Caterham Seven 485R | Test Drive | Auto Class Magazine

Caterham Seven 485R | Test Drive

1 October 2022 Redazione News, Stories, Tested

Madness, pure madness, plain and simple. This is the word that more than any other is able to express the poetry on asphalt of a masterpiece that has made design simplicity a point of absolute reference, an immortal key through which to read the wishes of those who want to get excited while driving, today just like 65 years ago.

Words Alessandro Marrone / Photos Jay Tomei

CATERHAM SEVEN 485R

No place for the faint of heart, with backache and all those who think that driving only means moving from one place to another. There are very few cars that could boast a disclaimer of this type and at the top of the brief list there would undoubtedly be Caterham. In fact, the Seven dispenses a unique philosophy of driving fun since 1957, when the good old Colin Chapman took a tubular trellis frame from the Eleven racecar and gave life to the craziest street legal sports car ever imagined. Remained true to itself in image and dynamics, the Seven still lives today under the wing of Caterham, available in so many versions that the excuse of not finding the one tailored for you is excluded as an excuse.

A few years have passed since my last time aboard a Caterham, but the sensations I experienced in Austria with the 275R are about to be dusted off big time, thanks to a 485R made available by the brand through the official Italian dealership Gino S.P.A. I reach Rivoli (Turin) early in the morning, it is full summer, the best time to ensure favorable weather conditions, especially taking into account that the Seven has a strong predisposition to widen its tail. The roof must remain rigorously folded into the microscopic luggage compartment behind the seats and the doors will be kept only for the main routes, in order to avoid reaching the destination with the face covered with stones raised by the cars in front of us. By the way, even the smallest Smart car will suddenly seem like a giant of the road, better to keep the necessary distance then, even if the special blue of the body will hardly pass unnoticed.

The model that I bring to the office is an SV 485R, it is therefore the variant with the elongated frame, which translates not only into better habitability and “simplicity” in terms of getting in and out, but in better control of the dynamics once the air gets hot and all you have in front of you is a snake of curves that seems to chase its tail. The 485R also features a 2-liter 240 horsepower naturally aspirated Ford-sourced in-line 4-cylinder engine, combined with a 6-speed manual transmission that moves only the rear wheels. But this was logical, given that we are talking about the quintessence of driving pleasure, the maximum expression of a mechanical devotion that transforms every single meter into the rediscovery of an action that for many plays a purely functional role – of necessity – but which for us car minded people is blood flowing through the veins.

The anorexic body of the Caterham is limited to covering a frame close to the ground, limiting the total weight to just over half a ton: 600 kg of only essential mechanical parts. Then there is the small windshield and the two removable doors, a little leather covering the central tunnel and a lot of carbon fiber. With the Seven you do not get on board, you drop into the cockpit and to be honest the whole procedure is not even as difficult as they would like us to believe, given that the absence of the roof and the possibility of placing a hand next to the gear lever and keeping the other on the side profile of the body allows you to slide your legs under the tiny steering wheel and take your place almost as if it were child’s play. Once the doors have been closed and secured with the two anchoring buttons, it is time to fasten the four-point racing seat belts and tighten in proportion to the pace you intend to keep shortly thereafter. A turn of the key, you press the power button and the little demon comes to life.

It is an almost irregular hum emitted by the side exhaust, which increases in volume and intensity as you move forward, detaching a hard, high-acting clutch pedal that requires a pinch of habit, especially in traffic where you will inevitably have all eyes on you. Tightened in the embrace of the belts and being able to touch the asphalt with your hands, you immediately rediscover the rules that make the driving experience so visceral, incredibly intimate and ready to be among the most violent ever, including supercars and hypercars. The engine emits a gurgling that merges with that racing sound that comes out of the exhaust, with Sport mode that not only amplifies the whole and adds pops while shifting or coasting, but sharpens the response of the throttle, letting that all the power available is within reach of three pedals and a gear lever.

Analog is the watchword. Except for the small revs indicator positioned just above the steering wheel, every single thing is purely old school and could in fact be assembled in your own garage, if you just wish to get the Seven in a kit – all true. Having to move just 600 kg of weight, the naturally aspirated engine does not need a large torque curve and this is one of the aspects that makes the Seven the ultimate tool for learning what it means to drive fast. To get a real adrenaline rush you have to keep the gears up to the red line and while the maximum power is grounded at 8,500 rpm, the downshift to the next gear is thrown at you with all the force of the elements. Air, very hot air, dirt, insects and who knows what else, but it doesn’t matter because you’re almost possessed by the bend that approaches too quickly to allow you to think about the uncomfortable position in which half of your body is.

I get a whole different perception of that road I know well and that I have chosen to drive today, after allowing myself a few fundamental days to take the so-called measures and try to push my limit behind the wheel a little further. It is as if for the first time I could physically feel all the variations of the tarmac under the small Avon tires enveloping 13-inch wheels, so small to help further limit the overall weight and make the car more agile through tight directions changes. Every noise is emphasized and the throttle response is at least as surgical as the steering precision, which results in an extremely effective front end, even when you exaggerate a little too much when entering corners. Then just a hint of arrogance on the throttle and the total lack of driving controls allows the rear to widen. That’s the moment you have to tinker with the microscopic Momo wheel and straighten those carbon fenders still keeping the careful focus that a Caterham requires when driven with more stress than usual.

However, we must not make the mistake of thinking we’ve understood everything here, or not even having entered into harmony with the Seven only for a successful slide control, or for a 2^nd to 3^rd right at the rev limiter. The real strength of the Caterham is in fact this constant relationship established with the driver, made up of a crescendo of emotions unattainable with any other sports car, regardless of whether it has five times the power available. That of the Seven is no longer a secret, nor is it hidden behind numbers that are even more impressive while at the mercy of the elements: 0-100 kph in just 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 225 per hour. Madness, pure madness, plain and simple. This is the word that more than any other is able to express the poetry on asphalt of a masterpiece that has made design simplicity a point of absolute reference, an immortal key through which to read the wishes of those who want to get excited while driving, today just like 65 years ago.

The ticket price? The Seven starts at around € 38,000 where you bring home the 165, which mounts an 81 horsepower 1.6 and trust that this is already able to dispense doses of fun. Moving on to the 485 of our test, we start with almost € 53,000 for the 485S and € 57,000 for the 485R, to which € 2,450 must be added for the SV extended chassis. At that point you can really let your fantasy run wild by configuring your model according to your tastes and – above all – your preferences regarding the dynamic purity of the Seven. In this scenario, reaching € 70,000 is more than likely possible, but on the way back you take home a piece of automotive history under the semi-naked guise of a toy capable of combining poetry and madness as only a legendary artist like Colin Chapman has ever managed doing. Driving a Caterham is like reading the “Divine Comedy” on a roller coaster, it enriches and shocks you at the same time.

Thanks to Gino SPA for coordinating our test drive, in particular to Alessandro Gino, Fabio Di Chio and Luca Bagarolo.