Special new Caterham Seven CSR Twenty designed to be light and lavish
It’s not immediately obvious what’s so special about the new Caterham Seven CSR Twenty, because the answer lies beneath the surface. This limited edition version of the esteemed British sports car and track toy celebrates 20 years since the company made dramatic changes to the Seven’s underpinnings and created what it calls the ‘CSR chassis’.
It's a steel tubular spaceframe with inboard front and fully independent rear suspension, and ventilated front brake discs with four-piston calipers on this new model. The CSR Twenty marks the first time the CSR chassis has been paired with Caterham’s most popular engine: a naturally aspirated, 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit from Ford with a redline of 7,600rpm.
The motor, which is also used in the Caterham 420, delivers 210bhp with 203Nm of torque, and sends all of it to the rear wheels. That’s hot hatch power and the CSR Twenty only weighs 620kg so you can guess the result. 0-62mph is dispatched in 3.9 seconds, if you can shift quickly enough with the five-speed manual gearbox.
The fundamental design of the Caterham Seven is largely unchanged from the fifties and the CSR Twenty sticks with what works. It features a two-tone Union Flag grille, a nose cone and front wings inspired by the crazy Seven 620, LED front and rear lights and a set of exclusive 15-inch rims wrapped in Toyo high-performance tyres.
The interior features a satin carbon dashboard, exclusive CSR Twenty edition dials, a leather Momo steering wheel, a unique numbered plaque, plus seats in leather and Alcantara with red stitching. Caterham’s CEO Bob Laishley said: “This is without doubt the most premium Seven we’ve ever built.”
Just 40 examples of the Caterham Seven CSR Twenty will be made in total, 20 of which are going to UK customers. Each one will be built at Caterham’s brand new factory in Dartford, Kent, that opened its doors back in June. Prices start from £79,995 – nearly double the price of a standard Caterham Seven 420.
