2013 Caterham Seven Supersport R

2013 Caterham Seven Supersport R

Exterior and Interior

Just recently, Caterham confirmed its desire to become more mainstream by producing traditional sports cars, SUVs and even city cars, thanks in part to its new collaboration with Renault. This doesn’t mean that Caterham will give up on its roots of producing lightweight, small-displacement-engine vehicles built specifically for track use. This is made evident, as the British auto firm has just announced an all-new variant to its Seven lineup. This new variant is dubbed the Seven Supersport R.

The Supersport R takes what Caterham has done with the Supersport and straps 25 percent more power to it, making it one of the most impressive models in its lineup. Caterham boss, Graham Macdonald, had glowing compliments about the Supersport R, as he said: “The performance of the car is very impressive but, teamed with the accessibility of the suspension specification that works so effortlessly on the road and track on the base model, it is well-balanced, satisfying and fun in terms of the driving experience it offers.”

While Macdonald’s comments are striking, he does have just a little bit of a bias when it comes to the Supersport R, so let’s have a look at it and see if it is all Macdonald says it is.

On the outside and inside, the Supersport R is exactly what you would expect of a Seven-based racecar, as it is very simple and uses only the components required to make it track worthy. Helping keep the body as light as possible, Caterham installed a composite aero windshield, and custom-built half doors, tunnel top and boot cover.

On the inside you get a set of composite racing seats and a custom-built dashboard. This lightweight interior combined with the minimalist exterior helps keep the Supersport R’s base weight to a svelte 535 kg (1,179 pounds).

You can opt for a carbon-fiber dash board, rear wings and nose cone to help lower the base weight a little. Also optional on the body is an SV chassis, which is slightly wider for better grip. On the inside, you can also toss in a set of leather adjustable seats for added comfort while you tear up the racetrack. A set of optional 4-point racing harnesses help keep you in compliance with varying racing series and a Momo quick-release steering wheel helps the driver get in and out of the cramped cabin a little easier.

Engine and Drivetrain

2013 Caterham Seven Supersport R

Under the Caterham Seven Supersport R’s hood is a 2.0-liter Ford Duratec engine that pumps out 180 horsepower at 7,300 rpm and 143 pound-feet of torque at 6,100 rpm. That may not sound like much, but when you consider its light weight puts it at an incredible 2.92 kg (6.43 pounds) per horsepower, you can tell this is bound to be one incredible machine. Once you link this engine up to the Caterham 5-speed gearbox and drive the power to the rear wheels via its limited-slip differential, you get a car that rockets to 60 mph in just 4.8 seconds and hits a top speed of 130 mph. Sure, those aren’t supercar numbers, but the Caterham lineup is designed to take on other lightweight, small-displacement-engine vehicles, not Ferraris and Lambos. To help increase its performance, Caterham offers up an optional 6-speed gearbox, large-diameter muffler and an interim catalytic converter bypass pipe. The bypass pipe itself should be enough for a few ponies.