This is the early r500 before rover went bust and caterham then went to ford for its engines. Speaking to Mr Payne, a former caterham employee, he reckons that the K series were the better engines. The new 620R is an animal but the ultimate caterham 7 is the Levante with only 8 ever made at £115,000 each. Supercharged 2.4L V8.
Yes this is the K-series original R500 so not the one on the top gear leader board. The shocks maybe from quantum but this car has the onboard suspension by freestyle which unfortunately have long since shut down and this is exceptionally rare to see a R500 with this setup. I have to agree the K-series was the better engine, much lighter than the duratec and the induction is on the drivers side. To my ears it sounds better too.
little correction:that 1:17:01 lap around the tg track was the 2.0 duratec r500 from 2008. this was the previous model. they tested it in the 2nd series and it did a 1:21:02
That comment about it being above the veyron on the top gear track is wrong as that was the newer r500 with the 2.0L duratec ford engine, this is the old r500 rover k series which never featured on top gear 👍
@@adam_s2k Ive owned a R400 K series and a R500 duratec and I also preferred the K series engine. I had no end of problems with the Duratec which was 265hp. The R500k series was heavily modified to reach its level of tune and needed semi-rebuilds every4500miles (apparently) The R400 (200hp) was the engines sweet spot in my opinion and it felt more revvy (if thats a word) and suited the car better than the more torquey Duratec. However, the sequential box in the R500 was epic.
DunsfoldDave yeah my mates got the vhpd (r400 k series engine) in his caterham, and like you say it’s a peach 👌 and yeah also like to say the minster k series in the old r500 was epic but needed those refreshes every so often!
Looks like an absolute blast. I always wonder, however, if maybe the UK doesn't have all the little animals constantly popping out into the road, like in the US. I would imagine that being at speed in a car like this zipping along a stretch with an abundance of suicidal animals would be quite scary.
The way I look at it is that this is safer than ridding a croach rocket (sports bike) but I guess very similar experience ( never driven a seven, but plenty fas bikes) ....
Haha, it's a great car! not too many times in a year that it can be used to it's potential though (In the UK at least) Yeah, for sure, it certainly makes a difference adding any weight to the car i guess! he said it makes it a very different drive.
Yeah it sounds amazing! I'd like to have driven it too! Unfortunately I'm too much of a short-ass and the seat is fixed so I couldn't reach the pedals! Haha
Do the K-series engines in the Caterhams blow head gaskets like they did in the MGs/Freelanders? I used to work a Land Rover dealer in the 2000s and replacing these head gaskets (and flushing out the cream) was my bread and butter...never short of work!
@@ArchimedeanEye Your comment is very stupid. If you're gonna trash any engine you let it get to operating temperature first, it's just common sense. 'Warming up properly' is just that, making sure the coolant and oil are up to temp and the tolerances inside the engine are okay (cold and hot engines have different tolerances). The Rover K series was just more sensitive to thermal shock, but floor any cold engine and eventually it will fail.
Thanks Simon! Glad to see I have a fan! ;) Currently busy with a house move, new video in the next few weeks, something German for sure, with a turbo for sure... just depends if it's a 4 cylinder or a 6 cylinder :)
I'm 6ft 4 and 15 stone and I have an R500K. I have lowered floor, tilted seat back slightly and steering wheel spacer and I fit (just). With helmet on I am pretty much level with top of roll cage though so looking in to a bag seat to get a little lower in the car.
Pickles i haven't seen the car around. used to life in the Newbury and now we are in Gloucestershire my and my dad saw your video are thought you life in the Newbury area.
Many years ago I rolled my Seven (fitted with roll bar and proper harness belt) at 70mph. I got out of the car unhurt. I'd rather see properly where I was going, unhampered by goggles, or helmet, etc. It's a road car, not a motorbike.
How did they get a toyota 1.8 to 230bhp without turbocharging? Forged rods and pistons? What does it rev to? Is it supercharged? A caterham came passed me today in my z4 2.5si. I indicated left so he could over take and he took off like a bat out of hell and the noise????? This motor is possessed. That's the only logical conclusion. They sacrificed Toyota's poor 1.8 and now it's satan spawn. Gotta luv it.
I should say I owned a 2nd gen rev3 Mr2 for years and I loved the 3gs-ge in that car and it was 2.0l and had about 168-174 bhp. That was a shit ton for a 4-pot 2l engine at that time and I know the caterham gets the engine from the mr2 mk3 but that made 134bhp (from memory) (Checked it was 138) So caterham have found ~100 BHP from the same engine without and compression aspiration? How does that even work? I'm sure the airbox and head on the mr2 engine was pretty well sorted and I'm sure the exhaust system was a decent compromise. It would had cats that sapped some power but the caterham is a road car too so needs to meet similar sorts of criteria. I'm guessing a complete head rebuild to very lightweight components. A very aggressive cam setup and much stronger bottom end. Lighter flywheel. Can't be that aggressive a gearbox because it tops at 155mph. I know the lightweight is the thing that makes the car special but finding 100BHP from the mr2 engine application is just amazing. I'd love to know how it was done. Luv and Peace.
@Ian Edmonds the R500 featured uses a Rover 1.8 K series engine - normally aspirated using roller barrel throttle bodies, big valve head, high lift & long duration cams & a decent exhaust. Revs to c 8600 RPM and has a steel crank, forged pistons & rods. All this coupled to a close ratio g/box with a LSD. Sounds fantastic!
I have got a R400 K Series and put a lot of money and time in it to make it really light. By that i mean aluminium bolts, carbon washer etc. So really extreme and i am arround 505kg with a full tank. The 460kg are measured without fuel and any other luquids.
This car is the personification of perfect power to weight ratio. My only gripe is that it's just plain ugly. A sleeker design with nicer curves woulda really served these cars better over the years. But numbers don't lie it flat out works.
@@Picklescarchannel not half price but caterham is 39.000 new westfield mega s2000 18.000 with out engine..23.000 with engine and a million times better engine..the k series is a very stressed 1.8l engine with 235hp..the new r500 has the very good duratec by mazda but is a high modded engine with 265hp at 500-520kg ..westfield 520-550kg with A STOCK ENGINE HONDA S2000 AT 247HP..UNTIL THE PRICE OF CATERHAM THE WESTFIELD WILL BE SUPERCHARGED FULL EXTRA AT 400HP+ AND STILL WILL GO 3 TIMES THE MILES OF R500...AND IT WILL KILL 620R TOO EASY...ALL THAT BELOW 30.000...THE 620R IS 50.000 POUNDS...WESTFIELD IS THE WINNER FROM ALL SIDES..honda s2000 engine can last way more at 400hp than a 265-310hp caterham
Well that's fair enough :) I don't know too much about these kinds of cars so always happy to learn! Imagine supercharged s2000 engine in one of those would be mad! Haha!
The exhaust sounds so aggressive I love it!
Lol it is proper yobbish innit!
Another top quality video, thanks guys for enriching my life yet again 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻.
This is the early r500 before rover went bust and caterham then went to ford for its engines. Speaking to Mr Payne, a former caterham employee, he reckons that the K series were the better engines. The new 620R is an animal but the ultimate caterham 7 is the Levante with only 8 ever made at £115,000 each. Supercharged 2.4L V8.
no british engine is better than japan..the new duratec 2.0l is made by mazda..not ford..easy 260hp and reliable...rover? what a joke
Yes this is the K-series original R500 so not the one on the top gear leader board. The shocks maybe from quantum but this car has the onboard suspension by freestyle which unfortunately have long since shut down and this is exceptionally rare to see a R500 with this setup. I have to agree the K-series was the better engine, much lighter than the duratec and the induction is on the drivers side. To my ears it sounds better too.
I would definitely be wearing a full face helmet in one off these ,being hit buy a stone or bumblebee at speed is no joke!
This thing is mental haha ...awesome!!🤟🏻🤟🏻
Great paint job.
Lol "nought to the speed limit". Lovely cars, Caterhams, it's what we should all be driving. Light is right
Awesome spec car, proper racer, K Series still the ultimate R500 for me.
I know that road, Wantage - Newbury!! lol took my kit car there for a few blats, great section if quiet!
That's the one. beautiful road isn't it! great photo opp on the hill too :)
Sounds absolutely mental. What a car.
That sounds and goes like a motorbike!
Holy crap that's fast and sounds epic great video 👌🏻🎥
thanks Paul! it certainly is a quick car!
I don;t suppose you have a specific desire to detail a Grey M135i do you? ;)
Pickles where are you from DM my Instagram
Hi Paul, sorry. i don't have the app anymore (too distracting) I'm in the Reading area. James
Wow, he seemed so underwhelmed in his summery at the end!
Haha agreed so monotone and bored sounding after being in one of the most exciting cars on the planet😆🤣🤣
little correction:that 1:17:01 lap around the tg track was the 2.0 duratec r500 from 2008. this was the previous model. they tested it in the 2nd series and it did a 1:21:02
You looked terrified and thrilled at the same time.Sounds Magic!!
Dont suppose you know what gearbox was in it please? Interested in the ratios as they seem nice and close between gears. Cheers
That comment about it being above the veyron on the top gear track is wrong as that was the newer r500 with the 2.0L duratec ford engine, this is the old r500 rover k series which never featured on top gear 👍
For the record though I personally prefer the k series engine to the duratec 👍👍
@@adam_s2k Ive owned a R400 K series and a R500 duratec and I also preferred the K series engine. I had no end of problems with the Duratec which was 265hp. The R500k series was heavily modified to reach its level of tune and needed semi-rebuilds every4500miles (apparently) The R400 (200hp) was the engines sweet spot in my opinion and it felt more revvy (if thats a word) and suited the car better than the more torquey Duratec. However, the sequential box in the R500 was epic.
DunsfoldDave yeah my mates got the vhpd (r400 k series engine) in his caterham, and like you say it’s a peach 👌 and yeah also like to say the minster k series in the old r500 was epic but needed those refreshes every so often!
Looks like an absolute blast. I always wonder, however, if maybe the UK doesn't have all the little animals constantly popping out into the road, like in the US. I would imagine that being at speed in a car like this zipping along a stretch with an abundance of suicidal animals would be quite scary.
The way I look at it is that this is safer than ridding a croach rocket (sports bike) but I guess very similar experience ( never driven a seven, but plenty fas bikes) ....
Sheep mainly, occasionally deer, cows, foxes, but worst of all.....cyclists.
most of our wildlife is dead, replaced by industrial estates
Think I have a new favourite car! Bet he feels the extra weight of you onboard though (just because of how light the car is)
Haha, it's a great car! not too many times in a year that it can be used to it's potential though (In the UK at least) Yeah, for sure, it certainly makes a difference adding any weight to the car i guess! he said it makes it a very different drive.
Man! That car sounds great!
Wish I could drive it.
Yeah it sounds amazing! I'd like to have driven it too! Unfortunately I'm too much of a short-ass and the seat is fixed so I couldn't reach the pedals! Haha
@@Picklescarchannel maybe next time. How much does that thing cost?
Mental car - fun!!
6:59 casually talk with amazing blow dry from high speed blast! :-D
Do the K-series engines in the Caterhams blow head gaskets like they did in the MGs/Freelanders? I used to work a Land Rover dealer in the 2000s and replacing these head gaskets (and flushing out the cream) was my bread and butter...never short of work!
Warm them up properly then the don't suffer thermal shock.
@@mrfahrenheit3867 No proper engine needs 'warming up properly'. God, what a farce of an engine.
@@ArchimedeanEye Your comment is very stupid. If you're gonna trash any engine you let it get to operating temperature first, it's just common sense. 'Warming up properly' is just that, making sure the coolant and oil are up to temp and the tolerances inside the engine are okay (cold and hot engines have different tolerances). The Rover K series was just more sensitive to thermal shock, but floor any cold engine and eventually it will fail.
That's fucking bonkers! Love it
pickles, where have you gone? need those vids, man!
Thanks Simon! Glad to see I have a fan! ;)
Currently busy with a house move, new video in the next few weeks, something German for sure, with a turbo for sure... just depends if it's a 4 cylinder or a 6 cylinder :)
how can u have a k-series engine if caterham only uses the ford duratec? or am I wrong?
They used K-series before they switched to duratec
you can put any engine you want
I'd like to stick the three-cylinder mini in their 200 brake horsepower now that will make it light lol
How bigs the driver? Im 6ft2 and 16 Stone and didnt think id fit in a k series r500...?
I'm 6ft 4 and 15 stone and I have an R500K. I have lowered floor, tilted seat back slightly and steering wheel spacer and I fit (just). With helmet on I am pretty much level with top of roll cage though so looking in to a bag seat to get a little lower in the car.
VHPD Power!
A great fun car but the first thing I'd have to do is get a windscreen. Madness to not have one.
Ps your hair at the end of the video 😂😂
Keep your mouth closed when going fast...
Who needs teeth? :P
abfab!
thanks!
Man, i thought this is a Racing Game Video, hahah, Project Cars or Assetto Corsa, i thought.
haha, what made you think that? i hope you enjoyed it anyway!
5:38 stone in the face.
Or your front teeth!
That is a RAW experience lol
hi there by any chance do you life in Newbury
I'm closer to Reading actually. but the Owner of this Caterham is from around the Newbury area. Have you seen the car about?
Pickles i haven't seen the car around. used to life in the Newbury and now we are in Gloucestershire my and my dad saw your video are thought you life in the Newbury area.
Not having inboard suspension like that is not good better off on the outside
Its about 460/ton surely
Beautiful though you are (to your mum) I want to see forward.
Haha, thanks for that. Certainly would have been a better choice. Unfortunately I didn't really get the whole thing at the time and it was all new.
0 to the speed limit my ass lol.
Quite the speed limit, haha
We were in Germany, on the Autobahn, didn't i mention that? ;)
7！
2.9 0-60
I guess the horsepower is adequate.
Not a cozzer in sight 😵
Pickle rick!!!
haha not quite... maybe i should be Pickle Rick for a future video though..
5:34 gets rekt by a fly
my dad has one
No rollcage, no helmets, eek
Always wear a helmet in mine
Many years ago I rolled my Seven (fitted with roll bar and proper harness belt) at 70mph. I got out of the car unhurt. I'd rather see properly where I was going, unhampered by goggles, or helmet, etc. It's a road car, not a motorbike.
It's ALL #ucking engine ⚠️
Anyone after forza horizon 4 ?
How did they get a toyota 1.8 to 230bhp without turbocharging? Forged rods and pistons? What does it rev to?
Is it supercharged? A caterham came passed me today in my z4 2.5si. I indicated left so he could over take and he took off like a bat out of hell and the noise?????
This motor is possessed. That's the only logical conclusion. They sacrificed Toyota's poor 1.8 and now it's satan spawn.
Gotta luv it.
I should say I owned a 2nd gen rev3 Mr2 for years and I loved the 3gs-ge in that car and it was 2.0l and had about 168-174 bhp. That was a shit ton for a 4-pot 2l engine at that time and I know the caterham gets the engine from the mr2 mk3 but that made 134bhp (from memory) (Checked it was 138)
So caterham have found ~100 BHP from the same engine without and compression aspiration?
How does that even work?
I'm sure the airbox and head on the mr2 engine was pretty well sorted and I'm sure the exhaust system was a decent compromise. It would had cats that sapped some power but the caterham is a road car too so needs to meet similar sorts of criteria.
I'm guessing a complete head rebuild to very lightweight components. A very aggressive cam setup and much stronger bottom end. Lighter flywheel. Can't be that aggressive a gearbox because it tops at 155mph.
I know the lightweight is the thing that makes the car special but finding 100BHP from the mr2 engine application is just amazing.
I'd love to know how it was done.
Luv and Peace.
@Ian Edmonds the R500 featured uses a Rover 1.8 K series engine - normally aspirated using roller barrel throttle bodies, big valve head, high lift & long duration cams & a decent exhaust. Revs to c 8600 RPM and has a steel crank, forged pistons & rods. All this coupled to a close ratio g/box with a LSD. Sounds fantastic!
🐰🐦 rabbids
5:38 xdxdxdxd
If you're gonna make a video about a car then at least get the name right...it's a Superlight R500, not the other way round..
Lovely car , shit beard tbf
460kg? Unlikely, Caterham boasts too much in their specs, actually weight the car and see.
I have got a R400 K Series and put a lot of money and time in it to make it really light. By that i mean aluminium bolts, carbon washer etc. So really extreme and i am arround 505kg with a full tank. The 460kg are measured without fuel and any other luquids.
v1m30 thats called dry weight
Yeah its more like 450ish bhp per ton
1014 pounds.
Wear a helmet!
This car is the personification of perfect power to weight ratio. My only gripe is that it's just plain ugly. A sleeker design with nicer curves woulda really served these cars better over the years. But numbers don't lie it flat out works.
Beauty is obviously man specific. I think its the most gorgeous thing ever made.
When I sold mine I felt like the wife had left me.
@@williamstares7542 I guess that's also subjective to how you feel about your wife.
westfield mega looks 5 times better and is half price too
Thanks for the input, looks are a preference so each to their own. Also definitely not half price. Is it better performing/lighter too?
@@Picklescarchannel not half price but caterham is 39.000 new westfield mega s2000 18.000 with out engine..23.000 with engine and a million times better engine..the k series is a very stressed 1.8l engine with 235hp..the new r500 has the very good duratec by mazda but is a high modded engine with 265hp at 500-520kg ..westfield 520-550kg with A STOCK ENGINE HONDA S2000 AT 247HP..UNTIL THE PRICE OF CATERHAM THE WESTFIELD WILL BE SUPERCHARGED FULL EXTRA AT 400HP+ AND STILL WILL GO 3 TIMES THE MILES OF R500...AND IT WILL KILL 620R TOO EASY...ALL THAT BELOW 30.000...THE 620R IS 50.000 POUNDS...WESTFIELD IS THE WINNER FROM ALL SIDES..honda s2000 engine can last way more at 400hp than a 265-310hp caterham
Well that's fair enough :) I don't know too much about these kinds of cars so always happy to learn! Imagine supercharged s2000 engine in one of those would be mad! Haha!
@@commantrosexetlos4700 S2000 engine weighs nearly 200Kg!!. Way too fat for a Caterham.