More details of the new entry-level Caterham sports car set to debut at this month’s Frankfurt motor show have been released, revealing engine outputs, prices, and the plan for two variants.
Aimed at providing an accessible new entry point into the British brand’s lightweight sports cars, the Caterham Seven 165 will be powered by a 59kW/ 107Nm turbocharged 660cc three-cylinder petrol engine.
The unit, a Suzuki item dubbed K6A, was previously used in the Suzuki Cappucino, a Japanese kei car of the 1990s.
Announced as the power unit last month – sans output figures – Caterham says the Suzuki engine, which has been “fine-tuned” by Caterham Technology and Innovation (CTI), will be the smallest and most efficient powerplant ever installed in a Seven. It will be also be teamed to a five-speed Suzuki gearbox and a re-engineered chassis.
To be sold across mainland Europe and Japan, the Seven 165 has a target price of 25,000 euro ($36,600) including local taxes. The model will be joinedby a different variant in the UK, the Seven 160, promised to start from less than £17,000 ($29,300).
With the car’s Frankfurt debut one week away, Caterham Cars CEO Graham Macdonald says the engineering process involved in the creation of the Seven 165 is nearing completion.
“We believe [the car] will inspire a new generation of drivers to become Caterham enthusiasts,” Macdonald said.
Production of the Caterham Seven 165 and Seven 160 is expected to begin in January 2014, with first deliveries to follow in March.
In Australia, the 85kW/155Nm naturally aspirated 1.6-litre four-cylinder Caterham Roadsport SV120 holds entry-level billing, priced at $57,275.
