Caterham to launch radical electric sports car
Niche British marque won’t simply electrify Caterham Seven, but build a new EV from ground upCaterham Cars has started work on a battery-electric sports car that will help the brand transition to a zero-emissions future, but it has ruled out simply shoehorning in a battery and pair of electric motors into the iconic Caterham Seven sports car.
According to designer Anthony Jannarelly, the incoming Caterham EV will have two doors and will be a big departure from the skeletal Caterham Seven in appearance, but still share its spirit.
With work commencing last September, Jannarelly told British outlet Autocar that the new Caterham EV would be ready in the coming months to help the brand celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Working alongside Caterham to help style the first all-new clean-sheet model since the 1994 Caterham 21 is Turin-based Italdesign, in a move said to help the brand reach a broader audience.
The new EV is also being created as a bridge from old to new, with Jannarelly confident the battery-powered sports car would please existing Caterham fans.
“The next car we’re going to make is the first car where we can really apply what could be the ‘Caterham styling’, which was not a fact of the Seven, which came from the Lotus [7]”, he said.
Confirming the new EV won’t be a rehash of the Seven, Jannarelly said the brand would design and engineer the EV to be as light as possible in order to make it a true driver’s car.
“The principle is always lightness,” he said. “What everybody loves about the Seven is that it’s a simple car that just works, and even if we’re making an EV we will try to apply the same philosophy.
“It’s very simple. There will be no fancy features. The main thing is your enjoyment in driving this car.”
Jannarelly was careful not to spill the beans on what exactly Caterham is hatching, but did say the new car would shun the Seven’s long bonnet and would not be bulky, instead taking full advantage of an EV’s lack of a combustion engine.
Set to be based on a steel spaceframe, the EV is likely to feature either an aluminium or full carbon-fibre body to slash weight and should come with a proper roof, to the envy of most Seven owners.
Rear-wheel-only drive is set to be a given for the purist brand.
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