The Caterham Seven 310S - The Ultimate Driving Machine?
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- čas přidán 12. 05. 2017
- In 1957, Colin Chapman introduced the Lotus Seven. Sixty years later, the incredibly popular car is still being sold - in both self-build and turn-key form. Caterham recently introduced the 310S, a car they think represents the best of the brand. But as a Caterham novice, what did I think of this blast from the past?
Check out Caterham's website here: uk.caterhamcars.com/
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I've watched many Caterham reviews and road tests and yours is absolutely the best. No music, informative, well edited, amusing where appropriate and a pleasure to watch. Bravo!
Thankyou!
@@JayEmmOnCars Where was this segment shot?
Wish 620r could hit least 200mph have anybody considered engine upgrade have one parked
This has got to be the best car review I have seen. A perfect balance of what is good and bad about the car in review. You are also upfront and honest about how you feel about the car.
Thanks John!
I'm just impressed he could get in it, meaning there's hope for me!
dude you're such an underrated car reviewer
Not sure anyone is actually rating car reviewers
I'm pleased to see a review with a roof. I've had 3 now and they are additive. The first back in '99 was my only car and i drove 16k miles a year for four years. The hood is a life saver when it's sleeting & snowing. It has stiched in guttering to stop the water going down your back when you get in and out. The rear window zips open to get your shopping in the boot and the screen is heated to stop it misting up. There's a tensioner built into the hood sticks to tention it so it doesn't even flap at a steady 85mph. The lower section of the doors lift up and stay up by the air flow above 30mph to create a good breeze if it suddenly turns sunny. The heater will blow cold as well as hot air. Getting in and out isn't so easy but you soon learn to do a kind of tumble forward manoeuvre like Tony Alcock at the Crown Green Bowls. I think its easier than an Elise due to the narrow sill. Plenty of companies like OMP and Sparco make narrow leather shoes suitable for the office. The only consession I ever made was rolling my left trouser leg like a Free Mason due to an occasional drip from the scuttle during a long journey in the rain. I probably could have sealed it but it was never really a problem. Many reviews sign off that you have to be some kind of petrolhead masochist to buy one, but that's because they only keep them for a short time and don't learn about using the weather gear properly. Don't be put off thinking you can't run a Seven every day, just look for someone on a motorbike and think you've got it easy!
Dude!! This was an amazing review of an amazing car!!! Thank you for making this.
Jay, you got the nail on the head: it's not a car - it's pure FUN!
Obviously
An excellent review ! Should of called it " Everything you need to know about Caterham in 21 minutes ". Brilliant, thank you.
Thanks!
A gentleman that lives close to me built a seven kit car. Every time I see it burble by I find a big stupid grin plastered on my face... There's just something special about these cars.
One day I'd love to build one.
Great review sir!
Please, could you explain what do you mean for "gentleman"? I'm just curious. I imagine a man well shaved and dressed with a tweed suit smoking a pipe.
This review is spot on. Hired a 310 for a day as suggested. Really great fun an A and B roads, great noise. Just couldn't drive it for hours over 70mph due to the noise. I am looking for a fun car for touring, so reluctantly not for me.
Ear plugs at 70mph are a good idea for any distance. However depending on model if you are doing low speeds it can be a low frequency sleep inducer believe it or not. Simple solution is to open it up and thrash it.
Wonderful review of a true driver's car
Thanks!
Great video, really appreciate the discussion of the history of the Seven.
The great thing I've found with the Caterham is that I only need to drive at 70 on country roads to get the same enjoyment or buzz that I did when I drove at over 100 in my porkers. This makes it a lot less dangerous. And actually a lot more fun. But you don't need to buy a new one. Spend half the money on one from the 90s and get exactly the same level of enjoyment. BTW you can easily change the position of the pedals to your own liking.
Well done review, well spoken and comprehensive.
Well presented and slickly produced video. Well done.
very good report, well done
nice review... always wanted one..
This is the best review I’ve seen you do, and it’s certainly the best Caterham one. I like how much detail you put into it.
I admire your honesty. A good genuine honest review. And yet it has not put me off.
It should. The more I look at this car and wish it could be what I want it to be, the more I know it can't be changed. It should be max $10,000 AUD
Just the reviewer I keep watching, even going straight to the caterham web site!
Came across your channel today. loving the content so far. keep it up!!
I have an old Caterham 1984 I love it, look forward to our Sunday runs every week in Sumer and winter. Love it so much just bought another 1996 so I have two
Very nicely done presentation. Thank you.
Excellent commentary, with just the right balance of interesting facts, engaging humour and apposite opinion. Well done! 😊👍
Thankyou
Fantastic review. Detailed and balanced. A really nice presentational style too!!
Thanks Richard
Great review, great car. If you think of it as a motorbike that you drive like a car you'll love it. It' genius! I love the simplicity...great advice on building your own... Thanks
Since I was only watching as casual interest, i.e. not intending to buy this type of car, there aren't many reviews that would keep my attention for 21 minutes, yours was very well presented, well paced and interesting, I echo many positive comments below, thank you for an entertaining watch.
Decided I’m winning one of these tomorrow on dream car giveaway. Happy to see a Jayemm review even though the speaking style is completely different to what we know today.
Heh, the Seven is a legend in any real driver's lunchtime. Great review Jay!
These little cars can out corner most super cars and the high end ones can waste 'em on the track too. But, if you don't have the skills, your Seven will become a hedge trimmer.
Loved the review - spot on in all your comments except for the recommendation to buy an Elise. Obviously that doesn't apply if you really can't live without the 'luxuries' mentioned, but if the luxuries are immaterial you are a real Caterham person and nothing else will do.
I am a sixty something with a mere 1.4 K-Series (albeit with around 150bhp) and I couldn't be without mine. 👴🏻
great review, and good insight into the brand.
Great to see my Superlight Twenty build featured in your video James, but why shame me with the untidy before garage shot! You bounder Sir! 😂😂🤣🤣😉😉
Very good review, good information and presentation. And amazing car, of course.
I love side pipes! The only Caterham I've ever seen was in Caulfield in Melbourne Australia following behind a Lotus Elise! A very exciting 5 seconds
First time seeing a review from you, you're excellent. Love it!
Glad you enjoyed it
Great review James, pretty much everything you said is spot on! I have a 270 upgraded to 310, great machine, revs in such a linear way...the lightened flywheel is also a great option. Looking forward to your next vid Cheers Keith W
a fantastic review of a fantastic car :D I am just sat here waiting for my new 360R SV to be finished with the post build inspection and pass its IVA so two weeks ish left until i receive it :D I cant wait the more of these videos i watch the more excited i get :D
One of the best reviews i've seen for the caterham seven.
any idea if they offer the sequential gear box for models other than the 620?
Great video James. Very close to my heart also. Along with my 350 Sport, we have a SV R300 (2.0L Duratec) that my wife and I built back in 2010.
As Steve FP said, the pedals are completely open season, I guess they've left the demo car set up so press types in big shoes don't give it gas while braking, which of course the fully analogue car is quite happy to do, all the way into the back of that truck! Having tweaked the spacing and reach, I find it second nature for heel and toe (more so than the Exige), but it does make it tricky to drive in wide shoes.
Funny you mention the switchgear, because Caterham have certainly tried a few different approaches over the years. The dash you had there is basically the full old school setup, which the Suplerlight range dodged back around 2010, going for a Savage push button grid (which you can see in my trackday vids and of course the R500/Stig Top Gear segments) which looks great but the status lights of which are fully invisible in direct sunlight. Nice try. The 620 gets the best solution to my mind, with the Aviation / Race / James Bond inspired fenced toggles with clear tell tales. Anything more modern would jar with the analogue feel of the car. They tried a swoopy curved dash option with the CSR which I quite liked, but it proved fairly unpopular.
On the plush ride, it's what you get with so little weight. Even track focused setups are generally surprisingly compliant, because the spring and damping rates just don't have to be very high to control the body.
Once you said 40 grand I knew you were going to say Elise. And you're right in many ways. The Caterham is a toy for us and many owners. But what a toy?!
My perspective is that it's in between the normal production car and a go-kart in many ways, such as the size, weight, inertia, speed of suspension reactions, exposure to elements, etc. The Elise is further from a go-kart than the Caterham is.
great video! Love caterhams. Only wish they developed the 21 more. That could have been such a car!
I love that thing!
and a very good and informative review by the way
I just saw your last F12 and personal history video and I remember this was the first video I saw from your channel 5 years ago ^_^ Congratulations on your career and keep going! Best regards from Spain.
Thanks so much!
Hi Jay, caught this video as I’m interested in a seven, good review thanks, also I know it’s an old one but interesting how your presentation style and even voice have changed over those years, almost an Aussie twang in this one
I love that very car you are showing. I have a Lotus Elise in Ardent red. Nice video.
Very good review of this car ,and I am retrospectively reading it, having owned a 7 1.6 Sigma for a year which I drive both on road and track..I would have liked to see you drive it on the track, because this is where the 7 really excels, but understand that might be difficult with insurance etc.Please keep us posted when you drive the 2. Litre Duratec version.Keep `em coming!
Excellent review, I've always wanted a Caterham 7 from a young age, however the last 5 years or so I had forgotten! Now I've watched your video, I want one even more! *Goes to search second hand market on Piston Heads...
And see they are still a fortune even 20 years old
@@wpjohn91
As opposed to say a McLaren that does £150k in three years down the toilet.
Caterham's have strong residuals. Says a lot about the product whatever way you frame it.
Sevens are brilliant, and great fun !!!!!!
Great stuff, very informative and well presented, I hold this channel in very high regards, up there with the likes of Harry Metcalfe and such, appreciate your love for Lotus, cheers from a tiny village in India.
Great review James. I too am of the, erm, generous build, so it's good to see that I could probably get in one. But not with the roof on! Keep 'em coming - good work, sir!
When I worked at the Lakeland Motor Museum, we had an event that brought in lots of Caterhams. I don't think there was a wide body amongst them. I looked inside the cockpits and thought.... "No way am I fitting in that!"
It is oktober 2021 as I am watching this video, again! How things have changed in such a short time!
Crazy right?
Yes, I very much endorse the "build it from the kit" comment. I did this (possibly the slowest build in Caterham history) and I feel I own the car in a way I never have with any other. Also, to address the heal & toe comment, the pedals are very adjustable so it is possible to set the relative positions of the brake and accelerator so that simply rocking your right foot gives you the blip. Sparco race boots or the like will make you look a bit of an idiot outside the car but are perfect for driving it. Building the car yourself also allows you to do all the pre-delivery inspection jobs that seem to have been missed on your example.
Really great review mate!!! Love it... nearly as much as the 7 😁
Awesome cars that will still be on the road long after their original owners have died. There aren't many currently produced cars you can say that about.
Great review.
Cristian Federico nose english
NICE ONE ........ WELL DONE.......... Thats right , cars are so large these days , small and fast is the way to go !!
Fascinating review. Subbed.
Thanks!
Iron Maiden The Prisoner reference, right out the gate!! Nice!!
Great review mate
Thanks!
Really enjoyed this. Thank you.
+Avery Alix Thanks!
pedal reach and spacing is all adjustable with some spanners
looks nice, i remember when caterham launched the caterham 21, which was their attempt at a more useable sports car which unfortunately for caterham released around same time as the elise.
yea, it was just that. although i dont think the elise helped either. Elise aslso resulted in the demise of the renault spider
You should look into the thriving sub culture of the Low Cost. This is for the people who think a kit with premade bits is to easy and for the casual posser. Low cost are built from planes or bare frames. As you might guess they vary wildly here in the states many have great hulking v-8s of 5.L or more. The other end of the specrtum are the ultra lites with motorcylce engines. Thes are almost exclusively dedicated track toys, at lest one MAD MAN has built one around a viper v10 all 8L and 500 plus HP.
great review just one suggestion always speak to the camera, if you got a 2nd camera setup for another scene like when your standing beside the car at 19:26 always speak the correct camera your going use in editing means scene planning however if done such a good job on the review i dont see why u cant do that too :)
Another nice video! Thank you. 🙂 IM 😎
They’re great just good fun😀
and I finally subscribed... after binge watching your channel.
if you can ensure new cars to review, I'm honestly sure, your will reach 100k subs in no time!
I really hope so! We've had a really good response in the last few weeks. I'm working hard on trying to keep the content interesting, which as you can imagine becomes tougher and tougher as time goes on!
JayEmm on Cars nah, you’ll never reach 100k, Mark my words.
cant wait to finish mine
scratch build
you're awesome thank you
can we have some video from a track with the 400?
pedals are all off cos it looks like you're in an SV model, and it has a much wider pedal box. Theres a very simple mod for the throttle pedal to fix that. Or you could get a proper Caterham and get an S3 chassis, at which point the pedals are crazy close together and its almost easier in your bare feet :)
Would be great to see a comparison between this and an equivalent Westfield.
i fell in love with the caterham from the anime eX-Driver.. the hero car was non other the Caterham ... in state side there are a few caterham importers. unlike the english cater ham's build it as a kit car.... here its a rolling chassis.... most likely because of our department of transportation (DOT)... but we can install whatever engine in it... imagine the Honda S2000 power unit in the caterham...
I was so tempted to buy one instead of my Exige. Often wonder whether I should have especially with the option to build.
Handmade the old-school way in England, that's why. You could build an equivalent scratch-built car for about 4-10 grand, excluding labour costs.
Very nice review. Thumbs up!
One thing I disagree with: If you aren't more on the really heavyweight side I'd always take the normal S3 chassis instead of the wide-bodied SV. You don't need to be a jockey. I'm not especially slim and my Caterham HPC with an S3 chassis fits me perfectly well.
I also spared myself the hassle putting up with a roof. If it rains it rains. The car is naked inside (no carpet, no plush seats) and the water that comes from above leaves the car instantly through the gaps in the chassis. In case it is really pouring down I have a light rain suit for bikers in the car.
Are you doing another Caterham review? Or did you *applause, applause* buy one? ;-)
That turn signal indicator chime, though! 😂
EU regs. Can be removed.
The 4 actually sold quite well for Caterham. The problem was the sub-contractors who supplied the components in particular, the windscreens. They wouldn't supply the windscreens in the small numbers required by Caterham Cars in their initial propduction period of 1973/74. It was also a time of upheaval in the UK economy because of strikes and power cuts so their was a massive amount of uncertainty about. Caterham had been receiving enquiries from enthusiasts as to whether they would put the Series 3 back into production and when Graham Nearn looked into it, he found that the component suppliers for the Three were quite happy to produce small batches to suit Caterhams rather unpredictable production cycles. As a result, the 4 was dropped and the 3 was reborn.
Regarding the handbrake, up until the mid 1990s, the handbrake was in the passenger footwell - so pretty much impossible to use when driving. In these older cars, hill starts are fun.
Thanks Eric I love finding little gems of knowledge like this in the comments
great video. you'd have thought they'd have changed those switches by now, looks like they're from an old cooker 😂
Weirdly, in a confined cockpit, where your arms are flailing around, those rocker switches are ideal, you can't accidentally flick them on or off like toggle switches. In fact the only switch in my car that accidentally gets hit is the indicator toggle switch 🙄
Did you drive through Sudbury in Suffolk by any chance? Looked familiar.
Yes I did
The pedals are adjustable and thats really easy. Maybe they adjust them at the factory that you can´t hit the brake and throttle padel at the same time. With some tweaks, heal and toe is easy to do.
I saw that a bit after i post the comment. You did a great review and you are right that the switches can be updated. My 97 Caterham has the same switches and i have to say that the 620R buttons are much nicer.
I love these things. Always have since The Prisoner came on TV. Would love if they made a coupe. Not a bolt on unit but a fill on hard top incorporated into the body. It will add a few pounds but the H.P. will handle it.
Do you remember the Caterham 21?
@@JayEmmOnCars No,I do not.
That bit in the beginning about that purchase tax and the way they easily worked around it, it just tells me one thing: no matter where they live, people don't like paying absurd taxes on things they want to buy.
Where are you looking at?
Thanks for all the great videos, I admit considering an Evora - one of the few sports cars people buy where a budget McLaran is not an option. Have regained my sanity. How could you possible say *You should go and buy a Lotus Elise* . . . There are other highly professional videos on CZcams showing a Caterham 485S (with windscreen) beating a McLaren 650S on the Nürburgring. Perhaps something from Pagani . . . also been compared with a Caterham - is the next step up? An Elise definitely not . . .
As you'll see the comment is somewhat contextualised - the Elise has an element of usability and practicality the Caterham can only dream of, but as an event the Caterham is just a riot.
I have asked Caterham if I can borrow another one, so watch this space!
James, I accept the Caterham 7 is *slightly* impractical :-)
Allegedly a 75 year old bought a more powerful Caterham to keep him young.
Sometimes owners have both an Elise/Exige and Caterham 7.
In my opinion there are only 2 cars which provide the involvement of a Caterham 7
that are more practical . . . before the next step up to a *budget* McLaren.
The Lotus Evora . . . enjoyed watching your videos . . . the background noise in your car is now quieter. The 410 with extra quiet exhaust was impressive - the Evora is becoming more like an Aston Martin?
The Alfa 4C is more sophisticated than a Caterham 7 with carbon fiber tub - I have not driven one.
The Alfa garage at Royston believe the 4C is built to a higher quality than a Lotus although clients were taking early 4Cs straight from the showroom to Alfa Royston to have the steering improved.
Would like to see your review of the Caterham 7 620 S and the Alfa 4C
I accept the Alfa 4C is not completely practical, has a tiny amount of luggage space and is difficult to exit.
"you can have two packs and most people usually go one or the other."
Yeah, that's what I'd have expected...
One can also have neither
Can you please comment on how low the car actually is and how that impacts the drive-ability on UK roads? Also, Caterham offers a "Lowered floors" option for £ 495.00, do you think that is a good or bad option to have? Thanks.
I'd have the low floor option. It makes the seat lower not the car I think. Generally the car is pretty good, speed bumps are the worst. Car parks are fine.
You Brits do it your way...and I appreciate that.
Would be really interested to see how the Caterham finance is. I've never owned a new car before, more due to a general dislike of post 00s vehicles rather than a lack of funds. A speced self build 320S standard chassis is only £27k ish all in. Would love to know how their finance compares to more mainstream options within that pricerange, the likes of a bimmer 3 series 320d 'sport' can be had for £310/month. That kind of figure makes a seven more than affordable.
In an ideal world I'd buy outright, but with kit car emissions standards possibly on the horizon I'd love to go sooner rather than later. And the 310S in my mind is the perfect car.
Phone them and ask!
JayEmm on Cars Hehe. I've been really tempted to. Just not quite 'there' yet and don't want to waste their time. Hoping to be in a good place to pick one up later on this year after the summer (I know :D).
Rover K series engine is a really great engine. Just the head gasket but you can fix that.
I've heard the Series 4 gave too much front end lift at high speed, so was not as good as a Series 3 on a race track.
Would anybody know if I could shift the entire AWD drive train form a lancer or wrx 2.5, into a Caterham or similar body? Would it fit? What would be the cost if I already owned the 2 donor cars? I'm thinking an AWD 500hp power train with modern traction and stability control in such a light build would make for something special to contend with hypercars on track.
Awd? And big right? Sounds rather not feasible. A Hayabusa engine with a turbocharger perhaps. That's a thing you can do.
I’m about your size so there’s hope for me to get in!!!!
Was the Series 4 comment meant ironically? I'm sure you know it was the aesthetics and the expanse of GRP as opposed to aluminium that made it so unpopular.
www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiXopO6-pDUAhVYOMAKHZX1DpsQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcnx.org%2Fcontents%2F1f51a8b5-b1ab-400a-8361-a824cb3650ae%409%2FDesign-Analysis-of-the-Lotus-S&psig=AFQjCNH_xIFFzgX3TvWSCaXQCYwSCuB4QA&ust=1496004839359784
I hope this link works?
Does anyone knows how much those cars went for in the 1980s?
I wonder if you think, perhaps, it would be nice with a Mazda rotary?
Actually it would work great with a rotary. Light engine and doesn't need the torque
If one got 170bhp does that = 340bhp and what would its 0 to 60 time be plz
Excellent Sir! - would you please step this way to Wardrobe now? The most characterful of them all by far is the webber fed kent engined 1.7 supersprint. - for about 12k. Actually, you cant breathe without the 'door' all the air gets sucked out above about 40. Take towels.
Ah, finally a caterham.
What's not mentioned is how other drivers react to these cars, honestly i've owned one and every time I drove it either some nutcase tried to kill me OR every other driver thought it their duty to hold me up as much as possible, even going to the extent of straddling lanes as soon as they saw me, just to stop me overtaking (even when I actually had no intention of doing so).
Never happens to me in my SV.
A car with those classic looks should also sound like a classic car. So a little 6cyl engine would be perfect.
Lotus 7/Caterhams were always meant to use small, light, easily available 4-cylinder engines. There are home-built derivatives powered by anything in existence, but an engine from a Ford Fiesta or a Focus is the proper deal.
Precisely why I'm still driving my '59 TR3A that I bought 52 years ago......Analogue rules the day....( I wouldn't fit in a Caterham, or many other true 'sportscars').....John (west coast,Can.)