1996 Caterham

Read the last paragraph if you are in the EU.

The sensible depreciation proof alternative to a 420R. Gauge its condition from the underside photo taken last time it was out!

In for MoT on Tuesday that it will pass with flying colours!

Nowhere will you find a Vauxhall powered Caterham as clean as this with such a long list of fantastic extras.

This car has done 3000 miles mostly on a recent road trip to the Dolomites, where it became apparent it was as pretty much as fast in straight line as Andy Hobbs' R500 Duractec!

Vauxhall 2.0XE Redtop engine with fully ported COSCAST head, Newmann fast road/rally PH4 profile cams on hydraulic lifters (for ultra low maintenance) Omega pistons, ARP rod bolts 8200 redline. AT Power shaftless throttle bodies, MBE 9A4 ECU (same as 620R) lightweight pullies and vernier cams, lightweight flywheel and Helix organic clutch for reliability and long life.

The engine is a gem. Torque to demolish a Duratec from really low down to make it a brisk relaxed cruiser but with a fantastic snarl through its throttle bodies at 6000rpm that makes it one of the best sounding Caterams out there!

RaceCo silencer with large bore JPE primaries and 4:1 collector

Caterham 6 speed gearbox - recently stripped and inspected to change the cross gate spring to make gear changes easier.

Titan 3.38 LSD in Sierra casing - brand new 3000 miles ago. This car also has the big fat Ford driveshafts that are virtually unbreakable. The 6 speed ratios combined with the 3.38 diff make for rapid performance but relaxed high speed cruising.

Suspension is Caterham wide track with JWM spec Nitron fast road/track NTR-1 dampers again only 3000 miles old. Orange front ARB and rear ARB to provide progressive playful handling on road and track. Flat floored and set up by Jack Webb (ex race engineer to F2 and BTCC champions amongst other things).

Quick ratio steering rack, removable QR Momo suede steering wheel, JWM rosejoints to steering and top wishbones at the front. It drives superbly, recently independently tested by Rhuari Moncrieff on track and road where it performed flawlessly and to quote Rhuari "I thought these old Vauxhalls weren't supposed to handle!" (Thats from a man with every conceivable JWM handling upgrade on his own K Series car).

Carbon. Loads of it! Front and rear wings, dashboard, mirrors and more!

Other extras include: Genuine Caterham carbon aeroscreen, JWM carbon half doors with straight weave to match wings, Tillet seats, 6 point Caterham harnesses. FIA Roll bar and petit strut. Staggered wheels 6" front, 8" rear shod wih newer Avon ZZS tyres.

The car is in excellent condition as it has been completely rebuilt on what is technically a brand new chassis painted by Tony Whiting in Lamborghini Arancio Argus which is a stunning deep orange in the sunlight..

Performance: 0-60mph is around 3.2 seconds and top speed on the Autobahn a couple of weeks ago was 137mph.

This is a great car, being sold fully serviced and ready to drive away. Didn't miss a beat on that 2600 mile road trip.

The price. A 420R has no Sierra LSD, no Nitrons, no 6 speed box, no carbon and no Tillets as standard. Its also a good bit shy on power and performance. This car is priced against pretty basic 420R in very average condition. This car is immaculate and in many ways almost new. Price is therefore £32,000 or €37,500 as you prefer. Can also ship to USA at extra cost.

EU and other non UK based persons - on 21 August 2026 this car turned 30 years old despite looking 30 days old. It was built as a Vauxhall Injection Kit by its first owner and as GM Injection is obsolete it should be possible to easily import it into the EU.

What are you waiting for?