Special Edition Caterham Seven Signs Off On The Sigma Engine With Stripes

The 310 Encore waves goodbye to the nat-asp Ford-powered Caterham with some excellent graphics
Caterham Seven 310 Encore - yellow, side
Caterham Seven 310 Encore - yellow, side

Over the years, the Caterham Seven has been available with everything from a tiny 660cc Suzuki kei car engine to a terrifying 550bhp supercharged V8 made of two superbike engines smooshed together.

One thing that’s been a near-constant in the range, since the company bought the rights to the Lotus Seven and started building cars in 1973, though, has been a 1.6-litre naturally aspirated Ford engine, latterly the Sigma unit once found in stuff like the Focus.

Caterham Seven 310 Encore - blue, front
Caterham Seven 310 Encore - blue, front

Now, though, those days are coming to an end, and Caterham has seen fit to sign off on this lineage of throaty four-pots with a special edition, the Seven 310 Encore.

Based on the existing mid-range Seven 310, it comes with the faithful Sigma engine in 152bhp form, sent through a five-speed manual. This is good for 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds and a 127mph top speed, while the all-important power-to-weight ratio is a healthy 281bhp/tonne.

Caterham Seven 310 Encore - blue, side
Caterham Seven 310 Encore - blue, side

It gets a couple of hardware upgrades too, inspired by the racing version used in the 310R Championship. These include a lighter flywheel, beefed-up 254mm vented front brake discs, and a sports suspension package that includes a widened front track and adjustable springs and rear anti-roll bar.

The Encore comes in six colour schemes which, taking a leaf out of the Vauxhall Adam’s book, come with some music-based names like Blue Monday and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Each is paired with some excellent retro stripes – and is it just us, or does the yellow one have more than a hint of the Dakar and Pikes Peak versions of the Peugeot 205? This is not a complaint.

Caterham Seven 310 Encore - white, side
Caterham Seven 310 Encore - white, side

Other visual tweaks include the aero nosecone from the hardcore 620R, a racing-style Cup grille, a standard-fit black pack for the exterior trim and carbon fibre front arches. The 13-inch wheels get a bespoke gunmetal finish, and come wrapped in track-friendly Toyo R888R rubber. On the inside, meanwhile, you get black leather seats and a carbon dash surrounding special Encore edition dials.

Just 25 of these end-of-the-line specials will be made, at £39,995 each. Which just begs the question – what will replace the Sigma? Caterham’s Academy racers are moving over to a new turbocharged powertrain from Renault-Geely joint venture Horse – we wouldn’t be too surprised to see some of the road cars follow suit.

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