Ucarmagazine

For those wanting an expression of British sportscar exclusivity, Caterham Cars has joined forces with RS Performance to offer the ultimate in bespoke Seven coachbuilding. Caterham has long been the epitome of personalised motoring with almost every version of the 12,000 Sevens on the road differing from one another. The joint venture takes that famous philosophy to an altogether new level.

RS Performance is an exclusive, niche engineering house. Born out of the passion and pedigree of its founder, Russell Savory, it will offer an ‘everything is possible’ service to Caterham customers wanting cars truly ‘built to order’.

Using the motorsport-honed Caterham chassis and benchmark technology as a cosmetic and engineering base, RS Performance, will “turn imagination into reality,” says Savory.

The heartbeat of every RS-monikered Seven will be the unique RST-V8 engine. With more than 16 years of development behind it by Russell Savory, the 40-valve, 2.4 litre engine reliably delivers an incredible 400bhp in normally aspirated mode, or over 500bhp as a supercharged varient, whilst weighing only 90kg in full running gear.

The unbridled lightness of the RST-V8 matched to the already featherweight Seven chassis delivers a power-to-weight ratio of over 1000bhp per tonne – more than double of a Bugatti Veyron. This unique partnership will be open to customers looking for the ultimate in exclusivity, and carry a price tag to reflect the tailoring, detail and hand-built craftsmanship that will go into every RS-badged Caterham.

Validation of the engineering house’s abilities comes in the form of the supercharged ‘Levante’. This is the first Seven to rollout of RS Performance’s Hertfordshire doors and which only seven more of this type will be available.

With a 12 week waiting time and costing over £115,000, this supercharged engineering masterpiece boasts a modern interpretation of the Seven’s classic looks with a sophisticated electronics package with traction and launch control to help get the phenomenal power to the floor. Weight reduction runs throughout the car, from the carbon fibre interior finished with Kevlar seats down to the hosing used on the cooling systems
The RS Performance badge will sit alongside the established, and soon to be expanded, Ford powered Caterham Seven range.

“Caterham and Russell Savory have a long history, and this seemed a natural progression of that relationship and shared engineering philosophy,” explained Ansar Ali, Caterham Cars managing director.

RS Performance RST-V8 Engine Technical Specification

Configuration
 90° V8

Capacity
 2.4 litre

Valves
 40

Construction
 Aluminium main frame with dry sump

Max Power
 380 bhp @10,000rpm / 500+bhp @ 10,000rpm (supercharged)

Max Torque
 190 lbsft @ 8500rpm / 300 lbsft@ 8500rpm (supercharged)

Gearbox
 6-speed

Overall length
 45.6mm

Overall width
 45.6mm

Height
 48mm

Weight
 90kg

Service intervals
 8000 miles (minor) / 30,000 miles (major service & belt change)

RS Performance ‘Levante’ Technical Specification

Price
 £115,000 (dependent on specification)

Chassis
 Caterham SV

Engine
 2.4-litre, 40-valve RST-V8 supercharged

Max Power
 500+bhp @ 10,000rpm

Max Torque
 300 lbsft @ 8500rpm

Supercharge boost
 0.8 psi

Gearbox
 6-speed sequential, paddle shift option

Transmission
 LSD

0-60mph (claimed)
 Less than 3 seconds

Top Speed
 150mph (limited)

Wheelbase
 2305mm

Overall length
 3530mm

Overall width
 1685mm

Height
 1140mm

Weight
 From 520kgs

Suspension
 de Dion rear, Nitron 3-way adjustable shocks all corners

Wheels
 Image Billet; front 8 x 15, rear 10 x 15

Tyres
 Avon CR500; front 195/45-15, rear 245/40-15

Brakes
 Hi Spec; front 280mm vented, rear 260mm.

Exhaust system
 BTB 2 x 4-2-1 rear exit

Dashboard
 Farringdon and SPA design

Driver aids
 Traction Control, Launch Control

Additional
 Two day driver training course provided on delivery of vehicle