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Jul 03, 2023

Caterham’s New Lightweight Electric Sports Car Concept Will Debut at Goodwood

Caterham Cars is ready to make an evolutionary leap. The U.K.-based boutique marque has just unveiled a battery-powered sports car concept called Project V. An electric powertrain isn’t all that

Caterham Cars is ready to make an evolutionary leap.

The U.K.-based boutique marque has just unveiled a battery-powered sports car concept called Project V. An electric powertrain isn’t all that separates it from the rest of the brand’s lineup, though—it also has a roof and doors.

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If you’re familiar with Caterham, it’s likely because of the Seven, a super-lightweight sports car the company has built since the 1970s. Lotus originally produced the narrow-bodied two-seater before Caterham obtained the rights to the design. The company has released other vehicles since then, most notably the more conventional 21 convertible, but the Seven makes up most of its output over the last five decades. This could be about to change, though.

Project V’s head-turning look was dreamed up by new chief designer Anthony Jannarelly and the carbon-fiber body will be built by Pininfarina. With its flowing lines and bulbous fenders, its looks like a streamlined version of the failed C120 sports car Caterham designed with Alpina last decade. Not only is the design attractive, but it also provides the kind of cover you don’t get from the brand’s vehicles (the roof and doors are usually omitted to save weight). It also provides space for a second row of seats, allowing buyers to choose between a 2+1 or 2+2 seating configuration. The rest of the cabin has a minimalist vibe, though the front is equipped with a digital instrument panel for the driver and an infotainment screen and three gauges atop the center stack.

Project V represents a major change of course for Caterham, but it still lives up to the brand’s core principles of being lightweight, simple and fun to drive. The concept is powered by a single electric motor mounted on the rear axle that produces 268 hp. That number may not seem high, but it allows the EV to sprint from zero to 60 mph in less than 4.5 seconds and hit a top speed of 143 mph. The powertrain is connected to a 55.0-kWh battery pack that should deliver a range of 249 miles using Europe’s more forgiving WLTP testing cycle.

Thanks to their large battery packs, EVs tend to be heavier than their gas-powered counterparts. Project V tips the scales at a relatively paltry 2,623 pounds, though. That makes it heavier than the Seven—which weighs around 1,200 pounds—but is much lighter than most of today’s performance EVs. The Porsche Taycan, for example, can weigh as much as 5,119 pounds. Caterham was able to keep Project V’s weight down by utilizing an innovative carbon fiber and aluminum composite chassis.

Project V is expected to make its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend. Caterham has yet to confirm that the coupé will go into production, but did say that if it does it could arrive as soon as the end of 2025 and would start below £80,000 (or around $100,000).

Click here for more photos of the Caterham Project V concept.

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