Growing up in Caterham, Surrey, at house number seven, I felt a strong connection to the local company that once lined up on the Formula One grid. It was exciting peering into the nearby Caterham Cars showroom (now a retirement home), but driving a Seven 360R – collected from Caterham’s new factory in Dartford – back to its home town was even more so.
“You get used to it,” I reassured passengers struggling with the four-point harness belts and composite bucket seats fitted to this car as part of the track-focused ‘R’ pack. Compared to the more road-friendly Seven 360S, it adds a lightweight flywheel, limited-slip differential and firmer suspension. The last of which wasn’t ideally suited to the hilly roads surrounding Caterham.
The wider Seven ‘SV’ body and lowered floor, also optioned here, were very much welcomed by my 6ft 5in passenger, though. Even in this guise, the Caterham’s cabin is still a snug fit.
Driving distilled
Inside, the car is incredibly sparse, with no new-fangled touchscreens, just a row of toggle switches and five dials – two of which didn’t fancy doing their job by the end of the week. One of the faulty dials was the speedometer, but no matter: straight-line speed feels lower down on Caterham’s priority list than lateral G-forces. This car is all about the corners.
Shifting through the satisfying clunks of the five-speed gearbox, then hitting the redline at 7,500rpm, the sense of speed is abundant. Yet often the gap to the family hatchback in front remains. The beauty of a car that feels even quicker than the reality is that excitement seems more easily accessible.
Zero to 60 mph takes 4.8 seconds and while there are swifter sports cars, your senses will be more stimulated by a Caterham than anything else on four wheels. You hear and smell the 2.0-litre Ford Duratec engine, its efforts carried by the gale that surrounds the cabin as you accelerate. Its happy place is above 4,000rpm, when it begins to snarl like a V8 that has been chainsawed in half.
Sensations of speed
Although this car was specced with a rear-exit exhaust to limit noise for track days, the system wraps around the open cockpit, delivering some noise directly to the driver. Don’t forget to hop over the hot silencer when climbing out of the car, though, otherwise the exhaust won’t be the only thing making a noise…
Turn-in is instant, helped by the tiny, Alcantara-wrapped Momo steering wheel. I can imagine the 360R feels fantastic on a circuit, where there is more space to break traction and explore its limits. The brakes also feel like they have more to give when able to generate heat beyond that possible on public roads. They are firm but reassuringly progressive.
In truth, my inputs felt like the limiting factor here, although rather than condescend to my ability, the 360R built my confidence to be slightly harder on the brakes and more positive with the throttle and steering. It’s on your side, egging you on to have fun.
Caterham to the capital
For a different Caterham experience, I later take the car through central London. The journey feels oddly similar to my cycle commute.
The Seven seemingly has little presence when jostling with traffic, as being so small and low makes it trickier to be seen. At least the neon green roll cage of my 360R test car helped it stand out.
Tourists take a break from photographing Tower Bridge to snap the Caterham instead. It is certainly not the car to keep a low profile; three groups of kids exclaimed versions of “sick car” and other drivers leaned out of their windows to ask “How fast is that?”.
Seven’s deadly sins
Forget the seven deadly sins, the 360R possesses the Seven heavenly virtues. There is no gluttony or greed given its lightweight body and minimalist interior, while a power-to-weight ratio of 325hp per tonne felt like the sweet-spot for B-roads.
Equally, you cannot be sloth-like due to the complete lack of driver aids, but if you push it respectfully it is not wrathful. My pride was curtailed, as it was my driving ability that limited the car’s performance. However, I felt no envy as even proper supercars cannot match this level of driver feedback. Or the unfiltered access to the British countryside provided by the unconfined cockpit.
Yet the Seven may possess one sin, as lust remains. Once you find an ideal road, in the perfect weather and surroundings, the sensations are addictive and will leave you wanting more.
Caterham Seven 360
Price: From £38,940
Power: 182hp
0-62mph: 4.8 seconds
Top speed: 130mph
Kerb weight: 560kg
Fuel economy: N/A
• James Male writes for Motoring Research