All-new Caterham Superlight R500 on sale now

If you prefer your supercars with a roof, an element of comfort and slightly more protection than a chocolate fireman, then you best look away now as Caterham have revived the Superlight R500 drag racer for 2008 and placed it on general release with immediate effect.

The latest model from the British sports car manufacturer may leave you with a receipt for £36,995 and the possible realignment of organs vital to sustain life, yet compensates for the absence of a few minor creature comforts by providing the driver with a 263bhp-producing piece of painted balsawood with two acceptable seats and a wheel in the appropriate corners.

The all-new Caterham Superlight R500 is the fastest Caterham to date, a claim that is justified by figures purporting to it being out of its traps and knocking at No.62 Mile Per Hour street within 2.88 seconds - continuing all the way up to and beyond 150mph a few seconds later.

If the R500 was any meaner-looking it would sprout horns and have a trident emerging from its backbox. As it stands, it makes do with an all alloy 2.0-litre Ford Duratec engine tweaked to within an inch of its already lightweight life to wring all 263 horses charging out of it. Bottom line, this means a ratio of 520bhp-per-tonne power to weight ratio, from a car that tips the scales at 506kg.

The normally-aspirated four-cylinder feeds some 117 lb/ft of torque to its rear wheels, making such haste through a standard-fit six-speed transmission or an optional sequential. The R500 takes the weight-saving formula to heart and acknowledges a featherlight wishbone suspension set-up and fully adjustable dampeners. Massive break calipers and vented discs – might well be cast from space age materials - but will bring the R500 to a dramatic halt equal to its initial scrabbling for attention.

In fact, the R500 has more aluminium, Kevlar and carbonfibre jiggery-pokery than any previous Caterham model has had festooned upon it, with actual weight loss over the existing flagship Caterham Seven chassis reported to be in the region of 9kg. Or one Posh Spice in real terms.

An all new electronic dashboard with keyless ignition, a quick-release Momo steering wheel (handy if your hair's on fire) and a re-designed digital dash with scrolling text start and finish the luxury quota inside, whereas a new grille and carbon-fibre winglets help the R500 stay attached to the road.

A nice touch means that R500 drivers get their own unique engraved plaque to commemorate the rare model they've bought. Mounted amid the carbonfibre dashboard, it's at least proximate to  where they were last seated.