Caterham AeroSeven Concept Teases Future Alpine at Singapore Grand Prix

CaterhamCaterhamUnited Kingdom, 1973 > present9 models
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revealed its entry-level Seven 165Caterham 7 165United Kingdom, 2014 > 2014 at the Frankfurt Motor Show with its tiny SuzukiSuzukiJapan, 1909 > present47 models
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three-cylinder engine, and during the Singapore Grand Prix it has revealed the first images of the AeroSeven ConceptCaterham AeroSevenUnited Kingdom, 2014 > 2014, which is meant to show the company’s future in styling and engineering.  Caterham says that it hints at the shape for the RenaultRenaultFrance, 1898 > present189 models
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co-developed, next generation AlpineAlpineFrance, 1955 > 199414 models
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due in 2016. The AeroSeven is shows what is possible when all of Caterham Group’s disparate companies work together on one car.

The actual chassis for the AeroSeven is Caterham’s CSR platform that it uses on some of its SevenCaterham 7United Kingdom, 1973 > present67 versions
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models, but the body and interior are entirely made from carbon fiber.

The shape of the AeroSeven is radically simple. The front is a simple oval with a massive with a separate yellow grill in the middle. Tiny LED headlights are hung from the top, but otherwise, the front looks like a wide-open mouth sucking in air to cool the engine. The hood is set well back from the front grill, which allows for the front to be made from a single piece of material.

The profile is equally simple with long, straight lines extending from the front to the rear. The area around the passenger compartment is cut away and has two lines created by blue LEDs. Honestly, they look a little tacked on like Caterham just glued some Christmas lights to the side of the body, but it is not a major portion of the design. There is also a small portion of the side where the body is completely cut away to expose the passenger compartment. Further back, the car’s major vertical elements are the roll hoops. There is no windshield.

The rear is as simple as the rest of the car with LED taillights just below the roll hoops, and the rest is bare carbon fiber.

The interior is as pared down as the rest of the car. It is entirely made from carbon fiber, including the seats. There are no physical instruments, but there is an LCD screen that displays the speedometer and gear selected.

The AeroSeven is the first Caterham road car to have traction control and launch control, which is controlled from the interior.

“Over the coming years, we will be expanding our range of sportscars as we look to meet the differing needs and desires of potential customers – from the lifestyle customer to the ultimate thrill-seeker. The AeroSeven Concept is the first model in that journey,” said Graham Macdonald, Managing Director of Caterham Cars.

Caterham says that the concept would hit 100km/h in less than four seconds from a 2.0-liter FordFordUnited Kingdom, 1909 > present33 models
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Duratec that has been modified to electronic throttle bodies, a revised cylinder head and new cams to make 237hp (240ps) and 153lb-ft (207Nm) of torque and six-speed manual transmission.

Caterham created a video to show off the concept that you can watch below.