Introducing A Patriot

There are certain things that countries are famous for. The Americans, for example, we all know like big things. Big people, big burgers, and big cars. The Germans, we have long since realised, are smart, sensible, but are all completely without humour. It seems almost every country has at least one thing we can recognise as being unique. So what about us Brits? What have we got? Some would say we are a nation of stabbing-victims and old age pensioners, but I disagree. We have quite possibly the most unique icon of them all. We have, the sports car.

Even in the glory days of yesteryear we still had the proper sports cars, and they were made by big companies with lots of workers and impressive names; names like Marcos, Morgan, and Austin-Heeley. Across our country lanes and rural roads they drove, small, lightweight cars that only ever had two seats. Cars that symbolised all that is good and British. It seemed that they would never grow old, that for evermore, Britain’s would trek the world in Dolomite Sprints and AC Cobras. But instead, people started having children by the barrelful, and soon realised that two seats really wasn’t enough. So the car-making industry responded, making models bigger, fatter, and more expensive. Then for a decade or two the sports car disappeared altogether, people just weren’t interested in them anymore. Now however, the pride of Britain is back, people are once again starting to realise and enjoy that love that is felt all over the world, for the traditional British sports car. And to celebrate this, we’ve made a new one. It’s called the Caterham 7 CSR, and it is staggering.

Under the bonnet of the CSR rests a 2.3 litre Cosworth Duratec engine, producing 200bhp. That may not seem like much, but you have to remember this car weighs about as much as air, a mere 575kg. This then results in a shocking top speed of 140mph, and a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds. That’s faster than most supercars. So what would you say is the price of all this power? Nope, I’m afraid you’re quite wrong. It’s just £32,000. So what this means is that you can buy a lightweight, fast, British built car, for less than most middle of the range saloons. So you can enjoy the thrill that only comes with a Caterham. The thrill of being just inches from the road, the thrill of no roof, no safety. It’s not that Caterham don’t care about your safety. But where the safety aspects would interfere with the sheer joy of driving, they just haven’t bothered. And that’s what I love about Caterhams, they are built purely and simply for those who enjoy driving. The engine is for lack of a better word, perfect. The steering is well balanced, and the chassis is solid as a rock. The CSR then is really a very special car, and not because it’s the fastest or because it has good legroom. No, the CSR is special, because it was made by a very special company. In the three decades that Caterham has been making the seven, they’ve had mistakes, like any company. But now, they are presenting us with the epitome of performance and handling. They have learnt from their mistakes in the past, applied their knowledge and built a car that is absolutely fantastic. In short, they’ve done their homework.

So if you have a choice then as to what your next car will be, I offer you this simple advice. Throw practicality out the window, throw price into the garden. And drown all sense in the nearest pond. Go out and get yourself a Caterham, and be reminded what it feels like to be truly alive. Because I guarantee, when you’re just inches off the road, on the perfect day, you don’t need 140mph, trust me, 70 is enough. Caterham have made the CSR as good as a car can be. So that means then, that when the day is just right, and the roads are empty, it’ll be ready and willing, to take you for what is quite possibly, the ride of your life.