The Caterham Seven 620R, it weighs a shade over 500kg and is powered by a 230kW (310hp) supercharged 2.0 litre Ford engine. It’s got a sequential gearbox and you have to control the power with your right foot and the rear wheels. It doesn’t get much more basic or enjoyable than this.
Steve Sutcliffe from Autocar has a crack at explaining the experience for those of us unikely to have the good fortune of trying a 620R for ourselves.
Ahead of its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend Caterham has revealed details of its most powerful Seven model ever, the 620R.
Powered by a supercharged 2.0 litre Ford Duratec engine the 620R produces a very tasty 310bhp (230kW). It’ll be fast, right? Very much so, the official press release claims 0–62mph can be despatched in “under 2.8 seconds”.
Kerb weight for the 620R is being withheld for now, we suspect it will be revealed during the Goodwood FoS, but we know it will be light. For example, the Superlight R500 is only 506kg, while the entry level Roadsport weighs 550kg.
“The 620R is the most hardcore production Seven ever built for the road,” boasts Graham Macdonald, Caterham Cars CEO. “The R500 claimed its place in motoring history as a benchmark for lightweight sportscar performance but this new vehicle pushes the boundaries even further.”
Macdonald then goes on to give the 620R something of a health warning. “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,†he added.
The price tag in old Blighty is a fiver under £50K and the order book is now open. A slightly less extreme 620S will be released later in the year.