About Caterham Cars
 Caterham cars was founded in 1973 and is a maker of specialist lightweight sports cars, based in the town of Caterham, Surrey. Originally a Lotus 7 dealer run by Graham Nearn, it began to produce cars in 1973 when Lotus announced it was going to discontinue the 7, and Nearn bought the rights to continue production under the Caterham name. Initially he concentrated on producing the Lotus 7 Series 4, but returned to the Series 3 model when the 4 proved unpopular with the public.
Just like the Lotus before it, the Caterham is constructed of aluminium on a tubular steel chasis. The nose-cone and wings are of carbon fibre or glass reinforced plastic. These materials, along with the fact that there are only two seats and a certain lack of refinements such as a fixed roof or proper doors, means the car is light and so only needs a smallish engine to achieve high performance. All models have front engines with rear wheel drive, but their austere nature means they are not really practical for every day use.
This lack of practicality means the Caterham is a favourite with serious sports car fans, and so as with Lotus, Caterham offer a kit car, so that enthusiasts can build their very own model from scratch. No specialist skills are required as the kits are supplied with parts ready to assemble, meaning no donor car is required. The only model not offered in kit form is the CSR series 6.
Export of the Caterham has been made difficult by the safety and emissions regulations of the modern age. These vary greatly from country to country, making the export of such a specialist car impractical. In America Caterhams are only sold in kit form as this is the best way to avoid modern safety legislation which applies to manufacturers but does not apply to privately, individually assembled cars.
In 1987 the production of Caterham cars moved to Dartford, Kent. The only model currently being made is the Caterham 7, a direct descendant of the Lotus 7 which was produced by Caterham from 1973. The Caterham 7 is still seen by press and public alike as being one of the most iconic cars of the 20th century, and 2007 marked the golden jubilee of continuous production.
In November 2008 it was announced that Caterham had entered into partnership with Project Splitwheel, an online scheme intended to design a new performance car in collaberation with owners and enthusiasts via the internet. The hope is that production of the resulting new model could start in 2011.
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