Caterham is famous for building the Seven, an evolution of the classic Lotus Seven that has a reputation for delivering the purest driving thrills of any car on sale. But the company is looking to the future with its latest concept, called Project V.
The only thing it has in common with the Seven is the pursuit of lightness, but since it's an electric sports car, the quest is all the harder, thanks to the inherent weight that comes with fitting an EV battery.
New direction
Project V will make its public debut at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed this week, and with it comes a chance for Caterham to deliver an innovative new electric sports car. The model measures 4,255mm long, 1,893mm wide and 1,226mm tall, while it has a wheelbase of 2,581mm. Within those dimensions, it features a 272hp electric motor mounted on the rear axle and a 55kWh battery. This combination is good for a 0-100km/h time of less than 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 230km/h.
In terms of charging, a 150kW DC source can take the battery from 20-80 per cent capacity in 15 minutes, while a range of 400km is being targeted.
Caterham is a company that's famous for producing cars that deliver entertaining handling, and this mainly comes down to low weight. For the Project V, engineers are targeting a kerb weight of around 1,200kg, which is considerably more than the weight of a Seven, but relatively light in EV terms.
Aluminium and carbon fibre feature in the construction of Project V to help keep its weight down, while fully adjustable double-wishbone suspension features front and rear. Another departure from the Seven is the use of electronics within the powertrain. There are three drive modes on offer - called Normal, Sport and Sprint - which deliver different throttle responses, while the electric power steering also changes in character depending on which mode is selected.
Coupe creation
The other big difference between the Project V and the Seven is the fact that the newcomer is a coupe. The concept features a '2+1' three-seat layout "which optimises ingress and egress, provides more comfort for the rear seat passenger and offers greater flexibility in how a prospective owner may use the car", according to Caterham. While the concept features three seats, Caterham is also working on a 2+2 format, although this is likely to add weight.
Up front, a digital driver's display is fitted, while the central infotainment panel features screen mirroring for smartphones, and is designed to help create a minimalist cabin layout.
Chief designer Anthony Jannarelly handled the shape of the Project V, and maintains the company's minimalist philosophy: "A Caterham Seven's design is simple, it's designed for its intended function, to be lightweight and fun to drive," he explained. "With Project V, we're applying this philosophy to the sports coupe architecture to create a seducing and timeless silhouette. Every single feature has to justify itself from a weight perspective to maintain lightness and optimise driver engagement."
Intended for production from the start
Italdesign assisted with creating the full-sized model from the original designs, and Andrea Porta, Business Development Manager at Italdesign, enthused about the new model: "We're delighted to have partnered with Caterham and Anthony Jannarelly to bring Project V to life. At every step, we have applied our experience in producing commercially viable concept and prototype vehicles, to ensure that any future production version can be brought to market at pace."
Bob Laishley, CEO of Caterham Cars, added: "Project V is not just a concept or design study, we've conducted engineering and production feasibility throughout the development process. An electric Caterham of any shape and size has to stay true to what sets us apart from everyone else: being lightweight, simple and offering an unparalleled driving experience; that's our DNA."
"Project V isn't instead of Seven, it's complementary to it," stated Laishley. "We believe that by retaining the core Caterham values, it will appeal to both our existing customer base and attract new fans to the brand. By using a more practical coupe body style and by exploiting the packaging benefits of an EV, this is a car that works as well for trips to the shops, or the school run, as it does for Sunday morning sprints."
We should see a roadgoing version of Project V in 2024, though there's no word on whether the Caterham brand will be officially sold in Ireland after that.