Caterham 21

The Caterham 21 should have been a cracking car and a perfect way of enhancing the Seven experience into a more practical package. Caterham Cars first gave notice that something was coming, back in 1994 when they announced a 21^st Anniversary development of the Seven, which they had acquired lock, stock and barrel from Lotus in 1973. The first prototypes including a beautiful aluminium-bodied creation were displayed on the company’s stand at The Motor Show at Earls Court in 1995 to a pretty good response from the press and public alike. The first true production cars were launched at the following year’s NEC Motor Show and there was no doubting the 21 was a lithe and pretty thing. Only trouble was, between the prototype debut and first production-ready showing Lotus themselves had come out with their own lightweight no-compromise sportscar called the Elise. Many colleagues are convinced that it was the Elise that ultimately did for the 21, although Caterham would vehemently disagree.

Certainly Caterham had a hard act to follow if they wanted to create a worthy stablemate for their legendary Seven. The new car would have to be able to at least match the Seven in the performance stakes while also justifying the considerable financial outlay.

Great driving position

So it was that in just six weeks Caterham technical director Jez Coates came up with the basic design, while a journalistic colleague and former Caterham employee Iain Robertson contributed to the body styling. The 21 had a weight penalty over the Seven of 100kg, although this was compensated for by halving the dreadful 0.70cd brick-like drag coefficient of Chapman’s original. Width remained unaltered at 1580mm and in a triumph of practicality the Caterham team managed to also add full size doors, more room for feet and knees and a lockable boot that could carry a full set of golf clubs. A lot of inspiration was drawn from the original ‘clothed’ Seven, the Lotus Eleven and although the initial cars used a Marcos-sourced wraparound windscreen, this however, was soon replaced by bespoke Triplex glazing. It all added up to a cosy, snug interior with the exterior paint colour carried over to the inside of the dash and doors. Real wind-in-the-hair stuff that worked a treat. In fact the interior was the strongest part of the car in my opinion and one of the best ever set ups of any specialist car I’ve experienced, with all controls neatly grouped together and once the wide sills were negotiated it was a great place to be.

Certain critics were keen to see if Caterham could create quality GRP mouldings for a all-enveloping body, and of course they could, as the body was ripple free and in good order.

Graceful styling

What was the 21 like to drive? Well in truth it was very good actually. Caterham are known for the driving dynamics of their products and the 21 carried this trait with pride. It shared the same agile handling characteristics with the Seven, although you really needed the Supersport R with the 193bhp K-series VHPD engine option to overcome the 100kg weight penalty. Steering and roadholding were exactly as Seven, i.e. bloody marvellous. The car attracted the right type of potential customer, but the lack of proper opening windows put people off, as did the huge sill panels that concealed the outriggers added to the Seven’s Arch Motors sourced spaceframe chassis. Other engine choices, all K-series, were 1.6 (115bhp), 1.6 Supersport (133bhp), 1.8 (124bhp), 1.8 Supersport (140bhp) and the 1.8 VVC (153bhp) in addition to the aforementioned VHPD unit, shared with the range topping Superlight R Seven of the time.

By 1998 the base 1.6 21 came in fully built at £22,950 with the more powerful engine options attracting a premium. For example the 1.6 Supersport and 1.8 cost an additional £1000, while the VVC was £3245 over base and the VHPD a meaty five grand extra. Meanwhile the six-speed box (reckoned by those in the know to be an essential option, commanded a hefty £1500 premium over the five-speed. Other choices on the fairly long list of goodies included another £1000 for full leather trim and £500 for the nifty 17-inch alloy wheels. As you can see it wasn’t difficult to spend the wrong side of thirty grand on a 21 and this must also have contributed to its downfall. It does however mean that there are some superb bargains to be had second-hand, as the cars don’t have the same bulletproof residuals of the Seven. My advice is to seek out a later car, with more power and the six-speeder and you won’t go far wrong.

Plush interior a big strongpoint

I remember that one day in 1998 my great friend, the late Pete Coxhead and I had a brace of VHPD-powered Caterham’s to play with for an afternoon – a 21 and a Seven and while the smaller car electrified us with searing performance, its big brother wasn’t that far behind, and was definitely not disgraced.

The 21 was intended as a fully built car, although was in its middle period available as a kit of sorts, before reverting to turnkey only again. I’m not sure how many were sold as kits but it wasn’t many. There was a hilarious story about Richard Stewart of Robin Hood Sportscars marching into his old adversary Caterham Cars’ Surrey showroom and placing an order for a 21, which he later confirmed to be true. He says that it was a good car and despite having a few foibles was enjoyable to drive. The rumours of a 21 replica made in Mansfield Woodhouse proved unfounded however!

Out on the racetrack, always a popular hunting ground for Caterham, the 21 excelled, doing very well in the European GT championship usually at the hands of founder Graham Nearn’s son Robert, and the last 21 model of all was a firebreathing replica of the racer called the Evo, with pumped up arches and more power, but sadly by late 1999, the predicted 200 units per year just hadn’t happened and after just 48 had been sold the plug was pulled and Caterham Cars once more concentrated their efforts on developing the Seven, which they have done with the bigger SV and ever more powerful engine options culminating with the recently announced £43,000 R500 evolution.

Rover K-series and 21 a good fit

Why didn’t the 21 capture the publics’ imagination? Who really knows? I guess I’d have to agree, that the Elise didn’t do it any favours, but despite it being a pleasing shape and having improved practicality there were flaws such as the cramped interior but any car of its type is always going to have compromises, plus the price tag was higher than the Lotus. Ultimately the 21 will just have to go down as another of the long list of Ones That Got Away.

Words by Steve Hole

Photos from the Totalkitcar Archive.