We get all sorts of fascinating stories into our shared inbox, but recently, one was a breath of fresh air—a French enthusiast by the name of Clément Claudinon sent in a few photos of his Caterham Seven 165 being used as his post-wedding getaway car! It’s definitely a striking way to leave the church…while barefoot because the pedals in the Seven are so close together!
As Claudinon says, the Seven is actually surprisingly practical as car on modern roads. “I can put things simply. In France, buying a Caterham 165S is expensive, but having a Caterham is quite simple: tires are cheap, fuel economy is 5 or 6 L/100 km, there’s no environmental penalty, and the road certificate is cheaper than a moto,” he says. “So it’s not like a Ferrari or a Porsche or even a Renault Megane RS, if you can buy it you, will be able to make it work.”
“I could tell you a lot of thing about driving it because, after all, it’s also why I bought it. When you read somewhere than driving a Caterham is the best car to drive fast, it’s absolutely true. Before this car, I drove different ones, but I was always either powerless or scared. The 165 is a way different car, you can drive fast on open roads without risk. Indeed, the car never understeers, and if the car oversteers, you can control it with a ‘slice’ of countersteering and the right pedal.”
“Even if you make a mistake or if the road becomes slippery, you can feel the car and the road through the wheel at any moment. This is really why I love driving my 165, you feel everything, you’re close to the road, the tires are thin, the wheel is small, and the is no electronic help.”
“About ownership, the only complicated thing are the logistics. The dealership is 900 km (560 miles) from home and my mechanic is 100 km (62 miles) away, so it’s a bit complicated. For everything else, it’s only happiness, thumbs are all up, police leave you alone, younger kids want to get in, and older people have stories about Lotus or anything. I think that our honeymoon was incredible thanks to the 165.”
