Croc

I don't always agree with John (although he does have good taste in booze and dogs) and on this I agree with him 110%. Its harder to learn to drive a higher hp car than it is the lower hp car. I know a certain owner on this forum with both a 200hp Caterham and a 275hp Caterham. He is faster lapping on track with the 200hp Caterham - counterintuitive but very common. Start with the 420R, option it right and then once you have got your driving skills sorted in a few years then go for a Duratec upgrade that gets you up to around 260hp say. Depending on the circuit you can then do lap times in GT3RS territory. I'd also take up that option of a ride with @KnifeySpoony You need to see what a Caterham can do in the right hands. I guarantee you will be surprised.

I think the question for Howard @hahuang65 is what is your intended usage? Is it canyon carving? Is it pure track day weapon? Is it pootling around Santa Monica looking for an ice cream. The model you choose should fit the purpose you intend. I have driven all the models in the Caterham range over the years. I own a 420R plus a CSR260 and I lived with a 620R for a week in Spain and Portugal (look for the article section on this site) plus have driven it on track more than a few times since. Here's how I would fit the models to an intended purpose: 420R - you want the R model just for the LSD and uprated brake MC alone. The ride is a little more crisp in its precision without giving anything away on ride comfort. This is (in my view) the sweet spot of the Caterham range where it has the max power the chassis can really handle in a road environment plus enough oomph to embarrass bigger cars on a track. Any more hp and you lose your license plus the limits of the De Dion chassis become evident - it cannot put the power down. The gearbox is the 5 speed Miata where 5th is an overdrive. Its perfect for the road. On track with my 420R I find it is a 2 gear car - 3rd and 4th - in nearly all circuits. The only circuit it is not is Spa-Francorchamps where I need to be above 115mph before I can use it (Vmax on that circuit is around 128mph). The 2L Duratec is a good engine - it revs and revs and works well for the purpose. 620R - If you want to have a track beast off the shelf then this is it. The big "IF" is the rear end cannot handle the torque - the supercharger spooling up always breaks things loose. It needs the stickiest tires to handle the rear end. The Sadev sequential is awesome - buttery smooth click shifts. It has the top end speed to take it to most cars on track. I remember doing 145mph down the main straight at Hungaraoing in a 620R. Fastest I have ever been in a Caterham. The heat soak is a major issue - I melted my race boot soles and burned the soles of my feet in Spain. But that engine, slicing up the gears in a full bore run - intoxicating. Its not automatically the quickest around a race circuit. I have video (article on this site) from 2019 at Anglesey where I am in my 420R chasing a friend in a 620R on track and while I would never be able to pass I could hang with with him. Similar thing happened at Oulton Park 3 weeks back - the circuit was too bumpy for the 620R to get any advantage over a 420R. They boogie off in a straight line but I can catch a 620R under brakes (higher top speed requires earlier braking) and could be a lot more aggressive on the throttle in exiting corners. But all these track advantages make it a pain for the road - sequential gearbox, traction is marginal, first gear is fast enough to lose your license, etc. I get high HP is sexy but it makes no sense as a road car unless you are doing triple digit speed. Its brilliant in the right application. So - what is your planned type of usage?

Thanks Rick. You are always welcome to come and say hi plus demonstrate your driving talents with a Caterham,. Your comments are a great sign that you are having a successful run of matching happy customers with new Caterhams. If they want to try out their cars on track before the annual sevens event, ask them to PM me on this site. There is a very well structured Green Group program at NJMP that gets you gently but progressively up to speed without some of the pressures other introductory programs have (e,g, SCCA or NASA). Charlie (one of your customers) found it useful last weekend.

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Come on Bob, the solution is always let wifey have her car in the garage and your car go outside. The second solution is "we need a bigger garage".

No - I ran out of time with travel and work commitments. Besides which it is more fun picking on you with your propensity for making a complete hash of things.