Caterham (sort of) updates the Seven for 2026

The configurator was already one of the best for daydreaming - now there's even more to be distracted by

Many a happy afternoon has been spent daydreaming on the Caterham configurator. It details every element of the Seven spec process in fantastic detail, from wheels (obviously you want 13-inch) to weather protection (probably for the best). The process should be as simple as picking engine, colour and roll cage, yet the configurator is so comprehensive that you’ll soon find yourself umming and ahing over stripes, coloured nosebands, removable steering wheels, LED lights and more. For a car you’re not going to buy. When there are other things you were meant to be doing. Don’t say you weren’t warned if you haven’t looked before…

Especially as, for 2026, there’s even more to choose from when it comes to Caterham configuration. Eight new colours are the big news, with two standard (i.e. free) paints - Poppy Red and Blacksmith - and three on the £1,000 Premium palette: Earl Grey, Viola Parsifae (which looks great) and Ice Forest Green, as seen on the Project V. In the £1,250 Exclusive range, Sevens can now be painted Chainmail Silver, Sunset Riot (another good one) and Heritage Sage.

There are a few other cosmetic goodies included in the 2026 refresh, with all Caterhams from Super Seven 600 to 620 now getting clear lenses in body coloured headlight bowls, a body coloured roll bar as well, a leather tunnel top on both S and R models plus a new seat that’s standard on the former and optional on the latter. All included without any additional cost. Which is good news when it comes to Seven speccing, because it still isn’t a cheap sports car prospect: a 660cc car is from £32k factory built.

Still, more choice sounds like good news for those able to take the plunge on a brand-new Caterham, or simply waste a bit more time on the configurator. For those that don’t want to wait (and can do without painted light bowls, or the purple) can find a host of nearly new Sevens in the classifieds: there’s the very first of the 25 Encore limited editions, 2.0-litre cars from 360 to 420 Cup via 420R, and even an unregistered CSR. In case the configurator wasn’t distracting enough…