Caterham

Caterham has three models available for Australian buyers, with prices ranging from $74,800 for the entry-level model and stretching out to $115,00 for the range-topper. 

The cheapest Caterham car on sale is the Seven 275, which is priced at $74,800, with prices rising to $114,000 for the Seven 485 S, and up to $115,000 for the Seven 485 CSR.

Keep in mind that prices for Caterham cars are subject to change, do not include on-road costs and can also be lower than the list price if they buyer opts for the self assembly option.

So long as the owner keeps their Caterham vehicle serviced on a regular basis, there’s nothing to suggest that Caterhams engines and components are any less reliable than a track-only creation from a major manufacturer. 

Something to keep in mind in terms of the reliability of a Caterham engine is that, as a track car, the unit is often pushed to the extremes on a circuit, which means that maintanence should be conducted more often than on a comparative road car. 

This means that the level of servicing has a huge impact on the reliability of a Caterham car.

Caterham’s origin story and history is closely linked to Lotus and its founder, Colin Chapman, and while the brand was under ownership by Team Lotus for a period of ten years, these days, Caterham is not owned by Lotus. 

In 2011, Team Lotus announced it had purchased the Caterham brand after a long-lasting history between the two companies, however, ten years later Caterham was acquired by a Japanese company called VT Holdings. 

Caterham’s most popular model, the Seven, is actually a direct descendent of the Series 3 Lotus Seven that was designed by Lotus’ Colin Chapman.

Caterham has a relatively modest production output, creating around 250 vehicles and knock-down kit assemblies every year at its factory in Dartford, Kent in the UK. 

Caterham produces both fully-assembled vehicles for certain markets around the glove, as well as self-assembly kits that includes a factory-built engine, chassis, suspension hardware and electronics and allows owners to assemble their vehicle themselves.

Caterham is famous for a number of reasons, namely its unique and specialised lineup of lightweight, two-seat sports coupes that are perfect for track driving conditions, its history that has been massively influenced by Lotus founder, Colin Chapman, and its offerings of self-assembly kits that allow buyers to assemble their own Caterham at home. 

As a brand, Caterham is uniquely positioned as a boutique manufacturer of predominantly track-only vehicles, and as a result, is one of the few companies in the world offering a lineup consisting of track-focussed cars due to the difficulties of getting them registered for the road in many global markets. 

Caterham is also famous for its brief stint in the Formula One race series, where it raced three seasons between 2012 and 2014.

Currently, the Caterham Seven lineup is powered by a choice of 2.0-litre and 1.6-litre four-cylinder Duratec engines produced by Ford. These produce power outputs of 177kW/206Nm and 100kW/160Nm respectively, and are paired with a six- and five-speed manual gearbox. 

In the past, Caterham’s vehicles have been powered by engines from Lotus, as well as 1.7-litre engines sourced from Ford, 1.4-litre engines from MG, 2.0-litre engines from Vauxhall and engines from MG Rover. 

The company has even seen motorcycle engines like the Suzuki GSXR1300 and the Honda CBR1100 Fireblade engine installed on some of its vehicles in the past.