To the unfamiliar, the cockpit of a Caterham is akin to travelling back in automotive time. This is a world without adornment, fripperies or unnecessary accoutrements. Keeping the roof up would have been all very well in a modern droptop, because they have ventilation systems, perhaps even air conditioning, to counter the effect of sun on black canvas. In the Caterham, not so much. The doors, such as they are, can only be shut or taken off altogether, so there was no opportunity to crank open a window. In place of conventional air vents, the little Super Seven seems to pump heat from the engine directly into the cabin.

Once topless (the doors remain in place, unless unbolted, and have fixed panel plastic windows), the character of the car is transformed. Once firmly installed you are engaged not just with the Caterham’s snappy dynamics but also the proximity of the world outside.

On the open road, life with the Super Seven was never dull, although sometimes it was less than comfortable.

Photos Courtesy of Caterham