Seven heaven

Just taking a few moments to settle into the realisation of a life’s dream: there’s an actual Caterham CSR 260 in my garage, in beautiful BMW Thunder Grey, which gives it a real sense of menacing, almost predatory purpose.

It’s taken several years to find sufficient funds to own my ultimate Caterham, but now, at long last, it’s here. And by all accounts it will be a sound investment, with prices for CSR 260s (when they appear) generally sitting on or even above the original retail price from 15 years ago.

Early impressions are kind of beyond all expectations. The ride is nothing short of miraculous – the car almost ‘levitates’ across all but the very worst of surfaces, yet still provides the familiar levels of grip and second-nature steering that is synonymous with the Caterham marque.

Early explorations into the limits of grip reveal a far more predictable feel and entry into optimal slip angles front and rear, which suggests that, on track, this car will be hard to hang on to the back of, whatever you’re driving. It’s early days, but I’ve found myself almost immediately re-adapting to the driving style required for a high-powered Seven that I honed on my K-series Superlight R back in the early noughties.

After years of driving to the Le Mans 24 Hours in the relative comfort of a sporty estate, I’ll be back for this year’s race in my new, raucous, rebel-rousing dream machine. Smaller tent, less luxury, and an altogether more memorable experience.

Life thoroughly rebooted! Brian Towell