Have you heard? Caterham, maker of the tiny, go-kart-like Seven sports car, is building an electric car. It’s the company’s first real, in-house design ever, as the Seven is simply a highly evolved version of the original Lotus Seven built up until 1972 (after that, Lotus sold the rights to Caterham, who’s been building it since).
Called the Project V, it was originally shown off at the Goodwood Festival of Speed back in 2023, sporting a lovely design and an incredible weight figure: 2,623 pounds. While that’s nowhere near as light as a Seven, it was pretty impressive for an electric car with a roof, a real interior, and three seats.
Yes, three seats. The weirdest part about that original Project V concept wasn’t the design or the powertrain; it was the seating layout: 2+1, with a single, centralized rear seat in the back. It was like the inverse of a McLaren F1, and it brought me immense joy.
Dreams: Crushed
I very recently got the chance to see the original Project V concept in person at CES this year, where a Caterham representative even let us open the door to get a better look at that third seat. Best of all, we got it all on video, which we posted to Instagram:
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While Caterham never confirmed the weird third seat would make it to the production model, I sort of just assumed it would, given the completeness of the concept’s interior and Caterham’s inherent weirdness. Alas, my dreams have been crushed.
Earlier this week, Caterham revealed an updated version of the Project V’s design, publishing a set of photos to Instagram of its first running prototype, which it plans to use for validating safety systems, tuning the driving experience, and honing the design.
Thankfully, the Anthony Jannarelly-designed exterior hasn’t changed much in the jump from concept to prototype. It’s still achingly pretty, and it was, by far, the best-looking vehicle I saw at CES earlier this month. The only real change I can spot is at the rear, where the thin, two-piece taillights have been replaced by a set of more normal, round light pods (a Caterham rep at the CES booth told me this was for regulatory purposes).
The interior is a different story. There’s a new instrument panel that includes a circular digital display, and, sadly, a second seat has been added to the rear bench, giving the Project V a far more traditional and less weird 2+2 layout.
To say I’m heartbroken is an understatement. It’s so rare that automakers lean into the weirdness when it comes to stuff like interior layout, and I really hoped Caterham would be different. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Catherham says the new layout “retains Caterham’s purity while also possessing the qualities to enjoy grand touring for a wider range of uses.” Fair, but I would’ve preferred weird over useful, especially for a car as niche as this.
The Rest Of The Car Sounds Pretty Promising, Except For The Price
While the looks are mostly the same, some of the specs in the prototype have changed. The biggest is weight. The concept toted an impressive 2,623-pound curb weight, but this latest prototype is a bit heftier, at around 3,200 pounds. Power from the Yamaha-supplied motor/inverter/gearbox combination unit is still projected to be 268 horsepower, and the range from the two 27-kWh batteries, sourced from Xing Mobility, is estimated to be 249 miles on the European cycle.
Importantly, the battery packs aren’t mounted skateboard-style in the floor, like most other EVs. Instead, one is placed in front of the passenger cabin, while the other is embedded in the rear section. This means Caterham is able to get the front seating position as low as possible, which is more fitting for a sports car like this.
Then there’s the Project V’s price. Caterham told Car and Driver its original targeted price of $107,000 is no longer possible, and the new target is around $135,000. That is a whole lot of money for a tiny EV. For some context, you can buy a nicely optioned Corvette Z06 for less, or a base Porsche 911 for a couple thousand dollars more. I’d compare the Project V against its natural competitor, the long-awaited electric Porsche 718, but the fate of that car is up in the air as engineers are rumored to be working on reengineering it to fit a gas engine.
For what it’s worth, Caterham doesn’t seem to be worried at all about the high price point. From C/D:
“There are many, many more convenient cars in the world. There are faster cars in the world. There’s nothing more fun than a Caterham. We’ve been selling the Seven since 1957, and we’ve been making it ourselves since 1973, when Caterham got the rights from Colin Chapman. Now, to go with a whole new car, which will hopefully last another 70 years, we’ve got to make sure that it is very simple and fun. It’s gonna be simple to own, simple to drive, and should be simple to build as well. There’s no cutting-edge technology in this car, anywhere. As EVs go, it’s pretty traditional. Suits us.”
Me, personally? I’m still excited for the Project V. But I’m a lot less excited now, because of that extra seat.
Top image: Caterham
I don’t mind the 4th seat, but with my back, I really don’t want anything that low to the ground and it’s too spendy for me. I have some money, but I’d rather spend it on less frivolous things. It is pretty though. Especially in that green.
I don’t really care about the seat situation, but a 25% weight increase is the real story. Talk about burying the lede.
I don’t care about the number of seats. I was really into the initial weight, esp for an EV, I guess the update still isn’t terrible. But yeah, it might be priced out of the fun factor.
From day one they said there would be a 2+1 and a 2+2 option, I agree the 2+1 was more unique, but it also just looked weird with the bare plastic sections on either side. I’d be fine with it as an option, but the 2+2 looks so much better. Shame it’s gained 500lbs though! That’s far more of an issue to me than the price increase which was, and still is well above what I can afford. But someone looking to spend over $100k, the $30k increase is not nothing, but if you can afford the payment on $107k, the $135k shouldn’t really be that big of a deal.
The round taillights look better anyway. Classic look.
Eh, don’t get hung up on the seat. I like “weird for weird’s sake” but without a transmission hump, two seats just makes the most sense.
If you want to talk about weird rear seats, all those full-sized cars with just two seats in the back are the real weirdos. Passat CC was one of them. First-gen Volt was another (although that was more of a packaging necessity.
I might give the single center seat a pass if it were there to allow the person to stretch their legs out under a front center console or something. But at the end of the day, it’s probably just a parcel shelf 99% of the time.
I wonder if it’s to do with some of the regulations, which the Buzz fell afoul of. https://www.theautopian.com/vw-forced-to-recall-id-buzz-because-the-seats-are-too-roomy/
Anyone who actually took their van in for that recall is kind of silly- I’m sorry, your back seat is too spacious and comfortable, please come into the dealer so we can make it worse
Ordinarily, I don’t support ignoring recall notices, but it was probably fine to do it in that case