Caterham’s New Seven 420 Cup Packs in the Race Car Tech

A photo of a bright red Caterham two-seater sports car with a white roll cage.

Caterham took the track focus up to 11 with the new Seven 420 Cup. Photo: Caterham

If you’re picking somewhere for dinner, I always think it’s best to go to a place that does one thing excellently. Apparently, that’s a mantra that Caterham applies to its car-making practices as well. That’s because it has always done one thing very well – small, super light track day toys. Now, it has a new model in the range that doesn’t stray too far from the formula.

Dubbed the Caterham Seven 420 Cup, the new car looks almost identical to every Caterham that has preceded it. It’s got that long hood, those tiny wheels, no roof, and an exhaust down the side.

But while the styling remains unmistakably Caterham, there are a few tweaks in the 420 Cup that set this car apart from its siblings

A photo of the front profile of the new Caterham Seven track car.

Despite its happy face, Caterham says this is a proper race car underneath. Photo: Caterham

Created to bridge the gap between the firm’s 420 road car and the Seven Championship Race Car, it shares a few similarities with each. The 420 Cup is powered by the same 210 bhp, 2.0-liter engine as in the Seven 420. It also has a power-to-weight ratio of 375-bhp-per-tonne, as does the standard car.

But that, the firm says, is where the similarities to the 420 end.

Inspired by the Championship Race Car, this new Caterham has a six-speed sequential gearbox, which allows for flat-shifting. There are also new 10-stage, fully-adjustable dampers at each corner. This, Caterham says, will help drivers set up the car for any road or circuit.

There are also options for race-ready seats and a full roll cage for when you hit the track. And, the car can also be ordered with super sticky slick tires.

A close up photo of the new suspension and dampers on the Caterham sports car.

New dampers are one of the big upgrades on the Seven 420 Cup. Photo: Caterham

Despite these track-focused upgrades, the new Seven remains road legal. Well, unless you spec yours out with a set of slicks. But, because of strict emission rules, the car is only available to buy in the U.K. or the U.S.

And this isn’t a limited-run celebration car or anything like that. It’s a full-time addition to the Caterham range that will set you back £54,990 ($69,000) in the U.K.

In the U.S., Caterham says pricing can be found by contacting your local dealer.