The Caterham Seven isn't exactly known for its opulence or flabbiness so promise of a new back to basics entry-level model begs the question how stripped back they can make it. We'll find out in due course but one advantage of this even more minimalist approach is price, Caterham promising a sub-£17K ticket when it goes on sale before the end of the year. That's a significant saving over the £22,995 (£19,995 in kit form) asked for the current entry level Roadsport with the 125hp Ford Sigma engine.
Is Caterham pressing ahead with Ecoboost Seven?
Intriguingly Caterham is promising - in addition to less weight and money - "a super-compact, flexible and EU6-compliant engine." The powertrain, being developed with Caterham Technology & Innovation, also "stands a good chance" of being the most fuel efficient Seven ever.
CTI showed a neat integrated bolt-on chargecooler/supercharger unit earlier this year that could unleash the necessary fury in any off-the-shelf four-cylinder engine. Then again, with all this talk of fuel efficiency and weight saving maybe we're going to be getting a production version of the Ecoboost engined Seven we had a quick go with last year.
Neither is an especially simple solution of course, relative to the back to basics ethos or price point claimed for this new, as-yet unnamed new model.
With Caterham boss Graham Macdonald boasting "the new entry-level Seven will be uncomplicated, easy to run and, most important of all, an intuitive and exciting drive" we'll have to see exactly how this will be achieved but, for now, the promise of a more affordable Seven has to be good news for all of us.
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