Caterham Cars

Caterham Cars are a manufacturer of specialist lightweight sports cars based in Caterham, Surrey, England and part of the British motor industry. Their only model, the Caterham 7, is a direct development of the Lotus Seven designed by Colin Chapman and made under license.

Related Topics:
Sports car - Caterham - Surrey - England - British motor industry - Caterham 7 - Lotus Seven - Colin Chapman

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The cars are constructed from aluminium sheet attached to a tubular steel chassis, brazed together by hand. Their extremely high performance is achieved through light weight (less than 500 kg on some versions) rather than particularly powerful engines.

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The most extreme engine/chassis combination available from the factory as of 2004 was the R500 with the 230 bhp (169 kW) MG Rover engine, bringing the car's 430 kg (948 lb) from zero to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. This model also has the current production car world record (as of 27 April 2004) for 0-100-0 mph at 10.73 seconds. However, the new Caterham CSR model surpasses the R500 in power, and in 2005 may be expected to take the records for itself.

Related Topics:
MG Rover - 27 April - 2004

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Caterham buyers often assemble their cars themselves and usually modify them heavily, installing better engines, gearboxes and suspension.

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Caterham also produced a model called the '21' during the late-90's. Mechanically the 21 was almost identical to the 7, but instead of the uncompromising open body and wheels, the car had a much more mainstream roadster body, including a proper windscreen and fold-away hood. The model was launched following the success of similar models from Mazda and MG, however while a good car, the 21 never sold particularly well and was killed off after only a few years.

Related Topics:
Mazda - MG

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