In May 1973 a handshake at a London pub gave Caterham the rights to build the Lotus Seven. Half a century later, the same car still carries the company.
- Country
-
United Kingdom - Active
- Since 1973
- Founded by
- Graham Nearn
- Website
- Official website ↗
A handshake in a pub called Lotus
Some car companies are born in boardrooms. Caterham’s big moment came with a handshake in a London pub. In May 1973 Graham Nearn and Colin Chapman shook on a deal at Pub Lotus in Primrose Hill, and Caterham walked away with the tooling, the designs and the exclusive rights to build the Seven.
The car itself was already sixteen years old. Chapman had started work on chassis number 400, the first Seven, in 1957 at Lotus. Caterham sums up his thinking in four words: “Simplify, then add lightness.”
Nearn was no stranger to the car. According to Caterham, he had created Caterham Cars in Caterham Hill, Surrey, back in 1959, and in 1965 the company supplied the Seven Series II registered KAR 120C that starred in the TV series The Prisoner.
One car a week in Town End
Building started in June 1973 in Town End, Caterham, at roughly one car a week. The first cars were the Series 4, and only 38 were made before Caterham went back to the older Series 3 look in 1974. The Lotus Seven had become the Caterham Seven, and the basic shape has stayed with it ever since.
Production moved to Kennet Road in Dartford in 1987 and stayed there until 2024. That June the company opened a new 54,000 sq ft site in Dartford, Kent, which for the first time in its history put production, engineering, motorsport and commercial teams under one roof.
The owners changed more often than the car. The Nearn family kept the company until 2005, when it was sold to Corven Ventures. Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun came next, and in April 2021 Caterham was bought by VT Holdings, a Japanese automotive retail group that had imported the Seven for years.
A town’s name and a number
The brand name is a place on the map. Caterham Cars was created in Caterham Hill, and its first Sevens were built in Caterham itself. The other half of the identity is a number. The Seven name came with the car from Lotus, and Caterham kept it.
The company’s clearest public statement about its logo came in January 2014. Under its new owners, Caterham was now much more than a carmaker, with Formula 1 and GP2 teams, a composites business, a technology arm and even bikes. It introduced a corporate emblem for the whole group: a Union Flag drawn in several shades of green. Co-chairman Tony Fernandes called it “our celebration of Caterham’s British heritage,” and the company linked it to its promise of “accessible fun.”
What about the badge on the nose of the Seven? Caterham doesn’t publish a history or an explanation of it, and we couldn’t confirm the details from two independent sources. So we’ll leave the guessing to the logo sites.
One idea, refined since 1957
Caterham’s history is mostly the story of one car, refined again and again. Since 1993, when the Seven received Low Volume Type Approval, UK buyers have been able to get one fully built instead of as a kit.
Landmark Caterhams, decade by decade
- 1957: Lotus Seven. Colin Chapman’s lively little two-seater, the car Caterham would later take over.
- 1973: Seven Series 4. The first Caterham-built Sevens. Only 38 were made before the return to Series 3 styling.
- 1999: Superlight R500. Launched in 1999, and in 2008 it won Top Gear’s Car of the Year.
- 2013: Seven 620. Described by Caterham as the fastest production Seven ever.
- 2018: SuperSprint. A retro-inspired Seven limited to 60 cars, which sold out within days.
- 2023: Project V. A fully electric concept coupé designed under chief designer Anthony Jannarelly, built with Italdesign in Turin and revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
- 2025: Seven 310 Encore. A run of 25 cars marking the farewell of the Ford Sigma engine.
The Seven started life as a Lotus, and the two names have been linked ever since. If old badges are your thing, have a look at our classic car logos, or read about how car logos are designed.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the company called Caterham?
Graham Nearn created Caterham Cars in Caterham Hill, Surrey, in 1959, and the first Caterham-built Sevens were made in Town End, Caterham, from June 1973.
Is a Caterham Seven a Lotus?
It started as one. Colin Chapman’s Lotus Seven dates from 1957, and in May 1973 Caterham bought the tooling, designs and exclusive rights to build it. The Lotus Seven then became the Caterham Seven.
What does the Caterham logo with the Union Flag mean?
Caterham introduced a green Union Flag emblem in January 2014 as the logo for its whole group. Tony Fernandes described it as a celebration of Caterham’s British heritage.
Who owns Caterham?
VT Holdings, a Japanese automotive retail group, bought Caterham in April 2021. In 2024 it funded the company’s new factory and headquarters in Dartford, Kent.
The Seven file: Caterham facts
- Founded
- 1973
- Founder
- Graham Nearn
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Headquarters
- Dartford, United Kingdom
- Parent company
- VT Holdings
- Current emblem
- A Union Flag in shades of green, introduced as the group emblem in January 2014
- Known for
- The lightweight Seven, built since 1973
- Website
- Official website ↗
