The British Sportcar manufacturer Caterham will shortly mark its entry in India with the launch of R500 in the wake of the inaugural F1 Indian GP. The company has entered into a joint venture with Gaurav Burman of Dabur Group for their project in the sub-continent; it has also tied up with a British commercial pilot, Matt Cummings.
The leading batsman and century-maker of Indian cricket team recently scorches around a test track in this sportscar. He was quite excited about the experience and told that it handled brilliantly.
Under the Hood
R500 is sure to drive you crazy with the performance of the equipped 2.0 liter Ford Duratec engine, good for 263 hp of output power, and 177 pf of torque, mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox; you can also opt for a sequential gearbox.
The performance of this engine is what’s really amazing, reaching the 60 mph mark from a standstill in just around 2.88 seconds, thanks to its 1116 pound weight. The acceleration may be quiet scary even on a straight line. Highly enthusiastic drivers can touch a top speed of 150 mph with this sports car.
The performance upgrading features that you can find in this car are launch control, a sequential transmission, Eibach Springs and dampers, and Carbon Induction Airbox.
R500 managed to go around the test tracks of Top Gear quicker than a Bugatti Veyron; enthusiasts regard it as a car with the impulses of a housefly. It offers excellent driving pleasure at a reasonable price.
The Seven-Philosophy
This recent model from the British carmaker takes the light-weight minimalist Seven- philosophy to a higher level with sharper handling, more power, and optional Caterham Motorsport engineered sequential transmission and launch control for drivers venturing on the track. With a weight of just 506 kilograms, R500 is the most potential race-tuned production Seven till date.
Pricing
The exact pricing of Caterham R500- India edition has not yet been revealed by the British carmaker.
December 23, 2011
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