Caterham 620R at Brands Hatch
Discussion
Saw on Evo Caterham 620R will be avavilable for testing at Brands Hatch.
Anybody going and willing to report back? (must be an "adrenalinic" experience)
Contacted them but the availability only for the afternoon could have been problematic for me (and you also have to pay 500 ukp that can be deducted if you buy it and this was not mentioned on Evo)
They will test you on a supersport before to see if you can handle it and then decide if you can have a few laps with it on your own.
Anybody going and willing to report back? (must be an "adrenalinic" experience)
Contacted them but the availability only for the afternoon could have been problematic for me (and you also have to pay 500 ukp that can be deducted if you buy it and this was not mentioned on Evo)
They will test you on a supersport before to see if you can handle it and then decide if you can have a few laps with it on your own.
Edited by Riccardino on Friday 25th October 10:31
So i had a short drive today , initial impressions
Fast
Fast
Fast
Doesn't need its nuts revved off to make significant progress in that a respect quite civilised for the road .
Sadev box clunky but not as noisy as the Quaife in the R500,
Very noisy , Caterham need to sort out better silencing , it was black flagged at Brands today ( as were some R500s but the 620R is MUCH louder )
Dash looks a bit work in progress , no oil pressure or water or oll temperature gauges , The R500 Stack is far better in this respect .Secondary switchgear a bit cheap looking
Front spring rates over 300lb ! but the ride didn't seem too harsh
Feels really planted , presumably partly due to high camber settings .
Now the question is ,shall i place my order ??
Fast
Fast
Fast
Doesn't need its nuts revved off to make significant progress in that a respect quite civilised for the road .
Sadev box clunky but not as noisy as the Quaife in the R500,
Very noisy , Caterham need to sort out better silencing , it was black flagged at Brands today ( as were some R500s but the 620R is MUCH louder )
Dash looks a bit work in progress , no oil pressure or water or oll temperature gauges , The R500 Stack is far better in this respect .Secondary switchgear a bit cheap looking
Front spring rates over 300lb ! but the ride didn't seem too harsh
Feels really planted , presumably partly due to high camber settings .
Now the question is ,shall i place my order ??
Guess he was referring to me and what I wrote
I assume they probably do not value a lot potential new buyers if they do not own a Caterham already or maybe they thought I cannot afford it. Not a good attitude from Caterham would say but that is only my personal experience
Anyway it seems it has been a great experience driving it. Interesting that it was black flagged at Brands (do not think it is one of strictes circuit for noise). If you cannot use it on tracks then what do you do with it!!!!
I assume they probably do not value a lot potential new buyers if they do not own a Caterham already or maybe they thought I cannot afford it. Not a good attitude from Caterham would say but that is only my personal experience
Anyway it seems it has been a great experience driving it. Interesting that it was black flagged at Brands (do not think it is one of strictes circuit for noise). If you cannot use it on tracks then what do you do with it!!!!
Edited by Riccardino on Thursday 31st October 15:47
mickrick said:
500 quid for a test drive! They´re up their own arse aren´t they?
£500 for a test drive on a track! Not a test drive. You get it back if you order, which seems reasonable. If there was no fee or deposit then all kinds of test pilots would turn up. I imagine if people have been to the showroom and seem like they might be serious then they may waive the fee. If it was a free for all then with something as fast as the 620R there is a very good chance it would be in the tyre wall inside the first hour.
Honestly did not want to enter into that discussion (more interesting in how is driving it) as everybody will make his/her own conclusion on asking 500 for that but 500 still unreasonable.
They clearly said that you were going to have a few lap on a supersport with a professional driver and then they would decide whether you can have the 620R for a few laps on your own,
Was invited by Jaguar for the Racing Heart Experience. 200 quid for sessions on track with F-Type V6s and V8S with video recording (I was interested in that), XFR, XJ LWB etc etc
They clearly said that you were going to have a few lap on a supersport with a professional driver and then they would decide whether you can have the 620R for a few laps on your own,
Was invited by Jaguar for the Racing Heart Experience. 200 quid for sessions on track with F-Type V6s and V8S with video recording (I was interested in that), XFR, XJ LWB etc etc
Edited by Riccardino on Thursday 31st October 15:48
Jaguar sell many, many more cars a year and if an F-Type is written off, they get another one from the fleet. Plus all the jags have stability control, traction control etc, which you wouldn't be able to turn off on that day.
Caterham probably only have 1 or 620Rs and they will be doing press work, promotional stuff and public test drives etc. Caterham may be part of a group that has an F1 team now, but the economics of their business are still the same as they have always been, ie they don't have the millions for CRM, advertising, promotional events etc. that Jag do. I think they would want to minimise the risk of losing their only car as much as possible?
Caterham probably only have 1 or 620Rs and they will be doing press work, promotional stuff and public test drives etc. Caterham may be part of a group that has an F1 team now, but the economics of their business are still the same as they have always been, ie they don't have the millions for CRM, advertising, promotional events etc. that Jag do. I think they would want to minimise the risk of losing their only car as much as possible?
Also I believe that the standard of driving on test drives for Caterhams can be a bit variable. A friend worked there many years ago and said some potential customer's driving was pretty terrifying. It would frankly be irresponsible for Caterham to send a person who they don't know out on track straight off in the 620R, even without considering their own worries about it being destroyed. If someone shows themselves to be a poor/overconfident/mad driver in a Supersport, why would they then guarantee that person can have a go in a 620R?
Sorry did not make my point clear.
They did have the chance to see whether they were willing to let the person drive the 620R on his own or not by testing him on the supersport so that would reduce the risk of giving the car to a "crazy" driver.
Would have liked to try to see whether it can be the right toy for me (but as said it would have been difficult anyway in the afternoon for me) and maybe I would not have been given the opportunity to drive it as I am not good enough. Just find weird they asked me to pay 500 quid just for that (and that was not mentioned on the EVO page)
Now it is even more annoying to learn that others did not have to pay for it so just wondering what was the criteria to decide who pays and who does not (hence my comments/joke on not having another Caterham already given curley has one based on his profile or their perception that I might not have the money)
They did have the chance to see whether they were willing to let the person drive the 620R on his own or not by testing him on the supersport so that would reduce the risk of giving the car to a "crazy" driver.
Would have liked to try to see whether it can be the right toy for me (but as said it would have been difficult anyway in the afternoon for me) and maybe I would not have been given the opportunity to drive it as I am not good enough. Just find weird they asked me to pay 500 quid just for that (and that was not mentioned on the EVO page)
Now it is even more annoying to learn that others did not have to pay for it so just wondering what was the criteria to decide who pays and who does not (hence my comments/joke on not having another Caterham already given curley has one based on his profile or their perception that I might not have the money)
Surely you pay them 500 quid deposit or more then get your money back if you don't bend it?bit fairer and not every test pilot will rag it within an inch of its life or be up for paying a deposit in the first place. 500 non return unless you purchase .........I'd be getting my moneys worth
The £500 days on track are not a test drive, you can go to the showroom (make appointment first) speak to one of the chaps and maybe drive it on the road - for free. It appears the days at Brands/Donny were to show the serious potential buyers like me how the car performs on the track. Yes, I had to drive the Supersport R with an instructor (bloody good little car that!) but then had a few, 8, laps in the 620R. I now fully understand their need to qualify people fully before letting anyone drive it.
Speaking to them it appears that in the past folk have told all sorts of porkies just to get behind the wheel only to end up in the ditch (not nice and bloody terrifying for the sales guys I'd imagine) and customers shifting the wrong way (yes, really) on the sequential 'box cost more than one engine rebuild in the past.
My view...it's a fecking fast Caterham but much different to any of the others I've owned or driven in the past. Definately on teh shortlist.
Speaking to them it appears that in the past folk have told all sorts of porkies just to get behind the wheel only to end up in the ditch (not nice and bloody terrifying for the sales guys I'd imagine) and customers shifting the wrong way (yes, really) on the sequential 'box cost more than one engine rebuild in the past.
My view...it's a fecking fast Caterham but much different to any of the others I've owned or driven in the past. Definately on teh shortlist.
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