Caterham launches new 7 Nurburgring Edition
Maybe not the best car for a Euro road trip, but should be great fun once you're there...
Name a car built with the Nurburgring in mind that isn’t usefully improved over standard. Hard, right? Because they tend to be awesome. The notion of the world’s most famous racetrack spoiling road cars has long been rubbished, with suspension, brake and wheel changes bringing the best from some great performance cars: think Golf Clubsport S (and the new Edition 50), the CS M cars, the latest GT3 RS, Trophy-spec Renaults and more besides.
So there’s cause to be optimistic about a Nurburgring Edition Caterham; a 7, after all, remains just about the most rewarding track car in the world. One that celebrates the Nordschleife, where a Caterham won its class at N24 25 years ago next year, sounds like a great idea. Especially as it’s more than just a livery (of which this is one of three available, with red or dark grey also offered as the main colour). According to its maker, there are bespoke Bilstein dampers for this 100-unit limited edition, calibrated with the Nordschleife in mind; again, look at cars like the Golf - with its Individual mode - for how good a Nurburgring setup can be for both road and track.
In fact this Nurburgring features as standard pretty much everything you’d want from a circuit Seven with the 2.0-litre Duratec. It’s dry-sumped for one thing, which is always handy for anything built with track driving as a priority. There’s also a limited-slip diff, an overhauled braking system (better discs, calipers, master cylinder), harnesses, shift lights, the track day roll bar and, perhaps most crucially, the 13-inch wheels rather than the 15s. While black with a Nurburgring engraving doesn’t make them necessarily look any better, they still deliver the best ride and handling compromise on a Caterham.
There’s some extra carbon for the Nurburgring, too, because no track-focused special edition is complete without composite you can see: check out the front wings, the ‘aero whiskers’ on the nosecone, and the dash. A spec-dependent weight of 560kg is quoted, with performance identical to a 420R: 3.8 seconds to 60mph, and 136mph flat out (probably achievable on the way down to the Foxhole), with a standard five-speed manual.
Additional features are as might be expected for a limited edition that celebrates a circuit: the Nordschleife layout is embroidered in the headrests, there’s a lot of red stitching, the passenger display is a nice plaque, and Caterham has fitted ‘bespoke Nurburgring key stock, gear knob and handbrake lever’. You won’t need to show off your special dampers for people to know this is a Nurburgring Caterham, let’s put it that way.
Plus, of course, there’s ample scope to go beyond standard spec with Caterham’s options. Ask really nicely and you can have a custom colour other than the three launch colours, plus there’s the usual raft of racy bits: quick-release wheel, carbon seats, beefier cages, aero wishbones, a plumbed-in fire extinguisher and so on. Those a bit softer than they used to be (count us firmly among them) can have their Nurburgring Edition with a large chassis, windscreen and weather equipment.
For the moment, there isn’t a price confirmed from Caterham. It sits on the homepage alongside the 170, 360, 420 and everything else with ‘TBA’ next to it. But with the standard 210hp machine costing from £42k, then a 420 Cup and 620 at £56,490 and £58,490 respectively, we’d expect somewhere in the middle given it goes without the really extreme (expense) stuff like a sequential. Or a supercharger. Call it £52k, and let’s be hopeful. Time is very much running out for Duratec-engined Sevens, don’t forget, with a limited supply remaining. So there really is no time to waste for a new one - see you on a Touristenfahrten…
A close friend did her Phd in Aero at ICL and once put a Caterham in their mini wind tunnel.
Pretty much becomes a brick > 130Mph was her response. I couldn't top 135Mph in my 210Bhp SV-VHPD on the 'ring no matter how hard I tried on multiple laps.
Before you rebuff that feedback, she was one of the chief Aeros for the Bugatti who ended up working at Sauber's wind tunnel in Hinwill CH where the Bugatti was wind tuned.
Agreed, Caterham 7s have always been quite poorly suited to the Nurburgring due to terrible aero (but poor aero also makes Caterham racing very exciting with lots of overtakes via slipstreaming).
Also ISTR they tend to start lifting once they get over 110 making them a bit nervous.
A Caterham 7 has a Cd between 0.60 and 0.70, a modern SUV is ~0.30 (lower is better).
This is just a marketing thing though at the end of the day.
A close friend did her Phd in Aero at ICL and once put a Caterham in their mini wind tunnel.
Pretty much becomes a brick > 130Mph was her response. I couldn't top 135Mph in my 210Bhp SV-VHPD on the 'ring no matter how hard I tried on multiple laps.
Before you rebuff that feedback, she was one of the chief Aeros for the Bugatti who ended up working at Sauber's wind tunnel in Hinwill CH where the Bugatti was wind tuned.
Agreed, Caterham 7s have always been quite poorly suited to the Nurburgring due to terrible aero (but poor aero also makes Caterham racing very exciting with lots of overtakes via slipstreaming).
Also ISTR they tend to start lifting once they get over 110 making them a bit nervous.
A Caterham 7 has a Cd between 0.60 and 0.70, a modern SUV is ~0.30 (lower is better).
This is just a marketing thing though at the end of the day.
I'm not convinced about the size of the sticker on the back, makes the stripes a bit pointless, however always nice to see a Caterham, especially on the smaller wheels.
Also, Caterhams (and other Se7ens) are entirely suited to European road trips - you just have to toughen-up a bit and think about the early motoring pioneers who did that sort of thing in cars that were even more challenging to keep going. See below:
Cortina
Les Arcs
Pretty Obvs
Triumph dealership, somewhere in Northern Italy (Hi to Luigi - if you're reading this)
Somewhere in Bavaria
Belfort
Whatever the road sign says
Wiggly road somewhere in Austria probably
Mind you, I have just thought of one - the Caterham Bypass Edition to celebrate all those fabulous test drives from the showroom next to the Caterham train station or before that from up the hill. Should sell like hot cakes.
Also, Caterhams (and other Se7ens) are entirely suited to European road trips - you just have to toughen-up a bit and think about the early motoring pioneers who did that sort of thing in cars that were even more challenging to keep going. See below:
Cortina
Les Arcs
Pretty Obvs
Triumph dealership, somewhere in Northern Italy (Hi to Luigi - if you're reading this)
Somewhere in Bavaria
Belfort
Whatever the road sign says
Wiggly road somewhere in Austria probably
Also, Caterhams (and other Se7ens) are entirely suited to European road trips - you just have to toughen-up a bit and think about the early motoring pioneers who did that sort of thing in cars that were even more challenging to keep going. See below:
Cortina
Les Arcs
Pretty Obvs
Triumph dealership, somewhere in Northern Italy (Hi to Luigi - if you're reading this)
Somewhere in Bavaria
Belfort
Whatever the road sign says
Wiggly road somewhere in Austria probably
Great photos btw, looks brilliant fun
Agreed, Caterham 7s have always been quite poorly suited to the Nurburgring due to terrible aero (but poor aero also makes Caterham racing very exciting with lots of overtakes via slipstreaming).
Also ISTR they tend to start lifting once they get over 110 making them a bit nervous.
A Caterham 7 has a Cd between 0.60 and 0.70, a modern SUV is ~0.30 (lower is better).
This is just a marketing thing though at the end of the day.
I'm not convinced about the size of the sticker on the back, makes the stripes a bit pointless, however always nice to see a Caterham, especially on the smaller wheels.
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