'22 Caterham 520R SV
After owning the Westfield for more than 20 years and having really enjoyed the engine build for that car which took place during the pandemic, I was hankering for another project. Something I could do my way. Something that reflected my preferences and gave me an opportunity to learn new things. I considered another Westfield but looking at all the custom work done during that build, there was nothing I would do differently. As a result, there wasn’t new ground to cover, and subsequently not much of a challenge. After much deliberation, I decided to go with a Caterham 420R SV. Done my way. That’s code for it’s far from stock. So far, in fact, that even the name is no longer applicable. Hence the 520R moniker which reflects its engine output relative to the 420 and 620 models. My order included some additions from the Signature catalog: custom color (Roulette Green, which was previously offered in the early-mid teens), 620 nose cone, painted headlight buckets, and plain leather tunnel cover. From there I went a little nuts. Esslinger based 2.4L Duratec, rearchitected fuel system, CORE dampers, AiM MXS display, Freewheel wireless steering wheel mounted buttons, 620 toggle switches, relocated fuse box, and a lot more. The modifications are detailed here, and for those so inclined, the lengthy build thread is located here. As for the purchase and build processes, they were at times frustrating -- that’s a no cost option with a Caterham -- and challenging, but everything turned out fine in the end.
From a timeline perspective, the order was placed on May 10, 2021 with the kit finally arriving 17 months later on October 16, 2022. Fast forward to May 16th, 2023, when the engine fired for the first time. Delays on some key parts needed for driving the car pushed out that event until June 26th 2023. Then it was time to repeatedly troubleshoot an odd fueling issue which resulted in more delays waiting for new parts, followed by a further wait for dyno time, alignment and PPF. Those last three items also took longer than the one week I expected. The car went into the dyno facility on a Monday morning and didn’t come home until Friday afternoon. It then went to the dealer that Monday for alignment and PPF but didn’t return until September 6th, over 2 weeks later. Another way to state the timeline is it took 28 months from order to completion, with completion defined as ready to drive anywhere and as hard as I please.
From a timeline perspective, the order was placed on May 10, 2021 with the kit finally arriving 17 months later on October 16, 2022. Fast forward to May 16th, 2023, when the engine fired for the first time. Delays on some key parts needed for driving the car pushed out that event until June 26th 2023. Then it was time to repeatedly troubleshoot an odd fueling issue which resulted in more delays waiting for new parts, followed by a further wait for dyno time, alignment and PPF. Those last three items also took longer than the one week I expected. The car went into the dyno facility on a Monday morning and didn’t come home until Friday afternoon. It then went to the dealer that Monday for alignment and PPF but didn’t return until September 6th, over 2 weeks later. Another way to state the timeline is it took 28 months from order to completion, with completion defined as ready to drive anywhere and as hard as I please.
