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Caterham naming conventions have varied over the years. With a weight of around 500kg, the name sometimes reflects the horsepower per tonne; sometime it’s just the horsepower.

The car we had rented in 2017 was a 270; which had 135bhp. I decided I needed at least that to engender a similar level of giggly excitement. I also decided I needed a wider chassis; known as the SV; in order to make the experience more tolerable for my wife (this proved to be a waste of time, a tolerable experience for my wife turned out to be for her not to be anywhere near the car).

Callum had a candidate, it was a Roadsport 150, although it was advertised as Roadsport 158 because the previous owner had stuck it on a rolling road and that was the power is was producing. It was also yellow.

If it wasn’t yellow it was black. I had carbon bits everywhere. Callum took me out in it to show me what it could do. It did many things very quickly. I was smitten. I bought it.

We moved to the UK in 2020. I was excited to be back in the land of interesting cars; but a glance at Caterham prices confirmed they were out of my financial reach.

Instead I acquired an MX-5. A perfectly serviceable sports car. Refined, reliable, fun to dive; with a folding roof, aircon and all creature comforts. I liked it, but I didn’t love it.

One day I saw a 7 in a car park and deliberately parked next to it; hoping the owners would come back to their car and beg to swap. They didn’t.

In 2025 we took at trip to the south of England to see family and friends. On the way home we stayed overnight in Knaresborough which, entirely coincidentally (cough) was near Turn 7; and guess what they sell?

I suggested to my wife we just pop in for a look. So we popped, met the owner, Callum (who is far too decent a person to be a car salesman), and browsed the cars.

The prices were eye watering; but Callum explained that Caterhams don’t really depreciate. They cost a shitload of money; but you can sell them for the same shitload of money when you are done. Suddenly this made complete economic sense…

I looked at my wife with that pleading look I bring out on special occasions.

“If you want one, you should do it, before you are too old.”

So I did.