I drove a British-made sports car with a small but sporty engine

Caterham Super Seven 600 is a celebration of over 50 years of the UK-built sports car (Image: Jack Mortimer)

what we like

Minimalist yet retro look
Handling is far superior to conventional cars
Up to 55 mpg when driven carefully

What we don’t do

Difficult to get in and out, especially with the hood on
Minimalist standard equipment
Owners will need a garage to ensure safety

The Caterham Seven must have been one of the only cars that predated the company that made it, as it was first introduced by Lotus in 1957. Minimalist as it was, the style remained largely unchanged at the time; Super Seven 600, Get an even more vintage look with the use of chrome, old badges and various vintage colors.

All Caterhams are very difficult to get into, but once a driver gets in, they will feel quite comfortable. While the features drivers expect from their cars (including air conditioning and even a radio) are nowhere to be found, the fit and finish of the cream leather interior fitted to the Super Seven 600 on test is nicely finished.

However, while the interior and exterior design are undoubtedly vintage, the engine is quite modern, not to mention, it’s a small 600cc Suzuki engine and produces a rather sedate 84bhp. However, mounted on a car weighing less than half a ton, the Super Seven 600 flies just fine. When pressed, it will accelerate to 6.9 seconds, handle like no other, and return 55 mpg with a little care and attention.

The Caterham Super Seven 600 is by no means cheap at £30,490, but it’s slightly more affordable than the current wave of hot hatches. However, drivers will need to weigh up whether they are willing to trade luxury features such as a rear seat, roomy boot and door locks for one of the most iconic designs the UK has ever produced.

There was a time when the British were suspicious of anyone buying a foreign car. The sheer curtains twitched every time they parked their Citroen or Toyota in the driveway; after all, they were perceived as a threat to our own auto industry.

However, at a time when strikes and poor production quality were beginning to plague UK car brands, many foreign models were gaining appeal due to their reliability, style and much better value for money.

As a result, almost no new cars are entirely British-made, and they are often designed elsewhere in the world. Fortunately, those who want to experience a car that truly comes from the UK can still purchase one of the many small-scale sports car manufacturers.

One of the most famous of these is Caterham, which has been producing the lightweight Seven sports car series since its formation in 1973. For decades this model has enjoyed an impressive status in terms of good performance and almost unrivaled handling.

But after more than half a century, is the model still as enjoyable on the crowded, pothole-filled roads of the 2020s? To find out, I recently had the chance to drive the latest Caterham Super Seven 600 model, which is said to be a celebration of the company’s history.

Caterham’s design has remained largely unchanged since the 1950s but it still looks attractive (Image: Jack Mortimer)

Forming:

There’s not much point in discussing Caterham’s styling, as overall it hasn’t changed much since Lotus first introduced it in 1957. There are the same wide wings that leave most of the suspension visible. small rectangular grille and those outer headlights.

However, this little Caterham, the Super Seven 600, has a slight retro theme, featuring retro-themed badging, chrome around the headlights and on the rear wings, as well as a range of ‘heritage’ colours.

Personally speaking, I think it suits the Bordeaux Red paint of the Caterham I’m driving. However, I wasn’t that keen on the optional color-coded 14-inch alloy wheels. If I were buying a Super Seven 600 I’d save £700 to spend on a painted noseband to resemble the example used in the cult 1960s TV series The Prisoner.

While the Caterham’s interior is certainly cramped, it’s well-trimmed in cream-coloured leather. (Image: Jack Mortimer)

Interior:

Being just over 6ft tall, I was a little nervous trying to ride a Caterham for the first time – especially since the Super Seven 600 only uses the company’s narrowest chassis. I say this by word of mouth and trial. and err, I quickly developed a system.

Personally, the easiest way to get into the Seven was to put my left foot in the footwell, place both hands on the roll bar, place my right foot on the chassis and slowly sink into the driver’s seat.

It’s not a glamorous way to get in, but once inside the Caterham Super Seven 600 is actually a surprisingly comfortable place to be. It’s quite stylish, thanks to the beautifully stitched cream-coloured leather seats and instrument panel.

Caterham Super Seven 600 ditches the radio for a wide range of traditional dials and buttons (Image: Jack Mortimer)

Standard Equipment:

No Caterham has offered Maybach-level technology or luxury features, but spending more time behind the wheel managed to surprise me a few times.

Of course, drivers will struggle to find an infotainment touchscreen, head-up display or even a radio, but there’s a very nice set of traditional gauges manufactured by British heritage company Smiths, a heated windscreen and two USB sockets. .

The Caterham Super Seven 600 is also home to the most powerful vehicle heater I’ve ever experienced. Controls for the two vents under the dash are scattered around the dash, while push-pull temperature control quickly pumps out any heat that may be found in passengers’ legs or hands, keeping passengers comfortable even with the hood closed.

Super Seven 600 takes its name from the 660cc turbocharged Suzuki engine under the hood (Image: Jack Mortimer)

Performance:

Undoubtedly, the most important feature of the Caterham Super Seven 600 is located under the hood. As the name suggests, this small sports car has a 660 cc turbocharged engine designed and manufactured by Suzuki.

In Japan, this engine is used for small kei cars and pickup trucks (like the Bedford Rascal-like Suzuki Carry), but don’t let its 84 hp output fool you. Since it weighs only 460 kg, the Super Seven 600 can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 6.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 105 mph.

It also provides incredible fuel economy for a sports car. While more conventional Ford Duratech-based Caterhams average around 35 mpg, the Super Seven 600 will easily achieve around 20 mpg more, a figure that only drops with hard acceleration.

On the road, the Caterham is surprisingly powerful and unlike any other new car (Image: Jack Mortimer)

Driving:

When I turned the key and pressed the big red button on the dash, any fears that the little Suzuki engine might not be powerful enough disappeared. The combination of a very low ratio first gear and an even lower driving position made it feel like I was reaching supersonic speeds in seconds.

However, perhaps the best part of driving a Caterham is the handling. I’ve driven many vehicles (including an original Mini) that have blown me away with the way they steer, but the little sports car destroys them all.

Despite the lack of power steering and the exceptionally short lock-to-lock ratio at two turns, it’s easy to launch the Super Seven 600 quickly through most corners without fear of losing its composure.

However, all was not ideal behind the wheel of the Super Seven 600. The lack of cabin space extended into footroom, which wasn’t ideal for my 12-foot height. Many times I have seen the soles of my shoes get caught on the soles of the pedals or hit two pedals at the same time.

Caterham Super Seven 600 proves drivers don’t need a huge engine to have fun (Image: Jack Mortimer)

Solution:

I must admit, I was a little apprehensive about continuing with the Caterham when it arrived outside my home. Everything was a little miserable on a rainy autumn day. But once I squeezed into the cramped interior and managed to press the start button, it became extremely easy to see why Caterham is still in production to this day.

However, the Caterham Super Seven 600 cannot be said to be a car for everyone. Priced at £30,490, it’s around £8,500 cheaper than the new Golf GTI, but it has less than half the number of seats, a small compartment for luggage and no door locks; This means buyers will need to have a garage to keep it safe.

However, after spending more than 100 miles behind the wheel, which I used as my main form of transport for a week, I will say that it’s certainly possible to live with the Caterham and it’s considerably cooler compared to a hot hatch. .