The new Caterham Project V proves: Even an electric athlete can be light!

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Caterham should only be known to die-hard car fans. No wonder the British have actually produced only one sports car since it was founded in 1973: the ultra-pure Seven Seven, originally developed by sports manufacturer Lotus and sold to China in the meantime. The formula for success has always been: small internal combustion engines plus lightweight construction equal driving pleasure! This is exactly what Caterham is currently trying to convey into the electric age. And fans familiar with extremely heavy battery packs are asking themselves: Could this work?

If you can believe the data that has just been released for Project V, which has just been unveiled at the Festival of Speed ​​in Goodwood (UK), you have to say: And how it works! Project V bids farewell to the open Seven concept, impresses with a wonderfully dynamic design language and is basically reminiscent of the newly launched Maserati GranTurismo (here’s the driving report: lightning without lightning).

Project V as a declaration of war

Spectacular curb weights of between 500 and 600 kilograms, as on the petrol Seven, of course cannot be achieved with such an electric coupé. But the 1190 kilos announced including the battery pack can be safely understood as a challenge for established competition, thanks to lightweight construction measures such as the carbon fiber chassis. In contrast, the rear axle has a 272 hp (200 kW) electric motor that is expected to propel the 4.25-metre-long and just 1.23-metre straight Project V to 100 km/h in just under 4.5 seconds. Top speed according to Caterham: an impressive 230 km/h. The battery with a capacity of 55 kilowatt-hours will easily be sufficient for a range of approximately 400 kilometers thanks to its low weight.

The cockpit is also non-Caterham-specific to suit the vehicle as a whole: here are round digital gauges for speed and revs, stylish toggle switches for selecting drive modes, and here are rotary controls for air conditioning. . And it has the first ever multimedia system in a Caterham – including Apple Carplay.

Solution

Caterham proves that even in an electric car, low weights don’t have to be an illusion. Other manufacturers could have learned from this – above all, Lotus with the new XXL SUV Eletre – by being lightweight. But there are two snags with Project V: On the one hand, it needs to go into mass production by 2026 at the earliest. And if it really launches in three years, the lightweight electric racer will likely be made for a heavy wallet. According to preliminary information, Project V should start at £80,000, which is about 90,000 francs.

Source: Blick