The R600 will be powered by a supercharged 2.0-litre Ford Duratec four-cylinder engine, similar to the Caterham SP/300.R sports prototype. As a result, it will earn the title as the fastest production Seven ever as well as being the first to use forced induction. The R600 Championship is scheduled to begin in 2013. It replaces the challenging R300 series as the top tier of Caterham motorsport. In the debut season of the championship, a grid of 16 cars is slated to participate. Meanwhile, the 2014 competition will probably get 30 cars. Simon Lambert, Caterham’s chief motorsport and technical officer, said that Caterham racing “just got even more interesting.”
He added that its current R300 racers will get a “real step up” and will pose to be a new and exciting challenge, even for experienced drivers. Lambert said that the R600 signifies more aggressiveness even when the linear power delivery of the supercharged engine makes it “superbly driveable.” A £44,995 price tag is attached to a factory-prepared R600.
It comes with a six-speed sequential ‘box, Titan limited-slip differential and Avon slick tyres or wets. Current R300 owners can choose to upgrade their cars with the R600 spec, the prices of which have yet to be revealed. Caterham chiefs said that there are no immediate plans for an R600 road car. However, they imply that it won’t be hard to make one from the current race-car platform. They worry that it may be too extreme for the road but consider this move as a way to test as soon as the race-car has proven how well it can do on track.
