British Rocket: Caterham Joins Forces With RS Performance
Thread Starter
G35x - RWD/AWD goodness
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 2,950
Likes: 1
From: Michigan
British Rocket: Caterham Joins Forces With RS Performance
Caterham Seven is the basis for this exciting new roadster, the RS Levante.
Caterham Cars and RS Performance teamed to create this supercharged 500-plus-horsepower roadster.
Only eight RS Levante roadsters will be built per year, priced starting at $228,000.
CATERHAM, England — Caterham Cars has been building bespoke roadsters patterned after the Lotus Seven for years. Now, a new partnership with Russell Savory's RS Performance promises an even more thrilling ride for the bugs-in-the-teeth crowd.
Functioning as the performance arm of Caterham, RS Performance will use the familiar 1,150-pound Caterham Seven as the starting point for a sensational new rocket dubbed the Levante and priced from $228,000.
The Levante will be powered by Savory's RST-V8, a supercharged 40-valve 2.4-liter unit that produces more than 500 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque and is mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox with optional paddle shifters. The more timid can order a normally aspirated variant that makes "only" 400 hp and 190 lb-ft.
RS Performance claims some incredible figures for the Levante, saying it can sprint from zero to 60 mph in less than 3.0 seconds and has a power-to-weight ratio of more than 1,000 hp per metric ton — more than double that of a Bugatti Veyron. Nevertheless, top speed is electronically limited to 150 mph.
RS Performance plans to build only eight cars a year and projects a waiting time of 12 weeks. Better get your order in soon.
What this means to you: Can you handle the truth? Not to worry: Every Levante comes with a free two-day driver training course upon delivery of the vehicle. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
Functioning as the performance arm of Caterham, RS Performance will use the familiar 1,150-pound Caterham Seven as the starting point for a sensational new rocket dubbed the Levante and priced from $228,000.
The Levante will be powered by Savory's RST-V8, a supercharged 40-valve 2.4-liter unit that produces more than 500 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque and is mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox with optional paddle shifters. The more timid can order a normally aspirated variant that makes "only" 400 hp and 190 lb-ft.
RS Performance claims some incredible figures for the Levante, saying it can sprint from zero to 60 mph in less than 3.0 seconds and has a power-to-weight ratio of more than 1,000 hp per metric ton — more than double that of a Bugatti Veyron. Nevertheless, top speed is electronically limited to 150 mph.
RS Performance plans to build only eight cars a year and projects a waiting time of 12 weeks. Better get your order in soon.
What this means to you: Can you handle the truth? Not to worry: Every Levante comes with a free two-day driver training course upon delivery of the vehicle. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
I would love to take a ride in one of those, looks really fun. A 2.4liter V8?! Those must be some very small pistons. Also it's only limited to 150, I guess any faster and that little thing will go airborne 
. I think Ferrari and Lamborghini should offer training courses to buyers too upon the ownership of the vehicle 
.
. I think Ferrari and Lamborghini should offer training courses to buyers too upon the ownership of the vehicle .
Thread Starter
G35x - RWD/AWD goodness
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 2,950
Likes: 1
From: Michigan
$197,000 Caterham RS Levante Sold Out
Even in a dismal economy, some people must have (and can afford) a luxury like the Caterham RS Levante.
Caterham's RS Levante supercar costs $197,000, but all eight have already been sold.
Caterham RS Levante has a supercharged V8 engine that makes more than 500 horsepower, plus all the looks and charm the Caterham name implies.
HERTFORDSHIRE, England — Times may be tough in the global auto industry, but the crunch apparently has had little effect on the super rich. As proof, all eight of the $197,000 Caterham RS Levante supercars have been sold, the company announced on Thursday.
The hand-built Levante has RS Performance's supercharged 500-plus-horsepower 2.4-liter V8 engine, tucked into a modified version of the lightweight Caterham SV chassis.
The company said that "All new owners of Caterham RS models are required to attend a two-day advanced driving course on delivery of their machines."
"The fact that all eight Levantes have been sold so quickly comes as no surprise," said Andy Noble, Caterham sales and marketing director, in a statement. "Over the last 51 years, the Seven has created and met the demand for those searching for the purest form of driving available. For drivers looking for the ultimate, the Levante facilitates that by taking Colin Chapman's original design to a staggering new level."
Inside Line says: The recession hasn't put the brakes on spending for those lusting after a Caterham RS Levante. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
The hand-built Levante has RS Performance's supercharged 500-plus-horsepower 2.4-liter V8 engine, tucked into a modified version of the lightweight Caterham SV chassis.
The company said that "All new owners of Caterham RS models are required to attend a two-day advanced driving course on delivery of their machines."
"The fact that all eight Levantes have been sold so quickly comes as no surprise," said Andy Noble, Caterham sales and marketing director, in a statement. "Over the last 51 years, the Seven has created and met the demand for those searching for the purest form of driving available. For drivers looking for the ultimate, the Levante facilitates that by taking Colin Chapman's original design to a staggering new level."
Inside Line says: The recession hasn't put the brakes on spending for those lusting after a Caterham RS Levante. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Seize
Car Chat
7
Mar 6, 2009 01:30 PM
