Caterham Super Seven 1600

Caterham and Aston Martin dealer HWM organised a visit to the new Caterham factory in Dartford last Sunday. This was a chance for owners of both marques to view the new facility and talk to staff. It was a 9am start, and apart from a few drops of rain it was pretty good weather all morning. Around 50 people turned up, as well as most of the staff from HWM and some from Caterham as well. Twenty or so Caterhams made it there, but some turned up in other vehicles. There was a very nice 90's car which is the basis for my retro-styled model. The new factory is fully operational now, what a difference from the old Kennet Road place ! HWM brought a selection of new Astons including a DB12 Volante in the same colour as my car. A little photo shoot was required.

Last week I got to do a proper road trip, from London to North Wales and back. It was very much a last minute adventure. I checked the weather forecast on Monday morning and it was high pressure all week. So Monday afternoon I set off. First stop was the Double Tree by Hilton outside Chester, a place I had stayed at before. This was to get the initial motorway drive done before heading into Wales. For Day 2 I had a room booked at the Chainbridge Hotel in Llangollen. I wanted to stay at Portmeirion but it was fully booked, so instead my plan was to visit Portmeirion in the morning and then head over to the Chainbridge. I set off early and drove to Bangor, then down to Porthmadog, arriving at Portmeirion at 10am.  Had a good wander around, the weather was amazing ! After lunch I headed off to Llangollen, driving through the Snowdonia roads. The Chainbridge Hotel is perched on the side of a hill overlooking a river. It's quite an interesting place, had a nice meal and then an early ni

Today was the 2024 Open Day run by Lotus specialist Malcolm Ricketts, at his workshops out in Wheathampsted. He has a great collection of early Lotus vehicles, and many more turned-up ! Quite a few Caterhams as well. Justin from Caterham Cars was there with the Super Seven 600 demonstrator. He also told me something very interesting about the Super Seven 1600. Despite having a Sigma Ti-VCT engine, the Variable Valve Timing is turned off due to the Jenvey Throttle bodies. So it actually has slightly less power and torque than a standard 270/275 engine. Holbay Twin Cam SS.. I really like the 11-inch steering wheel from the Super Seven 600, it's a much better size for the S3 chassis than my 12-inch. I feel an upgrade coming on..

Last Sunday there was a workshop meet-up at HWM Caterham in Walton-on-Thames. This was organised by the Service Manager Richard Potton, and was a chance to ask general questions about the cars and their recommended servicing procedures.  Lots of cars in the workshop, including brand new vehicles awaiting collection. London AR David North still has his car there! Now with very expensive updated suspension. Around 30 cars turned up, including an unusual passenger. And I found another Super Seven 1600 for the register. All good.

Here's parts of the original brochure for the Super Seven 1600, showing the specification details and optional extras. This was part of the marketing material produced by Stacy Freeman.