2003 Caterham 7 Superlight R300 Review and Performance Comparison

Caterham 7 Performance Review.

Introduction:

The 2003 Caterham 7 Superlight R300 is a powered by a Petrol Straight 4. This variant of the Caterham 7 Superlight R300 is the 6 speed / Manual version and was first brought out around 2003. This was at around the same time as the introduction of the 2004 Westfield Sport 2000S and the 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII MR FQ 400.

This particular Caterham 7 has a 1796cc Naturally Aspirated Petrol powerplant driven by the Caterham Rear Wheel Drive system.

Alternative Petrol Straight 4's include the 1985 Alfa-Romeo Spider Veloce

The 7 shares its Petrol Straight 4 engine configuration with the likes of the 1985 Alfa-Romeo Spider Veloce and the 2019 Ariel Atom 4 2.0 Turbo.If you're looking for other similar performing cars which share the 7's Rear Wheel Drive, - combination then how about the 1985 Alfa-Romeo Spider Veloce or the earlier 1982 Fiat X1/9 1.5 8V.

Power and Weight:

Weighing in at 500 kgs (1102 lbs) places the Caterham 7 Superlight R300 in a similar weight category as the 2013 Caterham 7 160/165 0.7L Turbo and the excellent 2013 Caterham 7 485 2.0L, give or take 50kg.

The Caterham 7 shares the same bhp with the 2020 Abarth 695 70th Anniversario 1.4 Turbo (177 bhp)

In terms of pure power the 1796cc 16 valve, Straight 4 engine produces around 160 bhp (119 kW) @ 7000 rpm which is comparable to the 2020 Abarth 695 70th Anniversario 1.4 Turbo (177 bhp) and also the 2020 Audi A1 A1 Sportback 35 TFSI S tronic S line (148 bhp).

The Naturally Aspirated Straight 4 throws out 130 lb-ft (176.2 Nm) @ 5000 rpm placing it with cars of similar torque performance figures such as the 2020 Toyota Yaris GR RS (107 lb-ft) or the 2015 Mazda MX5 2.0i Roadster Coupe (148 lb-ft).

Power to Weight:

If you look at both power or torque of the 2003 Caterham 7 in comparison with its weight you get a much more accurate idea of its real world performance.

The 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO (344.5 bhp per ton) has similar Bhp Per Ton stats as the Caterham 7.

The Caterham 7 has a power to weight ratio of 320.0 bhp per ton. Bhp per ton figures of the 2003 7 Superlight R300 means you're competing with the 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO (344.5 bhp per ton) and the equally quick 2017 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat 6.2 V8 (343.7 bhp per ton).

Torque to Weight:

If you agree with the late great Carroll Shelby then arguably an even better indicator of potential performance is Torque!. However, torque isn't the whole story, you also need to compare weight as well for more real world comparisons such as torque per ton.

The Caterham 7 Superlight R300 generates around 260.0 lb-ft per ton. So if you're looking at what cars perform similarly either on the drag strip or at the traffic lights using torque to weight as a benchmark, then look no further than the 2018 BMW 5 Series M5 Competition 4.4 V8 F90 (285.0 lb-ft per ton) or the similarly performing 2010 Ferrari 599 GTO (284.7 lb-ft per ton).

Acceleration:

The Caterham 7 Superlight R300 can accelerate 0–60mph in 4.70 secs or 0–100km/h (0–62mph) in 4.9 secs. Acceleration rivals to the Caterham 7 Superlight R300 include the 2024 BMW 1 Series M135 xDrive (4.70 secs) or the equally as fast to 60mph 2023 Toyota Supra GR 2.0 (4.70 secs).

The Straight 4 engine of the Caterham 7 Superlight R300 ensures that, ‘on paper’ at least, accelerates slightly faster than the 2022 Maserati Quattroporte Modena (4.80 secs) and the 2022 Maybach S 580 4MATIC (4.80 secs).

Quarter Mile time is a close race between the Caterham 7 Superlight R300 and the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 S PDK 991

On a longer format for acceleration comparisons the 2003 Caterham 7 can reach a quarter mile in an estimated 12.26 secs with a trap speed around 111.1 mph. Similar performances down the quarter mile drag strip can be found with the the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 S PDK 991 (12.27 seconds @ 111.0 mph) and a close race between the Nissan Skyline GT-R Spec V R35 (12.27 seconds @ 111.0 mph) too.

Top Speed:

Some modern performance cars are often artificially restricted particularly when it comes to max speed. 155 mph top speed restrictions are often used as part of the German 'Gentleman's Agreement' for example, so be cautious when using maximum speed figures. The 2003 version of the Caterham 7 Superlight R300 has a maximum speed of 130mph.

Top Speed of the 2003 7 equals the Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS 454 425bhp (129 mph)

If maxing out your car on the AutoBahn is your thing and you're wondering what has a similar top end performance to the 2003 Caterham 7 Superlight R300 then there's the slightly slower the Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS 454 425bhp (129 mph) or how about the impressive MG Maestro 2.0 Turbo (129 mph).

— AutoSnout

Figures & Specs Summary:

Related Links:

• 2003 7 Rivals List.
• 2003 7: Full Review and Comparisons.
• A Brief History of Caterham
• Compare the 2003 Caterham 7