Newtechfresh | Consumer Electronics Guide: CATERHAM

If you can live without any modern day luxury and comfort amenities and don’t mind getting your own or your trusted mechanic's hands dirty to drive one of the world's most purest and exciting cars, then you'll be happy to learn thatCaterham's iconic Seven is now officially and legally available for sale in the United States.

As of January 1, the Seven is offered in a number of different versions from Caterham's official U.S. distributor, Irvine, California-basedSuperformance, including the Seven 480 and the new Seven 620R with a 310hp 2.0-liter turbocharged four.

According to the company, the vehicles will be shipped to the States in part-built form and sold as rolling chassis via Superformance’s nationwide dealer network with customers then having to complete the build at home.

Caterham noted that X Factor host Simon Cowell deserves some kudos for the move to offer cars in the States as the delivery of a Seven CSR 260 to his home in Los Angeles sparked "increased American interest" in the series.

Caterham Group CEO, Graham Macdonald, commented:

“The US market has always been a difficult one for us, thanks to the stringent federal homologation rules. But we know there is an appetite for our particular brand of lightweight and performance and we already export our SP/300.R to the States through Dyson Racing."

PHOTO GALLERY

Before Renault brings out their brand new Alpinesports car, sometime in 2016, we can already take a look at one of its direct competitors, the Alfa Romeo 4C, a car which, at least on paper, seems very similar. The Alpine will also cost about the same, and offer similar performance, as British magazine Autocar has learnt from the group boss, Carlos Tavares, that the new mid-engined sports car will have around 280 hp.

He also said that styling is 70 percent done, and as all fans of the brand are expecting, it will be a retro-inspired vehicle, which will get the trademark “arrowhead nose.” The engine powering it will most likely be a turbocharged two-liter unit, but apparently, it is still being decided whether to give it the dual-clutch EDC gearbox or a regular six-speed manual – we say just give it both options and let the buyer choose.

Nevertheless, since they went all-auto on the Clio RS, a more mainstream car that could have received a manual, it is likely to happen again, with the Alpine. They do have about three years to get it working properly, because some who have reviewed the latest Clio RS have complained about its slow response times.

However, if you don’t want the Alpine, Renault’s partner Caterham is also making its own version of the car, underpinned by the same basic architecture, but rumored to use a Toyota-sourced engine, instead of a French unit.

PHOTO GALLERY