By Brian Denton, July 12, 2023
Caterham has been making open-top two-seater sports activities vehicles since 1973 when the corporate bought the rights to proceed to fabricate what initially started life because the Lotus Seven. The Lotus Seven components stretches manner again to 1957, so Caterham has doggedly caught to a tried and examined sports activities automotive components for donkey’s years. Throughout its company existence, many well-known automotive manufacturers have fallen both by way of mismanagement or asset stripping, recessions, wars, oil crises and countless banking collapses. Caterham has survived all of it. So far as we all know Caterham remains to be going robust, it lives inside its means.
So the Caterham Venture V is a bolt out of the blue, completely surprising contemplating the corporate’s tendency to stay to outdated habits and keep away from change. So what’s Venture V? It’s a pure electrical sports activities coupe. Sure a sports activities coupe from Caterham, that means that Caterham has made a sports activities automotive with a hard and fast roof… to rival the Porsche Boxster.
Completely crazy-nuts.
The truth that Venture V is a pure electrical automotive isn’t a shock. Caterham is just following mandated business tendencies. Certainly, the electrical motor has been round since 1834, though we will hint the earliest ideas again to the mid-1700s. Due to this fact a Caterham EV is to be anticipated, sooner or later. The true shock will probably be if Venture V really goes into manufacturing as a result of for now, it exists as an idea examine.
The Caterham Venture V electrical powertrain makes use of a 200kW (272PS) rear-mounted electrical motor with a 55kWh battery pack. Goal 0-62mph (100kph) in lower than 4.5 seconds, an estimated prime velocity of 143mph and WLTP vary of 249 miles (400km). The true takeaway right here although is that Caterham is holding to its light-weight sports activities automotive philosophy.
Caterham’s engineers are focusing on a kerb weight of simply 1,190kg, which will probably be achieved by utilizing a carbon fibre and aluminium composite chassis. All-in-all, a 1,190kg electrical automotive of any sort is loopy nuts, it’s extraordinary on this era. It suggests Caterham has developed superior light-weight EV expertise with restricted funds. What it does reveal is Caterham demonstrating that it possesses superior advertising capabilities.
Apparently, Venture V is an engineering and manufacturing feasibility benchmark. This inadvertently implies that Caterham lacks the required funds and is unsure in regards to the existence of a marketplace for a car with a projected value of £80,000. Though we’re pretty sure that theoretical value level might double when factoring in rates of interest, inflation, the banking disaster (yet one more asset-stripping banking disaster) and the inflation attributable to the banking disaster and NATO’s proxy warfare in Ukraine.
Caterham says Venture V might turn into a manufacturing actuality in 2025 or 2026, however anticipate that date to vary and anticipate delays. Nonetheless, the Caterham Venture V will make its International public debut on the Goodwood Competition of Pace, Thursday 13th July 2023.
