The R500
Introduction
The R500 is the ultimate,
no hold barred Caterham 7. It uses all the knowledge gained by Caterham over
the past 30 years to produce one uncompromised car. The actual chassis is the same
as the Superlight “R” – or more correctly we should say R400 now!
The engine has been
developed by Minister Race Engines, and uses bespoke management done by MBE
systems. The map is locked into memory and passworded, so it isn’t possible to
alter the tuning other than by using MBE/Caterham/Minister.
The car has its own
website specifically for owners – www.r500owners.com
- run, I think by Richard Ince. You’ve got to give chassis details etc to gain
full access so unless you’ve got one sat in the garage don’t bother!!
Specification
There are some high
specification extras that come with the car to reduce weight, increase
durability and provide the extra desirability that is required in this truly
Super Seven! They are:
As you can see, a very
comprehensive mechanical specification and the engine spec is no less
impressive:
Minister Race Engines
developed Rover K series engine.
The resultant performance
of this extraordinary engine is:
Max Power 230 bhp @ 8600 rpm
Max Torque 155 lbsft @7200 rpm
Max Revs 9000 (!)
And the car itself?
Max Speed 150mph
0-60mph 3.4 seconds
0-100 8.8 seconds
Issues
The car is the ultimate 7 –
no question. Certainly the pricing is sensible, at £33950 in kit form. This
sounds ridiculous to say but when you do the research and sums it would cost a
lot more to “build” as a gradual project starting from more humble beginnings.
The resale values seem good too, as the car is a bit of a cult item. Used ones
do seem to take a while to sell though, so these higher prices are only
accessible if you’re prepared to wait / and / or get Caterham to sell it for
you.
There are a few small
reservations that enthusiasts have about the car, mainly concerning longevity
of the engine. These concerns are, in my opinion, not as a result of anything
specifically wrong with the motor, which is incredible, but instead a pure
consequence of 128 bhp per litre at 8600rpm in a normally aspirated motor that
started life powering a Metro!
Essentially, of course,
the engine is absolutely nothing like those 1.4K’s that used to ferry granny to
the shops on a Friday, but the actual block and “sandwich” design remains
necessarily unchanged, and this is where the limits are set. More recently, the
motor has received upgrades to improve reliability and it is largely down to
the individual owner to look after the thing and ensure sensible operating
procedures.
Engine refreshes are apparently
required after about 3000 hard miles – I’m not exactly sure what this refers to
but it is reputedly head related – and maybe piston rings.
I have heard many
conflicting stories about these engines, ranging from heaped praise and
assurances from owners that they are bulletproof to horror stories of £12500
rebuild bills. Since I haven’t owned one myself I don’t feel qualified to make
much comment. My reason for not buying the SLR instead is purely that whether
justified or not, I would have felt nervous about really pushing the car – and that
would have frustrated me.
I’ll close on this note:
Out of the 15 or so owners I have had contact with, only 1 has wished he had
not bought his R500. Every other owner is absolutely thrilled with the thing
and wouldn’t change their decision!