Top speed: 130mph
Weight: 535kg
MPG: NA
CO2: NA
Price: £24,995 (kit form) / £27,995 (fully built)

Photos: Prime Exposures

[Schnellmann]

Reading articles like this reinforces my decision that I must own a Caterham at some point in my life. Although I do worry that being such a hard-core choice it wouldn't get used enough. Seems more like a third car, than a second car, and that means expanding the fleet to 4 vehicles (if you include my wife's), which seems just a bit greedy!

[Schnellmann]

Itsallicanafford said:

housen said:

pretty sure is game over

proberly drive over you

either way when i had mine the thigh was right up against that thin tin they use as a shell

but was a fun car

Thanks for the info. Yeah, i thought as much, just cannot risk it at my stage of life (2 kids under 2.5 years)...the thought of orphaning them because a yummy mummy in a Range rover sport wasn't looking where she was going (excuse the stereotype)is a bit too much to contemplate.

Also a concern for me as a lot of my weekend drives are with my daughter and there doesn't seem to be much protection for driver or passenger.

[Schnellmann]

[redacted]

[Schnellmann]

For all those belitting the comments about safety...how many have actually been in a life-threatening crash? Or watched someone you were riding with being killed in an accident? It is easier to dismiss the dangers if you haven't personally suffered the consequences (although of course not impossible: there are plenty of bikers and racers that have had big offs or seen people killed and carried on).

Having said the above, although I have reservations about safety in a Seven I still might buy one.

[Schnellmann]

jason61c said:

Going back to the car, I can't see why/how its so expensive? £25-28k before you even add bits pictured? Profit per unit must be massive.

Simply solution: move to Switzerland for a while. Here a new Caterham costs around £50k (for something similar to the one in the article). Then move back to the UK and appreciate that there they are cheap as chips!!

[Schnellmann]

jason61c said:

Schnellmann said:

Simply solution: move to Switzerland for a while. Here a new Caterham costs around £50k (for something similar to the one in the article). Then move back to the UK and appreciate that there they are cheap as chips!!

That doesn't help make it better value for money? If I did move there could I have your higher quality of life and income?

Income and material standard of living is higher here. But car prices are generally pretty similar to the UK i.e. if you buy a BMW 5 series here the sterling equivalent is pretty much the same as the UK price. However, Caterham's are twice the price.

On the upside, we have perfect roads for a Caterham. On the downside the speed limit is only 50 mph and the penalties for exceeding them can be harsh.