Wednesday 13th May 2009

Supercar Owners Downsizing?

Caterham profits from credit crunch as big boys cash-in toys

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A growing number of supercar owners are trading in exotica for something smaller, according to sports car maker Caterham.

The Surrey based manufacturer reckons it is witnessing a trend, with an increase in the number of used Sevens sold to replace six-figure supercars as the lightweight sports car offers similar performance at a fraction of the cost.

To help tip any cash-strapped supercar owners over the edge, Caterham has obligingly provided a table comparing its range-topping CSR260 with the likes of Ferrari’s 430 and Aston Martin’s flagship DBS, claiming the diminutive CSR substantially outperforms the grander opposition.

Last month the company claims to have seen both a Ferrari 430 and a Porsche 911 Turbo traded-in by its customers. We guess they're banking on another fine summer...

	Aston Martin DBS	Ferrari 430	Caterham CSR260
Engine	6-litre V12	4.3-litre V8	2.3-litre Cosworth
Horsepower	510bhp	483bhp	260bhp
TopSpeed	191mph	197mph	155mph
Acceleration0-60	4.3 secs	3.5 secs	3.1 secs
Weight	1,695kg	1,450kg	575kg
Torque	570Nm	465Nm	271Nm
Gearbox	6-speed manual	6-speed manual	6-speed manual
Power-to-weight	301bhp/ton	333bhp/ton	452bhp/ton

[BoRED S2upid]

Doesn't suprise me at all.

575kg is VERY light though. You don't want to be a fat man driving one of those as your bulk would seriously compromise your Fezza beating abilities.

[Nickellarse]

Happy days. Blistering speed, loads of noise. Can't see many DB drivers decamping over to Caterham. Not much walnut in 'em.

[RFSA180]

What's this, a British company doing well? Fantastic. Good on them!

[kambites]

Lotus seem to be doing pretty well out of the same phenomenon.

[jgt1972]

This is a rather pointless comparison.
I'd like you to show me the man who has traded in a DBS for a caterham.
I can see people being put off track focused 911s or Scudiera type toys, but a DBS?

[lotusmofo]

what great news, surely the 3.1 0-60 is if piloted by a small taiwanese football sewer?
Must say I have seen the sevens about in force on recent sundays.

[White-Noise]

Good luck to them!

[dr_rallye]

I suppose some fat cats with supercars will only be downsizing if they actually fit in the cockpits of the Caterham/Westies/etc. Either that of they'll be trading in their V8s and V12s for some QT with the Personal Trainer before buying their new toy.

[peter pan]

No problem for people with fat a*rses, just get a Caterham SV,with its significantly wider cockpit.
Also remember that the R500 beat all but 4 (multi thousand pound supercars around Top Gear test track with a time of 1 minute 17.9 seconds, only around 18 econds slower than the renault F1 car which the Stig took around the TG test track..... and its British, none of that foreign stuff!

[peter pan]

A Lotus Seven also actually qualified for a Formula 1 race, (`possibly the only road going sports car ever to do so!?) in the Rand, South Africa Formula 1 Grand Prix.

[jimbobd]

Great news - always nice to hear of a small british company doing well, let alone in times as depressing as these. Good luck to 'em!

[Mobile Chicane]

kambites said:

Lotus seem to be doing pretty well out of the same phenomenon.

That I could believe. Supercar performance, usable as a daily driver, cheap to service and run. What's not to like?

[atom-ick]

Brilliant news - Well done Caterham!

[roland82]

Maybe this one of those rare times when I wish we had the MPG figures too. Im happy to read this, good for British industry and good for people to save a bit of money.

[TonyHetherington]

It always annoys me a little when people compare Caterhams, and simlar, to supercars. It's annoyed me even more so that Caterham themselves have done it.

Now don't get me wrong - I love kit cars (my dad and I are building one as we speak), have been around Caterhams for years and so I completely "get" them. But I don't think they should ever be compared to supercars in any way shape or form. For me, that is "not getting" them.

They are what they are and for that they should be loved. But to claim they are an equivalent to a supercar costing 6 times as much misses the point - they are inherentely different, and offer completely opposed experiences, albeit both experiences are amazing.

[peter pan]

It was the Rand Grand Prix held at Kyalami on 15th December 1962. Remember the Seven has been around in various forms for over 50 years, and STILL beats all but 4 of the latest, moste expensive supercars on the planet. They also hold their prices better than most other cars! Hows that for value for money?

[scubadude]

How long before a Caterham turns up on an MP's expenses with the excuse he was downsizing? :-)

"Well I have two houses, so I ought to have two cars- a Prius for London and a Caterham for XXXXX"

Well, its cheaper than a Maybach I suppose...

[peter pan]

Tony I think when such comparisons are made it is based on performance per pound, Supercar manufacturers spend millions if not billions on developing their cars and trying to make them as fast and usable as possible, then along comes a block with something built in a shed, and beats almost all of them, Anyone with a hole in his a*se, can make a quick car if they have got millioms of pounds to play with, but doing it as well as Caterham do for a fraction of the price is truly remarkable.

[Parrot of Doom]

This is more of a Caterham advertisement than a news piece—and who is to say that Caterham are telling the truth?

Edited by Parrot of Doom on Wednesday 13th May 13:49

[davido140]

an F430 traded in against a caterham?

Top of the range Caterham is what? £35-40k, maybe a tad more with a sequential box etc.

I didnt think fezza's dropped money quite that quick, could someone point me to the sub 50k F430's please...