We’ve discovered a car that you need to drive. Or at least admire. It’s the new Seven Sprint from British car manufacturer Caterham. And it’s the most beautiful little roadster we’ve encountered in quite some time.
Caterham is excellent at producing new cars that look like they’re 50 years old. The Caterham Seven Sprint definitely fits that bill. It debuted this fall at the 2016 Goodwood Revival car festival in England, and it caused quite a stir. We can understand why.
First of all, it’s gorgeous. It’s based off the European-only 160 model, which is known as one of the more bare bones Sevens. (Caterham has produced many variants of the model.)
But there’s nothing bare bones about the Sprint’s many retro touches. The chassis is powder-coated grey. The cream-colored wheels feature polished hubcaps. (You don’t see enough of those anymore.) And inside, the Sprint combines a wood-trimmed wheel with a gorgeous red interior.
As far as mechanical specs, it’s not the most powerful sports car you’ll ever drive. It has an 80 hp turbocharged three-cylinder Suzuki engine. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in just under seven seconds. And its top speed is a mere 100 mph.
But really, that’s enough, isn’t it? You’re not going to be racing this beauty at Talladega. You’re just going to be taking off on a solo mission or with your favorite driving partner and winding your way through curvy scenic byways.
Caterham calls the Seven Sprint a design that was “seemingly planned in the mid-1960s but never launched.” Which makes sense to us. If we didn’t know better, we would’ve guessed it was produced in the 1960s and kept inside some English person’s immaculate garage or underground car cave for the last half-century.
If you’d like to get your hands on one of these, all we can say is: good luck. Caterham will produce only 60 of the Seven Sprints, and it’s unknown whether any of those will make their way to the United States. The positive news? The price is fairly reasonable: about $37,000.
Take a look at more images of the Caterham Seven Sprint below. For more information, go here.
(Caterham)
—Shawn Donnelly for RealClearLife
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