Tópico Caterham - "Designed for racing, built for living"

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Caterham comprada pela equipa de F1 Team Lotus.

A noticia original na Autocar

The long-term future of Caterham Cars looks to have been secured following its acquisition by the owner of the Team Lotus Formula 1 outfit, Tony Fernandes.

Fernandes exclusively told Autocar he will aid Caterham’s evolution with new products, increased distribution and exposure to new markets, while protecting Caterham’s heritage. A tie-up between Caterham and Team Lotus is planned, too.



Current Caterham owner Corven, a venture capitalist group, has sold up in full to Fernandes. The current management, headed by Ansar Ali, will stay on.

Fernandes’ plans for Caterham will be revealed in full at the British Grand Prix in July, where the Team Lotus F1 tie-up will become clear. “Team Lotus is a platform to promote Caterham,” said Fernandes.



Ali is credited with overseeing much of Caterham’s recent success — including record profits in 2010 — and is sure Fernandes is the right man for Caterham.

“We both want to evolve, not revolutionise,” he said. “The Seven will remain at the heart of everything.”

The takeover of Caterham is being celebrated with a special-edition Seven in Team Lotus livery, limited to 25 units.

Tony Fernandes Q+A

Why have you bought Caterham?

"I always wanted to use F1 to get into a road car business. We had hoped it would be Lotus, but that went horribly wrong. I looked at other options and Caterham jumped out.”

What can you bring to the firm?

“I am a brand builder. I take great assets and build them up. Caterham is a sports car company with lots of heritage and is a brand we can take places.”

How will Caterham be involved in F1?

“There’s a natural fit with a supercar brand and F1. And with Caterham’s Lotus heritage, the two can have a symbolic relationship.

Depois da bacorada e confusão que houve à volta do nome Lotus, com 2 equipas a usar o nome da marca, esta opção de adquirir a "Lotus v2.0" de nome Caterham pode ser uma oportunidade interessante de vermos um Caterham bem mais forte e assumir definitivamente o lugar que a actual Lotus Cars ocupa, dado a estratégia da Lotus em perseguir Porsches, Astons e Ferraris.

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Caterham has revealed that it will start a new affordable, standalone engineering business dubbed Caterham Technology and Innovation Limited (CTI).


CTI’s new venture will produce “accessible and affordable sports cars inspired by the lightweight, minimalist philosophy of the Seven,” according to the firm, drawing on its technologies and materials from the group’s Team Lotus Formula One and Caterham Team AirAsia GP2 motorsport operations.

The new sub-brand will also work with other businesses in automotive and aerospace sectors.


CTI chief executive Mark Edwards said: "The new shareholders are committed to investing in an exciting range of global products over the next 10 years".


“By establishing unique operating principles for CTI, we have managed to attract a world-class team of niche vehicle engineers, eager to build on the ethos of Caterham and the DNA of the Seven,” Edwards added.


Tony Shute – responsible for bringing the Series 1 Lotus Elise to market – joins CTI as head of road cars.



“When the opportunity to be involved with creating the next iconic Caterham arose, I couldn't turn it down,” said Shute.



"The core principles and ambitions of CTI have enabled us to attract some of the brightest and most respected talents in their fields.”


Chief executive of Caterham Cars Ansar Ali added, “Creating a new product range that has the same reputation and appeal as the Seven, which delivers on the promise of accessibility and affordability, is the Holy Grail in this business. To meet the challenge, we knew we needed to invest in a new operation that would have the scope, experience and vision to deliver.”

Muito interessante esta notícia e sobretudo o tipo que contrataram para a divisão de carros de estrada. Trazer o "pai" do Lotus Elise, acho que revela um plano de intenções sério.

Com a Lotus a querer subir de escalão, parece-me que a Caterham está a mover as peças necessárias para ocupar a posição que a Lotus ainda detém.

Parece que nos próximos 3 anos deveremos ver algo nos moldes do Elise por parte da Caterham e isso é muito bom

Caterham to become the new Lotus?

Steve Sutcliffe

To be honest I wasn’t at all sure when I heard about the whole ‘Caterham enters F1’ malarkey. It all sounded a bit, well, inappropriate for such a parochial little sports car company somehow.

But Tony Fernandes is not, let’s face it, short of either grey matter or pound notes, and now that he’s launched a new sub brand – Caterham Technology and Innovation Limited (CTi) – everything is beginning to make more sense.

Caterham, it now strikes me, could happily occupy the space that was once known as Lotus Cars – and the fact that they’ve just employed Tony Shute (aka Mr Elise) to help craft CTi’s future is nothing if not indicative of such intentions.


CTi's Tony Shute and chief executive Mark Edwards

Some have even suggested that CTi could, just like Graham Nearn did when he created his beloved Caterham Cars in 1973, simply buy the licence from Lotus and keep building the Elise until the end of time. It’s a romantic sounding idea, but not one that will see the light of day I gather; CTi, by all accounts, is rather more ambitious than that, and wants to create ‘a whole new product range that has the same reputation and appeal as the Seven.’

Sounds like nothing but great news for the car enthusiast if you ask me.

Curioso para ver o próximo episódio... heheh

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A história repete-se

in es.autoblog

Caterham Elise... una realidad

por Guillermo Alfonsin de 02 de Oct del 2011


Hace tiempo que te contamos en exclusiva, gracias a unos excelentes contactos, que Ansar Ali estaba negociando la compra de los derechos del Lotus Elise para que Caterham pudiera fabricar su propia versión en un futuro a corto plazo. Luego sucedieron muchas cosas. Primero comenzó todo con la lucha por los derechos de Lotus en Fórmula 1, entre Danny Bahar y Tony Fernandes. Luego la compra de Fernandes de Caterham, y después la batalla legal.

Pero como bien recordarás, te contamos hace unos días que se había firmado el armisticio entre Bahar y Fernandes. Bahar (bueno, el Group Lotus, mejor dicho) pagaría una cuantía económica no especificada a Fernandes a cambio del nombre "Team Lotus", y el susodicho Team Lotus de esta temporada pasaría a llamarse el año 2012 el Team Caterham (o algo por el estilo).

En el momento que esa información llegó a mi poder, rápidamente pregunté si este acuerdo de paz volvería a poner en curso las conversaciones para reactivar la compra de los derechos del Elise, o si incluso el Elise sería parte de la moneda de pago desde Lotus hacia Fernandes. Ahora tenemos una respuesta.

Y es que ayer, fuentes que no puedo revelar, nos comentaron que, efectivamente, el Elise es parte del trato. La idea es montar propulsores Renault Sport en su parte trasera, conservando las dimensiones compactas del vehículo, realizando modificaciones a nivel de ingeniería para adaptarlo todo, y vistiéndolo con una nueva carrocería, antes de salir al mercado en 2012 (sí, tan pronto como lees) ya con logo Caterham.

La idea de Caterham es contar con un producto más económico que el Elise actual de Lotus, por lo que tendrá un enfoque más simplista y minimalista, al tiempo que Lotus evoluciona su compañía en los próximos tres años para lanzar el "nuevo" Elise, que tendrá poco que ver con el actual.

Obviamente, como puedes imaginarte, habrá un tiempo de solape, pero la idea de Caterham busca clientes bastante distintos a los que el modelo de Lotus tendrá durante este pequeño stint que le queda en Hethel.

La nueva rama de ingeniería de Caterham, que el otro día te contó Alberto que se acababa de formar, ha contratado a muchos ingenieros ex-Lotus, y estos serán los encargados de ejecutar el trasplante de motor y los nuevos ajustes necesarios.

¿Nombre del producto? Ni idea, pero si el coche en código Lotus era el Type 111... yo no sé si andaríamos muy desencaminados pensando en esa referencia como "moniker" para este nuevo coche que nos robará el corazón a muchos.

e já em 2012?
O chassis do Elise com motores RenaultSport... esperemos que o 2.0 do Clio encontre lugar aqui. 200cv e ter de lidar com menos 350kg

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espero que continuem a fazer os caterhams classicos mas mais acessiveis

[OrDoS]

in es.autoblog



e já em 2012?
O chassis do Elise com motores RenaultSport... esperemos que o 2.0 do Clio encontre lugar aqui. 200cv e ter de lidar com menos 350kg

Seria óptimo que isso acontecesse, só não percebo é como é que vão fazer um produto mais económico, mais minimalista e e simplista (MAIS AINDA!?!?!), será que vão utilizar diferentes materiais (mais baratos e pesados???) com o chassis do Elise? Espero para ver.

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Bem, depois de se ter anunciado que a Caterham iria adquirir a linha de produção do Elise, e com previsivel apresentação ainda em 2012, agora surgem, por via oficial, novas notícias que contradizem tudo isto.
Não haverá Caterham Elise em 2012 e aparentemente nunca.

Mas apesar de tudo, haverá um novo modelo na Caterham, construido de raiz.
O Seven, por muito maravilhoso que seja como dispositivo de condução, dificilmente é uma proposta realista para um uso mais regular.
O novo sports-car que estão a desenvolver, surgirá como algo mais "civilizado", até para poder conquistar novos mercados, sobretudo o médio Oriente. É de esperar que o novo sports-car tenha ... portas e janelas. Vidros eléctricos, AC, ABS, ESP e airbag também farão parte dos equipamentos do novo sports-car. Nem todos estes equipamentos deverão surgir inicialmente, mas projecta-se já a contar com eles, garantindo também ser À prova de futuro, caso equipamentos como airbags passem a ser obrigatórios por legislação.

Pequenos construtores funcionam numa realidade paralela. Como maior parte das suas máquinas são para utilizar em circuito, coisas que hoje consideramos como algo adquirido, para estes pequenos construtores, a adição destes equipamentos obriga a um "mindset" completamente diferente.

Ainda é cedo para dar números concretos, mas o objectivo será ficar abaixo dos 1000kg (um pouco vago) e os motores serão de 4 cilindros, inicialmente NA, mas é de prever sobrealimentação posteriormente. Terá carroçaria fechada e aberta. A carroçaria aberta ainda está em discussão se será um targa ou um roadster. Também ainda não existem certezas absolutas relativamente à arquitectura base. Tem-se preferência por um motor dianteiro e tracção atrás, até para haver uma ligação mais directa ao Seven, mas pode surgir com motor central traseiro.

A origem dos motores também ainda é uma incerteza. O Seven recorre à Ford, e existem conversações entre Caterham e Ford para o novo modelo, mas ainda não é garantido que seja a Ford.
O carro irá ser apresentado em 2013, mas só será comercializado lá para 2015.

O styling do carro tem sido uma dor de cabeça, porque design e Caterham não se conhecem propriamente. Mais que criar um estilo para o novo carro, o objectivo passa por criar um estilo para a marca.
Sabe-se que a Caterham está a recorrer a fornecedores externos para tal missão, e aparentemente a Pininfarina está envolvida. Mas após se saber que a Caterham andava À procura de designers, o que não tem faltado são designers a oferecer-se para este projecto. Pode ser pequena em dimensão, mas o nome Caterham tem "cachet"

Estamos a falar de uma marca que vende apenas 500 carros/ano e apresenta lucros (e não estamos a falar de carros de meio milhão de euros). Maior parte deles são destinados a circuito. Com este novo sports-car, e apesar de estar destinado também a ter versões de circuito, a Caterham espera vender 2500 carros/ano, maior parte deles para estrada.
A visibilidade extra dada pela ingressão na F1, espera-se que gere interesse acrescido pela Caterham, permitindo a entrada em novos mercados e que possibilite a sustentabilidade da existência do novo modelo.

O que eu digo é : BRING IT ON!
Com a Lotus a subir de escalão com o seu plano radical de colocar ao nivel de uma Ferrari, deixa um vazio abaixo. Apesar de Lotus serem caros, são sonhos possiveis de atingir.
A Caterham ao colar-se aos valores que deram origem aos Lotus, permite preencher esse espaço.
Pode não ficar com os direitos de produção do Elise, mas pela orientação do projecto, parece-me que este novo modelo será o sucessor espiritual do mesmo.
Tou curioso.

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Site acerca do novo desportivo da Caterham: FutureCaterham.com

Press Release aqui: http://www.futurecaterham.com/caterh...ss_release.pdf

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E foi anunciado que a Caterham vai desenvolver os futuros desportivos Alpine da Renault (algo que já se sabia desde o ZAR). Aliás, a Caterham comprou 50% da Alpine à Renault que se vai passar a chamar Société des Automobiles Alpine Caterham.

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Caterham hints at supercar future | Autocar

Caterham boss Tony Fernandes has confirmed that a range-topping supercar is part of his plans for the expansion of the company.

Speaking to Autocar at the announcement of Caterham’s joint venture with Renault, Fernandes said: “The ultimate ambition is to do what Porsche has done, and grow beyond being a sports car manufacturer into a mainstream car brand – SUVs, city cars, whatever the market wants.”

He added: “There is a long way to go, but we can see a day when we’d like to have a true halo car.”

Caterham is technologically well placed to produce a supercar, having both experience in F1, as well as an in-house composites business in Caterham Technologies.

The idea also has the backing of F1 designer Mike Gascoyne, who has joined Caterham’s road car division to assist in the development of the newly announced Alpine sports car:

“We have the know-how to do it within the group and it would be something that would definitely appeal personally. But first things first.”

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Muito interessante o que se passou nos bastidores para chegarmos a uma parceria Caterham Renault, e o porquê de não termos o Elise produzido pela Caterham, como tinha sido anunciado em 2011.
in es.autoblog

Tony Fernandes confirma la historia que ya sabíamos: Bahar no quiso venderles el Elise

Diez de febrero de 2011, te informábamos de los intentos de Caterham por hacerse con la licencia de producción del Elise de manos de Lotus. El 10 de noviembre de ese mismo año, te volvíamos a informar, ya de manera más "oficial", de un acuerdo, sobre el papel, por el que Caterham cedía el uso de Team Lotus a Lotus, a cambio de un "intercambio tecnológico".

Desde entonces, no nos han hecho más que llegar a nuestros oídos rumores y hechos: gente que había trabajado en el proyecto del Elise, como Tony Shute, fichaban por Caterham para trabajar con ellos. Varios proveedores de Lotus se reunían a lo largo de los meses con gente de Caterham, y mientras, Dany Bahar no sólo pasaba de cerrar un acuerdo con Tony Fernandes tal y como se había prometido, sino que se metía en su espiral de "fanfarria" para subir el valor "percibido" de la marca Lotus.


A mediados de 2011, Tony Fernandes, que ya había comprado Caterham pocas semanas antes, sabía que tenía que buscar un plan alternativo, ante la elevadísima inestabilidad de Dany Bahar. Y es cuando se acercó a Renault para hablar. Es entonces cuando Renault se planteó el retorno de Alpine.

Vamos, que antes del huevo, fue la gallina. Muchos pensamos que Renault fue la que fue a buscar a Caterham, pero ahora vemos que la situación fue inversa.

Para cuando Bahar fue despedido, lo de Caterham y Renault ya estaba hecho, y Lotus ya no podía echar marcha atrás para recuperar el contacto con Fernandes, o plantear un proyecto válido para Alpine, tal y como te relatamos en este mismo sitio ayer.

Tony Fernandes no se ha mordido la lengua, y en las numerosas entrevistas tras el anuncio de la resurrección de Alpine, confirmó que su prioridad "uno" había sido trabajar asociados con Lotus para que Caterham fabricara el Elise, y los de Hethel se centraran en modelos de gama superior. Fernandes culpó de todo a "los esfuerzos de un solo hombre". Y ese hombre no es otro que Dany Bahar.

En otro orden de cosas, y mientras trabajamos para ofrecerte una exclusiva más profunda sobre Caterham-Alpine que llegará en un par de semanas, te podemos adelantar que la idea de producto pasa por un coche con un motor de cuatro cilindros y entre 250 y 300 caballos, montado sobre un chasis de perfilería de aluminio. Fernandes, además, no descarta que Caterham Renault pase a llamarse Caterham Alpine a corto plazo...

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Render do futuro Caterham "sports car", que irá ser produzido em conjunto com a Alpine

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Caterham set to expand | Autocar

Caterham, the UK-based race and technology group, aims to build “tens of thousands” of own-brand cars a year by 2020, according to its CEO, former F1 team boss Mike Gascoyne.

The company, which a month ago signed a joint venture deal with Renault to build a co-operative sports car, was bought and is being rapidly developed by Malaysian airline billionaire Tony Fernandes, after he failed in an attempt to buy Lotus a year ago.

The Caterham and Renault sports cars will be near-identical under the skin, but the partners will each create their own styling. Caterham is using a combination of its own designers and “a well known UK design house” for the task. Gascoyne says the new coupé will “draw influence” from the Seven to create a family look.

When Autocar visited the Norfolk headquarters of newly established Caterham Innovation and Technology (CTI), it viewed a covered interior buck flanked by examples of the product’s eventual competitors, an Audi TT and a Porsche Boxster.

While work on the joint venture car will be the early priority, the company has already made plans for a range of “fun-related” Caterhams, not all of them sports cars.

“We’re not fools,” said Gascoyne. “Anyone can see that a company making nothing but two-seaters can’t hope to be very successful at present. Our cars will have other body styles. Our plan is to use Tony Fernandes’ contacts in Asia to sell cars into a specialist market that is expanding fast.” One route could be to launch a range of sports-related SUVs.

Caterham’s central aim, according to Gascoyne, is to build a profitable car company capable of helping to fund the F1 team. “We already have customers in the marine, aviation and racing industries,” said Gascoyne. “But our future is in building road cars. We’re here to make money.”

The Caterham empire now includes the F1 team (which recently moved to the former Arrows works in Oxfordshire), the traditional Caterham Cars business, an advanced composites firm in Germany and the Hingham-based CTI.

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Imagens do futuro "sports car" ?

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Novo Caterham coupé para rivalizar com o Porsche Cayman | Autocar

New £40k Caterham coupé promises a sub-5.0sec 0-60mph time thanks to 270bhp Renault four-pot engine


Our rendering shows how the Caterham coupé - scheduled for launch in 2015 - could look

The new mid-engined Caterham coupé being co-developed with the new Alpine will use a Renault-sourced four-cylinder, forced-induction engine with as much as 270bhp and have sub-5.0sec 0-60mph performance.

The British firm has also set an ambitious target of selling 25,000 examples of the £40,000 coupé over its eight-year life cycle, according to Caterham commercial director David Ridley.
As a result, the low, light and modern coupé is being benchmarked against the blend of dynamic and everyday usability offered by thePorsche Cayman.
“We know we can’t just make a car for hardcore enthusiasts and we wouldn’t want to,” said Ridley. “Our new car will be aimed at a far wider audience yet dynamically will still be unmistakably a Caterham.”

The Renault-sourced engine will be heavily modified to provide appropriate power and throttle response. “The world is turning back towards downsized engines,” said Ridley, “and as we have found with the R600 track car, supercharging means you can have all the power and torque you need without sacrificing throttle response.”
Two transmissions will be offered: a six-speed manual and a paddle-shift automatic that is described as “essential” to its sales plans.

Ridley believes the Caterham can succeed where the Lotus Evora has failed. “The Evora is too expensive and makes life too hard for owners,” he said, adding that Caterham’s access to Renault’s parts bin would result in a fully integrated and complete car.

Ridley also insisted that the Caterham — expected to be launched in 2015 — would not simply be a rebadged Alpine. “The cars look utterly different,” he said, adding that there were 70 engineers in Norfolk who were “fully involved in the development of both the parts the cars will share and those that will make our car unique”.

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Caterham 485: O Caterham homologado mais potente fora do Reino Unido

Caterham lanza un nuevo Caterham Seven. Un nuevo Caterham Seven pensado para ir más allá de Reino Unido, en dejar el gran mercado local para acudir al resto de Europa, a otros países donde los procesos de homologación dificultan la tarea de encontrarnos con la extensa gama de la que goza Caterham en Reino Unido. Caterham lanza el nuevo Caterham Seven 485: un Caterham con 240 razones para quererlo en tu garaje.

El Caterham 485 supone la llegada más allá de Reino Unido de una alternativa al Caterham R500. No tiene sus mismas prestaciones, pero se le aproxima. Es a fin de cuentas, el Caterham Seven más potente homologado más allá de las fronteras británicas. Su 0 a 100 km/h en 3.4 segundos dice bastante ya de él.



Manteniendo por supuesto la incombustible estética del Lotus Seven original, clásica, icónica, el Caterham Seven 485 cuenta bajo el capó con un bloque de 4 cilindros y 2 litros de origen Ford. Un motor Duratec atmosférico, asociado a una transmisión manual de 6 velocidades, que entrega una potencia de 240 caballos a 8.500 rpm, por supuesto al eje trasero, que cumple con la normativa Euro5 y que sobre todo, es capaz de llevar al Seven hasta los 100 km/h en 3.4 segundos, con una velocidad máxima de 225 km/h.

Siendo un Seven, más allá de su motor nos tenemos que fijar en su conjunto, y es que, 240 caballos, teniendo en cuenta el actual ritmo de potencia que por ejemplo tienen muchos GTI, pueden no parecer mucho… hasta que vemos su peso, un peso, que se queda en unos livianos 525 kg, lo que supone que por cada tonelada nos encontraríamos con 457 caballos.



No dispone de ayuda electrónica alguna, ni siquiera asistencia en su dirección. Carece de cualquier elemento superfluo en su habitáculo y la dureza, la aspereza de reacciones, de tacto, es su mayor reclamo. Son sensaciones elevadas al máximo nivel. Sensaciones que aumentan más aún cuando presionamos el botón del modo “Sport” con el que se ha dotado a este nuevo Caterham. Un botón que libera todo el potencial, que aumenta el régimen, que permite desplegar toda la potencia del 485, afinando el tacto de la respuesta del acelerador y sobre todo, dándonos un espectacular sonido desde su nuevo sistema de escape, ahora más ligero (13 kg menos) y ubicado en el lateral, en lugar de en una disposición central como era habitual hasta ahora en el modelo destinado a otros mercado más allá del británico.

Un nuevo Caterham Seven que en definitiva aumenta en 65 caballos frente al modelo anteriormente comercializado, que llega hasta los 240 caballos, que es capaz de acelerar en el 0 a 100 km/h tan rápido como un Ferrari 458 Italia. Un nuevo Caterham Seven que está disponible con un precio de partida, sin incluir impuestos, de 43.495 euros.

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Nuevos detalles del deportivo de Caterham: ya se están testando los primeros prototipos

Caterham ha renovado al Seven comercializado fuera de Reino Unido. Bajo el nombre de Caterham Seven 485 se nos ha presentado un nuevo Seven de 240 caballos y 525 kg al que ya hemos podido poner a prueba, pero además, no podemos olvidarnos de que en el futuro de la firma británica aparece un nuevo deportivo desarrollado en colaboración con Renault.

Una joint Venture, con una implicación al 50% para cada una de las dos marcas, que se traducirá en dos futuros deportivos, uno bajo la etiqueta de Alpine y otro, con el sello de Caterham. Ahora, conocemos nuevos detalles del próximo deportivo de Caterham, un deportivo del que ya se están probando los primeros prototipos.

Durante el test del Caterham 485 la pregunta sobre el futuro deportivo de la firma desarrollado en colaboración con Renault era obligada. Una pregunta a la que por suerte, desde Caterham, tenían mucho que contarnos, empezando por dejar claro que no se tratará de un simple cambio de insignias entre los dos modelos. En la firma británica ya podrían incluso haber elegido el diseño definitivo.

Serán muy diferentes entre sí, como ya habían apuntado anteriores rumores. Serán tan diferentes, que más allá de su diseño y su puesta a punto podrían contar con mecánicas diferentes. Y precisamente, sobre su puesta a punto, ya nos adelantaron que se estaban testando los primeros prototipos para configurar y conseguir la mejor respuesta de la parte ciclo.

No podía faltar durante la conversación al que está llamado a convertirse en el máximo rival de este Caterham y del Alpine: el Alfa Romeo 4C. Y es que el deportivo italiano se ha puesto en el punto de mira de este duo franco-británico. Alabanzas desde la firma a Alfa Romeo por haber conseguido llevar un chasis monocasco en fibra de carbono hasta el segmento y a un precio “contenido” que recordemos será de unos 60.000 euros. Todo apunta, a que el deportivo de Caterham será más barato que el Alfa Romeo 4C.

El deportivo de Caterham se desmarcará del Alpine con un mayor compromiso por las sensaciones, por la pureza, aunque obviamente, la radicalidad del Seven quedará lejos de este deportivo, ¿su llegada? Desde el equipo de Caterham no ocultan que todavía queda un largo camino por recorrer, que hasta 2016 no tendremos a este deportivo en las calles, pero me advierten de que antes veremos un modelo conceptual de este Caterham, un modelo que debutará también con el modelo conceptual de Alpine y que podría llegar incluso antes de lo anunciado por anteriores rumores que señalaban a este prototipo para 2015… quizá incluso antes de que finalice 2013 veamos algún adelanto del próximo deportivo de Alpine y Caterham.

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Caterham teases a new and cheaper Seven

The Seven is a lightweight, simple, two-seater sports roadster initially produced by Lotus. The rights to build this car were bought by Caterham in 1972, and in 1973 the first Caterham Seven was produced. To celebrate 40 years since the first model rolled out of the production line, the British company will reveal a new, less expensive Seven.

The car will look like the current model but it will use a more modern engine that complies with the Euro 6 standard. There are some rumors that point to the use of the Ford Ecoboost L3 1.0 liter engine.

Sales will begin in the fall and the first deliveries will take place before the end of the year. The price should be around €20,000 (£17,000 or $26,000).

Source: Caterham

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Mesmo com o modesto 1.4 K-series de 103cv que chegou a equipar a versão de acesso, já colocava mais sorrisos por quilómetro que maquinaria bem mais pujante e onerosa.

Venha ele....

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Concept do novo desportivo da Caterham para 2014

Caterham's new sports car, co-developed with Renault and targetted at the Lotus Evora and Alfa Romeo 4C, will likely be unveiled in concept form shortly after the Geneva motor show, Autocar has learned.

The car is the sister vehicle to the new Renault Alpine, and is being co-developed at Renaultsport's factory in Dieppe and Caterham's base in the UK. As of last week, Renault and Caterham signed-off their joint ownership of the Dieppe factory, as part of the expanding deal between the two companies.

Company sources say that the Caterham sports car will have 'distinctively British' styling and that it will look significantly different from the Alpine. "It will look British and it will be recognisable as coming from Caterham," said the source. Although the company has targetted the Lotus and Alfa as benchmarks, it is also known to have benchmarked the class leader in their likely £50,000 price bracket, the Porsche Cayman.

The likely reveal soon after Geneva ties in with the announcement that the two companies would collaborate earlier this year, a shock decision that was revealed shortly after the show. The two partners are believed to have decided that launching a small volume sports car amid the motor show launch timetable would leave them struggling to get the attention they feel their project deserves.

"Our goal is to launch Caterham as a global brand," said the source. "To do that we need to make a splash."

No powertrain details have yet been confirmed by Caterham, beyond the admission that the car will have "more than 200bhp". However, Renault sources have suggested the Alpine will have nearer 280bhp from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol unit. It is possible the two projects will use the same chassis and running gear, but different engines: Toyota and Mazda have been mentioned as a possible partners for Caterham.

It is understood that the car will use a mainly steel spaceframe, with weight-saving aluminium and carbonfibre components. It is also expected to get all-independent suspension, with the engine located transversely behind the two seats.

Renault design chief Laurens van den Acker has already spoken of his desire to ensure the Alpine and Caterham look significantly different. "They will not look like each other," he told Autocar earlier this year. "This is not a joint project in the spirit of the Toyota GT86 and Subaru BRZ."

[reckoner00]

New Caterham to cost £35k

Caterham’s new joint-venture sports car with Renault Alpine will cost £35,000 and be aimed at the premium sports car market when it goes on sale next year.

Caterham says it wants to fill what it sees as a 'significant market gap' left by Lotus’s recent woes. In particular, the brand wants to appeal to the professional female market.

Sales will be limited — Caterham is aiming for 3000 units per year — and up to 70 per cent of parts on the car will be shared with the Alpine version.

Engineers are now looking at 1.6-litre and 1.8-litre options, having reportedly rejected a 2.0-litre design put forward by Renault. A turbo 1.6 putting out about 300bhp is most likely.

Caterham is keen to link its road cars to Formula 1, so it is exploring the possibility of a KERS system being fitted.

The Asian market — and Malaysia in particular — is where Caterham is hoping to push most of its sales.

Caterham Technologies CEO Mike Gascoyne said: "When you’ve got an owner with an airline that will fly 40 million people there next year, you’ve got a big target market.

"If we do a good car, people will recognise it — and I’m confident that they’re going to. In a lot of parts of the world, Caterham isn’t that well known, and therefore we’re free to define the brand."

Gascoyne is pleased with how the joint venture is progressing, saying that it 'makes sense for as many components as possible on the two cars to be shared, including the platform.

Expect to see the car in its final production form after the Geneva motor show next March. The launch car will be followed by GT and Speed models a year later.

Alpine has already announced that its own car will cost about £50,000 when it is launched in 2016. That model will aim to rival the Porsche Boxster in terms of performance.

Caterham has also recently announced a new £15,000 entry-level model to replace its Classic 7.

[BLADERUNNER]

Autohoje - Caterham fará mais carros com base Renault

Além de trabalharem num sucessor conjunto do Alpine A110-50, a marca britânica prepara um SUV e um compacto com base em plataformas do fabricante francês.
A Caterham está em processo de desenvolvimento de dois automóveis em conjunto com a Renault, segundo avança o chairman da marca de carros desportivos britânica Tony Fernandes, revelando a ambição de elevar a Caterham ao estatuto de marca global. Em declarações à Reuters, este responsável afirmou que avançarão com um SUV e um modelo compacto nos mesmos moldes da colaboração que o sucessor espiritual do desportivo Alpine A110-50, que dará origem a um modelo equivalente da Caterham: “os carros desportivos sair-se-ão bem, mas um carro para a cidade e um SUV são o que o mercado quer realmente. Se acertarmos com o SUV, será enorme”, diz Fernandes, aludindo a dois modelos que começarão por destinar-se ao mercado chinês, no início de 2016. Os modelos em questão deverão ser parcialmente construídos em Dieppe, antes de serem enviados para a montagem final em solo asiático. Alegadamente, a Caterham espera alcançar o mesmo sucesso que o Range Rover Evoque, que fez aumentar os lucros da Jaguar Land Rover e da sua dona Tata Motors.

Ambos os fabricantes querem utilizar a sua presença na Fórmula 1 para apostar em modelos desportivos. Fernandes, fundador da companhia aérea AirAsia, comprou a Caterham em 2011 e controla as operações da equipa de F1 com o mesmo nome, que recorre a motores da Renault. Aliás, de acordo com o lusodescendente, “os novos modelos terão motores da Renault, por isso é importante ter um motor Renault no carro da F1”. A Renault confirmou que está em curso um “estudo de viabilidade” para a criação de novos veículos com a Caterham, sendo que, nesta altura, não existem planos de alargar estes modelos para versões Alpine.


O modelo da Caterham que resultará desta joint venture com a Alpine deverá ser vendido a partir do próximo ano. Especialmente destinado para o mercado da Malásia, o carro terá uma construção limitada a três mil unidades por ano. Espera-se que utilize um motor a gasolina 1.6 turbo. O modelo da Alpine só deverá surgir em 2016. Os dois carros envolvidos neste projeto conjunto deverão partilhar até 70% dos componentes. Falta saber ainda se o modelo utilizará a nova plataforma modular da Renault.

[crash]

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat????

SUV?

Se querem elevar a marca a reconhecimento global, já têm boas bases para isso, dado o seu modelo chave, o Seven, presença na F1 e LeMans.

Claro que nunca venderá em grandes números, dado a especificidade da criatura, mas saltar de algo anorético e básico como um Seven para um burguês crossover/SUV, para mais partilhado com a Renault, parece-me um salto grande demais, tanto a nivel de produto como de marca.

Será o quê? Algo baseado no Captur ou no Qashqai? Uma criatura civilizada tudo à frente?
Christ.....
Querem ser uma Porsche sem o estofo desta.

Criticámos os planos expansionistas do Bahar na Lotus, mas estes relativos à Caterham parece-me bem mais preocupantes.
O objectivo é vender mais e lucrar mais, óbvio, mas será que antes de irem nesta direcção, não seria mais indicado mais uns baby-steps?
Talvez esperar pelo feedback do novo desportivo, tanto ao nivel de imprensa como mercado?

Apesar do optimismo do novo dono da marca, ainda pode acontecer mais um episódio do género Caterham 21.

[reckoner00]

Caterham 620R for Goodwood premiere | Autocar

The latest incarnation of the track-focused range uses a supercharged version of the 2.0-litre Ford Duratec engine used in the R400 and R500 Superlights, tuned to develop 311bhp at 7700rpm and 219 lb ft at 7350rpm. Caterham claims the 620R is capable of reaching 60mph in 2.79secs. Although its kerb weight is still to be officially confirmed, its name is though to underline its power-to-weight ratio of 620bhp per tonne.

The 620R features a gunmetal chassis, a new nose cone optimised to improve airflow and a race-developed cooling system. Like the R500 it replaces, it has de Dion rear suspension and 13in alloy wheels, although they are wrapped in Avon ZZR tyres, opposed to the 500’s Avon CR500 rubber.

Caterham says the 620R features a number of interior upgrades including “performance-focused instrumentation and ergonomic switchgear”. Other features include carbonfibre interior panels and race seats and a Q/R race steering wheel.

The new car, which will be available later this year, will be priced at £49,995 — £7500 more than the R500.

Caterham Cars CEO, Graham Macdonald, said: “The 620R is the most hardcore production Seven ever built for the road. We know there is demand for cars that re-write the rules of performance and, if you’re brave enough to take it on, the 620R will be an enormously rewarding, fun car to pilot.”

The new model will be launched at Goodwood, and driven by Caterham F1 driver Charles Pic (an F1 reserve and GP2 driver Alexander Rossi). A 620R will be on static display on the firm’s stand throughout the show.

The 620R will have spawned a slightly less hardcore model, the 620S by the end of the year.

[Phaster]

uma questão, porque é que não há um caterham 4wd, claro que só se justificaria para certos niveis de potência e acredito que o peso aumentasse apenas marginalmente

[topspeedPT]

uma questão, porque é que não há um caterham 4wd, claro que só se justificaria para certos niveis de potência e acredito que o peso aumentasse apenas marginalmente

Respondeste a ti próprio
A filosofia da marca é ter somente o essencial à condução no carro para ser o mais leve possível. 4WD é para "meninos"

[Phaster]

epá 50kg não pesa o condutor lol, até era engraçado a caterham fazer um evo/scooby em miniatura

[crash]

Vais ter um SUV Caterham dentro de poucos anos. Não chega?
Para quê estragar o Seven?

E além disso, o packaging da coisa.
Como passas força do motor para as rodas da frente sem um repackaging e alterações estruturais profundas na base actual? Os custos de engenharia deveriam ser exorbitantes.
Dado o layout do carro, provavelmente teriam de ir de encontro a uma solução do género ferrari ff.

Mesmo assim...
O Seven é uma criatura super compacta.
Teriam de criar um Super Mega SV, mais largo ou mais comprido para conseguir introduzir toda a parafernália necessária para tal feito. Dificilmente justificaria o investimento.
Deixe-se o Seven simples como está. Para quê corromper a fórmula?

[reckoner00]

Novo Caterham Seven com motor Suzuki turbo - EVO

Caterham's new entry-level Seven will be powered by a 660cc turbo engine. The British sports car firm is 40 years old in 2013, and the back-to-basics Seven – which ‘harks back to the philosophy that inspired its creation’ – will be launched in Autumn, its exceedingly dinky engine sourced from Suzuki.

It’s set to cost less than £17,000, undercutting the 125bhp Roadsport – currently the cheapest ready-built Seven – by over £3000. With the smallest engine yet seen in a Seven a 1.4-litre K-series unit, this is a radical switch to something less than half that size.

There’s no word on power levels but the new car’s drivetrain (though we'd predict around 100bhp) or its 0-60 time or top speed. It will be linked to a Suzuki five-speed gearbox, with Caterham adapting it for its switch from tiny Japanese kei-car to hardcore British sports car. The new Seven will also gain 'a re-engineered chassis, which also harks back to the spirit of former Sevens with major revisions to the suspension layout', according to Caterham. Sharper turn-in thanks to the engine's miniscule weight seems a given.

Caterham CEO Graham Macdonald said - 'Suzuki is a leader in producing compact vehicles with extremely efficient engines and that is clearly a shared passion. 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.'

Caterham had previously teased this car's powertrain, with expectations centring around Ford's 1-litre turbocharged petrol Ecoboost seen in the Ford Fiesta and Focus, with 123bhp, which had previously been trialled in a Seven. It can be wound up to 145bhp with a simple chip, too. Another possibility was Renault's 0.9-litre turbo triple used in the Clio, a rumour born from Caterham and Renault's sports car tie-up. If this first turbocharged Caterham is a success, these could still be options for different models further down the line.

Downsizing will apply to the Caterham’s mechanical components, but its already stripped-out interior should remain unchanged while the first teaser shot suggests no change in the model’s classic styling, which is derived from the Lotus Seven which the late Caterham founder Graham Nearn acquired the rights to build in 1973.

[reckoner00]

Caterham 620R

- Teste EVO

Rating:



What is it?

The most potent and hardcore Caterham Seven yet to wear a set of number plates and a tax disc. The Caterham 620R replaces the R500 and immediately outdoes it with an absurd 580bhp/ton power-to-weight ratio – 60bhp more than a Bugatti Veyron and 20bhp more than a McLaren F1. It goes on sale later in 2013, priced at £49,995.



Technical highlights?

This is the most extreme of a long and illustrious line of bonkers Sevens. Powered by a supercharged 2-litre Ford Duratec engine developing 311bhp and 219lb ft of torque. In keeping with its hardcore brief it also features a six-speed sequential transmission with flat-shift, so you can keep your right foot pinned as you pull through the gears. Wide-track front suspension, a De Dion rear axle and adjustable motorsport dampers all round provide the optimum chassis with which to make the most of that mouth-watering powertrain.

At first glance the 620R is just like any other Seven, but delightful geeky details abound. The nose cone features an extra intake, complete with an array of small, serrated, tooth-like fins along the opening’s leading edge. A pair of dive planes mounted to the sides of the nose cone make an effort to reduce lift, while the wing-section wishbones reduce drag. Magnesium wheels wrapped with super-sticky 13in Avon ZZR rubber give the 620R the look and stance of a race car, as does the extreme camber angle of the front wheels. This particular car comes equipped with an aeroscreen, seats and interior panels in carbonfibre, so it’s about as full-on as a Seven comes. That’s perfect for track driving, but not so hospitable for road driving.



What’s it like to drive?

Caterham claims it’ll complete 0-60 in 2.79sec, and an impromptu experiment on a quiet country lane suggests this is a conservative figure. Traction is the limiting factor all the way through first gear, especially as there are no electronics to tame the wheelspin. We hope to obtain a full set of acceleration figures soon, but there’s no doubt that the 620R is one of the most accelerative production cars in the world.

The suspension is perhaps a little too stiff for bumpier roads, but there’s a level of compliance that rounds off the sharpest edges, so the wheels stay on the ground admirably well for such a flyweight car. The steering is physical, but at just 1.93 turns lock-to-lock, a roll of the wrists sees you round most corners. The sequential transmission demands positive inputs, but there’s something totally addictive about the crack-crack-crack as you work up and down the ’box. It really gets you in the zone and the shifts come literally as fast as you can move your arm.

There’s no denying that you can hit silly speeds at will, but because you reach them in the blink of an eye you can grab your fun in an opportunist manner denied to bigger, longer-striding cars like a Nissan GT-R or Porsche 911 GT3. And because the Seven is so small, you can enjoy it on a greater variety of roads, scribing a neat, smooth line on faster sweeping roads or slithering and sliding your way round tighter tangles of corners.

How does it compare?

You can compare the 620R to just about any road legal car at any price and it’ll be faster accelerating and more thrilling. In the track car subset, the supercharged Ariel Atom 3.5 (310bhp, £38,000) and Radical SR3 SL (300bhp, £69,850) are its nearest, British manufactured rivals. The former offers a slightly more frenetic, mid-engined dynamic character while the latter is pure race car.



Anything else I need to know?

A softer cored, more accessible version of the 620R – the Caterham 620S – follows in due course, with the same power output but a less frantic demeanour.

And you can read a full review - with a track test and lap times - in the latest issue of evo Magazine, on sale here.

Absurdly fast and utterly enthralling
Practicality takes a back seat

Engine: In-line four-cyl, 1999cc, supercharged
Max power: 311bhp @ 7700rpm
Max torque: 219lb ft @ 7350rpm
0 - 60mph: 2.8sec (claimed)
Top speed: 155mph (claimed)
Price: £49,995

[crash]

Mais informações do novo Seven de acesso

A principios de agosto, Caterham anunciaba un Seven particularmente asequible (menos de 20.000 euros en el Reino Unido) y equipado de un 3 cilindros de origen Suzuki de 660 cc. Hoy, ya podemos contaros algo más. De entrada, estará disponible en Europa continental por la módica suma de 25.000 euros. Sí, es más caro que en su país de origen.

La versión "europea" se llamará Caterham Seven 165 y equipada del mismo 3 cilindros de 660 cc debidamente adaptado por CTI (Caterham Tecnhology & Innovation) y bautizado K6A. Este motor equipa en Japón el Suzuki Jimny y algunso Kei-cars. Sobrealimentado por turbo y asociado a una caja de cambios de 5 relaciones, también de origen Suzuki, desarrolla aquí 80 CV con 107 Nm de par máximo.

En términos absolutos es poco, pero el Seven pesa tan sólo 500 kg. De este modo, el Seven anuncia una relación peso-potencia de 6,25 kg/CV. Lo que nos lleva a su nombre. ¿Por qué 165 si son 80 CV? El 160 se corresponde a los 160 CV/tonelada (algo que "habla" más a los ingleses que nuestra relación peso-potencia), mientras que el 5 es porque cumple con las normas Euro 5.

Se prevé que en enero de 2014 empiece la producción para una comercialización que no se haría efectiva hasta pasado el salón de Ginebra 2014, en marzo. Su presentación al público se hará en breve, en el salón de Fráncfort.

in es.autoblog

Bem, o meu ex-Mx5, pesava quase uma tonelada e tinha apenas 90cv. Lento, é certo, mas as permissas base do carro estavam lá. Dinâmica apurada e interactiva, facilmente deixando um sorriso na cara.
O Caterham vem apenas com 80cv, mas também pesa apenas meia tonelada. Com rodas de dimensão modesta, será mais que suficiente para um cativante brinquedo.
Se pudesse, aderiria à causa.