Caterham's New 3-Pot Puppy Is The Perfect Toy For Cash Strapped Car Nuts

Caterham’s new bread-and-butter Seven 160 has just jumped to the top of our Christmas list thanks to its £17,995 price tag (£14,995 if you can build it yourself) and old-school, simplistic approach to gunning down a country road.

The 160 sports an ultra-compact, 660cc Suzuki engine that’s turbocharged to develop 80bhp, giving it approximately 160bhp per tonne (hence the name) and 79lb ft of torque. It should also sip fuel like a Mormon.

While the engine stats sound weedy, the performance figures are anything but: it'll hit 0-60mph in 6.5secs and is good for a top speed of 100mph; more than enough for the UK. It’s the Caterham’s ability to slide through corners that'll be the real highlight, however.

Adding to the fun is live-axle rear suspension that’s both lightweight and capable of delivering the seat-of-the-pants thrills that are synonymous with the model.

It looks the part, too, with steel wheels (seriously, how cool do they look?!) and some classic paint options that echo the 1950s original.

Production of the 160 will begin in January, with first deliveries arriving in the spring. Until then, watch our own video of the Caterham 7 Supersport for even more reasons to want this car.

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