Caterham has announced the Seven 310 Encore – a limited-edition send-off for the long-serving Ford Sigma engine that has powered Caterham’s lightweight road and race cars for nearly two decades. Just 25 examples of this final Sigma-powered Seven will be built, with prices starting from £39,995.
The Sigma story traces back to 2007, when the 1.6-litre four-cylinder replaced the outgoing K-Series unit. Light, reliable and easy to tune, it quickly became the backbone of Caterham’s entry-level models and one-make race championships. With Ford’s Sigma engine reaching the end of production, it’s time for Caterham to retire the models powered by this much-loved unit.
Under the bonnet sits the most powerful version of the Sigma yet: a naturally aspirated 1.6 producing 152bhp at 7000rpm. Combined with the Seven’s low kerb weight of 540kg, it delivers a power-to-weight ratio of 281bhp per tonne, good for 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 127mph. Power is sent through a five-speed manual gearbox.
Borrowing key features from the 310R Championship race cars, the Encore includes a lightened flywheel, sports suspension with adjustable spring platforms and rear anti-roll bar, as well as uprated brakes – consisting of 254mm vented front discs, red quad-piston calipers and a race-spec master cylinder. According to Caterham, this allows the Encore to lap Donington Park’s National Circuit in just 1min 18secs.
Visually, the Encore is distinguished by a 620 aero nose cone, CUP grille, carbon fibre front wings and black-pack detailing for the windscreen surround, headlight bowls and exhaust heat shield. Buyers can choose from six distinctive colour schemes, each named after well-known songs: Blue Monday, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Green Light, Orange Crush, Back in Black and White Noise. The car sits on 13-inch black Apollo alloy wheels shod with Toyo R888R track-focused tyres.
The cabin combines familiar Seven simplicity with a few unique touches. Black leather seats feature dark grey stitching and a special Encore logo, while the carbon fibre dashboard is fitted with bespoke Encore dials. A removable leather Momo steering wheel, four-point harnesses and a gearshift light complete the driver-focused layout. Each car also carries a numbered plaque between the seats on the rear panel, indicating its production number.
Limited to 25 cars, the Caterham Seven 310 Encore is priced from £39,995 – £505 more than a standard Seven 360R – and order books are now open.
For more info, see caterhamcars.com
