Rather than the motor industry's knees up in Detroit, Caterham chose Autosport International in Birmingham as the venue to announce to the world details of its first all-new car since 1994.
Called the SP/300R, the latest machine to emerge from Caterham's Dartford factory is a two-seater sports prototype racer designed in collaboration with Cambridgeshire-based Lola Cars for both the track day market and a single-make race series.
The sub-600kg car will be powered by a supercharged 2.0-litre Ford Duratec engine developing in the region of 300bhp and able to power the SP/300R from 0-60mph in an estimated 2.5 seconds.
The gearbox will be a semi-automatic Hewland unit and drivers will also be able to take advantage of built-in data logging and a "push to pass" power boost on their way to the SP/300R's top speed, which is reported to be "around 170mph".
As technical design consultant, Lola is responsible for the car's design, which features an aluminium tub with a longitudinally mid-mounted engine coupled to a stress-bearing rear transaxle, while downforce is taken care of by a flat underbody, front splitter and large rear wing.
The car's sectioned panels can also be removed single-handed to assist with oil checks and set-up changes, a feature Caterham says is unique for this class of car.
Suspension is by front and rear double wishbones with pushrod dampers, adjustable ride height and bespoke tyres, and Caterham's engineers are said to be finalising ride and handling characteristics that are "firmly transferred" from the legendary Seven sports car.
Just as with the Seven, Caterham will set up a one-make race series for SP/300Rs, set to begin in 2012. It will debut in the UK with the possibility to expand to overseas markets in the future.
The order books for the SP/300R open today, with only 25 examples of the £60,000 machine scheduled to be built per year. Although a track only car at present, Caterham says it is looking into the feasibility of a road-legal version.
"Motorsport is not only part of the history of Caterham, it's been the lifeblood running through the character of our vehicles – race cars for the road," said Ansar Ali, managing director of Caterham Cars.
