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Motoring journalist and author Paul Guinness has been testing sports cars for more than 20 years for leading British newspapers and magazines. Here he picks the five best open top roadsters
Click to view Top 5 Open Top Sports Cars.
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Best for Fun (Caterham Seven) |
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 When it comes to fun and thrills behind the wheel, there’s nothing on earth that compares with the Caterham Seven. And that’s quite an accolade for any sports car that’s not only about to celebrate its 50th anniversary, but one which also costs as little as £15,995 brand new. |
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| While the world’s biggest manufacturers offer sports cars with a degree of sophistication and refinement, the tiny Caterham concern (based in Surrey, England) continues to offer the ultimate example of "back to basics" design. |
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This is the closest you’ll get to a road-going go-kart – and in terms of performance, acceleration, handling, roadholding and driver feedback, it’s in a league of its own. No wonder Britain’s Car magazine described the Seven as offering a "…peerless driving experience".
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Legendary Lotus |
The Caterham first saw the light of day way back in 1957, when it was launched as the Lotus 7. Caterham acquired the production rights in the early Seventies, and has continued to develop the model since then. And, as this legendary machine heads towards its 50th birthday this year (2007), its maker has announced the latest line-up, all powered by Ford’s new Sigma engine – on sale right now.
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 Replacing the ex-Rover K-Series engine after 15 years of service, the retuned 1.6-litre Sigma manages to further improve the driving enjoyment of the Caterham Seven thanks to its blend of meaty torque, stiff lightweight construction and impressively smooth power delivery.
Buyers initially have a choice of two power outputs in either Roadsport or Superlight trim, while a third, more powerful variant will follow by mid-2007. Prices for the new Caterham Seven start at £15,995 in 125bhp Roadsport guise, rising to £19,995 for the 140bhp Superlight version.
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Sheer Enjoyment |
Cynics, of course, might wonder what they’re getting for that kind of money; this, after all, is one of the most basic, stripped-out cars on the road. But those who have experienced the Caterham Seven for themselves will know that – in terms of its sheer fun factor – it’s one of the best-value machines on sale.
Even the cheapest, 125bhp version of the Caterham offers spectacular acceleration and thrills, despite its fairly lowly power output. That’s all down to its lightweight design, enabling a power-to-weight ratio of 227bhp per tonne – enough to give the entry-level model a top speed of 112mph, with 60mph from rest in just 5.7 seconds. Choose the 140bhp version instead and those figures change to an even more impressive 125mph and 4.9 seconds…
If you’re really crazy, you can spend as much as £31,000 on the 200-260bhp Seven CSR model. But why would you want to do that when the cheaper models are just as much fun?
The magical Caterham Seven deserves to live forever. And it probably will. |
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TYPICAL PRICE - £15,995/$26,065
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