Caterham is known for its basic gasoline-powered sports cars, but even it can’t avoid the march of electrification.
The Caterham VU project will be revealed in July and billed as “driver-focused, light and fun to drive”.
“This is the essence of a sports car with an electric powertrain. This is a statement of intent. This is Project V,” said the brand.
There are no images of the car yet, except for a shaded silhouette reminiscent of classic Lola racers.
With prominent front and rear fenders, a subtle spoiler at the rear and what looks like a two-seater cabin, it’s a far cry from the Seven’s simple silhouette.
When it arrives, Project V will sit alongside the recently revealed EV Seven by Caterham.
Despite the extra weight of the battery pack, Caterham claims the EV Seven concept is less than 70kg heavier than the Seven 485 and 700kg lighter. It has a power-to-weight ratio of 245kW per ton.
It is powered by an HPDE-specific version of Swindon Powertrain electric motor manufacture 179kW power and 250Nm torque, roughly equal to the gasoline-powered Seven 420.
Caterham estimates the EV Seven concept can sprint from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 4 seconds and you’ll get an estimated speed of 209 km/h.
This electric motor is powered by a 51kWh . water-cooled battery with a capacity of 40kWh. It can be quickly charged DC at speeds up to 152kW.
This is not the first time Caterham has sought to remove the Seven as its sole model.
In 2013, the company unveiled the Ford-powered AeroSeven Concept, with the goal of getting it into production in 2014. Unfortunately, the brand ran out of money in 2014 and the project was shelved.
