2007 Caterham RS Performance Levante V6 Superlight

This car will change your perspective on acceleration, speed and handling.

Ever feel that your Veyron just isn’t accelerating fast enough? This car has the ability to completely change your perspective on acceleration, speed and handling. The Caterham Levante V6 Superlight is a bespoke, one-off Caterham that takes lightweight performance to a level rarely seen.

The car was the brainchild of Richard Lee, a well-known figure in the Caterham community. Formerly the Lotus 7 Club Area Representative for the Scottish Borders, and known online as Richard in France (RIF), Richard also ran Carbon Bits, a company supplying extremely high-quality carbon fibre parts for Caterhams.

After building a K-series-powered Seven with a full carbon body for his wife Henrietta, Richard turned to his ultimate goal: to create the most extreme Caterham possible, light, powerful, and made almost entirely of carbon fibre. At the Autosport International Show, he met Russell Savory of RS Performance, the man behind the original Levante series. A deal was struck to supply a bespoke V6 engine and technical support for Richard’s ambitious build. The Caterham S3 chassis was sourced and modified by Arch Motors to accommodate the engine, while a wide range of custom parts were ordered and carbon bodywork commissioned.

Sadly, Richard passed away in late 2009 before completing the project. His widow Henrietta chose to sell the unfinished car, and it was acquired by the current owner who committed to completing the build to the highest possible standard. The project was entrusted to Steve Walshaw of SWR, who, alongside RS Performance, completed the bespoke engine and ancillary installation. The car then spent several years with SWR undergoing fine-tuning and issue resolution.

This is the only S3 narrow-bodied Levante ever built. The original run of eight RS Performance Levantes used the larger, heavier SV chassis and were road-focused. In contrast, this version was conceived as a “Superlight R” track-focused variant, built around a smaller and stiffer S3 chassis, with a lighter, more powerful engine and full carbon bodywork, including the floor.

At the heart of the car is a 2.3-litre V6 supercharged engine, a mostly billet unit developed by RS Performance with support from Mountune, who were instrumental in productionising the RST V6 and V8 engines. The engine weighs only 83kg, revs to 10,000rpm, and delivers smooth, progressive torque from 4,000rpm right to the redline. It could rev even higher, but is limited to protect the 6-speed Sadev sequential gearbox, which is controlled by a custom Geartronics paddle-shift system and managed by a Pectel SQ6 ECU mapped by Mountune.

Built entirely from carbon fibre, including Richard’s own carbon body panels and featuring a carbon-kevlar interior, this Levante weighs just 536kg with fluids and 20 litres of fuel on board. That results in an astonishing power-to-weight ratio of 1,063bhp per tonne, or 1.06bhp per kg, more than twice that of a Bugatti Veyron.

Performance hardware includes:

– Sadev 6-speed sequential gearbox, currently geared for 165mph (with potential for 180+mph)

– Raceco titanium silencers

– Carbon fibre propshaft and custom half shafts

– Freestyle extra wide track front suspension with custom pushrods

– Quantum 3-way adjustable dampers

– SV rear De Dion assembly with bespoke control arms

– Custom Image wheels plus MB magnesium spares

– Carbon-kevlar bucket seats

This car is thought to be capable of lapping the Silverstone GP circuit in under two minutes, such is the level of performance. Despite the extreme numbers, it remains easy to drive thanks to smooth torque delivery and predictable handling characteristics.

Originally, RS Performance Levantes sold for £125,000 to £130,000 in 2008-2010. Today, most of the original cars reside in collections across the world. This example, however, is a true one-of-one, offering less weight and more power than any of the other Levantes built.

For its next custodian, the new owner will also be invited to a dedicated test and shakedown track day with Steve Walshaw of SWR, who managed the build of the car and has managed this car for the current owner for several years.

The RS Performance Levante V6 Superlight is a unique and historically significant Caterham, born from one man’s dream and brought to life through expert engineering and relentless attention to detail. Weighing just 536kg and producing 570hp, it boasts a power-to-weight ratio over 1,000bhp per tonne. With a bespoke carbon body, race-ready engineering, and a fascinating provenance, this is believed to be the world’s fastest Caterham.