For those longing for the thrilling days of minimalistic British sports cars, boutique automaker Caterham has unveiled its latest super-lightweight roadster, the limited-edition Seven SuperSprint, with 60 being produced to celebrate the brand’s 60th anniversary.
The Caterham Seven, based on the original Lotus Seven created by the late visionary Colin Chapman, is a cycle-fendered sports car with a curb weight of about 1,200 pounds and is as attuned to the race track as it is to back-road performance.
As such, the latest rendition of the Seven, the SuperSprint, celebrates vintage racing with an array of paint schemes that harken to some of the world’s greatest road courses, such as Aintree (green with orange noseband), Hockenheim (silver with red noseband) and Imola (red with white noseband).
“Offering the ultimate in gentleman racer style, alongside the hearty power of its 95bhp Caterham Works Racing-tuned, three-cylinder engine, the Seven SuperSprint is as at home on the road as it is on the circuit,” according to a Caterham news release.
The new limited-edition SuperSprint was introduced this past weekend during the Goodwood Revival, one of the UK’s most-famous vintage car events, where the earlier special edition Seven Sprint was announced 12 months ago. All 60 of the Seven Sprints were sold in less than a week, and similar results are expected for the SuperSprint.
“We started our 60th anniversary year with the glorious throwback Sprint – aimed at the more discerning chap or lady driver,” Graham Macdonald, Caterham chief executive, said in the news release. “As we approach the end of our year of celebration, it makes perfect sense that the car bookending the celebrations is a racer of a similar vein.”
With the Seven’s race history in mind, Caterham will offer the SuperSprint as a customary two-seat sports car or as a single-seat racer, the passenger seat deleted for greater lightness.
Caterham calls the SuperSprint a “retro-soaked” roadster with details that recall the excitement of motorsports circuits from a half century ago.
“A unique Brooklands windscreen, quilted and stitched seats trimmed in Innes tan Scottish Muirhead leather, a wooden-rimmed sports steering wheel, and 1960s-style racing livery ensures that the driving experience is nothing short of sepia-toned race nostalgia,” the Caterham release says.
The Seven SuperSprint starts at £29,995 (about $39,500 US). For more information, visit the Caterham website.
