Category: Caterham

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Caterham Formula 1 Lotus

Joint statement on the Lotus position

2011 German Grand Prix

The two warring Lotus factions have issued a joint statement that proves everyone really does live happily ever after. In the public eye, at least. We expect behind closed doors there have been many toys thrown out of cots.

Apparently the two parties signed off an agreement in the last week or so with the terms to remain confidential.

Stick with us, this next bit might get a bit confusing. The brands ‘Lotus’ and ‘Team Lotus’ will be reunited under the Group Lotus banner. As previously reported, the former owners of the Team Lotus brand, 1Malaysia Team Racing, will become known as the Caterham F1 Team.

In 2012 we expect Lotus will continue with the black and gold livery and Caterham F1 has declared its intention to maintain its green and yellow colours.

The loving words of the joint statement can be read in full after the break. We suggest you imagine Dany Bahar, Group Lotus CEO, and Tomy Fernandes,  1Malaysia Team Racing owner, in a passionate embrace as you read the fairy tale below.

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Caterham Formula 1 Lotus Renault

Hello F1, meet Caterham, Lotus and Marussia

2011 Japanese Grand Prix

The Lotus v Lotus naming saga has come to an end of sorts, with confirmation the FIA has approved three team name changes in Formula One for the 2012 season.

Team Lotus will change its name to Caterham, and follows the takeover of the British sportscar firm by the Tony Fernandes led Team Lotus Enterprise. Lotus Cars CEO Dany Bahar gets his way by turning Lotus-Renault into simply Lotus. And Richard Branson loses his naming rights with Virgin switching to Marussia, thereby acknowledging the financial support given by the Russian auto maker.

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Caterham

Caterham Seven Team Lotus Special Edition

Caterham 7 Team Lotus Special Edition

Caterham has wasted no time in honouring its new pay master by releasing a Team Lotus Special Edition of its bread and butter Seven model. If you’d like to get your hands on one, though, you’d better be quick because there’s only going to be 25 of these made available.

The Team Lotus Special Edition takes the shape of an upgrade pack over and above a regular Seven purchase. From the material on offer at the moment, however, it seems the “upgrade” has little to do with performance or handling spec and more to do with landing you with the in-crowd at the Team Lotus factory in Hingham, Norfolk.

Even the cool F1-inspired livery is an extra £3K.

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Caterham

Team Lotus confirms Caterham takeover

Caterham and Team Lotus

As reported last week Team Lotus has today confirmed their takeover of iconic British sportscar maker Caterham Cars.

Team Lotus Enterprise, led by Tony Fernandes, Kamarudin Meranun and SM Nasarudin, promise to take Caterham on a new and exciting journey that will embrace both its proud Lotus Seven legacy and the high profile of Formula One.

Speaking about his new venture, Fernandes enthused, “Caterham Cars has remained wholly faithful to Colin Chapman’s philosophy of ‘less is more’, and the DNA of the original Seven can still be traced to the newest additions to Caterham’s product offering.

“It is already a successful business with sales across Europe, Japan, Australia and the Middle East, and under the guidance of the existing management team, we now have all the ingredients and the launch pad to further evolve that spirit and take Caterham to new exciting horizons with innovative products and greater global brand exposure.”

It’s going to be really interesting to see how this journey progresses. The full presser from Caterham, along with an emotional promo video, can be seen after the break.

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Caterham

Team Lotus set to announce Caterham deal

Caterham Roadsport 125 Monaco

Latest word on the street says the Tony Fernandes-backed Team Lotus is set to announce takeover deal of boutique sportcar maker Caterham.

Rumours suggest the deal will be confirmed at a Team Lotus press conference on Wednesday. It was understood the announcement would be related to the Lotus v Lotus stoush that has been simmering in British courts of late. However, the invitation to the event says it will be, “an incredibly exciting announcement about the future of our team,” which has got tongues wagging.

Delays with court proceedings mean a final decision on the Lotus position is still a few weeks away. Perhaps a Team Lotus takeover of Caterham can provide a clear future direction for Fernandes and his team.

[Source: Autosport]

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Caterham

The new Caterham-Lola SP/300.R

Caterham-Lola SP/300.R

So the wraps have come off the new creation from Caterham, it’s called the Caterham-Lola SP/300.R.. And rather than being a reproduction of a former classic, this is something altogether new.

As the name suggests legendary chassis makers Lola have had a fair say in what’s what, while power is provided by a tasty 2.0 litre supercharged unit from Ford, which should be good for 300bhp. It’s a Caterham, so it must weight three-tenths of sod all as well. Probably why it’s predicted 100km/h sprint time is just 2.5 seconds.

The car is actually still undergoing final development, which explains why there is currently little in the way of technical specifications. Never mind that, though, she’s a pretty snazzy looking thing and should make for a ripping drive.

The chassis has been designed to meet relevant safety requirements for racing. Which is a good thing because Caterham is planning to use the SP300R for its own one-make series beginning in 2012. Initial sights are set on a UK series, with expansion across Europe to follow.

Those hoping to turn heads on their local roads need not give up just yet. A road-legal version of the SP300R has not been ruled out. Although, with a planned production capacity of just 25 cars per year you might need to wait for a while.

More pics, video and Caterham’s official presser after the break.

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Caterham

Don’t forget, there’s a new Caterham coming this week too

Caterham Cars

A reminder, among all the action from Detroit, that Caterham will be unveiling a new car on Thursday at the Autosport International Show in the UK. Stay tuned as we will bring you all the details as soon as they are available (possibly late Thursday night Australian time, otherwise Friday morning).

If you really can’t wait, then keep an eye on Caterham’s official twitter feed.

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Caterham

Caterham Cars ready for new chapter

Caterham Cars

Caterham Cars has announced it will be launching an all-new model early next year. They say their new car “marks the beginning of a new dawn for the Company, but one that remains true to the lightweight, minimalist DNA of the legendary Seven and will complement its continuing global success.”

We have high hopes for this model. If they are true to their word, then this pocket-rocket, powered by the latest Caterham Motorsport engine, is sure to provide a new era of seat-of-the-pants motoring. Stay tuned for the official reveal on 13 January 2011.

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Caterham

Caterham Roadsport 125 Monaco

Caterham Roadsport 125 Monaco

Caterham has released a new entry-level special edition called the Roadsport 125 Monaco. Based on the iconic Lotus/Caterham 7 the cars of today haven’t changed a great deal in over 50 years.

The Roadsport 125 Monaco is powered by a 1.6 litre four cylinder Ford engine. As the name suggests the engine offers 125bhp (approx 93kW). It’s not a lot, is it. Consider, though, the car weighs just 550kg. Fitted with a 5 speed manual transmission the Roadsport can accelerate to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds.

Any genuine link to Monaco is tenuous, at best, you’d think. But the car looks the business and driving it through the tunnel on the Grand Prix track would be a great way to start a day attacking the hills and winding roads around the French riviera.

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Caterham Top Gear

All in all it’s just another brick in the mall

Top Gear & Caterham R500 in Lego

Check this out, this is the coolest! Those funky kiddy entertainers at Lego have paid homage to Top Gear and the Caterham Superlight R500.

The Caterham featured in Series 12 of Top Gear back in 2008 and won the program’s coveted Car of the Year award in the same year. That was all the inspiration required for LEGOLAND’s chief model maker, Guy Bagley, “My colleague remembered that the Stig had put the R500 through its paces and how incredible it was on the track. It’s such a timeless and iconic car that it was a ‘no-brainer’ as our choice for the motorsport area, having already decided to feature Top Gear. Its design lends itself particularly well to our bricks, too.”

It’s enough to make you want to be a kid again!

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