Retro 1960s style Caterham Sprint makes Goodwood debut

The Caterham Seven Sprint has, fittingly for the Revival, a retro design harking back to the mid 1960s, which should please Seven purists. The Sprint also neatly preludes the 60th anniversary of the Seven next year.

The Sprint has the same three-cylinder, 80bhp Suzuki engine as the entry-level Seven 160 model, which Goodwood Road and Racing has tried and loved; as long as you're not two adults both weighing over 16 stone, trying to get up Box Hill in Surrey, 80bhp is plenty to enjoy the raw, open-wheeled motoring pleasure that a Seven affords.

Among the retro design cues for the Sprint are a choice of six original paint colours from 1966/67, flared front wings, a polished exhaust silencer and unique, retro rear lights. Wheels will be pained cream and finished with polished hubcaps, while the main bodywork has period Caterham branding and a Sprint logo.

Inside the car, there is a wooden sports steering wheel, and wood-effect dashboard complete with a classic instrument layout. The tacho features red and yellow sections, in keeping with the ’60s vibe.

The interior panels and Muirhead Scottish seat upholstery are hand-stitched in the period style and finished in a bright red.

The interior and luggage space are carpeted, in another nod to the ’60s, while the chassis is powder-coated grey, making it accurate for a Series 2 Lotus 7 of the period. Caterham says the suspension and rollover bar are also reminiscent of Colin Chapman's original.

The Sprint will cost from £27,995 and will be available to order from tomorrow (September 9), when it is unveiled at Goodwood.

Graham Macdonald, CEO of Caterham Cars, said, "We have always prided ourselves on continually developing the Seven during the 44 years we have been custodian of the model. But we never wished to dismiss our heritage either and I know there are plenty of Seven purists and aficionados out there who will really appreciate the level of detail we've gone to with the Sprint to resurrect the spirit of those early cars.

"[The Sprint] is a car that has been built today, with all the benefits that modern engineering brings with it, but with the essence of the swinging Sixties, and is the perfect precursor to our 60th anniversary celebration in 2017."

Only 60 Sprints will be made for the British and European markets.