RE: Caterham Seven 310R: PH Fleet
Sunday 23rd July 2017
So here it is: the PH Caterham Seven long-termer has arrived. That's a good sentence to write. You may be wondering where it's been, the car having been built over the Easter weekend. Being that time of year there was a fair old delay getting the car IVA'd and registered then, as the car was just about ready, Goodwood got in the way. But with the car having taken pride of place on Caterham's Festival of Speed stand - and having drawn many admiring glances - it was ready for us to collect.
Miami Blue £1,000 well spentSince then it has continued to draw admiring glances from pretty much everyone. How could it not? Porsche Miami Blue was agonised over for a good while, and proved a tricky colour to match as well, but I think the effort was worth it. Doesn't it look fantastic? Good job the colour was my decision then...
£400 for carbon leather seats perhaps not...Now I could bang on about what the little Seven has been like in the following few hundred miles (brilliant, in a word), but then we have competition winners for that. Yes, each of the seven chaps who lent a hand building the Seven will have a weekend with it, reporting back soon after on their adventures. Means less of the PH staff waffle at least!
It's not standing still for long!I adore the handling, too. A Seven may not be the fastest way around a circuit anymore but for involvement and feel, for the sensation of finely manipulating everything that the car does, I think it's without rival. Get it wrong - like one poor soul did on the exit of Coppice - and they're miserable; get a Caterham right however and there's not much else I'd rather be driving. Particularly at a damp Donington. See the vid below for a sense of it. I even overtook a 620R, though annoyingly that didn't record...
Caterham Seven 310R: PH Fleet
Summer in a Seven is finally on!
Miami Blue £1,000 well spent
Beyond the colour, this 310 also has the R pack (limited-slip diff, bigger brake master cylinder, track optimised suspension), the carbon dash, a removable steering wheel and the black decals. Oh yes, plus the door and roof package. Useful to have. They do get pricey, don't they?
Truth be told, the Seven experience didn't start well either. I got to Crawley later than planned, the car didn't have plates on and, by the time I got to the M25, the rush hour jam had been exacerbated by a crash. In 30-degree heat. Let me assure you, there are few worse automotive experiences than a Seven in a summer jam. You could wring my shirt out once the journey had finished.
£400 for carbon leather seats perhaps not...
One thing I would like to tell you about though is the BookATrack day at Donington I attended last week, because the competition winners aren't allowed to take the car on track. Sorry guys. Not only that but it was also a joyous, hilarious, magnificent day, one of the most enjoyable I've ever had on circuit.
Sure, slogging up the M1 at 6am and returning that afternoon in the rain is nobody's idea of fun. The car seems to get really hot whatever the weather. And it's so noisy. Out on a slippery circuit though that simply doesn't matter - the car is fabulous, fabulous fun. The 310-spec engine feels a unit transformed from the fairly ordinary Sigma 1.6 found elsewhere, boisterous and feisty and really, really potent. There's more torque and a hitherto unknown appetite for revs, the engine screaming through the last 2,500rpm from 5K with great energy. Of course on track that suits absolutely perfectly.
It's not standing still for long!
So LJ17 HVP has already made an overwhelmingly positive first impression, and I'm sure it will continue to do so. Suffice it to say you'll be seeing plenty more of the car over the coming weeks! First report from Ben to follow soon.
Watch the video here.
FACT SHEET
Car: Caterham Seven 310R
Run by: Whoever gets it first
On fleet since: April 2017
Mileage: 2,453
List price new: £23,495 (As tested £38,930 comprising £2,500 for factory build, £4,495 for R pack, £200 for track suspension pack, £675 for Ventilated front brakes with quad piston calipers, £200 for 13-inch Apollo black alloys on Avon ZZS tyres, £1,250 for full weather equipment and side screens, £95 for side screen arm rests, £80 for hood bag, £95 for boot cover in carbon vinyl, £115 for fully carpeted interior, £400 for carbon leather seats, £150 for Momo quick release steering wheel, £300 for heater, £300 for Sequential shift lights, £495 for lowered floors, £900 for high intensity lights with LED daytime running lights, £1,000 for Miami Blue custom colour, £395 for full decal pack, £995 for full paint protection and £895 for on the road package)
Last month at a glance: Splendid start for summer in a Seven!
Previous updates:
We need help building 'our' 310R
It's built, now to get it on the road
Find out more about Caterham here.
Thanks to BookATrack for having us at Donington!
Discussion
Wanted one (Lotus then) since 1966, never quite got there until the ripe old age of 48 when I bought my 1.6 (new). Such fun even at legal speeds. Kept it 12 years sold it for what I paid for it, cost pence to run, drove around Europe in it. I still miss it......... I am 63 now, I might just go and something very silly and get another! (Don't tell the Mrs) Great cars, what Pistonheads are surely all about.
What a superb little machine, I would love to own one of these one day - alas with family life looming large I'm not in a position to spend quite so much on a "toy" sadly
I'd be pleased with a 310 too, I'm sure that it would be powerful enough to have some good fun on the roads without being too much of a hand full
I wouldn't say no to a 360 though!
I'd be pleased with a 310 too, I'm sure that it would be powerful enough to have some good fun on the roads without being too much of a hand full
I wouldn't say no to a 360 though!
J4CKO said:
HustleRussell said:
Get that windscreen off and an aeroscreen on ASAP
Out of interest, as I have an urge for a Seven type thing, what are the pros and cons of the screen vs not having one ?The windscreen is a flat piece of plate glass. Not the last word in aerodynamic refinement. The wipers are straight out of the 60s and the weather gear is such that you'll often have just as much water on the inside of the screen as you do on the outside anyway. With the doors fitted it does provide decent protection from the blast and buffeting of the wind at speed. However if you're tall the door frames annoy you as they are at your eye line, and the windows being flexible plastic are not perfect for sideways vision either. Fortunately the doors lift off their hinges. However this exposes the biggest problem with the screen. Without the doors you are blasted from all sides by heavy and apparently random gusts to the point that your eyes water at any speed above 50mph. You can substitute the doors for clear wind deflectors- but then you have no door mirrors.
Best off biting the bullet, doing away with the lot and coupling the excellent aeroscreen and mirrors with a good pair of ballistic goggles or a crash helmet and enjoying (counter intuitively) less buffeting, and an unfettered 360 degree view- at least for the summer months.
Then buy a rollcage for safety, because you wanted one for trackdays anyway.
Edited by HustleRussell on Tuesday 18th July 12:27
HustleRussell said:
J4CKO said:
HustleRussell said:
Get that windscreen off and an aeroscreen on ASAP
Out of interest, as I have an urge for a Seven type thing, what are the pros and cons of the screen vs not having one ?The windscreen is a flat piece of plate glass. Not the last word in aerodynamic refinement. The wipers are straight out of the 60s and the weather gear is such that you'll often have just as much water on the inside of the screen as you do on the outside anyway. With the doors fitted it does provide decent protection from the blast and buffeting of the wind at speed. However if you're tall the door frames annoy you as they are at your eye line, and the windows being flexible plastic are not perfect for sideways vision either. Fortunately the doors lift off their hinges. However this exposes the biggest problem with the screen. Without the doors you are blasted from all sides by heavy and apparently random gusts to the point that your eyes water at any speed above 50mph. You can substitute the doors for clear wind deflectors- but then you have no door mirrors.
Best off biting the bullet, doing away with the lot and coupling the excellent aeroscreen and mirrors with a good pair of ballistic goggles or a crash helmet and enjoying (counter intuitively) less buffeting, and an unfettered 360 degree view- at least for the summer months.
Then buy a rollcage for safety, because you wanted one for trackdays anyway.
Edited by HustleRussell on Tuesday 18th July 12:27
Are they interchangeable easily enough, i.e. like a hardtop on a convertible, if you get the urge you can swap from aero to normal screen or vice versa in an hour or so ?
It does interest me the safety aspects of Seven type sports cars, more akin to a motorbike than a car I guess.
J4CKO said:
Cheers HustleRussell !
Are they interchangeable easily enough, i.e. like a hardtop on a convertible, if you get the urge you can swap from aero to normal screen or vice versa in an hour or so ?
It does interest me the safety aspects of Seven type sports cars, more akin to a motorbike than a car I guess.
An hour? Certainly. The screen is 4x 6mm button heads and 13mm nuts, possibly an electrical connector if you have the heated screen option. 20 mins. It's not something you want to interchange all the time though, perhaps seasonally. Always the risk of scratching the paint as you remove and refit the screen.Are they interchangeable easily enough, i.e. like a hardtop on a convertible, if you get the urge you can swap from aero to normal screen or vice versa in an hour or so ?
It does interest me the safety aspects of Seven type sports cars, more akin to a motorbike than a car I guess.
I suspect, though, that once you've tried aeroscreen your windscreen will gather dust. No matter what the spec, the Caterham is not a car in which you can enjoy road journeys in persistent heavy rain. On the circuit, you will trade off the promise of staying dry-ish and warm-ish for the all round visibility and sensation of driving a real racing car.
My experience is pretty much the opposite. I have an aeroscreen but once the windscreen went on have never used it since. All you say about the windscreen is true, but crucially, it means I can drive with just sunnies or goggles on, rather than using a helmet. Which is great at this time of year. I personally wouldn't go on the road with an aeroscreen and no helmet, far too many stones and things come your way.
I always intended to swap to the aeroscreen for trackdays but I've never bothered. It might give me a few mph more at the end of the straight but frankly that isn't going to make anything any more fun.
I always intended to swap to the aeroscreen for trackdays but I've never bothered. It might give me a few mph more at the end of the straight but frankly that isn't going to make anything any more fun.
I'd echo the thoughts on the aeroscreen.
Mine had brackets that made changing from windscreen to aeroscreen a 10 minute job, but I did scratch the paint a few times :-(
The car felt dramatically different with the aeroscreen on, the full wide open view of the road was tremendous. Felt quicker on track too.
My son and I drove all the way from Manchester to Le Mans and back in 2014 with no screen or roof (we'd checked the forecast first!! .... 5 days of 30C heat) An epic roadtrip and experience that neither of us will forget in a hurry:
Looking forward to reading how PH get on with the 310R
Mine had brackets that made changing from windscreen to aeroscreen a 10 minute job, but I did scratch the paint a few times :-(
The car felt dramatically different with the aeroscreen on, the full wide open view of the road was tremendous. Felt quicker on track too.
My son and I drove all the way from Manchester to Le Mans and back in 2014 with no screen or roof (we'd checked the forecast first!! .... 5 days of 30C heat) An epic roadtrip and experience that neither of us will forget in a hurry:
Looking forward to reading how PH get on with the 310R
Saw this little car parked a couple of doors down from my MiL's house with its temporary weekend owner. The colour works really well on it - my last se7en was riviera blue, but I think this colour with the stripe works even better.
I also spotted it out on the road three times, resplendent in its wet weather gear and fogged up windows and later in blue sky and a good covering of mud and sheep poo, so I assuming that it has been well <ahem> run in
Lovely little thing. It's been a year without one for me which is the longest for about 20 years. I do miss them, they really get under your skin.
I also spotted it out on the road three times, resplendent in its wet weather gear and fogged up windows and later in blue sky and a good covering of mud and sheep poo, so I assuming that it has been well <ahem> run in
Lovely little thing. It's been a year without one for me which is the longest for about 20 years. I do miss them, they really get under your skin.
These things are just so much fun. We hired one a couple of years ago (Roadsport 140) and had a brilliant day. My wife (who I think had expected our day in the countryside in one of those funny little old fashioned cars to be a sedate bimble down some country lanes) spent the whole day giggling like a loon, the look on her face when I booted it up the dual carriageway after leaving the Crawley showroom was priceless 
What followed was 120 miles of hilarity whilst getting waved at by schoolkids and appreciative nods from passers by, scowls from old ladies in Petworth (the silencers don't really do much silencing!) and the satisfaction of getting to grips with the heavy clutch.
Gave it back an hour late after getting lost finding a petrol station and minus the front numberplate after it bottomed out on a bumpy country lane but the guys at Crawley didn't charge us for it which was a bonus.
Been given the green light to book another day in a 7 next summer, can't wait!
What followed was 120 miles of hilarity whilst getting waved at by schoolkids and appreciative nods from passers by, scowls from old ladies in Petworth (the silencers don't really do much silencing!) and the satisfaction of getting to grips with the heavy clutch.
Gave it back an hour late after getting lost finding a petrol station and minus the front numberplate after it bottomed out on a bumpy country lane but the guys at Crawley didn't charge us for it which was a bonus.
Been given the green light to book another day in a 7 next summer, can't wait!
Edited by lufbramatt on Tuesday 18th July 14:11
Doesn’t the ‘R’ pack come with a lighter flywheel? Presumably that explains the ‘hitherto unknown appetite for revs’.
I’ve heard that if you have the windscreen but not the side windows, you can end up fighting for breath because it creates a partial vacuum. Is this something owners on here have experienced??
I’ve heard that if you have the windscreen but not the side windows, you can end up fighting for breath because it creates a partial vacuum. Is this something owners on here have experienced??
I have gone aeroscreen in my Superlight after a long time. I have a clear aero which makes visibility better for me, though need a proper central mirror. The car is quicker and you feel more connected.
However I do wear a full face helmet which does impede some vision and I most look a berk driving it on the road through town. Better than a stone to the head though...
140-160bhp is wonderful on road IMO as you can use all the revs in lots of gears and make very quick yet legal progress.
I often wonder about getting a 420R or the like but do wonder if the bigger power and more grip takes away from the on road accessibility of the lower power cars.
I then go out for a blast and ask myself what a faster Seven would really give me and inevitably come back with no answer!
However I do wear a full face helmet which does impede some vision and I most look a berk driving it on the road through town. Better than a stone to the head though...
140-160bhp is wonderful on road IMO as you can use all the revs in lots of gears and make very quick yet legal progress.
I often wonder about getting a 420R or the like but do wonder if the bigger power and more grip takes away from the on road accessibility of the lower power cars.
I then go out for a blast and ask myself what a faster Seven would really give me and inevitably come back with no answer!
16 years of ownership and we have recently sold our 7 ...
On the right road, in the right weather & at non license losing speeds everything else seems like a backward step in terms of pure driver involvement.
Way way overpriced new IMHO but buy the right one used and you will be laughing in terms of depreciation.
The aero screen debate is very personal and very much depends on what you intend using the car for ?
On the right road, in the right weather & at non license losing speeds everything else seems like a backward step in terms of pure driver involvement.
Way way overpriced new IMHO but buy the right one used and you will be laughing in terms of depreciation.
The aero screen debate is very personal and very much depends on what you intend using the car for ?
I've got an aeroscreened 420R, no windscreen, heater or roof. I wear ballistic sunglasses on the road (and earplugs), though put a helmet on if doing lots of motorway miles. Touch wood I haven't died yet. Managed 1500 miles over a long weekend to the Nurburgring and back 3 weeks ago, mostly in the rain, only got a bit wet, though I am going to invest in a waterproof karting suit for the future.
Driving it is a hugely intense experience, all the better for the aeroscreen.
Driving it is a hugely intense experience, all the better for the aeroscreen.
Edited by griffchris on Tuesday 18th July 21:32
Does this car really have: "£300 for Sequential shift lights" with a manual gearbox? Is this just to show when to change gear then?
Also, R pack comes with Composite race seats doesnt it, so was it worth paying for them and then paying £400 for carbon leather seats?
Options seem so plentiful it gets confusing (and expensive!)
Also, R pack comes with Composite race seats doesnt it, so was it worth paying for them and then paying £400 for carbon leather seats?
Options seem so plentiful it gets confusing (and expensive!)
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