Caterham might actually beat Lotus to a next-generation sports car experience.
Caterham has dropped a fresh teaser of Project V, the dawn of a new era for the brand that has made a name for itself, reproducing a decades-old open-wheel sports car in the form of the Caterham Seven, itself of Lotus origin. While previously, we only had a silhouette to go on, the latest teaser takes the form of a video clip.
The car, known as Project V, which will likely adopt another name in production, is still shrouded in shadows in the new clip. Still, we get to see the front end in a little bit of detail, showcasing horizontal LED DRLs, prominent front fenders, and a special Project V logo on the hood, indicating that the sports car will be manufactured in Great Britain.
The dramatic music would usually detract from an engine note in the case of most manufacturers, but that's not the case here, as it's almost certain that Caterham Project V will be electric. However, it will still target core Caterham values of lightness, simplicity, and a driver-focused experience. These traits were all inherited from Lotus when Caterham bought the rights to the Seven in 1973. This year marks 50 years since that occasion and is the perfect time for the brand to reinvent itself.
“We're trying to make it as light as possible. So the performance which we will [get] out of it will be just great. And the driving pleasure is a consequence of this lightness. The keywords are always simplicity, lightness, and driving joy,” said Anthony Jannarelly, Caterham's new design boss.
The car will be revealed on the evening of the 11th of June in the US, with the car appearing at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Jannarelly has a history of designing retro-inspired sports cars, and the silhouettes we've seen so far suggest Project V will be the same. There is no indication whether the electric platform it will be built on will be one devised in-house or bought in from another automaker, though. Caterham could partner with some of the suppliers responsible for the electric Seven prototype, however.
Should it reach production in a timely fashion, Caterham would beat Lotus to the electric sports car punch. The Lotus Evija was intended to arrive with customers in 2020 but has faced delay after delay, and the Emira is still a combustion-based sports car.
Meanwhile, Lotus ended a partnership with Alpine that would see the two lightweight sports car brands develop an electric sports car platform together. Might Caterham have picked up the pieces from Lotus just as it did in 1973?
We don't have to wait long to find out.
Keyword: Caterham Project V Reveals Its Face In Shadowy New Teaser