GRR Garage: Caterham 310 S – in new hands

The first challenge to any trip in a Caterham is the athletic (or not) event of getting in without looking like a complete muppet. In my mind, it went as smoothly as the Dukes of Hazzard jumping into General Lee. The reality? Maybe not quite so graceful.

Once you are in the cockpit you really get a sense of just how far from normal ‘modern’ motoring it is. As you would expect, you sit very low and the car feels narrow. This became apparent in a surprising manner – following a crop sprayer on my journey home. I was able to see (and probably drive) right under both the axles, I think a Fast and Furious-style undertake was possible, but I don’t think the driver would have been too impressed had I appeared from beneath him

On start-up the car barks to life and gently burbles by your right ear (side-exit exhausts improve everything). However, idling when cold is not one of the Caterham’s strong points, which does make manoeuvring in slow-moving traffic a little challenging. It does gives you a great excuse for some entirely necessary revving. My strategy to avoid a rather embarrassing, and potentially dangerous, stall at junctions was to leave each one ‘positively’ – slightly sideways junctions are a safety feature of the Caterham (see NCAP rating…).

It is an exhilarating experience when you find flowing roads to stretch its legs. All of the elements are raw, instinctive and exciting. The disconnected feeling that plagues most modern cars, performance-orientated or not, is completely absent. The throttle response is immediate. The steering is direct and intuitive. The gear change is short, mechanical and precise. As the driver you are entirely responsible and (mostly) in control of everything that happens. This is incredibly rewarding when you get it right and a real learning moment when you get it wrong.

The one area of the driving experience that I hadn’t really thought about before was the brakes. For me, this is where the gulf between ‘normal’ cars and our little rocket-ship is most evident. At first the pedal feels stiff, and braking performance is alarmingly poor. My mistake was to treat it like a modern, servo-assisted car. Instead you have to use the same positive attitude towards the brake that you do with the right pedal. Once you make this adjustment the result is game-changing. The feedback is reassuring and, when married to the surprising amounts of grip, makes for a confidence-inspiring experience that is difficult to replicate in many other cars. 

I had assumed that driving the Caterham would be an uncorrupted and exciting experience; the reality went well beyond. It is engaging and challenging in a way that other modern cars are not. It is worth noting that all of this was experienced during one of the sunniest September weekends the UK has ever seen…

Photography by Tom Shaxson.

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