For AutoWeek Classics, I often drive old cars, but it's very rare for me to get into a new car which is already 60 years old.
But that's the case today. This is the Caterham Super Seven 1600, a version of the current Caterham Seven.
The Caterham Seven was first launched in 1973, and it was based on the Lotus Seven from 1957.
A lot of things have been changed since then. Better suspension, a stronger chassis, modern engines, but the base has remained the same.
And of course, they've released a retro-version of this car. Because that's the main selling point of the Caterham Super Seven 1600.
Retro-accents. The dials, extended fenders, colors that are only available on this version and open air filters, which look like they should be on...
double Weber-carburetors.
It's also pretty rare for me to get into a car which becomes 15 percent heavier whenever I get into it.
That's because this Caterham only weighs 565 kg. That number, combined with an atmospheric Ford 1.6-litre, producing 135 horsepower,
means it produces quite amazing performance figures. 0-100 km/h only takes five seconds and it keeps on accelerating until it reaches 200 km/h.
That's really fast in a car like this.
But it's more than that. It's the experience it delivers when you're driving this fast. It's so different than in other cars.
If you compare this to a BMW M5, you'll be at the maximum speed in no-time, but you'll experience it in a different way than in here.
In this car, your brain is able to cope with the speed a lot better, because it's so pure.
And it's not only the lower weight. It's the way the engine reacts and sounds. I love those open air filters. It adds to the experience.
Also, the lovely 5-speedgearbox makes driving this Caterham so nice.
Driving this Caterham is an activity on its own. It's much more than a thing which gets you from A to B.
The chassis is very spartan-like, but it's not an incredibly tight track day-car. It's actually quite comfortable for a Caterham.
Because everything is so unfiltered, I mean, your butt is practically on the rear axle and your hands feel connected to the front wheels.
That gives such a direct driving experience. I mean, if something would happen, it's easy to go sideways in this light, but powerful car.
Luckily, you can feel that coming. That's why it's easy to correct the steering.
It's not driving to get somewhere, it's driving because you like to drive. If you combine that with all of these retro-accents,
it makes for a incredibly fun car which is very charming at the same time. Of course, there are lots of drawbacks with this car,
even if it's just because it messes up your hair. But you have to take those for granted. Of course it's an ergonomic hell,
it's a very tight fit and I have to be careful not to press three pedals at once because they're so close to each other.
But it's all part of the experience. And if I look at this package as a whole, I long back to the seventies. It doesn't matter that I only was...
a small boy, but I would've been able to buy a car like this for a few thousand Gulden's. And that brings me to the big problem with this car.
The price. It's not retro at all. This car will cost you €38.000 without taxes, options, you name it. If you add all of those things, you'll have to pay...
way more than €50.000. And you can't explain that price for a car like this. However...
On moments like this, I start doubting a lot. And that says everything about how much driving pleasure this has to offer.