2026 Caterham Seven Academy | PH Review

Stallion, or non starter? Time for a spin in Caterham's new Horse-engined racer

By Matt Bird / Saturday, 6 September 2025 / Loading comments

It’s easy to see why the Caterham Academy has been so popular for 30 years now. It’s the ideal introduction to motorsport: a car that’s hugely exciting to race but not intimidating to drive or prohibitive to maintain, there’s support from an experienced team where it’s needed and freedom where you’d want it, plus a great community of like minded individuals to share it with. Having been fortunate enough to complete a season of Academy many moons ago, it remains a real career highlight. Track days really can’t compare at all to the thrill of competition. And you’re left with a road legal Seven at the end, which can be upgraded for racing further up the Caterham pyramid, used and enjoyed as weekend sports car, or sold to recoup some costs. It’s all pretty persuasive.

Change is afoot for the championship, however, with the Ford Sigma engines that powered Academy Sevens (as well as a host of roadgoing models) for more than 15 years no longer made. So, as you might have heard, there’s now a 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbo taking its place; it’s sourced from the Horse empire, it’s called the HR13DDT, and it’s familiar from other installations like, um, the Dacia Duster, Nissan Qashqai and Mercedes A-Class.

But Caterhams have shared engines with plenty of plain cars over the years, so there shouldn’t be too much concern there; stripping away everything but the bare essentials does tend to bring the experience to life somewhat. That being said, a small forced induction unit doesn’t sound ideal for introducing novices to motorsport, and this engine will surely make its way to roadgoing Caterhams in time. So more than just finding out how wet Brands Hatch can be in early September, and rekindling some Academy memories, the suitability for this 1.3 as a Sigma successor in all sorts of Sevens probably has to be considered also.

There are a few giveaways to identify a Horse-powered Caterham. There’s a vent to draw air into the new intercooler, plus a hump to accommodate the high pressure fuel lines that sit on top of the engine. This isn’t the finished design of bonnet bulge just yet, but the real thing will have to have something similar. For next year, too, all these Academy cars will have to be factory built as Caterham learns about the package - the kit is coming in 2027. However the bonnet ends up and whichever livery is applied, there’ll be no mistaking this for anything but a Seven, seemingly the size of something for the Settrington Cup rather than actual adult racing.

While boasting 132hp, as per the other installations of this engine, Caterham has made changes for a motorsport application. Its own software is used to make the torque delivery more linear; the dump of lb ft at 2,000rpm that makes an SUV simple to drive (and good on tests) isn’t much use in the heat of competition, so this has been designed to build up to peak twist of 130lb ft at similar revs (5,150rpm) to the 1.6. Peak power is made at 5,900rpm, there’s a shift light at 6,000rpm, and it’ll rev to 6,500rpm if required. The gearbox for the 1.3 is the six-speed from a Mazda MX-5, and there’s a limited-slip diff unique to this car between the rear 13-inch wheels. It’s the first time there’s been such hardware in an Academy car; the 1.3 was tested with an open diff, but was squandering too much via the unloaded wheel out of bends. So in went an LSD.

Its impact is immediately apparent, even from the passenger seat (Alex Read, Caterham’s head of motorsport, showed us around to start with). In driving rain and on the modest Toyo tyres, the Seven spins up and moves around in totally benign fashion. Which is handy, because it wants to do that all the time. The locking diff offers up predictability and confidence (even in fourth gear!) that an open arrangement wouldn’t - it must be worth the premium to have it included. Because you can guarantee at least one wet race.

Hemmed into the exciting side, the Seven is as familiar as a favourite old t-shirt. Smaller and smaller as the years pass (funny how that happens), but the most perfect time machine back to simpler times. Tiny pedals, tiny wheel, buttons scattered everywhere and a little toadstall of a gearlever sprouting from the tunnel set the scene perfectly.

Encouragingly, driving the Horse Academy Seven is absolutely relatable to the old cars. While there is no mistaking its forced induction, it’s far less whizz-bang than the 660cc Suzuki triple, and feels for the most part like a nat-asp engine. There’s never a point in the monsoon where it feels like you must anticipate the boost or work around lag: it’s linear, predictable and progressive in the best way.

It does require slightly different driving, though. Because the engine accrues revs so undramatically, both in terms of character and sound, you need to keep a look out for that shift light to avoid the limiter. There’s really no benefit chasing maximum revs. With six gears instead of five and what feel like really short ratios, you’re always busy on the wonderful shift; even in the rain, the shift light in fifth gear is illuminating down the main straight. Choosing the right gear at the right time will be key to success for next year’s racers. That sounds obvious written down, but it’ll matter more than ever.

On a track like Indy, Caterham suggests that this new engine makes a Seven between half and a full second faster around a lap. It doesn’t take long to understand that thinking, this car punching from bends harder than most 1.6s ever did and diff decisively apportioning power so as little as possible is wasted. When visibility is compromised from water inside the windscreen, rain is coming up under the doors and Paddock Hill Bend feels like a log flume, the Academy car feels plenty fast enough. Thanks very much.

As always with these wonderful little cars, though, with time comes confidence. As most seek shelter in their pit garages, it seems the perfect time to try a bit harder. And it’s glorious. When a Caterham clicks, even one with a Dacia Duster engine, there remain few greater driving experience; the throttle response and gearchange make downshifts a cinch, the brake pedal feel means you can be (almost) millimetre perfect, the steering brims with feedback and the diff means endless throttle adjustability. When the marshalls aren’t looking. Any danger that turbocharging could sully the charm of the junior Caterham racer are allayed in 15 glorious minutes.

But it’s not quite perfect. The sound is a little muted, and what you do hear isn’t exactly spine tingling; not really a concern for a dedicated race car, though potentially more of an issue should this become a road car unit. While the Sigma only really found its voice with individual throttle bodies, it was always slightly sweeter sounding than this. An inevitable obstacle perhaps, but a notable one.

Nevertheless, it’s hard to leave the Horse-engined Caterham Academy car with anything but an overwhelmingly positive first impression. All the joy of an entry level Seven has been retained, with the six-speed and the diff adding another dimension of entertainment. To have the future of the championship safeguarded with this powertrain swap feels like very good news. Those signed up for 2026 are going to have a blast - and there are still spaces available on the grid…

SPECIFICATION | 2026 CATERHAM SEVEN ACADEMY

Engine: 1,332cc, four-cyl turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear wheel drive, LSD
Power (hp): 132@5,900rpm
Torque (lb ft): 130@5,150rpm
0-62mph: c. 5.0 seconds
Top speed: c. 120mph
Weight: c. 550kg
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
Price: from £42,995