Caterham Seven 360, Put On Your Helmet

The vehicles manufactured by the British brand Caterham are true jewels, especially for those looking for an inexpensive sports car, but with good ingredients to defend themselves on the circuit; But if among the brand’s models you opt for the Caterham Seven 360, then you take your hobby very seriously.

Any of the Caterham options is perfectly valid for having a good time on a circuit or a mountain road;  its powers range from 80 to 310 hp. Our protagonist is in an intermediate position that will allow him to keep up with powerful sports cars.

Caterham Seven 360 exterior design

The brand has hardly changed the lines of the Seven since its launch in the middle of the last century; the improvements have been mainly technical to improve the qualities on the track.

The side stands out for the absence of doors: getting in  and out of the car is quite cumbersome, but once inside it makes you feel like you’re in a real racing car. The exhaust pipe is exterior and the wheels have stylish fenders in the same color as the bodywork.

The rear end shares the simple and classic lines of the rest of Sevens; everything in this car is designed so that you can assemble and disassemble it yourself, with all the screws in sight, something unbecoming of today’s cars.

Interior design and habitability

The first thing you feel when you get into the Caterham Seven 360 is narrow:  the shapes of the cabin are designed to help with lateral support in the curves, something that you will need if you enter with this sports car on the track.

The dashboard is made of carbon fiber with a very simple panel, without decorative pretensions, nothing that can distract the driver’s attention. The buttons are robust and intuitive, but perhaps too spartan in design.

In the gap between the two occupants is one of the shortest and most precise gear levers on the market;  right next to it is the handbrake lever, very close and with good ergonomics, one more clue to the intentions of this car.

Behind the two occupants there is a small trunk that can hold two small travel bags; and its closing system, with brackets, is somewhat slow and cumbersome. The customer has at his disposal a series of packages with which he can equip the 360:

• S package : improves the comfort of the occupants and includes a full windshield, side windows, a series of trim and leather seats, an advisable option if you are not only going to use the car on the track.
• R package : to improve the performance circuit includes limited slip differential, sports suspension and belt by four – point harness.
• Chassis SV: slightly increases the interior space and the capacity of the trunk and adds a total of 25 kilograms to the whole of the car.

Motorization and dynamics

It has an  atmospheric Ford Duratec engine of 1,999 cubic centimeters, which delivers 180 hp of power at 7,300 rpm. It also mounts a five-speed manual transmission with an exquisite touch and fast handling.

With this engine, the Caterham Seven 360 is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km / h in just 4.8 seconds and achieves a top speed of 196 km / h, vehicle-level performance that doubles its power.

But the best does not end there: the power-to-weight ratio is 250 hp per ton, a magnificent figure thanks to the fact that it only weighs 560 kilograms.

In the front suspension we will find Caterham Bilstein shock absorbers and stabilizer bar, in the rear the brand relies on a semi-independent De Dion system with radial arms and A-beams. It is the same suspension system as the 270.

The amount of power is sufficient to make the car’s rear axle skid with some ease, but its reactions are always very predictable and the grip is sufficient to maintain cornering at high speed.

The steering is hard and direct, and you feel every little unevenness in the asphalt:  everything is designed to transmit information through your fingers to the maximum, and thus enjoy a pure and effective driving.

Price

The starting price of the Caterham Seven 360 is € 23,995, a ridiculous price for a vehicle that can make you feel as much as cars that triple that amount. It is a whim, there is no doubt about that, but it is the kind of whim that you never regret.

In short, this 360 is already starting to be big words within the Seven range , capable of satisfying the demands of experienced pilots, but without reaching the radicalism of the 620. It seems to us one of the most balanced options of this British classic.