Everyone has a childhood dream; whether you want to be a pirate, go into space or sing on a talent show, there's always something. Most people grow up and realise that what they fantasized about won't come true and move on. Luckily for me, my dream was to build a Caterham Seven, spurred on by hours of playing with Lego and an obsession with cars. That and the fact my grandfather owned a Ford dealership, plus my own father was taking me to motorsport events before I could walk. Kind of inevitable really...
Just like Maranello. In Crawley
Here I am some two decades later with a real man-sized Lego set in front of me, a new Caterham Seven 270R. The first production 270R in the world no less, which is pretty exciting. Turns out dropping all those pennies in the piggy bank pays off!
I would like to think my PH credentials were decent with the Clio Trophy, although admittedly that was more of an impulse purchase than a long-awaited dream. Surely building and owning a lightweight British sports car is showing real commitment to the cause? I'm fortunate enough to have already built an MK Indy R, one of the many Seven-a-like kit cars on the market. While many may turn their noses up at such a car, it was the first rung on the ladder to Caterham ownership for me and I admire anyone who does the same.
Back to the Seven. The hardest part of buying one is speccing the damn thing. In fact, the most difficult part is not choosing the engine or trying to set a budget, it's working out what colour to paint it. After all, the choices are infinite. I settled for BMW Valencia Orange as I've adored the 1 Series M Coupe's signature colour since launch.
Having had the privilege to work at Caterham before moving to PH, I was also the very first person to spec a 270R while working on the 2015 model range. Naturally I ticked pretty much every box I could afford. After driving every model in the range during my time at Caterham, I decided that the Supersport (or now 270) was the best car for me. Not solely based on budget, but also on the balance of performance and everyday usability. Don't get me wrong, the higher performance models are breathtaking but they just don't feel exploitable on the road and are much more suited to track. You feel like an absolute hero in the 270R as you can wring its neck while still feeling in control and not be at the risk of losing your licence. I was lucky enough to be loaned the 270R press car for our Silverstone Sunday Service just prior to delivery to whet my appetite of what was to come.
Ben's already had a brief taste - more to follow
The build experience to me is just as exciting as the drive. It's extremely rewarding (and perhaps quite terrifying) to drive a car that you've built with your own hands. Once you've painstakingly spent countless hours building the car, you can't just go out and drive it unfortunately. You're at the mercy of the DSA and DVLA to get the car through a road-worthiness IVA test, and then registered to embrace the public roads. Both of which can take many weeks, and by far the most stressful part of the build process. Us Brits do love to form an orderly queue and then complain about waiting, don't we? Check back soon for my build experience, and to see if I can get the Seven on the road in time for some summer driving.
FACT SHEET
Car: 2015 Caterham Seven 270R
Run by: Ben Lowden
On fleet since: April 2015
Mileage: 0 (to be addressed shortly)
List price new: TBC
Last month at a glance: Spec decisions done, time to build the Seven!
