Caterham Harrods edition

A luxury Caterham? It's actually a thing, and quite an expensive one at that

What, one wonders, would Harrods customers accustomed to (one imagines) lives of luxury, opulence and general pampering make of your typical drive in a Caterham? We're long-standing fans of the car at PH of course but even as enthusiasts there are certain ... challenges to life with a Seven that don't crop up when you drive a Bentley or Rolls-Royce. Picking at random from personal experiences with Caterhams these would include having to have flying windscreen wipers picked out of the gutter and handed back to you by friendly pedestrians, roofs peeling off while driving along the motorway in a rainstorm, legs burned on hot exhausts and the general indignity of trying to post yourself through a 'door' smaller than your average letterbox without totally losing your cool.

Even when it goes right you're left picking flies out of your teeth after an enjoyable roof-down blast, your ears ringing and with an overdose of adrenaline to somehow work off.

Teaming up with Harrods to promote the new Caterham Signature personalisation programme therefore seems a little odd, though a spokesman for the store said: "Caterham is one of Great Britain's most famous and instantly recognisable motoring brands and it has been a pleasure to partner with the team there to create this Harrods special edition of the legendary Seven." Clearly someone who works there is a fan also!

Based around a 420S, the Harrods Caterham costs - brace yourself - £59,995 and is on display in-store right now. For that you get a gold-painted chassis, Harrods green paint with gold pinstriping, butterscotch leather and embroidered logos on the seats and a similar one on the gearknob. The intention of the car is to show the range and scope of personalisation options open to Seven buyers under the new Signature scheme. The result is a slightly odd mix of trademark Caterham rawness and well-appointed Harrods luxury but, given the idea is you build it to your own spec, the world is your oyster. With Beluga caviar and a side order of truffles. Because, obviously, that's what people who do their weekly shop at Harrods have for breakfast every day, right?

Watch the video here