They've been quiet for a while but now Caterham have played another high card with the new Caterham Superlight R500.
Weighing just 470 kg, the lightweight Seven packs a monstrous 530bhp per tonne punch from the specially bored 1998cc K Series engine. Impressive figures but the real clout comes from the 190lb ft of torque that kicks in at less than 4,000 revs flinging you up the road at a truly indecent pace.
The minimalist cabin is dressed with lightweight carbon-fibre trim, carbon-kevlar race seats and the classic Superlight Stack speedometer. New lightweight 13-inch eight-spoke wheels shod with Avon CR500 tyres help convert the raw power into road performance, whilst the AP Racing brakes have been fine-tuned at endurance events at Nurburgring and in the USA.
Fully adjustable dampers allow those buying the R500 evolution for track day fun to fiddle to their heart's content and bore fellow track day goers with riveting tales of suspension set up.
On sale from end of April, the Superlight R500 evolution is priced at an eye watering £42,000!
Engine 4 cylinder 1998cc MG Rover K Series, prepared by Minister Racing Engines
Power: 250bhp at 8000rpm
Torque: 190lb ft at 4000rpm
Power to Weight: 530bhp per tonne
Top Speed: 150mph
0-60mph: 3.2secs
Weight: 470kg
Mpg: Who cares?
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 4 3"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1 1"%3E%3C/svg%3E)