Caterham is marking 10 years of the Seven 485 with its last-ever high-revving, naturally aspirated sports car.

Lightweight sports car manufacturer Caterham has revealed two new special editions celebrating a decade of the Seven 485 sports car, with these limited-run models said to be the last naturally aspirated Sevens ever to be produced. The two options are the 485 FE and the 485 CSR FE, both of which are powered by a Ford Duratec 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that revs to 8,500 rpm, at which point peak power of 225 hp is reached and you have to manually shift into another of the five available forward ratios. Peak torque - 151 lb-ft of it - arrives at 6,300 rpm. This enables a 0-62 mph sprint time of 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 139 mph - plenty for a car that weighs well under 1,500 lbs.

Differences Between Caterham 485 FE and Caterham 485 CSR FE

Caterham enthusiasts will know that two chassis sizes are usually available for the Seven - standard and large. The former can accommodate drivers up to approximately 6'2", while the large chassis can fit drivers up to 6'6". The 485 FE is available with either, but the 485 CSR FE can only be ordered with the latter because it gets inboard suspension with bigger wheels. For the 485 FE, buyers get 13-inch Black Apollo wheels, while the CSR model gets 15-inch Vulcan alloys. Both cars have their wheels wrapped in sticky Toyo Proxes R888R rubber. These changes mean that the 485 FE weighs 1,234 lbs while the CSR tips the scales at 1,333 lbs (specification-dependent). The CSR is also seven inches longer, nearly 10 inches wider, and an inch taller.

All cars get ventilated front discs with four-piston calipers, a limited-slip differential, black badging and accents, a black vinyl trunk cover, the aero nosecone from the Caterham 620, a carbon fiber dashboard, and new Sport Hex black leather seats with Final Edition embroidery and light grey stitching, matching the Alcantara-trimmed shifter gate cover and leather-trimmed transmission tunnel.

Several Options On Offer

Cosmetic add-ons include satin black stripes, a numbered plaque, carbon shrouds for the turn signal indicators, carbon fiber wings front and rear, and a carbon aero screen. A choice of five premium colors includes Golden Saffron and Viper Blue as standard fare, with Volcano Red, Verdes Emes (green), and Viola Parsifae (purple) options adding extra to the final bill. If you'd like a slightly less extreme build, a full windscreen, hood, and side screens can be specified, as can armrests for the side screens, but if you'd prefer to enhance the vehicle in the other direction, adjustable Bilstein Cup dampers, a roll cage or rollover bar, a plumbed-in fire extinguisher and master battery cutoff switch, and an upgraded brake master cylinder can also be optioned.

60 examples of the Caterham Seven 485 Final Edition will be produced, along with 25 of the 485 CSR FE. Pricing starts at €67,495 in Europe (a little more than $72,500 at the time of writing). These special editions will be built at the factory, not available as kits, and an allocation for America is not available. The JDM market scores one up on us here, with 10 examples of the Seven 480 FE to be created just for Japan, likely with a smidge less extremism. Hopefully, the electric Caterham Project V concept will one day make it to our shores as a lightweight electric sports car.

By SEBASTIAN CENIZO

PUBLISHED MAY 10 2024 ON CARBUZZ

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