The upcoming entry-level Caterham Seven will be powered by a turbocharged three-cylinder engine, the British brand has announced.
Manufactured by Suzuki Motor Corporation, Caterham says the 660cc engine will be the smallest and most efficient powerplant ever installed in a Seven.
With the new road-legal racer aimed at being Caterham’s lightest, most efficient Seven ever, the company says Suzuki proved the ideal partner given its background in compact and efficient vehicles and engines.
Teamed with a re-engineered chassis and a five-speed Suzuki gearbox, the compact engine has been “fine-tuned” by Caterham Technology and Innovation (CTI) – Caterham Group’s engineering division – to deliver strong performance and improved efficiency.
Caterham Cars CEO Graham Macdonald said it’s not engine size that matters, it’s the grin factor that is the firm’s barometer.
“We believe we have got the formula for our new entry-level vehicle just right,” Macdonald said.
“We needed a particularly light powertrain but it had to be a unit that suited the characteristics inherent to all Sevens – thankfully, after lots of hard work, we have a package that works brilliantly.
“Our intention for this car is to offer the joy of the Seven in distilled form, so the new entry-level car is lighter, cheaper, more economical and more accessible than ever.”
To be priced at less than £17,000 ($29,240), the new Caterham model will launch in September with the first deliveries expected before the end of the year.
Caterham released a teaser image (pictured above) of the upcoming entry-level model in May, with Graham Macdonald telling Autocar that the new car will be, “uncomplicated, easy to run and, most important of all, an intuitive and exciting drive.”
In Australia, the 85kW/155Nm naturally aspirated 1.6-litre four-cylinder Caterham Roadsport SV120 stands as the marque’s entry-level model at $57,275.
