New Caterham Seven HWM Edition time travels back to the 1950s
Caterham’s latest special edition pays homage to HWM, what is today a dealer but was once a racing marque all of its own
Caterham has revealed the Seven HWM Edition. Today HWM is a dealer with which Caterham partners, however those who spend plenty of time mooching around the paddocks at the Goodwood's historic race meetings will know HWM used to be a racing marque all of its own. It was with the HWM-Alta that the new £57,900, 19-off Caterham pays tribute to that Sir Stirling Moss drove his first F1 race.
Quite different to the old Sprint and Supersprint of 2016 and 2017, which used the 660cc Suzuki engine, this limited-run Seven is based on Caterham’s 420. That means it has the 2-litre 210bhp Duratec four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual gearbox. It’ll be plenty quick enough, good for 0-62mph in 3.8sec on the way to a 136mph top speed.
It’s still got a properly old-school look though. Each will be finished in HWM Green, a light pale green carried over directly from an original HWM racer. Distinctive and very ‘HWM” is the nosecone grille, while suspension components, the anti-roll bar and headlight brackets are finished in a flat retro grey. Inside we find the Supersprint dashboard with hand-turned aluminium, Smiths chrome dials and a retro Moto-Lita polished wood wheel.
Slightly betraying the period look but offering welcome support for the driver, composite race seats, albeit with the HWM logo. Standard leather seats with tartan inlays and three-point belts are optional for the devout traditionalist. Likewise a windscreen instead of aero screens. Happily, it’s not a locked-down spec. The whole 420 options list, near enough, is there to pick from, whether you want a race exhaust, the removable Momo steering wheel, track suspension or anything else.
Caterham’s retro-styled models of the last ten years or so have done very well. The Sprint and Super Sprint models it launched back in 2016 and 2017 were a huge success, selling out quickly. The HWM Edition is sure to whip up similar demand and with just 19 to be made, one for each HWM-Alta manufactured, they surely won’t hang around for long. Even at the £57,900 starting price.
> Caterham Horse prototype review – new turbo engine keeps the Seven alive
