Tuesday 1st May 2012

You Know You Want To: A very leggy Caterham

Want to join the high-mile track car club? Here's your chance...

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Track-focused cars such as Caterhams tend to have a relatively easy life. Sure, when they're driven, they're driven hard, but they tend not to get driven all that often, only get brought out when the weather is clement (Dan's sodden Seven weekend being the exception to the rule) and are generally a little more mollycoddled than your average motorway hack.

That's definitely not the case with this particular car. It's a Superlight R that belongs to trackday company Bookatrack, and it's about to be retired after six years of faithful service.

During that time it's covered a whopping 157,000 on-track miles over the course of 600 track days and 1,000 different customers (proving the phrase 'one-owner' car doesn't necessarily mean all that much).

This isn't a Trigger's broom Caterham though. Even though it's been through 480 tyres, 300 brake pads and a whopping 1.575 million gearchanges it's still on its original engine and gearbox. Which is pretty impressive, given its not exactly easy life.

Interestingly, the Bookatrack Seven is also the last Superlight R built with a Rover K Series power plant.

To get your hands on this decidedly leggy Caterham, you'll have to stump up around £10K. As for whether its unusual history makes it a sound or stupid secondhand buy, well we'll leave that one up to you.

Compare the other secondhand Caterhams in the PH classifieds here

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2006 Caterham Superlight R
Price: £10,000
Why you should: You know it's been looked-after well, the price should be tempting
Why you shouldn't: It has had a hell of a hard life

[leon9191]

Quite interesting really, would have to be cheap tho. BTW Is that Chris H chasing it down the straight in his 4.0 GT3 RS? Saw one on the roada few weeks back.

[WillBrumBrum]

£7 million to start the bidding!

[SmartVenom]

It will probably end up a low mileage car with a couple of careful owners in a few years time.

[ctallchris]

how many skids / off's minor collisions. odes it come in special Caterham branded bucket?

[Bill Carr]

Why no price?

[Greg 172]

Early SOTW?

[MagicalTrevor]

Bill Carr said:

Why no price?

Because race car!

[thinfourth2]

Less wieght means less stress on everything.

Which is why light cars are good for the petrolhead and the treehugger.


My old 7 could lap round knockhill all day while the lardier trackday machines like scoobies etc would be doing ten laps before sitting the pitlane to cool down.

[PEJAYMotors]

Should make a very cheap toy and if its lasted with that many people driving I would like to think I could coax it through a few more days of fun...

[Riggers]

Bill Carr said:

Why no price?

I presume because they want to invite potential buyers to open the bidding.

I'd say a similar car that's had a 'normal' life and mileage would probably be worth around £20k, so maybe if you went in with an offer of £12k and came out the other side having paid £15k you might be happy... but that's merely conjecture...

[TonyHetherington]

I've done a few days in that car myself, actually

Interesting there's no price; it's not road legal, and has done lots of hard miles, so you'd think it would have to be one hell of a chunk less than current SuperLight Rs in the classifieds. I wonder how much to make it eligible for some of the Caterham race series though, which will probably be a good route for it.

[Frimley111R]

157,000 on-track miles
600 track days
1,000 different customers
480 tyres
300 brake pads
1.575 million gearchanges

"....it's still on its original engine and gearbox. Which is pretty impressive, given its not exactly easy life."


Why on earth would you buy this unless it was absolutely peanuts???

[Baryonyx]

To be honest, there is nothing particularly complex about the car and given that it's been a track car, it'll have been well looked after. The owners are not going to scrimp on maintaining the car as they know it is their duty to keep it in good order because people are paying to drive it. If the price was right, it could be a cracking buy for someone.

Interesting that they don't want to list a price, they either don't really know what a super leggy Catherham is worth or they're hoping someone will come in with a high offer.

[HorneyMX5]

Good old K-series lump as well. I wonder if it's on it's original head gasket.

[rhinochopig]

Shameless plug for Jonny and the rest at BaT, but credit where credit is due. I've done a fair few TDs and without question they are probably the best indy TD operator IME.

They don't suffer people driving like dheads on track and ensure that anyone driving discourteously has the error of their ways promptly pointed out; be it dangerous overtaking or holding people up.

If you're looking for a nice safe environment in which to break your TD cherry, you could do a lot worse than BaT.

[B10]

HorneyMX5 said:

Good old K-series lump as well. I wonder if it's on it's original head gasket.

I knew someone would mention this. Arrrrrrrhhhhhhhh
The K series was a great engine. I believe a relative of the K series is doing quite well in saloon car racing at present with a Mr Plato.
Other car engines have problems, lets hear some of those or is it because we prefer to damn home grown stuff?

[Dave Hedgehog]

2/10 simply because i cant get in a 7

[gforceg]

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[HorneyMX5]

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[Vanya]

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