Dealing with car weight became so important because the automakers became sort of forced to deal with it by the hard way: any new car needs to bring each time more equipments (of several kinds) in order to make decent competition with its direct rivals. However, the level of such competition increases so fast because of the very same automakers, which are always looking to offer the best product in each category. This situation is actually what starts a sequence of facts: the cars get heavier simply because their companies stuff them each time more. So many safety items, for instance, wouldn’t be needed if there weren’t such powerful engines. Such powerful engines wouldn’t be needed if there weren’t such heavy masses to carry, and it could go on and on.
In other words, the car industry is basically working to reduce the negative impacts of its own decisions. On the other hand, the latest Seven represents that “easy way” of dealing with this problem because it simply doesn’t start that sequence. Since Caterham doesn’t want to break sales records, there’s no need of tweaking its cars too much. Since they don’t carry many things, any small engines do the job. And, once again, it could go on and on. Seven 160 is such a good example of this inverted process because it arrives as the entry-level car of a company which has always been characterized for pragmatic vehicles. Which are really fun to drive, granted, but still very pragmatic.
Looking for shiny, huge wheels on wide tires? 160 fits a steel, 14-inch set in 155-section rubbers. Comfort and visual equipments inside or outside? There’s nothing but the necessary for you to sit and start driving. Enormous engines with hundreds of HPs? Here you’ll have three cylinders, which belong to a turbocharged 660-cc engine produced by Suzuki (it’s originally used for kei cars in Japan) and generate 80 hp and 79 lb-ft. However, the very good news are the fact that Seven 160 will keep contradicting you if you expect it to be slow: how about going from 0 to 96 kph in 6s5… in a roadster which can be purchased in United Kingdom for £17,995? No, there are no tricks here. These are the results of working with downsizing. The real downsizing.
Being so literal at rejecting whatever is not necessary to exist, accelerate to urban and road speeds, turn left and right and brake in reasonable distances is what makes Caterham produce a vehicle of only 490 kg of dry weight –a Volkswagen up! weighs twice. Like all the other Sevens, 160’s goal is to offer affordable fun driving, whether for the car’s capabilities or the conditions in which it’ll be used. That is, focusing on excellent handling paired to quick responses instead of trying to break acceleration and top speed records. This is what even motivates its name, besides. You’ll barely reach three digits in miles per hour, but you’ll still have an amazing time with a true sports car which can reach up to 21.2 kilometers with one liter of gasoline.