Caterham RST-V8 Levante: One Epic Car

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Joey D

Joey D

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I know epic is overused but I couldn't think of a better way to describe this car. A 1000hp/ton, that's just insane.

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Caterham RST-V8 Levante cracks the 1000 bhp per tonne mark, scares children

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.
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Holy-flailing-limbs-and-a-slack-jaw!

That is the epitome of awesome.

There's life in the old dog yet. :)
 
I will actually sell my least favourite grandmother and donate my body to science when I'm dead if I can just have that Cat. Hope to see some videos of this thing soon.
 
Sting
...and donate my body to science when I'm dead...
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Which won't be far off if you get one.

That's just too much power for the damn thing. I don't care if it HAS wings. They need to be bigger.

((On the other hand, it'll smash Atoms and the Top Gear Lap Record...))
 
Jim Prower
Which won't be far off if you get one.

That's just too much power for the damn thing. I don't care if it HAS wings. They need to be bigger.

((On the other hand, it'll smash Atoms and the Top Gear Lap Record...))
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I agree, there's not even a proper roll cage. I predict that this car will be a murderor. Still, I'd like to see it drag race a Veyron. It's about high time something showed that Veyron what's what.

Edit: Oh and look, there's 2 seats, kill someone else too.
 
I can already see this car spinning its wheels while Atom and Exige are long gone.. not to mention that it'll fall apart if it has any sort of weather protection on it.
 
Leonidae
I can already see this car spinning its wheels while Atom and Exige are long gone.. not to mention that it'll fall apart if it has any sort of weather protection on it.
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They won't be gone for long with that kind of power to weight.
 
Hey, those tyres don't look to be messing around...

I'm going to predict "legend" status for this. Perhaps premature, but it stands a good chance if it can fight a good fight too.
 
All i see is a technologically inferior Caparo T1 or an alternative to the Weineck Cobra.
 
What it needs is a rollcage, and a 410 sprint wing on top, because that's about the only comparable vehicle.
 
Christ, the equal of $230,000 USD?!?!

I love the idea, it truly is EPIC, but the price really makes me shy away. Theres this man down in Las Vegas who will sell me a similarly aged design that would be rather fast, just as powerful, and still put fourth that same old-school badassery that comes with any variant of the Se7en.

Very cool car, just not for that kind of money...
 
Time to bring back the 21. Put this together with a pretty body and I'd buy it.

But not at that price, and not with the blower. Doesn't need it.
 
Hmm..i think thats 2 bike engines made into 1. What engine I dunno tho..

anyways, without proper aerodynamics, this car wouldn't work.
 
That is one awesome exhaust note... Sounds like a NASCAR V8 with the belt tightened just a bit, a bit more "light" sounding.

I'd love to see that 2.7L engine up close, its so small!
 
I expected something more feral. that sounds like stock S2000 or something similar.. yeah, I know, it picks up revs nicely, but.. it simply lacks authority.
 
A little over the top. But when did that stop a car from being cool?

It would be a really fun car to ride in/drive, but probably no more than once.
 
That thing looks strange... but what do I know about triple headlamp units? I doubt that the car could run with street tires or a skilled and responsible driver.
 
Did anyone else notice they're using Logitech Speakers for headlights?

I wonder if they're the new in-thing.
 
YSSMAN
That is one awesome exhaust note... Sounds like a NASCAR V8 with the belt tightened just a bit, a bit more "light" sounding.

I'd love to see that 2.7L engine up close, its so small!
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I think it sounds more like a Lotus 49 or some other kind of v8 f1 car.
 
Too bad the Elfin is a total piece.

Like mentioned, this is the blue pill. The Seven needs no more than 250hp tops. I'll take one of those way before something like this. And for that many sheckles? For sure just go for one of the lower CSRs.
 
Omnis
I think it sounds more like a Lotus 49 or some other kind of v8 f1 car.
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I thought the same at first, but I kept on thinking about a high-strung Hendrick V8...
 
exigeracer
Too bad the Elfin is a total piece.

Like mentioned, this is the blue pill. The Seven needs no more than 250hp tops. I'll take one of those way before something like this. And for that many sheckles? For sure just go for one of the lower CSRs.
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0-100km/hr in under 4sec while listening to the beautiful sound of am LS1 V8 is not a piece. The only bad thing about Elfins is that they can be difficult to drive with heavy steering and clutch.
 

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