Official: Caterham Project V is a lightweight electric sports car (2023)

British Caterham also wants to do its bit for the environment. Well, they already do, because the current sports cars they sell have fewer parts than the right front of the BMW X5 and weigh much less. So could Caterham sell an electric car? Well, if it sounds like Project V, we think so!

Design research and production planning

Project V is a step away from the open road Seven that Caterham usually builds. This is a sports coupe that reminds us of the old Artega GT. He’s no match for the Seven Brothers, but we’re not sad about that. Project V is the calling card of Anthony Jannarelly, the man who made his name and fame by creating the car of the same name and is currently the new head of design at Caterham. His vision is clearly to bring the brand into the 21st century.

The lines on this V Project are fresh and timeless, the mouth and buttocks are nice and low. The interior adheres to Caterham’s no-nonsense attitude. The dashboard is simple and has a simple infotainment system that offers access to Android Auto or Apple Carplay. Project V is 2+1 as usual (yes), Caterham optionally puts an extra seat in the back. Check it out, you can even sell it to your partner!

Even with variety

Fortunately, this V Project is not just a design study. During development, Caterham was proud of the fact that the Project V should be able to be put into production. This can be done even by 2025, provided there is enough interest. But what about the technology? Well, for starters, this Project V rides on a chassis made of carbon fiber and aluminum. That in itself is largely responsible for the low weight of Project V: 1,190 kg, there you go!

Under the skin is a 272 hp electric motor on the rear axle that draws its energy from a 55 kWh battery. Thanks to the low weight, a range of up to 400 km is possible (13.75 kWh / 100 km), charging is possible at 150 kW DC. Well, you definitely haven’t read a post about Caterham to know more about range or efficiency. No, you want to know how this thing goes around. Well, we haven’t driven it ourselves yet, but the details are already making our right foot itch. For example, the Project V gets a fully adjustable front and rear with two aspirations and sprints to 100 in 4.5 seconds.

The first lightweight car is born… and it comes – unsurprisingly – from Caterham…