Updates to the Caterham Seven don't happen all that often, so it's always big news when they do. The last significant refresh for us in the UK was the arrival of the
Seven 160
620R
back in 2013. Today Caterham has officially announced the three models that will sit between those cars with spec and pricing details.
So it's out with the old 140hp Supersport, the
Supersport R
and the R400, replaced by the Seven 270, Seven 360 and Seven 420 respectively. All will be available with an 'S' option pack, designed for 'the casual road driver', or an 'R' pack aimed at track day users.
The 270 is powered by a new Ford Sigma 1.6 with 137hp at 6,800rpm and 122lb ft at 4,100rpm; a kerbweight of 540kg means 254hp per tonne. It will hit 60mph in five seconds and a top speed of 122mph.
As standard a Seven 270 has 14-inch aluminium wheels, cloth seats, a Motolita wheel and not an awful lot else. The S pack adds such luxuries as a heater (!), windscreen, hood, carpet and leather seats. A 270R comes with a limited-slip diff, sport suspension, 15-inch wheels (13s and track focused geometry are available if you wish), a lightweight flywheel, carbon dash, a Momo wheel and harnesses.
For the most part, the S and R option packs add the same equipment to the other new Sevens. On the 360 (183hp, 325hp per tonne, 4.8 seconds to 60), the R pack also adds an uprated master brake cylinder over the extras listed above. A 360S adds the same equipment as a 270S.
Both the Seven 360 and 420 use the 2.0-litre Duratec, the latter dry-sumped and producing 213hp (210bhp) and 155lb ft. It directly replaces the R400 and sits one rung down from the 620 in the Seven range. Top speed is 136mph, 60 takes 3.8 seconds and its power to weight is 380hp per tonne. Your guess is as good as ours as to what the names actually relate to... The S and R packs are identical to those available on the 360 and all cars use a five-speed manual.
... and this is a 420R. Got it?
One final point of clarification in the revised Caterham range. The Seven 160 is only available with an 'S' extras above standard, likewise the 620 can only be had with the 'R' option pack. All understood?
The new Seven range starts at £18,995 for a factory built 160. The 270 costs £22,995, the 360 is £26,995 and it's £29,995 for a 420. The 620 remains a long way off at the top of the range, beginning at £49,995. The 'S' option pack costs £2,995, the 'R' £3,995 and orders being taken from today. All that's required now is some sunshine!