360hp Caterham 620R | PH Private Area
There are cool Caterhams - and then there are cool Caterhams
It’s all too easy to spend far too long looking at Caterham Sevens for sale on PistonHeads. We should know, after all, having done it plenty ourselves. There’s always more than a hundred available, seemingly at any point during the year, offered by enthusiasts up and down the country. Sevens aren’t exactly the average secondhand car, so they aren’t sold by average sellers.
What can start as a casual browse soon becomes an involved assessment of your dream requirements. Is it alright to be squished into a better-looking S3, rather than getting a wider body? Duratec or K Series? Stripes or no stripes? Manual or sequential? And before you know it, 45 minutes have gone, nine tabs are open and you’re looking at remortgage options. Ask us how we know etc.
The 620R is always a Seven that’s returned to. Sure, there’s ample fun to be had with just three cylinders and a few hundred cc, but there truly is something addictive about the insane speed of a supercharged Seven. When paired with a sequential (the 620S is there with a manual if needed), it offers up a level of intensity and exhilaration that no other Seven - no other car, arguably - can match.
This was a 620R, once upon a time. Now, however, it’s something even more awesome again, thanks to the work of two owners over the best part of a decade to make it the best Seven it can be. Despite their obvious charms, Caterhams aren’t exactly perfect from the factory, which the keepers of this one have aimed to address since 2017. With track use in mind, this is one of the best Sevens we’ve seen in a long time of browsing.
That a peak power figure of 363bhp (against 310bhp as standard) isn’t the standout change of a 595kg Caterham should tell you a lot. It’s all the work that’s gone into making the most of that power that’s notable, with a host of uprated parts. The Sadev sequential, for example, now has an oil-to-water heat exchange to keep it cool, developed with specialists Premier Power. A non-standard bellhousing (so it’s flush with the sump, not below it) as well as a lighter flywheel point to the sort of obsessive approach that’s been taken with this car. ‘Upgraditis’ is what the owner calls it, and the gearbox work really is the start…
Dampers are now from Core Tractive, offering adjustability on the move; the wheels are magnesium centres with aluminium split rims, saving precious unsprung kilos; there are twin VBox HD cameras with GPS; there are exhausts for both exits, and so on. Anything you could possibly want changed or upgraded on a 620-spec Caterham has been done, and the result looks spectacular.
It’s an extreme spec alright, without doors or a screen and with an SLR cage. But then any kind of Caterham is going to be a pretty visceral experience, so why not fully lean into it? The current owner has been around Europe in it, after all. Anything’s possible with the right mindset…
With a recent service and MOT on top, it’s a Caterham that really does want for nothing - apart from driving at the trackdays that remain this year. At £55k, it’s the most expensive Seven in the classifieds, but it must also be the one that’s had the most spent on it as well. And it’s a whole lot less than a CSR would be. Those who’ve been looking for a while can surely call off the search; the ultimate Caterham experience is right here.
On track, I can imagine these things are brilliant, especially the one in the article.
I suspect there might be one in my future.
But, I would be looking for something with maybe 200 bhp tops, I think this is fantastic but its likely too much power in a small light car for road use. Dont get me wrong, not that you cant use it but suspect when you do put your foot down the numbers get very high, very, very quickly. Not, I suspect a car for the uninitiated, been in a 220 bhp one and that was like being in a washing machine on the spin cycle, got out and wasnt entirely sure how much I enjoyed it.
I think its something that you need to perhaps have gone through the ranks of a couple of other, lower powered examples. Otherwise, its like going for your first ever curry and ordering a Phall.
I think when looking at cars in the classifieds, its easy to overlook some because they dont have a certain amount of power and gravitate to the most powerful, which is fine in a big saloon, but in a tiny, lightweight sportscar with no driver aids its a bit more of a decision. Stuff like this and a lot of motorbikes, I suspect end up getting taken out and the owner scaring themselves, putting it int he garage and being very wary of it afterwards....
Very cool though, seems a lot of money but it looks new and you couldn't replicate it for that much I expect.
I suspect there might be one in my future.
It won't be sold, and I'll definitely keep it, but I just need to use it more for sure.
But, I would be looking for something with maybe 200 bhp tops, I think this is fantastic but its likely too much power in a small light car for road use. Dont get me wrong, not that you cant use it but suspect when you do put your foot down the numbers get very high, very, very quickly. Not, I suspect a car for the uninitiated, been in a 220 bhp one and that was like being in a washing machine on the spin cycle, got out and wasnt entirely sure how much I enjoyed it.
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