Discussion
I’m looking into dipping my toe in the world of Caterham’s but Have s few questions
Are the new ones reliable?? Engine box etc....
What’s the SV chassis??
Are they a complete package that doesn’t need anything spending on them
I’m looking at maybe R500 or R620 I’ve done some sprints and hill climbs in the past and would like to try and take sons records
I’ve been sprinting/ hillclimbing Evo’s in the past
Any help appreciated
Thanks
Are the new ones reliable?? Engine box etc....
What’s the SV chassis??
Are they a complete package that doesn’t need anything spending on them
I’m looking at maybe R500 or R620 I’ve done some sprints and hill climbs in the past and would like to try and take sons records
I’ve been sprinting/ hillclimbing Evo’s in the past
Any help appreciated
Thanks
Reliable? Yes, as long as maintained, which isn’t hard. Engines are Ford in various states of tune.
The SV is the Series 5 (think Roman numeral) and is a few inches wider and longer than the S3. Also 25kg heavier if that matters to you.
If you’re thinking new the R500 isn’t available any more. It’s the same engine as the 620 but the latter is supercharged. The numbers roughly indicate the bhp per tonne.
The 500s came with the 6 speed Caterham box which was pretty well known and reliable. The 620 comes with a 6 speed sequential or 5 speed ( R or S)
Are they complete? Yes, but there’s always stuff you can do if you want.
Most of what you need to know about what you get with the 620 is on the CC website.
Would suggest you hire something from Bookatrack at Donington and try before you buy. The 620 especially will be a lot different to an Evo. No traction/yaw control etc, brake assistance, power steering. Nothing. Just 310bhp in 500 and odd Kg.
The SV is the Series 5 (think Roman numeral) and is a few inches wider and longer than the S3. Also 25kg heavier if that matters to you.
If you’re thinking new the R500 isn’t available any more. It’s the same engine as the 620 but the latter is supercharged. The numbers roughly indicate the bhp per tonne.
The 500s came with the 6 speed Caterham box which was pretty well known and reliable. The 620 comes with a 6 speed sequential or 5 speed ( R or S)
Are they complete? Yes, but there’s always stuff you can do if you want.
Most of what you need to know about what you get with the 620 is on the CC website.
Would suggest you hire something from Bookatrack at Donington and try before you buy. The 620 especially will be a lot different to an Evo. No traction/yaw control etc, brake assistance, power steering. Nothing. Just 310bhp in 500 and odd Kg.
Thank you for your detailed reply 👍🏼
I drove my friends R400 a few years ago and loved it
The not having a roof is my only issue, safety and weather , I’ve only ever had RS evo’s So no active yaw or abs etc.... pretty raw with big power too
I watched a video of a guy in Caterham doing a lap of a sprint I was at last week and it looked so much fun being right on the edge
I drove my friends R400 a few years ago and loved it
The not having a roof is my only issue, safety and weather , I’ve only ever had RS evo’s So no active yaw or abs etc.... pretty raw with big power too
I watched a video of a guy in Caterham doing a lap of a sprint I was at last week and it looked so much fun being right on the edge
peeler said:
What’s the cc website ?? The Caterham site ??
I’ve read lots but nothing from owners.
Thanks again
Some useful info here. You can fit a full roll cage if you want. The weights quoted by Caterham are optimistic. The 620 weighs closer to 600kgs so it should be called the 530R.I’ve read lots but nothing from owners.
Thanks again
peeler said:
Thank you for your detailed reply ????
I drove my friends R400 a few years ago and loved it
The not having a roof is my only issue, safety and weather , I’ve only ever had RS evo’s So no active yaw or abs etc.... pretty raw with big power too
I watched a video of a guy in Caterham doing a lap of a sprint I was at last week and it looked so much fun being right on the edge
The R400D is fine, it’s what I have because I wanted to build my own and that was the highest power available as a kit. I drove my friends R400 a few years ago and loved it
The not having a roof is my only issue, safety and weather , I’ve only ever had RS evo’s So no active yaw or abs etc.... pretty raw with big power too
I watched a video of a guy in Caterham doing a lap of a sprint I was at last week and it looked so much fun being right on the edge
You’re always exposed in a 7, especially on the road. You wouldn’t want to be hit by anything substantial.
As for the weather, lots of options. I have an aeroscreen for the track, a half hood in the boot in case of being caught in the rain and full weather equipment if I need to go any distance in the rain. (Which I would always try to avoid).
10 minutes to change the aeroscreen for the windscreen, a couple to fit the halfhood, a few more for the full hood.
I wouldn’t drive any distance on road with the aeroscreen, though some do.
Tazio77 said:
SV does not mean Series 5 as suggested, in Caterhams words, SV stands for Special Vehicle...
That’s interesting. It’s what I have always believed as it’s what Caterham told me when I bought mine and it’s very commonly used as a reference by suppliers like SBFS, Thundersport etc. No worries, it’s still the big one!
sfaulds said:
It's also what 'Caterham' refer to them as internally. I dare say someone at Caterham has called it a Special Vehicle at some point, but there's a clue in SV part numbers...
You’re right. Many parts are numbered 30****** for S3 or 50****** for SVs. Surely not just coincidence?
The SV started life as a "Special Vehicle" as it was looked on as a research project to see if a Seven could be made to accommodate larger males more typical of the late 20th century. The Series 1 and subsequent Series 2 and 3 had internal dimensions based more or less on Colin Chapman's 5 foot 6 inch frame (that's why it suits me fine 
).
I would guess that the alternative meaning of SV as Series 5 was tacked on later. By and large, Lotus and Caterham have not used Roman numerals to designate their vehicle or models. Lotus did in the early days (for instance, the Lotus 11 was originally usually written as Lotus XI) but they gave up around the time the first Lotus Seven was introduced.
).I would guess that the alternative meaning of SV as Series 5 was tacked on later. By and large, Lotus and Caterham have not used Roman numerals to designate their vehicle or models. Lotus did in the early days (for instance, the Lotus 11 was originally usually written as Lotus XI) but they gave up around the time the first Lotus Seven was introduced.
Eric Mc said:
TLotus did in the early days (for instance, the Lotus 11 was originally usually written as Lotus XI) but they gave up around the time the first Lotus Seven was introduced.
Actually, the Eleven marked the abandonment of Roman numerals (because Chapman realised it would soon become silly, with numbers that most people would struggle to decipher, given the rate they were introducing new models). It was never officially the XI, though press and public may have referred to it as such because they were used to the previous system. 
Eric Mc said:
Thanks for the better info. I knew I have seen the Lotus 11 written as Lotus XI - but never the Lotus 15 as the Lotus XV.
And as far as I know Caterham have never been common users of Roman numerals.
If you Google images for old Lotus adverts, you'll find that both the names Eleven and Seven were always spelled out (not 11 or 7, never mind XI or VII), and started the trend for Lotus road cars to have (mostly alliterative) names, and race cars to have numbers. And yes, I know that it is stretching it to call the Eleven a road car (though Lotus viewed it as dual purpose), and that the 'E' names aren't alliterative in the strictest sense of the word, but you know what I mean...And as far as I know Caterham have never been common users of Roman numerals.
Funnily enough, it was only Caterham that called their cars the 7 (using a numeral).
Yes. They were restricted by Lotus as to what they could do with the name. They certainly couldn't call it a Lotus Seven, Lotus 7 , Lotus VII or anything else that said "Lotus" in the description.
In the end, they decided to just call it the "Seven" (without the "Caterham" prefix initially). Fans called it the Caterham Seven anyway and eventually the company went with that.
The "numeral "7" was incorporated into the company badge with the design"inspired" by the Lotus logo.
In the end, they decided to just call it the "Seven" (without the "Caterham" prefix initially). Fans called it the Caterham Seven anyway and eventually the company went with that.
The "numeral "7" was incorporated into the company badge with the design"inspired" by the Lotus logo.
I've had 3. My first was in 2013 which was a K Series R400 with the Caterham 6 speed gearbox. It was fantastic, made incredible noises and was brilliant on the road. It was reliable in the time I had it aside from it jumping out of gear on the overrun due to a worn gearbox. It was however at least ten years old at that point.
I traded it in for my new Academy car, which has a Sigma engine and Mazda 5 speed gear box and has been upgraded through Roadsport to it's current 310spec. As a 310 it's really good, with plenty of power, wide suspension and an LSD. A lot of people say it's the sweet spot in the current Caterham line up. It's been raced hard each year and aside from regular oil changes and one - probably unnecessary gearbox refresh, is totally reliable. I'm so impressed with Ford Sigma engines. It would be a great road car.
I currently race a 420R which has the Duratec 2.0 engine and about 175BHP with the 6 sequential gearbox. It is a bit faster and the gearbox is amazing, but it would be terrible on the road as the gearbox is so brutal and noisey.
The SV chassis - which I always thought meant Series 5, Caterham quickly dropped the Series 4 and went back to the Series 3 when they bought the 7 from Lotus - is quite a bit bigger which probably makes it a bit more practical. It's worth noting that none of the Caterham race cars have an SV chassis and there are plenty of people racing who are over 6'6" and 18 stone, so you WILL fit in an S3 chassis.
The best advice you can have is to speak to owners who use them, go to a few trackdays, have a go in a few and speak to the Caterham dealers and very good independent specialists to get an idea what you want.
GG
I traded it in for my new Academy car, which has a Sigma engine and Mazda 5 speed gear box and has been upgraded through Roadsport to it's current 310spec. As a 310 it's really good, with plenty of power, wide suspension and an LSD. A lot of people say it's the sweet spot in the current Caterham line up. It's been raced hard each year and aside from regular oil changes and one - probably unnecessary gearbox refresh, is totally reliable. I'm so impressed with Ford Sigma engines. It would be a great road car.
I currently race a 420R which has the Duratec 2.0 engine and about 175BHP with the 6 sequential gearbox. It is a bit faster and the gearbox is amazing, but it would be terrible on the road as the gearbox is so brutal and noisey.
The SV chassis - which I always thought meant Series 5, Caterham quickly dropped the Series 4 and went back to the Series 3 when they bought the 7 from Lotus - is quite a bit bigger which probably makes it a bit more practical. It's worth noting that none of the Caterham race cars have an SV chassis and there are plenty of people racing who are over 6'6" and 18 stone, so you WILL fit in an S3 chassis.
The best advice you can have is to speak to owners who use them, go to a few trackdays, have a go in a few and speak to the Caterham dealers and very good independent specialists to get an idea what you want.
GG
Griffgrog said:
I've had 3. My first was in 2013 which was a K Series R400 with the Caterham 6 speed gearbox. It was fantastic, made incredible noises and was brilliant on the road. It was reliable in the time I had it aside from it jumping out of gear on the overrun due to a worn gearbox. It was however at least ten years old at that point.
I traded it in for my new Academy car, which has a Sigma engine and Mazda 5 speed gear box and has been upgraded through Roadsport to it's current 310spec. As a 310 it's really good, with plenty of power, wide suspension and an LSD. A lot of people say it's the sweet spot in the current Caterham line up. It's been raced hard each year and aside from regular oil changes and one - probably unnecessary gearbox refresh, is totally reliable. I'm so impressed with Ford Sigma engines. It would be a great road car.
I currently race a 420R which has the Duratec 2.0 engine and about 175BHP with the 6 sequential gearbox. It is a bit faster and the gearbox is amazing, but it would be terrible on the road as the gearbox is so brutal and noisey.
The SV chassis - which I always thought meant Series 5, Caterham quickly dropped the Series 4 and went back to the Series 3 when they bought the 7 from Lotus - is quite a bit bigger which probably makes it a bit more practical. It's worth noting that none of the Caterham race cars have an SV chassis and there are plenty of people racing who are over 6'6" and 18 stone, so you WILL fit in an S3 chassis.
The best advice you can have is to speak to owners who use them, go to a few trackdays, have a go in a few and speak to the Caterham dealers and very good independent specialists to get an idea what you want.
GG
Surely a 420R will be 210/220bhp? The 360 is around 175/180 isn't it? I traded it in for my new Academy car, which has a Sigma engine and Mazda 5 speed gear box and has been upgraded through Roadsport to it's current 310spec. As a 310 it's really good, with plenty of power, wide suspension and an LSD. A lot of people say it's the sweet spot in the current Caterham line up. It's been raced hard each year and aside from regular oil changes and one - probably unnecessary gearbox refresh, is totally reliable. I'm so impressed with Ford Sigma engines. It would be a great road car.
I currently race a 420R which has the Duratec 2.0 engine and about 175BHP with the 6 sequential gearbox. It is a bit faster and the gearbox is amazing, but it would be terrible on the road as the gearbox is so brutal and noisey.
The SV chassis - which I always thought meant Series 5, Caterham quickly dropped the Series 4 and went back to the Series 3 when they bought the 7 from Lotus - is quite a bit bigger which probably makes it a bit more practical. It's worth noting that none of the Caterham race cars have an SV chassis and there are plenty of people racing who are over 6'6" and 18 stone, so you WILL fit in an S3 chassis.
The best advice you can have is to speak to owners who use them, go to a few trackdays, have a go in a few and speak to the Caterham dealers and very good independent specialists to get an idea what you want.
GG
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