Damn Catram! Damn you keep making me question everything I think I know, understand, and love about cars.
This is not the first time I have had the opportunity to drive a 7-seater car-I have participated in countless driving experience events over the years, and even participated in an excellent driving experience event organized by Caterham Japan many years ago, which surprised me by the Lotus 7 derivative car . But you know that once you have played one and been overwhelmed by its impressive performance, you can easily go back to an ordinary car and forget it all. You boil it down to a toy—a car you can’t use every day—it just settles in your mind as something you can never see yourself enter.
Well, what a bunch of nonsense. Thanks to the staff at Caterham Japan. Over the past few months, I have spent a lot of time getting in and out of these cars-especially one of the newest models added to the lineup, which also has interesting connections with Japan. No, it's not a more streamlined version with a crazy power-to-weight ratio-it's the entry-level seven, the slowest and least powerful car Caterham has to offer.
Seeing all the compliments I expressed at the beginning of this article, you might think this is a bit anticlimactic. But my Speedhunting friends, power is often not the most important thing-some cars are really good at this. Of all the new cars on the road today, the Caterham 160 is probably the perfect example. I enjoy every second of being with it-even when driving it at highway speed in severe winter and my body is frozen. half.
The truth of the matter is that Caterham is not just a car, but an experience. From the responses you get, this will soon become obvious-especially in Japan, where ordinary people on the street are so uninterested in the supercars they might see in the capital. But Xiao Qi has just been noticed. Men and women of all ages will look, stare, wave and even say hello-if you have been in Japan for a while, you will know how difficult it is to get such an emotional response from the crowd here.
So what is 160? Well, this is Caterham in its most basic form, and the cheapest way to enjoy these cars and take advantage of the experience they provide. It has been streamlined and narrower, with few other options except for the steering wheel, gear shifter and three pedals. And, I believe you have noticed that there are also quite boring steel wheels on the specification list.
The cockpit itself is also very empty-or at least it is in its most basic form. The news car I was fortunate enough to use has attractive additional features and a higher level of decoration, making the car more attractive to ordinary Japanese customers who can sometimes be very demanding. So this car is equipped with windshield, wipers, roof, doors (I’m not kidding), and more elegant additional features such as Momo steering wheel, upgraded instrumentation, metal gear shifter and some other small accessories, including Optional heater. Yes, the heater is optional! Some of it makes me laugh, but this is Caterham's world, so just let it go.
Oh yes, there are also supportive leather seats. It's not that they provide support when you are as big as I am (read: wide)-when your body is wedged between the transmission channel and the threshold, the support comes from the actual chassis. But soon there will be more about that complete comedy...
What makes 160 a 160 is this compact small engine, which is located in front of the driver-or next to his/her legs. Manufactured by Suzuki, it is the latest generation of K6A turbocharged three-cylinder mill that powers various Kei cars of the brand. When it is in No. 7, it can generate 80hp at 7,000 rpm and at 3,400 rpm. Can produce 107Nm. From any imagination, they are not special numbers, but if you consider that the weight of the entire car reaches 490 kg, then it starts to become more meaningful. You can also figure out the origin of the 160 nickname-a reference for the power-to-weight ratio expressed in horsepower per ton.
The Newton-meter number is the most important number on 160, because torque is always there. Once you step on it and push the car very briskly, it is available-for me, offering more charm than the powerful version in the series.
But do you know the best part of all this? Caterham Japan is different from any other manufacturer I have been in contact with in this country. They give you the car, and then the next day they ask if you want to go on the track with them. That's it. A few years ago, I finally asked professional driver Ooi-san to teach me how to flick the number seven all day in the gym course. This time, Justin from Caterham asked me if I would stop by Honjo Circuit to try a 160-degree narrow and technical track with various tires. I'm serious-if you want to prove the performance of a new car, is there a better way?
Therefore, when wondering why more manufacturers are not as cool as this, I woke up at a stupid time and decided to embrace the whole Caterham thing enthusiastically. In other words, remove the roof and doors, put on a full-face helmet and my warmest ski jacket. Maybe it hit me less than five minutes after I got on the highway-roofless driving at -3C is a very stupid idea. Thankfully, setting the optional heater to full power (I think there is actually only one setting) kept my blood circulation open throughout the journey, and I managed to get to Honjo only partially frozen.
It took me a while to fully defrost, and by then, a group of good seven-a-side players had arrived for scheduled meetings. Just like in any other car scene in this country, the Japanese go all out on their Caterhams, and each one is so different. At least you will find suspension and tire upgrades, but there are also many car owners who do various other things with the engine and transmission system.
It didn't take long before it was my turn to drive. As Justin pointed out, for people with my waistline and length, the "low floor" option will be the option ticked on the order. In this configuration, I can sit lower and my legs are flatter to avoid turning my knees! But since the news car is built on a normal-sized chassis, we had to improvise. The problem was resolved in a few minutes. All Justin had to do was to pull out the seat cushion and tape the seat belt buckle to the transmission channel so that it would not pierce my hip bone. Believe me, it is very painful!
The seat was kept outside, my back was right on the floor, and I was able to sit low enough to make full use of the steering wheel. perfect!
I'm as happy as possible-this car fits like a glove, and despite its lack of power, it's nice to toss around the corner. Before regaining power as soon as possible, the key to improving lap time is skill and maintaining as much power as possible when passing corners. It will take some time for anyone who jumps from a regular road car to number seven. Just like a racing car, you will be amazed at how fast you can pass corners. You don't need to brake so early, you can turn off the power and use the throttle to steer. Without any kind of help to make the whole experience as heartfelt as possible, no car can become an extension of you like the Seven.
The car swings sharply and tightens your route, you can fine-tune all this with the right amount of reversal, and then enter the next sector with the biggest smile. The 160 has an active axle and an open differential, so the edges feel a bit rough, and there are not enough ponies to actually push and extend the drift. But did you know that this is a problem that 160 owners in Japan are already solving.
We went out with Open Cars, a Caterham expert from Machida, and they are developing some selected parts for the small 160-such as the LSD component they showed on the recent Lotus Day at Fuji Speedway. The best part is that this type of car upgrade is very affordable. For example, the price of four tires is $100, they may last five track days and run around in between, and in most cases it travels faster than 50mpg, and may still manage half of them on the track . Try it with GT-R!
Open Cars even installed a prototype exhaust system on the 160, which sounds much better and harsher than normal, and may allow the engine to produce an extra 0.5 horsepower. Only 490 kilograms of propulsion, believe me, when I say you really feel the bumps in the output. Unless it's all in my head...
Justin showed here that anything that fits the number seven must be lighter than stock. This thing may be as heavy as a bicycle exhaust pipe!
This is the first trial installation, and the system is now on sale from Open Cars.
They also proposed a stainless steel exhaust manifold, which replaces restrictive cast iron parts to help throttle response and release possibly another half horsepower.
There is also a downward pipeline upgrade, and all these things combine to give you a good example of what most owners will eventually install in the first week of ownership. Because of this, 160 is the perfect foundation for Caterham. The small K6A turbo engine offers countless options to improve its performance, and tuners have used it for more than 20 years. I have photographed Suzuki Cappuccinos with more than 200 horsepower, to provide you with a possible example. It makes you think, right?
But back to the test at hand: tires. We have two models to try out-the first is these more affordable Nankang NS-2s, mounted on a set of Hayashi Racing wheels the same size as Yokohama Blue Earth 155/65R14s, and the news car is running (the one that comes with the car) Spare tire and Avon ZT5)
So it has nothing to do with the stock Iron Man, which reveals how simple the suspension layout of the No. 7 is. Yes, those are sturdy, unvented front brakes! Lightness obviously simplifies a lot of things.
Inflate the new 155/65R14 rubber to the same pressure as the spare tire, and the car is ready for testing.
In an instant, 160 became more attractive!
The effect of a beautiful set of wheels on a car is amazing. I think Hayashis have the right look and feel-they are vintage rims, and the fact that they are so popular on various kyusha makes them very suitable for 160.
First of all, Justin took out the car to scrub the tread and put some temperature on the tires-this is harder than it sounds like a car with such a light weight.
At the same time, I hopped on Justin’s 250R, which is equipped with a 1.6-liter Ford Sigma engine, which produces 125 horsepower but only a little bit more torque than 160. Yes, it is much faster, but driving in extreme situations is also tricky. After a few laps, you do start to get into the rhythm, and when this happens, you automatically start pushing more, taking advantage of the higher level of grip provided by the wider, stickier tires. But this is the re-glued 160 that I want to try.
NS-2s feels a bit grippy in some places, but this compound changes the behavior of the car. It is not adjustable at the limit, is inserted faster, and does not allow the exact same drift angle, for example, more adjustments are required when entering a corner. When the grip did loosen, it loosened more suddenly-in a less progressive way-which didn't make things particularly interesting.
The idea behind trying this type of tire is to see what cheaper things on the market will look like. It's not that stock rubber is expensive, please pay attention!
Then there is something more expensive in Yokohama: DNA S.Drive. The size is slightly wider at 165 inches and slightly higher at 15 inches, but has better grip and sharper turns, but although it allows you to go faster, it kind of numbs the car's adjustability.
We spent the rest of the day trying to drive cars and trying to see how our times would change, switching between 160 and 250R all the time. I was very satisfied to experience Caterham's fun on the track again. Not only that, it is also a car that can teach you a lot of driving knowledge-especially 160 degrees, it forces you to drive in the smoothest way to find a few hundredths of a second when turning. You have been focusing on improving your product line, tweaking it, and trying new things to see if it affects time. Side tire testing is a good supplement to feel the impact of small differences in compound, size and quality on the overall behavior of the car.
I am sad to return 160. It not only redefines how simplicity makes the most of the driving experience, but it also redefines how well the Seven's chassis matches the small turbocharged Suzuki engine-not to mention the daily practicality of this car. Once you start to modify things, you will consider the performance potential. It is not difficult to see why Caterham Japan sells these things faster than the British factories make them!
Dino Dalle Carbonare Instagram: speedhunters_dino dino@speedhunters.com
Engine Suzuki 3-cylinder 660cc turbocharged
Wheels/tires 14-inch steel wheels, Yokohama Blue Earth 155/65R14 tires
More Caterham-related stories about Speedhunters Caterham
This was on Top Gear, James compared it with the Caterham r500, and he said that he also liked 7 better. It looks more balanced than crazy and powerful, but I know some people will disagree with you!
This Caterham is an introductory car Pokémon. It looks like a fashionable Pokemon, and this is just the beginning! What if it evolves into 620R? Now... Getting started with Pokemon cars. We have this, Miata, S660... Who can think of more?
UWerqxTeam_MJ Civic (final form: R-Type), Ford Fiesta (final form: RSTFiesta)... I hope you are planning cards haha.
Hey, I fully support small and light commodities, but this thing may have crossed the line and cannot be used. When you have to take the seat out to drive it... my favorite part is the engine. As an American and coming from a family that only drives domestic cars, I grew up around BIG. I found these little powerplants-hell, these little cars-endlessly fascinating, because to me they are so exotic. It's like, "Wow. You don't need three hundred cubic inches to move a car? Well. I don't know." It looks interesting.
"No car outside can be an extension of you like number seven." ... Is that because you are still stuck inside? -I know someone who made a 7 kit using an old 2p as a washer, and I got stuck with that upside-down cable. Although the entire Caterham range proves that sometimes the simplest answer is the best answer.
I want the new 360. Someday...
Haha, this is my favorite model, light and flexible! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ZGTDUO0DQ
These are great crazy cars. I only opened the "stock" R300 on r888s. The person who introduced me to the fun of 7-as a much more skilled driver than me-is passing Gt3 in the same car.
Where is such a big house in Japan? Or is that the "clubhouse" of the track?
So how much cheaper is key rego in yellow disk? It looks like this will be an interesting city commuter
The best story is of course when and how Suzuki obtained permission to use their factory...
It looks like a ridiculously good time! Very cool, they allow you to test the car with several different configurations.
matthewyaa yes, ten times as much fun
@DriveCircles That is the British Embassy, haha
gwhisky You will pass almost anything in a car like this, haha!
I took the seat away in Ice Age because I was too big. If you are the same age as me, you can order on the lower floor, if you want, they will also make wider
speedhunters_dino gwhisky Maybe you will! But I cannot pass GT3...
koko san what is that?
speedhunters_dino koko san Haha This is an electric car, bicycle, motorcycle, car, etc. Watch the video. Carver thought about it too. I just hope they start producing interesting vehicles that are more affordable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK4wzBYmTIo
Put the steel on it...tie it up.
I always wanted one of them, but I put a 13b turbocharger in it. That will make it fucking fly
I happily drive a small 160 every day, what a fun! However, Caterham's new and used cars are of high value-so for those looking for a cheap second car, they are out of reach. ...The answer is always Miata. I usually hire Caterham once a year to make a sensation, but Mazda gives me a bit of a more delicious price.
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