1996 Caterham Supersport

First registered in March 1996, ‘N473 ONJ’ is a Caterham SuperSport Seven that’s been carefully maintained and judiciously upgraded over the years to create the 145bhp, six-speed missile you see here.

Finished in red with a pukka racing interior, it’s covered 50,000 miles over the years, which might be high for a Caterham but we’d always rather buy a regularly used example that’s been serviced properly than a low-mileage one that’s been ignored.

In the care of the seller since 2018, he’s enjoyed his years hillclimbing with it but feels that now is the right time to let someone else enjoy it.
 

The Caterham SuperSport Seven’s usual minimal coachwork is complemented by a beautifully complex side-exit stainless-steel exhaust, fat alloy wheels shod with match Avon tyres, a Safety Devices roll cage, and a timing strut.

If you were to spec your dream fast-road/race/hillclimbing Caterham, it’d probably look like this.

Including its hard-won patina; race cars, at least the successful ones, are never concours and this is no exception, so you’ll find some paint loss on the edges of the opening panels, some dinks and dents, and some tape on the damaged nearside rear wing.

There is even some paperwork online to confirm that accident repairs were made in around 2013 by The 7 Workshop. Not that that need put you off because those guys know what they’re doing.

The eight-spoke, 13-inch alloy wheels also show some with lifting paint and the odd scuff courtesy of its competition lifestyle.

And whereas all of this might set alarm bells ringing on anything else, its competition history means you must put that patina into context; continue racing it and you’ll probably leave well alone. Buy it to use as a dedicated road car and you’ll probably want to tidy it up.

Tyres are 185/55R13 Avon ZZ-S all round and all have plenty of life left in ‘em yet as they were only fitted in 2020.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

And this does look to have been built and maintained properly. Witness the indicator repeaters built into the chrome headlamps, for example.

There’s a full set of weather gear too, the Storm Cap from Soft Bits. Should you be nimble and young enough to be able to get in with it fitted, then fair play to you but if, like us, you’re not, you’ll be delighted to hear that the section of the roof above the driver’s seat unzips to allow for better access, there is also a 3/4 length storm cover that keeps any foul weather off whilst the car is being transported.

Carefully thought out, see?

There’s a tonneau cover too, which would be our preference for foul-weather use. Think of like a motorbike that won’t fall over, and dress accordingly would be our advice.
 

The interior specification is every bit as impressive.

Safety equipment includes an homologated Safety Devices roll cage that includes a side-intrusion bar for the driver, Caterham-branded Luke harnesses, Tillet composite bucket seats, and both internal and external electrical cut-out switches.

The tactile elements of the job are taken care of via a tiny suede-covered steering wheel, which is detachable, a fat metal gearknob for the six-speed gearbox, and perfectly placed pedals.

Of course, being a racing car there’s no carpet on the floor, just a rumpled piece on the transmission tunnel and easily removable rubber mats to save weight when needed.

Instruments cover speed, engine revs, oil pressure, coolant temperature, and fuel level, with the first three taking pride of place, as you’d expect.  

The driver’s seat is a Tillet composite with a separate and fully adjustable headrest, while the passenger’s is a high-backed jobbie with the headrest built in. They might look uncomfortable but looks can be deceiving and we think you’ll find them more comfortable than you think.

Surprisingly, there’s plenty of space behind the seats for soft luggage, so you’ll be able to take a change of clothes and toilet bag with you when you go hillclimbing or even a long weekend’s touring.

In fact, for the brave, you could take it much further afield; if folk go around the world on a motorbike, then you should be able to manage Nordkapp in this, surely? After all, if you think the boot’s too small then the roll cage would make a fine place to strap your tent and sleeping bags. #justsaying

As for things you might like to do, the Luke harnesses are out of date if you want to go racing.
 

The car’s specification is fulsome – and fast!

•    Rover K-series 1600cc engine tuned by Dave Andrews of the well-respected engineering firm DVA Power. Said to produce 145bhp, this translates into a 0-62mph time of around 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 125mph. A lightweight R500 flywheel is fitted.
•    The gearbox is a six-speed, dry-sumped Caterham unit.
•    The rear differential is a 3.9 complete with a ZS limited-slip differential.
•    It’s the narrow-track chassis, for extra nimbleness, and it sits on recently rebuilt adjustable Nitron dampers.

•    The fuel tank has been replaced with a new item only recently.

•   A four into one exhaust system is also fitted. 

The Caterham’s maintenance over the years is summarised as follows:

•    25.11.2010 – Emerald K6 ECU fitted
•    06.12.2012 – reconditioned Rover K-series engine fitted by Platinum Toyota of Bath
•    03.01.2013 – new radiator fitted
•    27.04.2015 – uprated steering rack fitted by Neil Garner Performance Engineering at a cost of around £763
•    23.03.2016 – new alternator fitted
•    13.12.2016 – suspension rebuild and set-up plus a service and miscellaneous mechanical work by PT Sports Cars at a cost of £2,655
•    18.03.2020 – all four Nitron dampers serviced by Meteor Motorsport Ltd and then reinstalled, corner-weighted, and aligned by Williams Motorsport at a cost of £856 in all

•   05.08.2020 Serviced by SPY Motorsport

•   20.07.2021 Replaced alternator by SPY Motorsport

These are just the highlights and there is much, much more online for you to browse through, including receipts for oil and filters; like so many of its ilk, this Caterham appears to have benefitted from being serviced at home by its dedicated owners.

Other nice touches include an AP Racing adjustable bias valve for the braking system and a 22% uprated quick steering rack.

The twin-cam, 16-valve K-series Rover engine fires into life with alacrity, revs as well as you’d expect of a competition machine, and sounds incredible; it might have humble roots, but humble roots mean fuel efficiency and easy servicing – and when tweaked like this and installed in such a lightweight car, massive performance.

From cold the idle is a little uneven, but once it is warmed up this dissapears.

As for the cosmetic condition, both the engine bay and underside reflect the rest of the car in that they’re far from perfect yet still reflect diligent maintenance and solid engineering.

NB: A Brian James Blue C4 twin-axle trailer is available by seperate negotiation with the seller, should you want to trailer it from event to event. This is 3.7m long by 1.8m wide and has a GVW of 2,000kgs. It is said to be in “excellent condition” and the package includes a hitch lock, a Bulldog wheel clamp, Datatag, wheel chocks, a manual winch, and straps for securing the Caterham.
 

The Caterham’s MoT certificate is not only valid until April 2025, it was issued with no advisories just like the previous three. And a total of nine before that.

The owner has campaigned it in both the Caterham Championship as well as the Midland Hillclimb Championships.

It was driven previously by Dave Smitheram, a well-known competitor and his website (www.racelife.co.uk) has photos of the car in action.
 

With a guide price of between £10,000 and £15,000, if you’re willing to sacrifice a little comfort for speed and handling (and if you’re not then this isn’t the car for you…) we don’t think you can buy better than this.

Yes, it’s a bit scruffy in places but a racing patina is always acceptable, and if you’re planning on setting up an Instagram account to record its far-flung adventures (and you really should…) then it’s dents and dinks simply mean you’ll be more relaxed about using and parking it.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am-12pm or 2pm-4pm. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.