Track ready Caterhams: Spotted

High on driving fast Caterhams we've been hitting the classifieds to ponder the options!

After our weekend at Anglesey with a pair of Caterham 620s you won't be surprised to hear many on the PH team have got a bit dreamy about the idea of owning a fast Seven. Or reminiscing about past loves. Muscling the R around the track was a joy, leaving all who drove it pumped with adrenaline. Relatively speaking the S is the more civilised of the two with the heated seats, conventional gearbox and - gasp - a windscreen but performance not far off the unhinged R. Neither is for the faint of heart or wallet though.

There's no such thing as a cheap Caterham but there are modest savings to be found in the classifieds. This 11-month-old 620R with very little mileage and plenty of options is painted in Porsche's Carrara white and offers a little saving off the list price. But £50,000 remains a lot for a track toy.

Delving a little deeper into the back catalogue uncovered this R500 Superlight for £32K; still a 500hp per tonne lunatic but this one with a slightly more all-round manual transmission and a 'weather' kit to make it vaguely sensible as a road car too. With resale values holding up, you can smugly go about your driving knowing that your track ready Caterham isn't depreciating as much as you first thought. The advert states 'there won't be too many road legal cars going by' and with a claimed 0-60 of 2.8 seconds you will be on your way very quickly.

Then again, if you want a variation on this theme stay tuned - we've been out in a rival product and will be bringing you a full review very shortly...

Caterham R500 Superlight
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 267@8,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 177@7,200rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
First registered: 2012
Recorded mileage: 6,800
Price new: £36,995
Yours for: £31,995

See the original advert here