Skip advert
Advertisement

Caterham Seven review – the iconic British track car is still going strong - Caterham Seven design

Put simply, the Caterham Seven is one of evo's favourite cars

Evo rating
Price
from £17,725
  • The absolute definition of a sports car
  • Can be pricey; not the last word in usability

Design

“Purposeful” is perhaps the best description of the Seven’s styling. We think it looks great, but at the same time it’s fair to say it’s not a conventionally attractive car. Oddly, it doesn’t look as old as the 60 years of its basic design, but perhaps that’s down to the car’s gradual evolution – or perhaps we’re just so used to the way it looks that the styling has taken on a completely timeless quality, not unlike that of the Land Rover Defender or the overall shape of a Porsche 911.

Advertisement - Article continues below

That said, Caterham did offer a heavy rose-tinting package for your spectacles when it launched the Sprint and later the SuperSprint – stick an age-appropriate numberplate on either of these and it’ll take a connoisseur to realise they don’t hail from some time in the 1960s.

Other Sevens embrace modernity by way of fat tyres, aggressive alloy wheel designs, bright colour schemes and optional splashes of materials like carbonfibre. There’s certainly appeal in the design from a pure engineering standpoint too, as few vehicles short of an Ariel Atom give you such a clear look at their basic mechanicals.

And all Sevens stand out on the road, partly because they look hilarious among rows of bland hatchbacks and enormous SUVs, and partly because they’re still a relatively rare sight.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8
Mercedes-AMG G63
News

The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8

Some of Affalterbach’s range-toppers are swapping eight cylinders for four, but the AMG G-class retains its V8 for 2024
26 Mar 2024
Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader
Land Rover Defender OCTA – front
News

Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader

The OCTA promises to be the fastest, toughest and most capable Defender yet when it launches later this year
26 Mar 2024
The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?
Toyota GR Yaris Gen 2 – front
News

The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?

Our early impressions of the Gen 2 GR Yaris suggest that it’s an improvement in every area that counts, but can it be worth £18k more than an i20 N?
27 Mar 2024