Caterham gets Suzuki power
New sub-£17K entry-level Seven gets 660cc Suzuki turbo engine
The turbocharged Suzuki motor has been breathed upon by Caterham Technology & Innovation and while it all sounds quite high tech the firm is making much of the back to basics approach of the new car. And when Caterham says basic you can bet that's exactly what it means.
"We needed a particularly light powertrain but it had to be a unit that suited the characteristics inherent to all Sevens," says Caterham boss Graham Macdonald in the press release announcing the car. "Suzuki is a leader in producing compact vehicles with extremely efficient engines and that is clearly a shared passion. Thankfully, after lots of hard work, we have a package that works brilliantly."
Numbers are sparse in the Caterham press release but Macdonald does say: "Unfussy and easy to run, it is designed to give a neutral, supple ride yet carrying the sporting edge and turn-of-speed expected from any Seven."
We wanted more information though, so we pestered Caterham. And we got some additional technical information, revealing that the new car has 'carry over' Seven S3 narrow track front suspension and a relocated steering rack to - depending who you ask - 'refine steering feel' or make room for the intercooler.
It also reveals that the new car will use a Suzuki-sourced live axle fitted with CTI designed trailing arms and Panhard rod, which explains one way in which costs have been kept down.
So how much power will it actually have? Well, it'd seem Caterham has had a right old rummage around the Suzuki parts bin and a protracted virtual equivalent on the firm's Japanese website here in the PH office leads us to believe the engine is the turbocharged version of the K6A three-cylinder fitted to a range of JDM Kei cars. In standard form it makes 52hp and 56lb ft, the turbocharged version used in the Lapin and Wagon R Stingray (yeah!) upping that to a heady 64hp and 70lb ft. And that beam axle? Well, the pint-sized Carry pick-up has a dinky leaf-sprung, live-axle set-up, five-speed manual and uses a version of the K6A engine...
Now, if Caterham can get the new car to sub-500kg (an R500 is officially 505kg, a basic Roadsport 1.6 550kg) to live up to that 'lightest Seven ever' design goal that equates to 128hp per tonne with that 64hp at a nominal 500kg, compared with 228hp per tonne for a 125hp 1.6 Roadsport. But you'd have to hope CTI can tickle a bit more power out of it and in the additional info supplied the car is referred to as the 'C180'. That'd mean 90hp at 500kg as a ballpark but even 80hp and 150-160hp per tonne would have it on a par with a GT86 or MX-5 and, in a stripped back Seven, enough to have some fun.
More concrete information when we have it but if you're keen orders open in the autumn with first deliveries before the year is out. The official release can be seen here.
That would make it a worthwihle option to those looking at the second hand market for standard Xflow / Vauxhall OHC engined cars, which have around that kind of power and can be picked up for £10k ish.
If there is tuning potential to take it over 100 BHP, then even better.
The only buyers I can think of are older folk who would potter around in it, in the same way that you'd use a classic car, but would many of them manage to get in and out of it OK?
The only buyers I can think of are older folk who would potter around in it, in the same way that you'd use a classic car, but would many of them manage to get in and out of it OK?
The only buyers I can think of are older folk who would potter around in it, in the same way that you'd use a classic car, but would many of them manage to get in and out of it OK?
Kei class cars (which this engine comes from) are limited to 64ps (actually 63bhp) by law, in order to fit in the "Kei" class (which has strict dimensions and power limits). A car built to this regulation is treated a bit like we treat quadricycles over here, rather than proper cars. It also permits use in some places where the user can't prove they have space to park it (which in Japan is a problem)
What do you suppose it'd be capable of without that legally proscribed limit? 80bhp? 100?
C
The big ones are lovely and I can understand why they get bought but this? Also if they wanted a small engine from suzuki why not one of the bike engines which make over 100bhp out of the crate!
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