- Caterham-Lola SP/300.R was designed with Lola for a new one-make series in 2012.
- It features a new 300-horsepower supercharged Ford Duratec engine.
- Zero-60 acceleration in 2.5 seconds and a top speed of 170 mph.
BIRMINGHAM, England — Caterham Motorsport has teamed with Lola Cars to create the Caterham-Lola SP/300.R, a sports prototype racecar designed both for track-day enthusiasts and for a new one-marque race series in 2012. The car, the first new model from Caterham since the 21, was unveiled here at the 2011 Autosport International Show.
The SP/300.R features a new Caterham-tuned supercharged Ford Duratec 2.0-liter engine that makes 300 horsepower and provides 0-60 acceleration in 2.5 seconds. The 1,300-pound racecar will develop a top speed of around 170 mph.
The engine is mid-mounted longitudinally and mated to a Hewland semi-automatic FTR gearbox, driving the rear wheels through a stress-bearing rear transaxle.
The driveline is part of a bespoke chassis developed with Lola, based in part on Lola's Formula 3 and World Junior cars. The aluminum tub is fitted with full race suspension, with front and rear dual wishbones, pushrod dampers, adjustable ride height, AP Racing brakes, bespoke Cooper tires and a choice of 13-inch race rims from ATS, Speedline or OZ.
The lightweight body, designed by Caterham, draws styling inspiration from both companies, and incorporates a front splitter, oversize rear wing and flat underbody.
The car's racing heritage is also evident in the cockpit, which has a roll cage, six-point harness, cutoff switch, fire extinguisher and a data display stack built into the Momo steering wheel.
Caterham is planning to make the SP/300.R the star of a new one-make race series in 2012 that will focus initially on U.K. circuits, with at least one round outside the country.
Caterham Cars Managing Director Ansar Ali said, "Motorsport is not only part of the history of Caterham, it's been the lifeblood running through the character of our vehicles — racecars for the road. Today, racing is not only the heartbeat of the business, it's an intrinsic part of our fabric both here and abroad and the SP/300.R represents the next logical step in the development of our product offering."
Caterham said it plans to build only 25 SP/300.Rs a year.
Inside Line says: Caterham says it's considering whether to build a street-legal version of the car. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
Add A Comment »
smallfield says:
04:16 AM, 01/19/2011
I agree, after pedestrian safety mods, bumpers and everything else I don't see how it's possible either. But, if they figure it out it'd be pretty cool.
Unfortunately the 7 CSR is only a kit car in the US. There isn't even a kit retailer within 600 miles of my location if I had time/skill to do a buildup. But good point, a ready assembled 7 CSR with a local service provider would be very cool and about like this for the street.
a1c_scg says:
12:33 PM, 01/18/2011
Ahh, I missed that part. Don't see how they could make a street version even remotely similar to this though.
compressor says:
01:53 AM, 01/18/2011
They already make it. Its called the 7 CSR.
smallfield says:
11:30 AM, 01/17/2011
"Caterham says it's considering whether to build a street-legal version of the car. "
a1c_scg says:
09:04 AM, 01/17/2011
It's not a roadcar. It clearly says that in the article. It's for a one-make race series. But it's still damn cool.
smallfield says:
06:47 AM, 01/17/2011
1300 lb road car with 300hp. I want one!
Unfortunately, reading the components above it'll probably be really expensive... Although the Ford pieces probably aren't too expensive to run.
That said, please make it. Show the big intrenched manufacturers (including present day Lotus) speed by lightness.