The hugely retro Caterham Sprint was limited to just 60 units and sold out in the space of just one week only.

The latest incarnation of the Caterham Seven – the retro-heavy Sprint – has sold out in the space of a week.

All 60 of the £27,995 special edition built for the UK and Europe were snapped up within seven days of the car’s unveiling at the Goodwood Revival on Friday, Sept 9.

The car, which features the same three-cylinder, 80hp Suzuki engine as the entry-level Seven 160 and features bespoke styling harking back to the mid-1960s, heralds the start of celebrations for Caterham Cars’ 60 Years of Seven celebrations, which will culminate next year.

Caterham’s Chief Commercial Officer, David Ridley, said: “We have been overwhelmed with the response to the Sprint. We knew of course it was a great product but the reaction we got is unprecedented.

“In a typical year, we’ll sell around 500 cars meaning that, with the Sprint, we’ve sold more than 10% of our annual sales figure in a week. It’s been the perfect scene-setter to our 60 Years of Seven celebrations.”

The 60^th car was sold by Caterham at 11am on Friday September 16 but there is still a chance to scoop one of the immensely desirable cars via Caterham’s UK and European dealer network.

Caterham launches a factory built model that comes straight out of the 1960's, it's pure history on four wheels.

Caterham Cars has built a variant of its iconic Seven that was seemingly planned in the mid-1960s but never launched – the Caterham Seven Sprint.

As though dug up in a time capsule, the retro detailing of the Caterham Seven Sprint will delight Seven purists and provides the perfect scene-setter to the brand’s ‘60 Years of the Seven’ anniversary, which will be celebrated next year.

The Sprint, priced from £27,995, will finally be available to order from September 9, when the car will be launched at the Goodwood Revival, a fittingly retro setting for a car with one wheel firmly planted in the ‘60s.

Powered by the same 80hp, three-cylinder Suzuki engine installed in Caterham’s entry-level Seven 160 model, the Sprint features a host of nostalgia-soaked features, including a choice of six paint colours that were original British manufacturer colours available in 1966/67.

Caterham Cars CEO, Graham Macdonald, said: “We have always prided ourselves on continually developing the Seven during the 44 years we have been custodian of the model.”

“But we never wished to dismiss our heritage either and I know there are plenty of Seven purists and aficionados out there who will really appreciate the level of detail we’ve gone to with the Sprint to resurrect the spirit of those early cars.”

“It’s a car that has been built today, with all the benefits that modern engineering brings with it, but the essence of the swinging ‘60s and is the perfect precursor to our 60^th-anniversary celebration in 2017.”

The launch of the Sprint heralds the start of Caterham’s ‘60 years of the Seven’ celebrations, which will culminate with a spectacular Caterham festival at Donington Park next summer. To reflect the anniversary further, only 60 Sprints will be destined for the UK and European markets.

The Sprint chassis is powder-coated grey, making it period-accurate for a Series 2 Lotus 7, while the suspension and rollover bar are also reminiscent of Colin Chapman’s original.

With flared front wings, polished exhaust silencer and uniquely retro-styled, individual rear lights, the Sprint harks back to the early days of the Seven and the choice of paint colours completes the exterior effect.

Wheels will be painted cream and finished with polished hubcaps, while the main bodywork, emblazoned with retro Caterham branding and Sprint logo, is available in original British colours, named by Caterham to reflect their heritage – Cream, Mellow Yellow, Regency Red, Camberwick Green, British Racing Green and Misty Blue.

Inside the cockpit, the sepia-toned impression continues, with a wooden-rimmed sports steering wheel and dashboard in wood effect, complete with a classic oOOo instrument layout. The tacho even features red and yellow sectors, in true ‘60s style.

Meanwhile, the interior panels and Muirhead Scottish seat upholstery is hand-stitched in the period style and finished in striking scarlet red.

The interior and luggage space are fully carpeted, as befits a ‘60s connoisseur and there are very few concessions to modern life, the main one being the three-pot Suzuki engine, which generates performance good enough to be considered beyond mundane but perfectly capable of a more leisurely application.

The Caterham Seven Sprint will be available as a factory-built car only.

Caterham is looking forward to exhibiting the range of Seven models at this years Car Fest North and South.

Caterham will be exhibiting its famous Sevens to attendees over the 2016 CarFest North weekend (July 29 – 31) and CarFest South (August 26 – 28) event.

The car and music filled event, hosted by renowned petrol head and car collector Chris Evans, raises money for Children in Need, welcoming motoring fanatics and music lovers alike over the weekends.

At the event sites in Cheshire and Hampshire, Caterham will showcase its Academy car and four of its famous Sevens, from the capable 270 to the ballistic, top of the range 620.

The Caterham Seven spectacle is sure to be one of the automotive highlights of the weekend, with the following models on display:

• The blazing Seven 620
• The Seven 420 boasting 210bhp
• The slightly more sane Seven 360
• The Seven 270 capable of 122mph
• The Caterham Academy car

The fastest Seven Caterham has ever made, the 620R, will also be driven up the CarFest Hill Climb, providing the public with a unique opportunity to witness 0-60mph in 2.79 seconds and a staggering 310 bhp, first-hand.

David Ridley, Caterham’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “It’s great to be part of an event which supports such an important charity. We’re bringing a comprehensive Seven line-up to the events for the public to enjoy and, with the unique addition of live music, we are certainly looking forward to bringing the Caterhams to Cheshire and Hampshire.”

The 2016 CarFest North weekend opens on Friday July 29 at Bolesworth Castle, Cheshire and continues till Sunday July 31. Over the August bank holiday weekend (August 26 – 28), CarFest South at Laverstoke Park Farm is welcoming visitors, with tickets for the Friday still available.

Caterham Cars will be one of the stars of this year’s Supercar Event – the 10th anniversary of the charity initiative.

Caterham Cars will be one of the stars of this year’s Supercar Event – the 10^th anniversary of the charity initiative.

The Supercar Event is an annual family-based event which offers fun activates such as supercar and helicopter rides, land hovercrafts and a Stay Safe Driving School for children aged 14 and over.

The event runs from over the weekend of July 2/3 at the famous Top Gear track at Dunsfold Park. It will be open to the public from 9am to 4:30pm each day.

At the event, Caterham will have the exhilarating, top-of-the-range Seven 620R on display and will offer fans the mouth-watering opportunity of having a passenger ride with a skilled instructor in the car – the most powerful production Seven ever built.

The Seven 620R will also form part of the event’s main parade, which travels round the Top Gear track at lunchtime.

The Supercar Event raises money for The Children’s Trust, a charity which offers rehabilitation services to children and young people suffering from brain injuries. In 2015, the event raised over £120,000 for the charity and is hoping to raise even more this year.

David Ridley, Caterham’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “As a British brand, we are very proud to be taking part in an event that raises money for such an important cause. The Children’s Trust does some fantastic work and we are delighted to support it.

“It is also a fantastic opportunity to engage with the motoring community and offer the public the chance of a ride in a 620R. The ride will not be for the faint-hearted, but I can guarantee you will leave the car with a smile on your face.”

Legendary British car manufacturer Caterham, will showcase its ballistic Seven 620R at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed

Legendary British car manufacturer Caterham Cars will showcase its ballistic Seven 620R model at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed (June 23-26).

The event’s 2016 theme is ‘Full Throttle – The Endless Pursuit of Power’, which fits perfectly with the pant-wettingly fast nature of the 620R – the most powerful production Seven ever built. 

The blisteringly quick 620R will feature on the hillclimb every day in the ‘Race Car for the Road’ category. The car will be driven by former British GT champion, Jon Barnes, who began his racing career at the Caterham Graduates Racing Club.

Caterham will also be exhibiting on the Niche Vehicle Network stand, located on Stand 37. On display will be a Seven 420R, equipped with an innovative ultra-light chassis.

David Ridley, Caterham’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Goodwood’s ‘Full Throttle; the endless pursuit of power’  theme is perfectly suited for Caterham and, in particular, the 620R.

“We have been building the most engaging, exciting and fun cars to drive for over 40 years and our cars are synonymous with perfect balance and intuitive handling – they’re not known as racecars for the road for nothing. This year, in our own endless pursuit of power, we’ve developed new chassis technology which makes even more of the fact that our cars weigh about the same as a postage stamp.”

The 420R on display at Goodwood features an ultra-lightweight chassis developed in conjunction with similarly iconic bicycle frame maker, Reynolds, and computer aided engineering consultancy Simpact. It is the first car in the world to feature a chassis using butted tubing technology taken from the manufacture of bikes.

The 420R on show will be a fully road-registered car to demonstrate the practical and viable uses of the chassis. Illustrating the link between car and bike, the stand will also feature a racing bicycle built with the Reynolds tubing.

Caterham Cars has introduced the ‘S’ Pack and the wider-bodied S5 chassis as options for the fastest road car.

Caterham Cars has introduced the ‘S’ Pack and the wider-bodied S5 chassis as options for the fastest road car it has ever produced.

The Seven 620S is the mildly saner, more road-oriented sibling of the ballistic 620R and features comforts such as a full windscreen, hood and side screens, as well as leather seats.

For the first time, the Seven 620 can also now be specified with the wide-bodied S5 chassis as an option costing £2,500. The S5 is wider and longer than the standard S3 chassis, providing an experience better suited for more generously-proportioned customers, with other benefits including added interior and luggage space and increased range thanks to a larger fuel tank.

The 620S, priced at £44,995 (incl VAT) fully built, joins the 620R at the summit of the Seven range by harnessing the same 310bhp two-litre, supercharged Ford Duratec engine to deliver outrageous performance for those drivers who feel that the iconic Seven just isn’t barnstorming enough.

Delivering a new driving experience, the 620S has been tailored for road drivers, with a five-speed manual gearbox instead of the 620R’s more race-inspired sequential ‘box.

Like all Sevens, the 620S adheres to Caterham’s philosophy of delivering a very special brand of unapologetically raucous fun.

Meanwhile, Caterham’s traditionally minimalistic approach to the engineering of the car is ever-present, with the carbon fibre interior panels and dash and lightweight flywheel of the 620R installed to save kilograms vital to the car’s trouser-worrying performance.

The car features the creature comforts of the ‘S’ pack available throughout the Seven range such as a heater, full windscreen, hood and side screens and leather seats. However, while the ‘S’ pack features road springs and dampers, the uprated brake master cylinder and limited-slip differential are taken from the ‘R’ pack to ensure optimum performance.

The styling continues with the 620R’s 13” wheels replaced by 15” Orcus anthracite alloy wheels fitted with more road-suited ZZS tyres.

Customers looking to venture out in colder conditions can now experience the warming delights of heated seats in a Caterham Seven for the very first time. Heated carbon seats are now available as an option on all models in the range.

The 620R comes with carbon seats as standard; an upgrade to heated carbon seats is available for £395. The 620S comes with leather seats as standard with an upgrade to carbon seats available for £600 or £995 for heated carbon seats.

Caterham Cars CEO, Graham Macdonald, said: “When we launched the 620R, we knew that we were unleashing a beast upon the world. It’s never been one for the faint-hearted and should really come with its own health warning.

“But we are, of course, sensitive also to those customers who want the ridiculous performance stats without having to worry about donning race overalls to access them. The new options mean that customers who want the best of both worlds can have exactly that, whether their aim is to pound around the race tracks of the UK or take a Sunday drive, albeit a deliriously exciting one.”

Orders are now being taken for the Caterham Seven 620 with the ‘S’ pack and the S5 chassis options, with first deliveries expected later this year.

Caterham Seven 620S

Engine	Ford Duratec 1999cc, four cylinder, supercharged
Max Power (bhp/rpm)	310 @ 7,700rpm
Max Torque (Nm/rpm)	219 @ 7,350rpm
Weight	610kg
0-60mph	3.44 seconds
Power-to-weight	508 bhp-per-tonne
Top Speed	145mph

Caterham Seven 620S Specification

Standard equipment

• Caterham tuned 310bhp Ford Duratec 1999cc, four cylinder, supercharged engine.
• 5-speed gearbox
• Limited slip differential
• Aluminum painted body with composite nosecone and cycle wings. Choice of Black, Red, Green, Yellow
• Full windscreen, hood and sidescreens
• Heater
• Black leather seats
• Momo steering wheel
• Carbon-fibre dashboard and interior panels
• Four-point harness seat belts
• Uprated brake master cylinder
• Lightweight flywheel
• Dry sump oil system
• Rear-exit exhaust system
• Vinyl Boot cover
• Carbon Vinyl Tunnel top

Suspension

Front: Unequal length aero-profile double wishbones, anti-roll bar, coil springs over Caterham Bilstein road dampers, ‘wide track’ front suspension geometry

Rear: Dedion semi-independent suspension with radius arms and A-frame linkage; progressive coil springs over Caterham Bilstein road dampers; adjustable anti-roll bar

Brakes

Twin circuit split front/rear with low level warning system. Discs front (vented) and rear.

Steering

Rack and pinion, 1.93 turns lock to lock

Wheels and Tyres

Tyres Avon ZZS 195/50R15

Caterham ‘Orcus’ 6 spoke aluminium wheels 6.5”x15”