Caterham CSR 260: Spotted
Fancy the last Cosworth-powered Seven ever made? Yep, us too
Curious car, the CSR. It was launched in 2005, and was billed as the first genuinely 'new' Seven in 48 years. Caterham had a proper swing at it, too. Bigger, stiffer, plusher, faster, better was the general idea, and, to all intents and purposes, the range-topper fulfilled its ambitious brief.
A significant period of development rendered a car larger than the Series 3 (it was based on the SV), one specifically re-engineered for enhanced torsional rigidity and with lift-mitigating aerodynamics. The Seven's cheerfully rudimentary suspension was replaced, too, double wishbones now featuring all-round, with pushrods linking coilover spring and damper units.
It was as trick as a magician's card deck, and Caterham reputedly worked its way through 36 possible settings for the front shocks to ensure it was perfect. Along with 89 for the rears. The result, according to Chris H while he still called Autocar home, was 'the best damping on UK roads of any sports car I have ever driven.'
High praise indeed. Its ability to levitate over British B roads was rounded out with a different breed of engine. Rather than pushing a K-Series motor further into the realms of improbability, Caterham had Cosworth breath on a much leggier 2.3-litre Ford Duratec unit until it produced 264hp at 7,200rpm. And 200lb ft of torque at 6,200rpm.
The latter figure, combined with the slightly less stressed character of the larger engine, made the CSR seriously fast, but also a mite less frenetic (if only for the fewer gear changes it demanded compared to its stablemates). Married to the suspension's unflappable level of control, that helped make it a ground coverer par excellence.
And because it was roomier and (optionally) ritzier than the stock models with an uprated dashboard, it was comfier, too. As a result, it seemed well placed to appeal to a customer that might not have previously considered a Seven among the three or four British-built two-seat prospects. Harris himself thought it was an "extraordinary vehicle, and one that will have a profound effect on the company."
Ten years later though, today's Spotted signalled the end of production without much fanfare. The fact that it hadn't propelled the firm into an entirely new orbit was lamentable - although understandable enough in hindsight. For a start, while the concept was impressively well conceived, it indubitably remained a Seven, and therefore retained many of the car's infamous limitations.
No impediment whatsoever to the established fanbase, but a marked disadvantage when compared to impermeable options like the Lotus Exige - newly launched in Series 2 format in 2004. Then there was the cost: fully £34,500 if you built it yourself; £37,000 if you got Caterham to do it for you. Enough for even the most ardent enthusiast to pause and consider whether or not one of the less sophisticated Sevens might not do the trick.
Of course, the combination of Cosworth mechanicals with Caterham running gear was easily persuasive enough for some, and even if it failed to properly crack the sports car-buying mainstream, a ten-year life cycle is obviously testament to the CSR's enduring appeal among aficionados. Certainly the last of its kind fits that billing, especially with just 2,635 miles on the clock. The asking price of history? £45,995. Oof.
SPECIFICATION - CATERHAM CSR 260
Engine: 2,261cc four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 264@7,200rpm
Torque (lb ft): 200@6,200rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
Year registered: 2005
Recorded miles: 2,635
Price new: £37,000
Price now: £45,995
See the full ad here.
May I suggest 'suggested' or 'stated'..?
Joking aside, perhaps this is a Caterham aimed more at the likes of me;
early 50's, likes a bit of comfort (in Caterham terms), and not a 'driving god', more a guy who can pedal a car well at perhaps at 8/10ths of its abilities.
I'd never considered a Caterham before, just too impractical for me but this just may have changed my mind.
Anyhoo, off to tip the sofa upside down and see what £££ has collected down there over the years....
One day there will be another one in the garage :-)
Having owned a Caterham and met plenty of others in the club, I can see why. The average owner is not mega-minted, they are simply a driving enthusiast with enough spare coin for a fun / impractical toy and some spanners they sometimes like to use.
So whilst making it plush and even faster makes sense on paper and for press reviews, most can get 99% of the thrill with a much more basic, cheaper model. Also more fun to tinker / mod yourself when it's cheaper and basic.
I had an S3 165bhp k-series roadsport and really didn't need anything faster - for most punters using their car on road and occasional track days, this is plenty. I don't mind admitting I ran out of talent / bravery before the car ran out of power.
And to make it more habitable? Well, I never saw the point - it was a silly car for having fun on silly journeys and road trips.
If I wanted something more refined and more expensive, I think I would have been heading off to Lotus to see what they would sell me. In actual fact, I've now got an old Porsche Boxster for pretty much those reasons.
Anyway, all IMHO. Good luck to Caterham though, fantastic cars and a truly unique experience!
The CSR is fab and it is of course all relative but it does feel a lot bigger punting down a B road.
Hello,
I have a 2005 CSR 260 which I use (more or less) as my daily driver. It is pretty comfortable on 4-5 hour trips, which are the longest I have made so far. I am still experimenting with headphones (Bose QC 35 II) and industrial ear defenders with a Bluetooth and a mike, so I can connect to the SatNav and hear what it is saying... but it is quite the most amazing car I have ever driven, and puts a smile on my face - always. It is blisteringly fast and the Caterham six speed box (built in a T-9 casing) is wonderful if you like gear changing. The ratios are very close, so at any given legal speed you usually have three or four gears to choose from. I have changed the CWP to a 3.14, and third is good for over 100mph (theoretically (!)) with another three gears to go. You need to do yoga if you want to get in with the hood up, but when you are in it is more or less watertight. It is a bit noisy, but the sound of the engine as it approaches the 7500 rpm redline is quite stirring. Actually, that is something of an understatement. LOL.
David.
Well here’s the owner of Y7CSR advertised on PH earlier this year.
Am I happy with the car? Holy crap yes.
I previously owned and tracked a sprightly Superlight R (K-series VHPD with roller barrels, so 200ish bhp), but always yearned for a CSR 260.
It really is the ‘ultimate’ Caterham.
Some drivers of S3 chassis mock the ‘grown up’ suspension, but if you’re a student of slip angles, you’ll find you can take every corner on a track that requires that critical sequence of brake, gear-selection and the throttle control way faster than any S3 chassis Caterham. The car just locks onto a predictable, feelable 6° or so of front slip, with around 8° of throttle controllable slip at the rear, on full throttle.
My track experience thus far (one session at Brands Indy) was positively mindblowing. Taking Sutrees absolutely flat in 4th (same as 6th in a 6-speed) before the very tricky right hand turn onto Clearways was a revelation.
And on the road, as Chris Harris reported, the car is unlike every other Caterham, but only in the best possible way.
An utterly unregrettable purchase, and easily the ‘Holy Grail’ of Caterhams. And probably, on any given B-road, the quickest.
The new 420 Cup has 10 click adjustable Bilstein dampers. My CSR has 35 click adjustable Bilstein dampers all round.
The new 420 Cup has 2 litres with 210bhp and 150 Nm torque. My CSR has 2.3 litres of Cosworth racing bhp and 200 Nm torque.
AP racing brakes, clutch and lightweight flywheel. Aero suspension, carbon Tillett seats, aeroscreen (which was a shocking experience driving to Le Mans, and required purchase of a full face helmet for the return journey).
I’m really very chuffed to own what I believe to be the very best of Caterham development to date, and like other contributors to this thread, can’t understand why it wasn’t a stepping stone.
Unless the cost of chassis/suspension/engine was just too much for rational upscaling….
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