Caterham is all set to unleash its "most powerful Seven" – the 310bhp 620R – at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend. The supercharged, superlight, sequential-gearbox, open top sportscar will nail 0-60mph in under 2.8s, crack on to 155mph and will act as the new range-topper, seeing off the cult legend that is the R500. Quite a way for the brand to celebrate 40 years of the iconic Seven eh? The car is claimed to "set a new benchmark in outrageous performance" – thanks to its newly-engineered, two-litre supercharged Ford Duratec engine pumping out 310bhp... which is going to be a phenomenal power to weight ratio in a car expected to weigh around 500-550Kg, if its anything like the Superlights Caterham have done before.
Performance will be brisk - especially with the sequential in tow!
And, compared to other new-breed track day toys and weekend warriors, like the £100K+ BAC Mono and the Ariel Atoms, it's pretty good value too – at £49,995 (inc.VAT), for a fully built model, capable of 155mph.
To celebrate the car;s launch at the ace Goodwood Festival of Speed, Caterham F1 Team driver, Charles Pic will blast the 620R up the famous Goodwood hill at the Festival of Speed, as will Caterham F1 Team reserve driver and Caterham Racing GP2 driver, Alexander Rossi.
And a static display of the new car will also feature on Caterham’s Festival of Speed stand, along with other performance vehicles from across the Caterham Group.
Caterham Cars CEO, Graham Macdonald, said: “The 620R is the most hardcore production Seven ever built for the road. The R500 claimed its place in motoring history as a benchmark for lightweight sportscar performance but this new vehicle pushes the boundaries even further. While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this car for those inexperienced in driving Caterhams, we always ensure that even our fastest cars retain the manageable delivery of power that makes them accessible, despite the daunting statistics.”
The 620R is diametrically opposed to the new ultra-efficient, affordable entry-level Seven that will sit at the opposite end of the range when Caterham unveils it in Autumn this year.
Like all Sevens, the 620R adheres to Caterham’s brand mantra of delivering ‘accessible fun’ and the traditional Caterham minimalistic, lightweight approach to the engineering of the car is ever-present.
As well as producing more horsepower and torque than any previous incarnation of the Seven, the 620R also benefits from several other new enhancements.
The car features a unique gunmetal chassis, an air-flow optimised nose cone and a race-developed cooling package. De Dion rear suspension and wide track front suspension units are complemented by high-performance dampers all round, while the car sits on lightweight, 13” alloy wheels fitted with track-inspired Avon ZZR tyres.
In the cockpit, there are more noticeable improvements, with features including performance-focused instrumentation and ergonomic switchgear.
Meanwhile, carbon fibre interior panels and dash plus carbon fibre race seats and a Q/R race steering wheel complete the sports feel to the interior.
“The Seven 620R is an extreme piece of kit,” concludes Macdonald. “We know there is demand for cars that re-write the rules of performance and, if you’re brave enough to take it on, the 620R will be an enormously rewarding, fun car to pilot.”
While the launch edition of the Seven 620 features the sportier ‘R’ pack, a slightly less hardcore ‘S’ pack, which harnesses all the power of the original but offers a little more accessibility will be launched later this year.
Orders are now being taken for the Caterham Seven 620R, with first deliveries expected later this year.
Please visit http://www.caterham.co.uk or call 01883 333 700 for more information.
Caterham Cars CEO, Graham Macdonald, said: “The 620R is the most hardcore production Seven ever built for the road. The R500 claimed its place in motoring history as a benchmark for lightweight sportscar performance but this new vehicle pushes the boundaries even further. While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this car for those inexperienced in driving Caterhams, we always ensure that even our fastest cars retain the manageable delivery of power that makes them accessible, despite the daunting statistics.”
The 620R is diametrically opposed to the new ultra-efficient, affordable entry-level Seven that will sit at the opposite end of the range when Caterham unveils it in Autumn this year.
Like all Sevens, the 620R adheres to Caterham’s brand mantra of delivering ‘accessible fun’ and the traditional Caterham minimalistic, lightweight approach to the engineering of the car is ever-present.
As well as producing more horsepower and torque than any previous incarnation of the Seven, the 620R also benefits from several other new enhancements.
The car features a unique gunmetal chassis, an air-flow optimised nose cone and a race-developed cooling package. De Dion rear suspension and wide track front suspension units are complemented by high-performance dampers all round, while the car sits on lightweight, 13” alloy wheels fitted with track-inspired Avon ZZR tyres.
In the cockpit, there are more noticeable improvements, with features including performance-focused instrumentation and ergonomic switchgear.
Meanwhile, carbon fibre interior panels and dash plus carbon fibre race seats and a Q/R race steering wheel complete the sports feel to the interior.
“The Seven 620R is an extreme piece of kit,” concludes Macdonald. “We know there is demand for cars that re-write the rules of performance and, if you’re brave enough to take it on, the 620R will be an enormously rewarding, fun car to pilot.”
While the launch edition of the Seven 620 features the sportier ‘R’ pack, a slightly less hardcore ‘S’ pack, which harnesses all the power of the original but offers a little more accessibility will be launched later this year.
Orders are now being taken for the Caterham Seven 620R, with first deliveries expected later this year.
Please visit http://www.caterham.co.uk or call 01883 333 700 for more information.
And see a whole load of images here.
Want one? We certainly fancy a go! There's life in the very old dog yet then! ;-)
Caterham Seven 620R
Engine 2.0-litre Ford Duratec (supercharged)
Max Power (bhp/rpm) 311bhp @ 7,700rpm
Max Torque (lbs ft/rpm) 219lbsft @ 7,350rpm
Weight TBC
0-60mph 2.79 seconds
Power-to-weight TBC
Top Speed 155mph
Max Power (bhp/rpm) 311bhp @ 7,700rpm
Max Torque (lbs ft/rpm) 219lbsft @ 7,350rpm
Weight TBC
0-60mph 2.79 seconds
Power-to-weight TBC
Top Speed 155mph
Caterham Seven 620R Specification
Standard equipment
- 2.0-litre Ford Duratec (supercharged)
- 6-speed sequential transmission with flat-shift
- Limited slip differential
- Unique gunmetal chassis
- Carbon-fibre wings
- Air flow optimized nose cone
- Race developed cooling package
- De-Dion rear suspension with high performance dampers
- Wide track front suspension with high performance dampers
- Ventilated front discs and quad piston calipers
- Carbon-fibre interior panels and dash
- Carbon-fibre race seats
- Lightweight 13” alloy wheels with Avon ZZR tyres; 185/55R13 front and 215/55R13 rear
- 4 point race harness
- Q/R Race steering wheel
- High performance focused instrumentation and ergonomic switchgear
- Toggle switch ignition
- Immobiliser
- Sequential shift lights
- Carbon aero screen
- Black pack
Suspension
Front: Adjustable double wishbone with roll bar
Rear: De Dion axle located by lower A-frame and Watts linkage
Brakes
Twin circuit split front/rear with low level warning system. Discs front and rear
Steering
Rack and pinion, 1.93 turns lock to lock
Front: Adjustable double wishbone with roll bar
Rear: De Dion axle located by lower A-frame and Watts linkage
Brakes
Twin circuit split front/rear with low level warning system. Discs front and rear
Steering
Rack and pinion, 1.93 turns lock to lock
Wheels and Tyres
Front 6J x 13” AVON ZZR
Rear 8J x 13” AVON ZZR
Front 6J x 13” AVON ZZR
Rear 8J x 13” AVON ZZR
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