New heritage range for Caterham Super Seven 600 and 2000 brings back 1970s and ’80s vibe
Caterham Cars has released details of the 2023 Caterham Super Seven 600 and Super Seven 2000 that spearhead the relaunch of its heritage range of sports cars.
Unveiled at the Retromobile Show in Paris, the new Caterham Super Seven 600 and Super Seven 2000 are both said to have been inspired by the British car-maker’s earliest models – the Super Sevens it produced in the 1970s and 1980s.
Despite looking like a classic car, Caterham says the performance of both has been reinvented for the 21st century.
The two models are also claimed to offer very different driving experiences, with the Super Seven 600 said to deliver ‘“an accessible, pure, simple driving experience but at lower speed”.
Caterham says the ideal buyer is someone who enjoys a leisurely Sunday drive and aren’t obsessed with acceleration or horsepower.
That explains why the Super Seven 600 comes powered by a Suzuki-sourced 660cc three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that produces just 62kW.
Sharing a simple live axle, Caterham claims that, despite its modest peak power, an ultra-lightweight 440kg kerb weight still enables the most affordable heritage Super Seven 600 to sprint from 0-100km/h in 6.9 seconds.
The Caterham Super Seven 2000 is big step up in performance from the entry-level model.
Producing 127kW from its Ford-sourced 2.0-litre four-cylinder, the Super Seven 2000 gets a more sophisticated de Dion tube axle.
Off the line, Caterham says the Super Seven 2000 can launch from 0-100km/h in just 4.8sec.
Both cars can be specified with a limited-slip differential for better traction, while the Super Seven 2000 gets the added option of a sports suspension pack that adds adjustable suspension, a rear anti-roll bar and big front ventilated discs with four-piston callipers.
Both the Super Seven 600 and 2000 come with flared front wings that were used throughout the 1970s and ’80s.
The Super Seven 600 boasts 14-inch silver Juno wheels, while the Super Seven 2000 features 14-inch Classic rims.
As an added extra, the alloys can be painted gold, body-coloured or a colour of your choice with diamond-cut lips.
As standard, the Sevens get Avon AT7 tyres.
Other retro details include a chrome filler cap, a black leather Moto-Lita steering wheel, carpeted rear panel, polished exhaust and LED rear lights.
There’s a wide range of paint options available for the Super Sevens, but the new heritage models get four exclusive colours – Bourbon, Ashdown Green, Windsor Blue, Fawn.
Inside the open-air cockpit, buyers can choose their own carpet, dash, leather seats, gearbox and handbrake gaiters.
One option the less-powerful Super Seven 600 misses out on is the large SV chassis option that offers more space for taller owners.
Launched initially in Europe, pricing for the Super Seven 600 starts at €36,895 ($A56,800) and €51,195 ($A79,000) as a kit.
It’s not known if Caterham Cars Australia plans to import the latest heritage collection. Currently for the 2023 model year it offers the Seven 485 S and Seven 485 CSR that come in the larger SV chassis and are powered by the much mightier Cosworth-developed 177kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder.
Pricing for the cheaper 485 S kicks off at $128,000 plus on-road costs and $138,000 plus ORCs for the 485 CSR.
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Keyword: Classic-look Caterham Super Seven series launched