CATERHAM SEVEN 420 CUP

Track-day special bridges the gap between 420R and Championship UK Racecar

- RICHARD LANE

TESTED 12.4.22, SNETTERTON ON SALE EARLY 2023

So single-minded is any Seven that every model in the range feels like a would-be racer missing only an opportunity. But Caterham does offer dedicated racing cars, with none more focused than the cage-bedecked, slick-shod, windscreen-less Championship UK Racecar. Ignore the unromantic name: we've driven one and adored it for its remarkable ability to be fun and forgiving while feeling grittily raw and millimetre-precise.

Alas, it's solely for the track, which is where the new 420 Cup comes in. Caterham wants you to think of this car as the ultimate road-legal trackday Seven, inspired by the single-seat racer but with solid concessions to comfort and versatility.

Inside, you duly find Alcantara trim on the transmission tunnel, and even the optional composite Tillett seats are heated. The roll-cage is also an option, but one you might want: as well as stiffening the body, with it comes the racer's metal boot cover, and it acts as a plinth for wing mirrors that give the Cup a race-ready look.

Other nods to competition include Schroth harnesses, a central petrol filler and a vented nose cone seen only on the madcap 620R and the fabulous 420R Donington Edition of 2017. However, whereas only 10 Donington cars were ever made, the 420 Cup will enter series production.