Caterham RST-V8 Levante cracks the 1000 bhp per tonne mark, scares children
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Caterham RST-V8 Levante.
Caterhams have always been the model for minimalist motoring and it's rare that owners have been wanting for more motivation, but RS Performance has answered the call of a few owners that want insane power to match the Caterham's spartan looks.
Packing a supercharged 2.4-liter, V8 driving the rear wheels through a six-speed gearbox, RS Performance is giving well-heeled drivers 550 hp (at 10,000 rpm!) to simultaneously dry their hair and wet their pants. With a curb weight of almost 1,150 pounds, that means a power to weight ratio of around 1000 hp per ton and a 0-60 time of under three seconds.
Getting that grunt to the ground is difficult, at best. With the majority of the body panels being replaced with carbon fiber bits, along with an F1-style front splitter, steering wheel and Kevlar seats, the lack of mass is something drivers will have to overcome. Thankfully, the chassis, sticky rubber and traction/launch control should keep things in check.
If the £115,000 cost of entry for the supercharged version is a bit more than your wallet can bear, a naturally aspirated variant is available as well producing a "paltry" 380 hp. Included in the cost of the RST-V8 is a two-day driver training course when you take delivery. Good call Caterham.
The full press release with all the technical details is posted after the jump.
PRESS RELEASE
Caterham announces official performance arm:
powerhouse V8 engine delivers 1,000 plus bhp-per-tonne
For those wanting an expression of British sportscar exclusivity, Caterham Cars has joined forces with RS Performance to offer the ultimate in bespoke Seven coachbuilding.
Caterham has long been the epitome of personalised motoring with almost every version of the 12,000 Sevens on the road differing from one another. The joint venture takes that famous philosophy to an altogether new level.
RS Performance is an exclusive, niche engineering house. Born out of the passion and pedigree of its founder, Russell Savory, it will offer an 'everything is possible' service to Caterham customers wanting cars truly 'built to order'.
Using the motorsport-honed Caterham chassis and benchmark technology as a cosmetic and engineering base, RS Performance, will "turn imagination into reality," says Savory.
The heartbeat of every RS-monikered Seven will be the unique RST-V8 engine.
With more than 16 years of development behind it by Russell Savory, the 40-valve, 2.4 litre engine reliably delivers an incredible 400bhp in normally aspirated mode, or over 500bhp as a supercharged varient, whilst weighing only 90kg in full running gear.
The unbridled lightness of the RST-V8 matched to the already featherweight Seven chassis delivers a power-to-weight ratio of over 1000bhp per tonne – more than double of a Bugatti Veyron.
This unique partnership will be open to customers looking for the ultimate in exclusivity, and carry a price tag to reflect the tailoring, detail and hand-built craftsmanship that will go into every RS-badged Caterham.
Validation of the engineering house's abilities comes in the form of the supercharged 'Levante'. This is the first Seven to rollout of RS Performance's Hertfordshire doors and which only seven more of this type will be available.
With a 12 week waiting time and costing over £115,000, this supercharged engineering masterpiece boasts a modern interpretation of the Seven's classic looks with a sophisticated electronics package with traction and launch control to help get the phenomenal power to the floor. Weight reduction runs throughout the car, from the carbon fibre interior finished with Kevlar seats down to the hosing used on the cooling systems
The RS Performance badge will sit alongside the established, and soon to be expanded, Ford powered Caterham Seven range.
"Caterham and Russell Savory have a long history, and this seemed a natural progression of that relationship and shared engineering philosophy," explained Ansar Ali, Caterham Cars managing director.
RS Performance RST-V8 Engine Technical Specification
Configuration
90° V8
Capacity
2.4 litre
Valves
40
Construction
Aluminium main frame with dry sump
Max Power
380 bhp @10,000rpm / 500+bhp @ 10,000rpm (supercharged)
Max Torque
190 lbsft @ 8500rpm / 300 lbsft@ 8500rpm (supercharged)
Gearbox
6-speed
Overall length
45.6mm
Overall width
45.6mm
Height
48mm
Weight
90kg
Service intervals
8000 miles (minor) / 30,000 miles (major service & belt change)
RS Performance 'Levante' Technical Specification
Price
£115,000 (dependent on specification)
Chassis
Caterham SV
Engine
2.4-litre, 40-valve RST-V8 supercharged
Max Power
500+bhp @ 10,000rpm
Max Torque
300 lbsft @ 8500rpm
Supercharge boost
0.8 psi
Gearbox
6-speed sequential, paddle shift option
Transmission
LSD
0-60mph (claimed)
Less than 3 seconds
Top Speed
150mph (limited)
Wheelbase
2305mm
Overall length
3530mm
Overall width
1685mm
Height
1140mm
Weight
From 520kgs
Suspension
de Dion rear, Nitron 3-way adjustable shocks all corners
Wheels
Image Billet; front 8 x 15, rear 10 x 15
Tyres
Avon CR500; front 195/45-15, rear 245/40-15
Brakes
Hi Spec; front 280mm vented, rear 260mm.
Exhaust system
BTB 2 x 4-2-1 rear exit
Dashboard
Farringdon and SPA design
Driver aids
Traction Control, Launch Control
Additional
Two day driver training course provided on delivery of vehicle
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
L.Wood 1:43PM (2/26/2008)
At some point absurd becomes the only word that applies. 1,000 hp per ton Caterhams should be considered weapons of (human) mass destruction.
Where is the U.N. when we really need them? Who will co-sign my loan so I can buy one?
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Chase 1:43PM (2/26/2008)
Jesus that is a scary vehicle. Whoever decides to drive one of these must be completely insane!
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Punkcrisis 6:33PM (2/28/2008)
I am completly sane and would glady drive this at the limits just tell someone to let me get behind the wheel lol
Bruxell 1:48PM (2/26/2008)
Hot... car... car to hot... N/A version... more reasonable... may not even... need TC... But want... Supercharger... 10,000rpm... car... hot car...
Ok, I'm better now.
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Scott Eaton 1:57PM (2/26/2008)
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WANT
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Phil Perman 1:56PM (2/26/2008)
Wow, that thing looks monstrous. Take it that engine is going to be one of those ones based on a pair of Hayabusa motors? Only way I can imagine them fitting one in there (also would explain the insanely high redline)
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naggs 2:02PM (2/26/2008)
i believe that the cylinder heads are 'busa units but the rest of the engine is custom
naggs 2:04PM (2/26/2008)
this thing makes aerial atoms and ktm x-bows look like buicks
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AK 2:13PM (2/26/2008)
Headline is incorrect - should have "tonne" instead of "ton." Otherwise, if one were to calculate using "ton" (2,000 lbs), you get 956 hp/ton. If you calculate using "tonne" (1000 kg = 2200 lbs), you get 1052 hp/tonne, which is what is claimed. This confused me for a second before I read the actual press release.
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Seoultrain 5:41PM (2/26/2008)
I'm sure anyone who drives this will be like, "pfft, only 956hp/ton? I could have used an extra 25hp on that track."
Bucky 2:48PM (2/26/2008)
2.4l V8. I had to read the press release to make sure it wasn't a typo. Wow. Tommy likey.
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Paul P. 3:20PM (2/26/2008)
Wow! That has to be one mean car to drive.
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Franz 3:21PM (2/26/2008)
Forget scaring children. That thing would scare me... only, I think I'd enjoy being terrified by it...
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Kevin 3:41PM (2/26/2008)
RST-V8 in action... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx62obeje0o
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tbirdman 3:49PM (2/26/2008)
speechless. i want it. i do however wonder what the top speed is in something this light and with coparitively insane horsepower.
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screamosux 9:24AM (2/27/2008)
It's limited to 150 mph, though as you're probably well aware, it's capable of much more.
mrcarmine 7:26PM (2/26/2008)
probably not as high as we'd like... not enough inertia, and it would take an insane amount of downforce to keep it glued at high speeds anyway. so much downforce that if it could even get to a high top speed, the drag would probably slow it down.
but the acceleration, holy shi+
JD 9:14PM (2/26/2008)
I agree, it probably isn't too high for the amount of power. More important to top end is shape, and although the 7 is very slick and small, it is not too aerodynamically inclined. A quick look at wiki reveals that some early 7's (lotus back then) had a Drag CD of about 0.65-0.75, which is quite frankly miserable. But this thing also has 550 horses, but they are combined with the (hopefully) high downforce front wing, so maybe you'll get 150 or 170? Still, that's not the point. This thing would be unbelievable 0-60. And a beast around the track. Hope it has a rear wing too, they're gonna need it.
Adam 4:25PM (2/26/2008)
How do you even get a 2.4L v8? Thats 300cc per chamber. That's about HALF what a usual combustion chamber is.
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chrisdavis 4:48PM (2/26/2008)
Two sets of 1200cc motorcycle engine bits, perhaps? WWU students did something similar with their FSAE car once.
http://dot.etec.wwu.edu/fsae/viking30.htm