Caterham Cars, a long-time builder of custom versions of the lightweight British sports car, the Seven, has announced a performance arm in its partnership with RS Performance. The UK-based duo’s first product, the Seven RS, is certainly an attention-grabbing start, as it offers over 1,000 horsepower per ton in top-trim supercharged spec. RS Performance makes this, the ultimate Seven, possible thanks to its 2.4 liter RST-V8 engine that reportedly revs to at least 10,000 rpm.
In naturally-aspirated guise, the small, lightweight V8 is rated at 380 horsepower at 10,000 rpm, which is a rev ceiling unheard of in engines meant for the street, much less V8 configurations. Torque numbers are slightly more pedestrian, but the 190 lb-ft peak is also delivered in the range of engine operation most powerplants never see: 8,500 rpm. The five-valve-per-cylinder V8 can also be had with a supercharger, sucking in the atmosphere to the tune of 0.8psi, which is good enough for “500+ hp at 10,000 rpm” according to the press release, along with 300 lb-ft at the same 8,500 rpm. Dubbed Levante, the Caterham SV-based RS will be the first Seven to roll out of the RS Performance Hertfordshire workshop, and fittingly, production will be limited to just seven examples.
All this doesn’t come cheap, at about £115,000 (or approximately $226,000). For that money, however, the exclusive clientele get a car with traction and launch control, an LSD in the six-speed sequential transmission, carbon fiber interior, Kevlar seats. The all-aluminum, dry-sump engine is true to the lightweight motif, weighing in at just under 200 lbs fully dressed.
All these numbers predictably translate to more impressive performance: Caterham and RS Performance promise the 0-60 sprint to be gone in less than three ticks, while top speed is artificially limited to 150mph, probably a good idea in a car that weighs less than 1,200lbs with little aerodynamic support. A much-advised two-day driver training course is included with each Seven RS delivered.
