Caterham R500 wins Top Gear 2008 COTY

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The popular BBC show has announced that the Caterham R500 wins the Top Gear 2008 Car of the Year (COTY) award. The Caterham R500 was featured in the TV show December when it was put against the BMW powered Veritas RS III. The Caterham R500 was also driven by The Stig on the shows track and managed quite a respectable time taking the 5th place on their chart. The Caterham R500 managed a time of 1.17.9 which is better than the Bugatti Veyron, Pagani Zonda F and the Ferrari Enzo.

The Caterham R500 is powered by a 2.0 Ford Duratec engine that outputs 263bhp and manages to take the car from 0 to 60 mph in 2.88 seconds.

Caterham Press Release:

Top Gear has named the Caterham Superlight R500 its 2008 ‘Car of the Year’.

The most extreme version of the legendary Seven appeared on the popular BBC show for the first time at the beginning of December, instantly leaving a lasting impression on presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.



In the hands of Top Gear’s mystery test driver, The Stig, the R500 put in one of the most visually spectacular laps around their benchmark test circuit, Dunsfold. Free of any driver aids, the Seven slipped and slid to a lap time that disgraced cars costing over ten times as much.

Despite incredibly cold conditions, the £37K* Seven was less than a second slower than the absolute record around the ‘Top Gear lap’ and rapid enough to steal the overall fifth fastest time, previously held by the £1million Bugatti Veryon.

Clarkson, who’s wife is a proud Seven owner, awarded the R500 for “achieving something that a car of its value shouldn’t be able to”, amidst competition from Nissan’s GT-R, Fiat’s 500 and the new Ford Fiesta.

Unbelievably - and testament to its brilliance - the Seven still uses Colin Chapman’s original chassis design, dating back 51 years. Caterham Cars continue to ‘add lightness’ to modern variants, pushing the performance envelope through the benefits of modern technology and advanced construction methods.

The result is a British car that persistently offers arguably one of the purest driving experiences.

The nimble R500 exploits its featherweight, 506kg chassis to its full potential when combined with a 2.0 Ford Duratec engine, tuned by Caterham Powertrain (CPT) to achieve 263bhp. The resulting 520bhp-per-tonne beats that of the Veyron and is capable of propelling the two-seater from 0-60mph in a staggering 2.88 seconds.

Caterham Superlight R500 Technical Specification

Engine 2.0-litre Caterham Powertrain (CPT) Ford Duratec
Max Power 263bhp @ 8500rpm

Max Torque 177 lbsft @ 7200rpm
0-60mph (claimed) 2.88 seconds
Top Speed 150mph
Wheelbase 2225mm
Overall length 3100mm
Overall width 1575mm
Height 800mm
Ground clearance 80mm
Kerb Weight 506kg (516kg sequential gearbox)

Standard Equipment
2.0-litre Caterham Motorsport Ford Duratec
6 Speed Caterham Gearbox
Limited Slip Differential
Superlight Suspension (wide track front and de Dion rear with Watts linkages)
Carbon dash, nose cone, rear and front cycle wings
ACES change-up lights
Ventilated front brake discs with 4 pot calipers
13” Anthracite eight-spoke alloy wheels with Avon CR500 tyres
Carbon interchangeable wind deflector
4 point Road Harnesses
Quick-release Momo Steering Wheel with integrated indicator switches
Carbon Kevlar seats
Optional Performance Upgrades

Sequential Gearbox - £2950
Launch Control - £350
Carbon Induction Airbox - £450
Suspension package consisting Eibach Springs and dampers derived from the C400 race series - £1250

More on the Caterham R500 wins Top Gear 2008 COTY

About the Caterham Superlight R500:


Caterham 620R Seven

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Source: Caterham