2000 Caterham Seven Academy (S3)

Highlights

• Factory-specified Caterham Academy car, built for the marque's race championship
• Carb-fed 1.6-litre Vauxhall 8v on twin Webers, with a five-speed manual and live axle
• Road-ready with a roll bar and half hood, and supplied with its FIA roll cage
• Recommissioned in November 2025 at a cost of over £2,500
• Just 3 previous owners and low mileage

Overview

The Caterham Seven is about as visceral as four wheels get, and its simple, lightweight design makes it an affordable way into serious performance. In 1999, Caterham's Academy offered newcomers a fixed-price route into its novice race championship. Every car came with the 1600 Vauxhall 8v engine, a reconditioned five-speed gearbox and a reconditioned live rear axle.

This is one of those cars, supplied to its first customer in October 1999. Its 1.6-litre Vauxhall breathes through twin 40 DCOE Webers, and it made 104bhp and 115lb ft on a rolling road in May 2000. That's a gloriously analogue, carb-fed recipe, housed in a narrow S3 body now finished in pale blue with twin black stripes.

Today it's set up for the road with a standard roll bar and a half hood. The original tall FIA roll cage comes with it, should the circuit start calling again. Caterham's own 2018 letter confirms its Academy origins, and a fat invoice file runs right back to the 1999 build.

It has been recently recommissioned so it comes with a freshly fettled, carb-fed driving experience. The result is a factory-specified Academy racer with its character intact and ready to use.

History and documentation

• First registered on 1 February 2000
• Three former keepers, the first from new until November 2019, and in current ownership since December 2025
• Invoiced maintenance covers a differential (2007), new clutch (2008), aluminium radiator and brake discs (2012), rolling road tune with four new NGK plugs (2014), cambelt and tensioner (May 2018 @ 21,342 miles), and steering rack gaiters, handbrake lever and exhaust re-seal (2019)
• November 2025 recommissioning by PT Sportscars (£2,549.32 invoice) included balancing the carbs and setting the idle and mixture, and added a new Facet low-pressure fuel pump, rebuilt starter motor, two engine mount rubbers and a gearbox mount rubber, two A-frame bushes, four top rear damper bushes, a new auxiliary belt, Banner battery
• Earlier work includes a November 2013 gearbox strip and rebuild, and 2010 McMillan Motorsport work on this chassis covering new springs and dampers, a flat-floor set-up and a live axle conversion kit
• Invoice file includes the factory order letters, pro-forma and DVLA-stamped sales invoice, Classic Carriage Company build and SVA invoices with a January 2000 post-build check report, the 2000 dyno sheet, Caterham's 2018 provenance letter, parts invoices from 2000 to 2021 and old MOT certificates
• Two keys
• V5C present
• Current MOT expires on 10 August 2027
• HPI clear
• Mileage has increased slightly since photography and the odometer is now showing 25,706 miles

Interior

• Simple, purposeful cockpit with bare aluminium side panels and a black textured dash
• Caterham-branded speedometer and rev counter sit alongside oil pressure, water temperature and fuel gauges and a row of rocker switches
• Three switches on the left of the dash don't illuminate, the vendor tells us, though all of them work
• Black cloth seats with Caterham-embroidered backrests; the cushions have flattened with use, with no tears seen
• Four-point Caterham harnesses on both seats
• Removable Momo suede steering wheel
• Polished alloy ball gear knob
• Fire extinguisher in the footwell
• Lowered floor, according to the vendor
• Black tonneau cover is a bit creased and faded with age
• Nearside sidescreen has stained and scuffed lower fabric; the offside sidescreen is in better order

Exterior

• Pale blue with twin black stripes over the nose, bonnet and rear panel, black Caterham side graphics and K&N and Union Jack decals
• Consistent finish across the majority of the car
• A few small chips along the front edge of the bonnet where it meets the nosecone
• Bare aluminium stone guards on the rear wings show clouding and light surface marks, with a more notable scuff on the offside
• Gloss-black 13-inch eight-spoke alloys with yellow Caterham centre caps, with no kerbing visible
• Yokohama A539 185/60 R13 tyres with healthy tread, which the vendor tells us are approaching five years old
• Headlamps, indicators and lenses are intact
• Standard H0 roll bar fitted, with the original tall FIA roll cage (painted blue) supplied
• Soft Bits for Sevens half hood with zipped access on both sides
• Long-nose shower cap included, the vendor tells us
• Some evidence of use underneath

Mechanical

• 1.6-litre Vauxhall 8v four-cylinder, built in 1994 by Holden in Australia and supplied new from Vauxhall storage, per Caterham's letter
• Twin 40 DCOE Weber carburettors with K&N air filters
• Five-speed manual gearbox driving the rear wheels through a live axle
• Interpro Automotive's rolling road recorded 104bhp (DIN-corrected) at 5,490rpm and 115lb ft at 3,760rpm in May 2000
• Around 110bhp and a 7,500rpm redline, according to the vendor
• No catalytic converter is fitted, and the car isn't required to pass a cat test
• Front disc and rear drum brakes
• We're told it's in excellent mechanical condition, pulls strongly, shifts neatly and has responsive brakes
• Starts without problem, the vendor says, though it needs attention to idle in very cold weather (don't we all)
• Recent recommissioning covered the carbs, fuel pump, starter motor, engine and gearbox mounts and suspension bushes
• Ready to use and enjoy

Summary

This is an honest, freshly recommissioned Academy Seven with its twin-Weber Vauxhall, five-speed and live axle recipe intact. It's set up for the road, with the tall FIA cage ready for the day it heads back to the track. Backed by a thick invoice file, it's ready to enjoy right now.

To arrange a viewing, click the 'Book Viewing' button located under the 'Place Bid' button. Viewings can be booked up until the day before the auction ends, after which the option will change to 'Contact Seller' for further enquiries. This seller is located in Maidenhead, Berkshire.