Caterham recently took the wraps off its most powerful road car to date, the 311-horsepower 620R. However, the British track car specialist is also working on a new entry-level model that it's been revealed today will come powered by a three-cylinder engine supplied by Suzuki.
The three-cylinder engine picked by Caterham has a displacement of 660 cc and features a turbocharger in order to maximize performance. It will be matched to a five-speed gearbox and promises to make the new entry-level Caterham the brand’s lightest and most fuel-efficient model to date.
Caterham says it needed to re-engineer part of the famous Seven chassis in order to accommodate the new drivetrain. Most of the revisions have been in regards to the layout of the suspension.
“We needed a particularly light powertrain but it had to be a unit that suited the characteristics inherent to all Sevens," the head of Caterham’s automotive unit, Graham Macdonald, said in a statement. “Thankfully, after lots of hard work, we have a package that works brilliantly.”
The car that the Suzuki engine will power, which is yet to be named, will be offered for sale this fall, priced from less than 17,000 British pounds (approximately $25,800).
It’s good to see that Caterham, which is about to expand into the potentially lucrative world of performance road cars and is even eying the launch of a supercar at a future date, hasn’t forgotten its roots.
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