Extreme new Caterham 275hp R600 racer

Caterham has launched a new supercharged Seven for circuit use.

The Superlight R600 gets a 275bhp Ford Duratec engine endowing the diminutive circuit racer with “extreme performance” – basically it’s the cherry on top of its Seven-based Motorsport cake.

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As the first Seven to get forced induction, the new supercharged Caterham will debut in a dedicated Superlight R600 Championship starting next year – with a grid likely to be populated by drivers upgrading from other Caterham race series, including the R300 championship.

Caterham expects a 16-car grid for the inaugural 2013 season and is banking on 30 drivers lining up for track battle in Caterham’s extreme racer in 2014.

Simon Lambert, Caterham’s Chief Motorsport Officer:

“As the fastest Seven we’ve ever built, this will provide our existing R300 racers with a real step up and a new and exciting challenge, even for experienced drivers. The R600 represents an increase in aggressiveness, although the linear power delivery of the supercharged engine makes it superbly driveable, much like the R300.”

A sequential six-speed gearbox transmits the R600’s 275bhp onto a set of Avon radials – and there’s also a Titan limited-slip differential to bring those all-important lap times down.

You’ll need to hand the Surrey-based firm a cheque for £44,995 to get your nomex racing mitts on Caterham’s fastest Seven-based circuit car – R300 owners can  upgrade to R600 spec for considerably less – but there’s no word on how much that option will cost yet.

“Caterham racing just got even more interesting,” says Lambert.

On Bing: see images of the Caterham Seven R600

Find out how much a used Caterham Seven costs on Auto Trader

Road Test Review: Caterham Seven Supersport (2011 onwards)

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