Welcome to Caterham Cars

In order to comply with US federal regulations, all Caterham products are imported as “kits.” These kits are available in two forms:

• Complete Kit: The most popular way to buy a Caterham is as a complete knock-down kit, or ‘CKD’ for self-assembly. You will be supplied with a kit of all-new parts to build your car including chassis and engine installation parts. No donor car or recycled parts are required, unlike most ‘kit cars’. All you need to supply to get running are tools, time and fuel!
• Rolling Chassis: For owners less interested in the mechanics of building the car or who do not have the time or experience can order their kit as a “rolling chassis” in which everything is complete except the engine installation. Owners can expect to spend 2-3 days installing the engine before the car is ready to drive.

In order to comply with US federal regulations, all Caterham products are imported as “kits.” The registration process varies state-to-state, and even county-to-county, but typically involves:

• Having the vehicle inspected by a state authority to insure road worthiness and to verify the part numbers on the engine and chassis to insure that they are not from a stolen vehicle, sometimes called a “VIN” (vehicle identification number) inspection.
• Paperwork from the VIN inspection, bill of sale and MSO (manufacture statement of origin, supplied by Caterham) are turned into the local officials for inspection.
• After the paper work comes back from the officials, the vehicle needs to be taken back to a state official to have a state assigned VIN attached.
• The owner takes the paperwork to the DMV to complete the title and registration process as with a conventional car registration process.

*Please note that some states and or counties require an emissions system inspection prior to registration.

We highly recommend contacting your local DMV or state authorities to confirm the registration and emissions requirements in your area prior to purchasing a Caterham. Please let us know if you have any questions regarding this process or if there is anything we can do to help verify the process in your area.

To place an order your sales representative will help you complete an order form. To confirm the order a $10,000 deposit is required. Lead time from deposit date to delivery varies depending on the factory’s schedule, but typically ranges from 16-20 weeks. All prices include international shipping, customs and fees. Domestic delivery from our facility in Denver, Colorado is additional. Please contact us directly to discuss options and make arrangements.

Building a 7 is straightforward and, providing you have some basic mechanical knowledge, requires no special skills. The time taken to complete the car depends on many factors such as specification chosen and the space available to unpack the parts, but 70 to 90 man-hours is typical. The chassis is supplied fully paneled and with safety critical items pre-installed at the factory, such as brake lines, loom, seatbelt mountings and instruments. A build manual is provided and help is available on the phone from our aftersales team.

In order to comply with US federal regulations Caterham Sevens can not be supplied with the engine. For the US market Caterham Cars recommend the Ford Duratec engine.

• Classic: the Caterham Classic is supplied as a complete kit with no engine or transmission installation or ancillary parts. This package is specifically designed for owners planning a custom engine installation.
• Roadsport and Superlight: These models include a complete engine installation package with all necessary hardware and ancillaries. The customer need only supply a bare 2.0L Ford Duratec engine and a transmission. These ancillary packages produce a range of outputs:
  Roadsport 170 & Superlight R300: 170bhp
  Roadsport 210 & Superlight R400: 210bhp
  Superlight R500: 263bhp
• CSR: the Caterham CSR models are specifically designed for use with the Cosworth developed 2.3L Ford Duratec engine packages. These kits include a few engine installation parts, but requires the customer to source a complete Caterham specific engine package from Cosworth and separate transmission. These packages offer ~260bhp.

The Seven was designed in the 1950’s when the average size of an adult male was somewhat less than today. However, a standard car can accommodate drivers up to 6’3” by adjusting the pedal positions and using composite, rather than padded leather, seats. Additionally, a lowered driver’s floor can be added at the point of ordering (price on application). This drops the seat around 1 inch lower beneath the car and enables taller drivers to look through, rather than over, the windscreen. The SV chassis can accommodate drivers up to 6’ 7” depending on specification. The Caterham Sales team understand the importance of driver comfort and will help you chose the specification suited to your stature.

The SV or ‘wide body’ option on Roadsport and Superlight cars gives you a longer, wider and taller vehicle. While the extra size is not immediately obvious from the exterior, the increased interior space allows our larger customers to get comfortable in the Seven, and also provides a larger boot space and larger fuel tank, making it a more practical option. SV cars also get wide-track suspension as standard and weight around 25kgs more than a standard car.

• The 5-speed gearbox, with its overdrive 5th gear, is more suited to touring as the car cruises at motorway speeds at a lower engine RPM.
• The 6-speed gearbox was designed specially for Caterham and is a close ratio gearbox, ideal for fast road and track use. It is highly regarded for its precise action that allows the driver to swap gears extremely quickly when pressing on. The 6-speed has a direct drive (1:1) 6th gear, and as a result is slightly louder at motorway speeds due to higher engine RPM.

Insurance options for a Caterham in the US vary greatly. We have found that most people use one of two methods:

• Register their Caterham with their other cars under one policy, with the Caterham listed as a “non-primary” vehicle.
• Register their Caterham with a specialist insurance company.

Either method is typically less expensive than customers expect. Please feel free to contact us for more information or with questions.

By prior appointment with our sales staff, we will be happy to take customers for an accompanied test drive in certain models. Except in special circumstances, only drivers over the age of 25 may take a test drive, although it is possible to ride as a passenger.

Please note that test drives are taken at the discretion of the sales manager, and the safety of our customers and our staff is our priority. If you want more time behind the wheel before purchasing, we offer the following service:

Caterham Drive Experience: We offer a variety of driving experiences on and off the track where you can learn to explore the limits of a 7 in a safe environment. Open to drivers with a full driving license over 17 years old.

Caterham have a network of Service agents who can look after your car for you. Please refer to the Retailers section of this website.

All parts for all Caterhams are available directly from our parts department, either by calling in person or by mail order. Alternatively, our service centers will carry a limited number of the more common parts for your Seven.

All new cars come with a 12 month, or 6000 mile warranty for parts only.

Caterham Sevens traditionally have exceptionally strong residual values, even by the standards of many mainstream prestige car manufacturers. This is because a Seven is a high quality product that will last, and also because Caterham Cars has a strict policy on not offering discounts. This stabilizes the used car market and ensures all our cars retain their optimum value.

Whilst many lower quality replica manufacturers position themselves in the market with a cheaper initial price, customers should be aware that Caterhams do not suffer from the poor residuals of most kit cars. Often Caterham ownership is more cost effective than some of the ‘cheaper’ options!

The Caterham Seven has been developed with a wealth of experience from 20 years of Caterham Motorsport. All cars are fitted with aluminum honeycomb side impact protection, roll over protection and EU approved passive restraint seatbelts which help the car maintain its excellent safety record.

The agility and braking ability of the car also enable it to avoid dangerous situations better than a larger, heavier car. We strongly recommend that drivers without experience of high performance cars undertake additional training for added safety.

Absolutely. All Caterham Sevens are suitable for use on the track and give great performance straight ‘out of the box.’ However we advise that cars used regularly on track are equipped with additional safety equipment such as fire extinguisher, uprated FIA roll bar and 4-point harnesses. The minimum level of equipment required depends on your track day organizer.