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Caterham Suzuki

New entry-level Caterham to be powered by Suzuki

Entry-level Caterham powered by Suzuki

Caterham has revealed its imminent all-new entry level model will be powered by a Suzuki engine. The motor is a 660cc three-cylinder turbo unit and it will be the smallest engine ever fitted to a Caterham.

The engine is designed to be lightweight, efficient and fun according to Caterham. It will be mated to a compact 5-speed gearbox, also made by Suzuki. Full specifications, including power and torque, are yet to be revealed. And while we expect them to be modest, they won’t have a lot of weight to move around.

“It is not engine size that matters, it is the grin factor that is our barometer and we believe we have got the formula for our new entry-level vehicle just right,” said Graham Macdonald, Caterham Cars CEO. “Our intention for this car is to offer the joy of the Seven in distilled form, so the new entry-level car is lighter, cheaper, more economical and more accessible than ever.”

Macdonald added that he’s keen to open the order book for his new sub-£17,000 (AU$29,250) Caterham Sveen, which he will do next from month.

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Caterham

Team Lotus confirms Caterham takeover

Caterham and Team Lotus

As reported last week Team Lotus has today confirmed their takeover of iconic British sportscar maker Caterham Cars.

Team Lotus Enterprise, led by Tony Fernandes, Kamarudin Meranun and SM Nasarudin, promise to take Caterham on a new and exciting journey that will embrace both its proud Lotus Seven legacy and the high profile of Formula One.

Speaking about his new venture, Fernandes enthused, “Caterham Cars has remained wholly faithful to Colin Chapman’s philosophy of ‘less is more’, and the DNA of the original Seven can still be traced to the newest additions to Caterham’s product offering.

“It is already a successful business with sales across Europe, Japan, Australia and the Middle East, and under the guidance of the existing management team, we now have all the ingredients and the launch pad to further evolve that spirit and take Caterham to new exciting horizons with innovative products and greater global brand exposure.”

It’s going to be really interesting to see how this journey progresses. The full presser from Caterham, along with an emotional promo video, can be seen after the break.

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Caterham

Caterham Roadsport 125 Monaco

Caterham Roadsport 125 Monaco

Caterham has released a new entry-level special edition called the Roadsport 125 Monaco. Based on the iconic Lotus/Caterham 7 the cars of today haven’t changed a great deal in over 50 years.

The Roadsport 125 Monaco is powered by a 1.6 litre four cylinder Ford engine. As the name suggests the engine offers 125bhp (approx 93kW). It’s not a lot, is it. Consider, though, the car weighs just 550kg. Fitted with a 5 speed manual transmission the Roadsport can accelerate to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds.

Any genuine link to Monaco is tenuous, at best, you’d think. But the car looks the business and driving it through the tunnel on the Grand Prix track would be a great way to start a day attacking the hills and winding roads around the French riviera.

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