Donkerworth, Westfield, Martin… Lotus Seven, born in 1957, gave birth to a number of babies. But only Caterhams are the official descendants of the one who perfectly represents the leitmotif “The light is right” Colin Chapman. For over 65 years, the Cat has been a small car built for the track. Bombinettes are as light as possible and stuffed with engines that are too powerful compared to their miniature size! 340, introduced last November, is its worthy successor. It replaces the 275, using the same Ford Duratec four-cylinder found in the indomitable 485. But here in a wiser version. With a working volume of 2 liters, it still develops 170 horsepower. Knowing that Mademoiselle is only showing 560 kg on the scalesit provides a phenomenal power-to-weight ratio!

Electric Caterhams

All the DNA of Caterham lies there. But how to reproduce such a philosophy on electricity? THE The weight of the failing battery is quite a challenge to achieve the same driving experience as the cooled version. Because yes, Caterham will become electric! Rest assured, it will not replace the “historic” gasoline Caterhams, but will complement them in the range. The British brand has just unveiled the Seven EV! This is not the final version, but still a concept car. However, it is very close to the future production version. The Seven EV has been developed in partnership with Swindon Powertrains EV, a specialist in the production of electric motors for sports. It is based on the same current thermal seven chassis.

Great performances

Like any self-respecting Caterham, this car should be as comfortable on the track as it is on the road. The first challenge: autonomy. Engineers equipped it with a Battery 51 kWh. This should allow drive fully electric for 20 minutes. It seems like a little, but thanks to the charging power of up to 152 kW, it is possible charges up to 80% in just 15 minutes. The Swindon-supplied engine is under development 240 horsepower and 250 Nm. At the same time, the little athlete will be able to knock down Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 4 seconds. Its maximum speed is declared at 210 km/h. And the weight then? He will be content up to 700 kg according to the first announcements. A serial version should arrive several months.