Caterham is a small British carmaker that arose within the shadow of Lotus and has remained dedicated, for many years now, to its specific imaginative and prescient of a automotive, that are largely variants of the Seven. In reality, Caterham offered extra Sevens in 2021 than ever earlier than, or some 670 new Sevens, I suppose as a result of life is brief and dozens of individuals thought they wanted a very impractical however very enjoyable and light-weight British sports activities automotive of their pandemic-stricken life. Good information for these folks, and their aspirants: Caterham stated Thursday that it’s planning a brand new headquarters not removed from its outdated one, with a capability to construct round 750 Sevens a 12 months, or 50 % greater than capability now.
In case you missed it:
Caterham is owned by VT Holdings, a Japanese firm that purchased it in 2021 and apparently isn’t quitting Caterham anytime quickly. This is all a part of Caterham’s fiftieth anniversary this 12 months, which it would have a good time in August. It was in 1973 when Graham Nearn, Caterham’s founder, satisfied Colin Chapman to let him make a model of the Lotus Seven. The relaxation, as they are saying, is historical past. Now, a brand new chapter is being written.
From Caterham’s launch:
Bob Laishley, CEO of Caterham, stated: “It’s fitting that, in our 50th anniversary year, we can invest in new premises to facilitate our ambitions, for the future of the Seven and the brand as a whole.
“The site not only increases our production capacity but enables us to advance our manufacturing capabilities into a modern setting. It will be a fantastic new home for the brand, our employees and our customers past, present and future to visit.”
Alastair Dawson, Senior Asset Manager at Railpen, stated: “Caterham is a British manufacturing, engineering and marketing success story with a longstanding connection to Dartford. We have worked closely with the brand in its search for a new home, with Dartford X meeting all of Caterham’s criteria to support the business’ continued growth over the coming years while retaining local jobs and the vitality of its supply chain partners.”
The South East of England has been house to Caterham because it began constructing automobiles in 1973 within the city of Caterham, Surrey. In 1987, manufacturing moved to Kennet Road in Dartford the place its automobiles have been assembled ever since.
Caterham says its new headquarters will likely be 54,000 sq. ft, and is scheduled to be carried out by the tip of this 12 months. They say that there’s a “multi-million pound” funding on behalf of VT Holdings. The facility sounds prefer it’ll be definitely worth the pilgrimage for Caterham fanatics, as Caterham says that there will likely be manufacturing unit excursions, “open days,” and different such occasions. Caterham is a really particular alternative with regards to new automobiles or kits, and doubtless nobody will love your new Caterham as a lot as you do. Still, lengthy stay Caterham.
Source: jalopnik.com