Caterham launches new limited HWM Edition
Just 19 examples of Seven 420 pay colourful tribute to 1951 HWM-Alta GP car...
Generally speaking, we’re suckers for new cars made to look old, no matter how tenuous the connection. Which is good news for Caterham, as it means we can laud the arrival of the new Seven HWM Edition. If those letters don’t mean an awful lot to you then rest easy (for a start, you’re in good company), but in fact they refer to Hersham and Walton Motors, and while that seems like a niche Surrey-based reference even for a manufacturer heavily committed to the South East, it does have a notable historical resonance.
See, why the modern HWM may evolved into a more conventional purveyor of sports cars (and a franchised Caterham dealer, obviously), back in the fifties - that glorious period when it seemed like anything was possible if you had the right bunch of lads in the back room - it not only went racing, but was apparently the first British team to boast a Grand Prix victory in the post war era with the ‘legendary’ 1951 HWM-Alta grand prix car. Which is pretty cool, all things considered - and that’s before you account for a host of international podium finishes and a driver lineup that included Sir Stirling Moss.
As you might expect, it is this machine that provides the jumping off point, stylistically speaking, for the HWM Edition. Most significantly, there is the distinctive colour, which has been scanned from the racing machine, but also period-inspired side panel louvres, bespoke nosecone grille, suspension wishbones, anti-roll bar, and headlight brackets finished in Retro Grey. There’s also a bespoke HWM Caterham nosecone badge and a centrally-mounted chrome fuel filler cap.
Inside - or the bit of a Seven adjacent to outside anyway - you get a Supersprint dashboard in what Caterham likes to call a ‘hand-turned aluminium design’, as well as a polished wooden quick-release Moto-Lita steering wheel and gear knob and handbrake finished in chrome. You can choose between leather and composite race seats for the special edition model, either will come with an HWM logo proudly emblazoned on them, although you’ll doubtless spend more time looking at the plaque on the dashboard that announces your car as 1 of 19 available.
In hardware terms, you’ll have bought yourself a Seven 420, which is fine and dandy because it is many ways the model to go for, not least because the Duratec motor is now a time-limited factor. Its presence means 210hp at 7,600rpm, good enough for 3.8-second-to-60mph via the standard five-speed manual box. Should you wish, all the usual optional extras are available to the HVM, including the limited-slip differential you’ll almost certainly want if you’d like to emulate Sir Stirling’s deft touch around the nearest roundabout.
“It’s been a real privilege to work with HWM on this special limited edition. Drawing inspiration from the legendary HWM-Alta racer, this car pays tribute to Walton-on-Thames’ rich racing heritage while celebrating the lightweight, driver-focused ethos that defines what Caterham is today,” said Caterham CFO, Trevor Steel. The full force of the privilege is felt in the £57,990 starting price - an extravagant £16k more than the standard 420. But we’re well accustomed to the special edition tax by now, not to mention the cost of nostalgia. The HWM has both in spades.
https://www.hwmastonmartin.co.uk/about-us/
"It wasn’t Connaught or Vanwall, though their day would come. And it wasn’t Cooper or Lotus, who would go on to win World Championships. In fact it was a shoestring effort from a little garage in Walton-on-Thames called Hersham and Walton Motors – HWM. Over HWM’s seven-year life as a racing car manufacturer less than two dozen were built, but some 70 per cent of the entire production survives today."
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