Caterham reveals 620S – the Seven for softies
Road-tuned sports car trades track for road – but it’s still as powerful as ever
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Your support makes all the difference.A simple manual gearbox. Road (not track) tyres. Heated seats, for heaven’s sake.
Behold the Caterham Seven for softies.
Called the 620S, this little number is basically a 620R with the wick turned down. Only a bit, though. You still get the loony-tune 310bhp engine, and if you ask (not nicely, just ask) it’ll erupt from standstill to 60mph in 3.4 seconds.
At £44,995, it costs £5000 less than the 620R. You lose that vehicle’s sequential box and Avon ZZR rubber and get things like road-spec suspension, a heater, a soft top and even (gasp) a full windscreen.
You do retain the 620R’s uprated brakes and limited-slip rear diff, however. This may be a car that makes concessions to comfort, but when it comes to staying on the road some things are sacred.
Its spec also includes leather seats, which is quite a thing. If you want them to be heated, however, you have to upgrade to the full carbon option which is something else the 620R has as standard.
On a more practical level, the 620S uses Caterham’s wider chassis to give you more space for things like a passenger, luggage and a usefully sized fuel tank.
It makes this the most credible Caterham there is for daily-driver duties. Though if you take a look outside as the wind blows and the rain turns to sleet, you might be forgiven for concluding that that’s not saying much.
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