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2008 Caterham RS Performance 'Levante' Review

February 2008
Filed under: CATERHAM Car News | CATERHAM Headlines

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Caterham announces official performance arm: Powerhouse V8 engine delivers 1,000 plus bhp-per-tonne For those wanting an expression of British sportscar exclusivity, Caterham Cars has joined forces with RS Performance to offer the ultimate in bespoke Seven coachbuilding. Caterham has long been the epitome of personalised motoring with almost every version of the 12,000 Sevens on the road differing from one another. The joint venture takes that famous philosophy to an altogether new level.

RS Performance is an exclusive, niche engineering house. Born out of the passion and pedigree of its founder, Russell Savory, it will offer an ‘everything is possible’ service to Caterham customers wanting cars truly ‘built to order’.

Using the motorsport-honed Caterham chassis and benchmark technology as a cosmetic and engineering base, RS Performance, will “turn imagination into reality,” says Savory.

The heartbeat of every RS-monikered Seven will be the unique RST-V8 engine.

With more than 16 years of development behind it by Russell Savory, the 40-valve, 2.4 litre engine reliably delivers an incredible 400bhp in normally aspirated mode, or over 500bhp as a supercharged varient, whilst weighing only 90kg in full running gear.

The unbridled lightness of the RST-V8 matched to the already featherweight Seven chassis delivers a power-to-weight ratio of over 1000bhp per tonne – more than double of a Bugatti Veyron.

This unique partnership will be open to customers looking for the ultimate in exclusivity, and carry a price tag to reflect the tailoring, detail and hand-built craftsmanship that will go into every RS-badged Caterham.

Validation of the engineering house’s abilities comes in the form of the supercharged ‘Levante’. This is the first Seven to rollout of RS Performance’s Hertfordshire doors and which only seven more of this type will be available.

With a 12 week waiting time and costing over £115,000, this supercharged engineering masterpiece boasts a modern interpretation of the Seven’s classic looks with a sophisticated electronics package with traction and launch control to help get the phenomenal power to the floor. Weight reduction runs throughout the car, from the carbon fibre interior finished with Kevlar seats down to the hosing used on the cooling systems

The RS Performance badge will sit alongside the established, and soon to be expanded, Ford powered Caterham Seven range.

“Caterham and Russell Savory have a long history, and this seemed a natural progression of that relationship and shared engineering philosophy,” explained Ansar Ali, Caterham Cars managing director.

RS Performance RST-V8 Engine Technical Specification

Configuration 90° V8

Capacity 2.4 litre

Valves 40

Construction Aluminium main frame with dry sump

Max Power 380 bhp @10,000rpm / 500+bhp @ 10,000rpm (supercharged)

Max Torque 190 lbsft @ 8500rpm / 300 lbsft@ 8500rpm (supercharged)

Gearbox 6-speed

Overall length 45.6mm

Overall width 45.6mm

Height 48mm

Weight 90kg

Service intervals 8000 miles (minor) / 30,000 miles (major service & belt change)

RS Performance ‘Levante’ Technical Specification

Price £115,000 (dependent on specification)

Chassis Caterham SV

Engine 2.4-litre, 40-valve RST-V8 supercharged

Max Power 500+bhp @ 10,000rpm

Max Torque 300 lbsft @ 8500rpm

Supercharge boost 0.8 psi

Gearbox 6-speed sequential, paddle shift option

Transmission LSD

0-60mph (claimed) Less than 3 seconds

Top Speed 150mph (limited)

Wheelbase 2305mm

Overall length 3530mm

Overall width 1685mm

Height 1140mm

Weight From 520kgs

Suspension de Dion rear, Nitron 3-way adjustable shocks all corners

Wheels Image Billet; front 8 x 15, rear 10 x 15

Tyres Avon CR500; front 195/45-15, rear 245/40-15

Brakes Hi Spec; front 280mm vented, rear 260mm.

Exhaust system BTB 2 x 4-2-1 rear exit

Dashboard Farringdon and SPA design

Driver aids Traction Control, Launch Control

Additional Two day driver training course provided on delivery of vehicle

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