DARTFORD, Kent, May 28 — Japanese Formula One driver Kamui Kobayashi has helped to design a sports car that will be offered exclusively to fans in his homeland, and in limited numbers.
Only 10 units of the Kamui Kobayashi Caterham Seven will be built, each at a cost of ¥6,000,000 (RM188,660). The standard Seven is proof that less is more but this model takes the philosophy to another level because, like the Caterham Formula One car that Kobayashi drives, the Kamui Kobayashi Seven has been converted into a single-seater.
Under the hood the car gets a 1.6-litre Ford Sigma engine that produces 125bhp delivered to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox and a limited slip differential. This translates as a 0-100km/h (62mph) time of 5.9 seconds and a top speed of 196km/h (122mph).
So there is no doubt that this car is a limited edition: Much of the body is finished in carbon fibre infused with a green lacquer to match Caterham’s F1 racing colours. It also has new diamond-cut 13-inch wheels and each of the cars will come with a number 10 badge on its nose (Kobayashi’s racing number).
As a finishing touch, each of the 10 cars will be personally and physically signed by the man himself, who said of the project: “For me, the Caterham Seven is a pure car; when you drive a Seven it feels like you are driving, not like the car is driving you... I hope my styling of the Seven adds something special to a car that is already awesome to drive.”
Caterham and Formula One both have a huge following in Japan and the company says that the country has become one of its largest export markets. Therefore there’s a good chance that this car could become a serious collector’s item in the future. — AFP-Relaxnews
