Lotus Club Queensland
Dedicated to the promotion and enhancement of the Lotus experience
Login
Register
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Membership
    • Member Portal
    • Join the Club
  • Events
    • Calendar
  • For Sale
    • Merchandise
    • Classifieds
  • Posts
  • Business Directory
    • Suppliers & Parts
    • Advertisers
  • Galleries
  • Magazine
  • Motorsport
    • DTC Live Results – June 2022
  • Archives
7-sprint-banner

2017 Caterham Seven Sprint

Something Colin Chapman would recognise – and appreciate.

Handling: ★★★★★   Performance: ★★★★☆   Usability: ★★☆☆☆   Feelgood Factor: ★★★★★

By Ben Whitworth – Contributing CAR Magazine UK editor.

In 2017, the venerable Caterham – née Lotus – Seven will turn 60. Always keen to exploit a marketing opportunity, Caterham is marking the anniversary with this, the Seven Sprint. Chiming in with the anniversary, only 60 will be made.

Caterham has successfully recaptured the mood of the Swinging Sixties with the Sprint. The front wings, grey powder-coated chassis, chromed wheelcaps and bubbled rear lamps, wrapped up in a choice of yesteryear hues all sit comfortably together without the slightest whiff of retro cheesiness.

Ditto the cabin. Flip back the cream-trimmed vinyl roof and the delightfully thin Moto-Lita wooden steering wheel, red Muirhead leather dash and seats and chrome braceleted Smiths dials complete with coloured bands, all convincingly transport you back to those good old bad old days.

Does it come with a crank arm for hand starts?

Oh, you’re a card. No, don’t be fooled by the Sprint’s yesteryear camouflage – that heritage styling, chrome-and-leather detailing and bespoke paintwork is underpinned by Caterham’s nifty 160. So, no asthmatic 40bhp 1.2-litre Ford lump under that louvred bonnet, but rather a dinky turbocharged 660cc triple from Suzuki, a five-speed manual gearbox, wishbones up front and a live rear axle.

We’re very familiar with the 160 – we ran one a while back as a long-termer for a year – and dropping down into the Sprint’s plump seat and firing the thrummy three-pot into life brought back a flood of warm memories.

A 660cc engine? Surely it would be quicker to jog?

Suzuki’s K6A may only develop a modest 80bhp at 7000rpm and 79lb ft at 3400rpm but with just 490kg to push around, performance within its 100mph envelope is brisk and perky enough to instantly plaster a grin across your face.

The engine’s eagerness and mid-range zing is complemented by the snickety gearbox – you measure the throw of the chrome-topped gear lever in millimetres – while the wooden rim of the large-diameter wheel overloads your palms with front-wheel chatter.

What’s it like to drive then?

Despite those spacesaver-thin 155/65 R14 Avons, grip and traction levels are excellent. You can slingshot the Sprint through a string of bends at speeds and angles completely at odds with the diminutive deeply-treaded rubber at each corner. Like the 160, the Sprint encourages you to wring it all the time everywhere, and rewards you with an intensely visceral and engaging driving experience.

Despite that live rear axle and firm suspension set-up, the Sprint rides with an impressive compliancy – it’s only over really intrusive and abrupt bumps and lumps that the chassis bucks and moves about. Distilled automotive joy? We wouldn’t disagree.

Verdict

So, the Sprint is a great car to look at, and an even better one to drive – but you pay for the privilege. Even when viewed through the prism of the Sprint’s limited-edition collectability, nigh on £28k is a big chunk of money for a second car/toy/indulgence.

That hasn’t stopped all sixty models being snapped up, though, and there’s a waiting list for cancelled orders. But the news is not all bad if the Sprint features large on your radar – a ready-to-drive Caterham-built 160 is around £8500 cheaper than a Sprint. Using your imagination could save you a lot of money.

Specs

Price when new: £27,995
On sale in the UK: Sold out
Engine: 660cc 16v turbocharged 4-cyl petrol, 80bhp @ 7000rpm, 79lb ft @ 3400rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Performance: 6.5sec 0-62mph, 100mph, 57.6 mpg, 114g/km CO2
Weight / material: 490kg/steel
Dimensions (mm): 3100 length, 1575 width, 1140 height
Where to for Lotus in 2017? 2016 ICC Presentation

Related Posts

seymour-banner

Articles, Gallery 2022, Homepage, Racing

Vale Tony Seymour

Articles

A tale of technology too far

bbq-car-banner

Articles, Gallery 2022, Homepage, Racing

How quickly it happens

Random images

IMG_0331
IMG_0417
DSC_5306
1426854264_0b044007d8_m_1
Ploughman's Lunch
P1080245
P1080248
Lecht_Ski_resort_Scotland
Nurburgring_Nordschleife_2001
Wade_s_Esprit
2006_08_27_Gympie_Skid_Pan0008
main-50
Jan-main-15
Mar-main-71
Mar-main-77
main-4
IMG_5107
IMG_8569
DSC03870
IMG_0531
IMG_8026
IMG_0931
AP1010536
IMG_3263
IMGP7361
Club_Lotus_Dec_08_007
IMG_5616
Elises_vs_Ferraris
053_53
164_164
190_190
P1060245
P1060291
IMG_1351e
Morris_Minors
PICT7252
IMG_3705
IMG_0939
IMG_7594
group3
IMG_4197
lot_023
image_213
IMG_6884
IMG_4397
IMG_4406
IMG_0018
MGP2189
singer
MG_6023
1-Maree-Jason-Garry-Stockyard-Hotel.jpg
dick-reynolds
martin-suzanne-dick-sam
Peter-Seears-1959-Lotus-7-S1-4
LCQ-Pits-Jenny-Murphy
Breakfast Banter
emr-2
20160514_124024
Aaron
20161106_083813
IMG_0083
_MG_9155 as Smart Object-1
boots-up
elans-mk2
Geoff
Keith, Dick and Daryl
Andrew-Martin
gw_Lotus line up
Group-1.1-first-laps-A-Stevens
Smokin-Jon
7
Peter-Quinn
IMG_3400
IMG_2232-2
DSC_0361
What the_
Andrew-chasing-Clive_gw
vyv-photo-4
Sevens
Heading for Mt Alford 2_gw
Jason-Dick
photo-5
_MG_1766_gw
The-yet-to-be-reliable-Dominator
volvos
Cool Line Up
Evan in Pit Lane
matts-scura-rear
Jon and Dick
Gayle - My Hero
Sam Murphy
Martin_gw
Turn-1-Approach
Ken 2
IMGP8305
170730 SMM Dyno Chart
IMAG6114
Garry
IMAG6004
IMAG6218

Recent Articles

  • Vale Tony Seymour
  • A tale of technology too far
  • QLD Supersprint Round 2 B Series
  • Lakeside DTC Timed Laps
  • The newbie trail to Mt Panorama
  • ICC Motorkhana – May 5, 2022
  • How quickly it happens
  • Mt Glorious EMR – April 2022

Latest Gallery Images

20220220_093834 20220220_093818 20220220_093827 20220220_093743 20220220_093812 20220220_093730

Search articles by category

Archived articles

Lotus Club Queensland
© Lotus Club Queensland   |   Site by Black Eye Studios