Classic comeback.

Byline: Edward Stephens

AFFLUENT motorists hit by the recession are ditching their supercar rides in favour of a taste of classic British motoring.

Caterham Cars has become an unusual benefi- ciary of the economic downturn with an increasing number of owners downsizing their six-figure chargers in favour of pre-owned, but ironically faster, versions of the legendary Seven.

The flagship 155 milesper-hour CSR260, with its fully independent rear and inboard F1-style front suspension, is proving the most popular model amongst those more accustomed to the latest offering from Ferrari, Aston Martin and Porsche. During the last month alone, a Ferrari 430 and a Porsche 911 Turbo were just two of the cars traded in favour of models from the niche sportscar maker.

While the cost of the Caterham might constitute 'downsizing', the performance certainly doesn't, with the CSR260's mighty 452bhp per tonne exceeding the power-to-weight ratio of its more expensive brethren..

Caterham Cars Managing Director, Ansar Ali, said: "The Seven has always delivered the sort of performance and engineering you'd expect in a supercar, but at a fraction of the price. With motoring getting ever more costly for all motorists, those driving cars built by traditional supercar makers are clearly still hankering after the buzz of driving a performance car and, with the power to weight ratio of our cars outstripping the competition, a Caterham is an intelligent choice in terms of price and driver satisfaction."

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Classic car: Caterham CSR260