Caterham SP/300R: For the Track-Day Enthusiast

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed)
Jan 13th 2011 at 6:01PM

More and more automotive enthusiasts with the means have been finding it harder and harder to drive their sportscars on public streets. More congestion and constricting regulations mean they just can't be enjoyed as much anymore. As a result, many moneyed speed freaks have been buying track-day cars.

A track car can be a street-legal sportscar optimized for use on a closed racing circuit, it can be a decommissioned racing car converted for private use, or it can be a purpose-built vehicle like this latest example from Caterham. The company famous for producing the iconic Seven long after Lotus moved on to newer things is now moving on itself with the SP/300R.

Built in partnership with racing car constructor Lola (the same company that makes Aston Martin's Le Mans Prototype, among others), the SP/300R's basic engine is a 2-liter Ford Duratec, supercharged in-house to around 300 horsepower. But with only 1,300 lbs to propel, that's enough to rocket the track car to 60 in just 2.5 seconds – that's Bugatti Veyron fast. Only 25 examples will be made each year, each fetching £60,000 (about $93,000).

Gallery: Caterham-Lola SP/300R