1999 Caterham 21
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Design Info: A an attempt at a “practical” Caterham 7, the super-light sports car Caterham is best known for and itself an evolution of the venerable Lotus Seven dating all the way back to 1957. Using a modified version of the chassis and frame of the 7, the 21 had some superior handling characteristics as compared to the 7 thanks to its greater rigidity. Only 100 kg heavier than the bare-bones 7, the 21 also benefited from a more comfortable ride thanks to this greater mass and improvements to its suspension. Despite the attempts at making the car more civilized, it still lacked basic features like roll-up windows, which was criticized by the motoring press. The fiberglass body was styled after the original Lotus Eleven.
Engine Info: Most Caterham 21s were fitted with 1.6 or 1.8 liter versions of the Rover K Series, an engine with many applications finding itself in everything from superminis like the Rover Metro to exotic track weapons like the Lotus Exige. units in Caterhams made 113-190 hp depending on specifics. At least one 21 was fitted by the company with a 2.4 liter Roush V8 for racing.
Type: Somewhere between lightweight roadster and track toy, the Caterham 21 is comparable to cars like the Caterham 7 which spawned it, the Mazda Miata, the MG F, and the car which stole many of its sales, the Lotus Elise.
History: Caterham was primarily a Lotus dealer in the 1960s, but when Lotus decided to discontinue the Seven in 1973, founder Graham Nearn managed to purchase the rights to continue production of the design and sell it under the Caterham name.
The 7 was well regarded as an iconic and enduring sports car, but the sacrifices made in the name of performance made it impractical for regular road use. Caterham engineer Jez Coates was given the assignment of designing a practical car around the 7 mechanicals, which would be called the 21 (because of the 21 years since Caterham had first begun manufacture of the 7).
Designer Iain Robertson, who would later work on the 2nd generation TVR Griffith, was responsible for the sweeping lines of the new body, both modern and reminiscent of the old Lotus Eleven race car. He also was responsible for what were essentially brand-new features on Caterham cars, like closed fenders, trunks, and doors.
While it might seem silly to remark on such features as being innovative, they were important for creating the air of practicality that Caterham wanted to promote with the car, and unfortunately they would, at least in part, prove the new car’s undoing. The 7 chassis shape necessitated very high door sills, making the enclosed body not particularly easy to get into or out of. A mechanism to lower and raise the windows in these new doors proved to be too heavy, so instead they were screwed into place. The driver was given the option of removing them if desired, and stowing them in the trunk. The cockpit was tight and noisy, and with the windows and roof up, very hot. Despite refinements meant to make the car more comfortable and practical than the 7, some of these “improvements” made the car no more pleasant to ride in than the original car.
Worse, however, was the difficulty Caterham had in producing the car. While it was shown in 1994 with an aluminum body, the production fiberglass shell wasn’t even shown until the following year. By 1996, when production should have been well underway, a new challenger appeared: The Lotus Elise. The Lotus was cheaper, and more refined than the 21. Also cheaper was the new MG F, and the Mazda Miata. Sales were further cannibalized by the 7 itself, by people who felt the sparse improvements weren’t worth the increased cost. While Caterham had estimated production of 200-250 cars a year, between 1994 and 1999 only 48 total 21s were built, including prototypes, production and racing models.
Why it’s cool/unique/significant: Ask car people about a car that Caterham makes, and nearly all would mention the 7. Ask about a second model, and a lot of them would be stumped. While the 7 was (and remains) continually updated and upgraded in various ways, the 21 was Caterham’s first try at making their own car, even if it was still largely based upon the 7. While it was a commercial failure, at the time of its debut its design and performance were largely praised by both the press and the public. With a little better luck, a little better timing, it may now be regarded as a classic instead of an unknown oddity.
The Caterham 21 was also raced for a few years with some success, including a class win at the 24 hour race at Zolder in 1999, part of the Belgian Racing Car Championship (Belcar), where it dominated the Lotuses that had spelled its commercial demise.
Racing and what-ifs aside, the 21’s legacy lives on in the experience gained and engineering improvements that it spawned. Its improved suspension and increased track width were adapted for the 7s that came after it, and the first R500 7s used a K-Series engine which was developed in the 21.
