New age Caterham

what would you say is the modern day Lotus 7? the new track day cars are ok but the car has to be able to be run on the road sensibly. The elise is ok but isnt very light and is underpowered compared to some 7s:beer:

I don't think a car has yet replaced the Lotus/Caterham 7, the Westfield Megabusa is probably the closest though.

On the other hand, you could say that the Scooby or Mitsu Evo's are the best for both on and off track action.

Take a look at a Xanthos 23 at www.xanthoscars.co.uk. This did 155mph with 140bhp back in 1962 and was designed to win Le Mans. A crack on the road and very usable.....easily outperforms a caterham at any money.

Caterhams will never be replaced!

Agreed Caterhams will never be replaced, but 340R can be considered as a 21st century Caterham !

- No proper bodywork
- Impractical
- Same blood line !!!

I'd vote for the best of the bike-engined cars:
- The Rocket
- and now, the SR3

These cars have taken superlight cars to a new level (and Caterham have pretty much matched them). I've argued before that the Rocket was the best thing to happen to Caterham. It's blindingly good performance, and the credibility of Gordon Murray's involvement made such cars more special and credible.
The JPE was already out, the general improvements to the Se7en, and the arrival of trackdays (for which the Se7en is ideal), brought Caterham more mainstream. I say that it changed Se7ens from "the car you buy while waiting for your Morgan" to "one of the best sportscars on the market". Controversial, perhaps (and I am a bit biased!), but the facts do back it up.

Alternatively, you can argue that the Se7en is still the 21st Century Se7en. I always say to people "it may not be the best small high-performance sportscar for you, but it is still the reference against which all alternatives should be measured."

And to be a bit more controversial, the 340R is like the fat bloke at the disco. Nice try, but the best girls will always choose the thinner, fitter blokes when the dancing starts!