WITH the possibility that we could be in for a series of coronavirus 'lockdowns' over the next months and even years, the more imaginative among you will be looking for something more exciting to do with the enforced time stuck at home, writes William Scholes.
And what could be better fun than building your own car? I don't mean a Lego model or a Tamiya remote control car either, but the real thing with an actual engine and number plate - something a lot like the latest kit car to come from Caterham, in fact.
Called the Super Seven 1600, putting it together will be a lot more satisfying than doing more gardening, painting the fence, completing a jigsaw or working out with Joe Wicks.
It will be a lot more expensive though. Prices start at £33,495, which rather underlines that the Caterham is a rather serious bit of, erm, kit and not for the faint hearted.
As you will have already guessed from looking at it, these little cars are probably as close to a four-wheeled motorbike as you can get.
Few driving experiences are as intense, or so different from the diesel hatchbacks and SUVs most of us now drive. Using a Seven every day might be a bit more of a challenge, though.
Few driving experiences are as intense, or so different from the diesel hatchbacks and SUVs most of us now drive. Using a Seven every day might be a bit more of a challenge, though
You can get Sevens with some ridiculous power outputs, though the new model's 135bhp - courtesy of a 1.6-litre Ford engine - might sound relatively modest if you are using contemporary hot hatches and other performance cars as a benchmark.
But the Super Seven weighs just 565kg, meaning it has 250bhp-per-tonne to play with. That guarantees that your little sports car will feel lively, to put it mildly, on the road. The company quotes a 0-60mph time of 5.0 seconds.
Rather superfluously you might think, Caterham says the Super Seven 1600 is "retro-inspired" - this, after all, is a car whose roots date back to 1957 and the Lotus Seven conceived by Colin Chapman - and that it has been "designed to reflect the joy and glamour of motoring in the 1970s, minus the drawbacks".
Flared front wings, retro-look 14-inch alloy wheels, a spare wheel and carrier and a bunch of 'heritage' paint finishes help give the Super Seven 1600 a ye olde worlde vibe, explains the company.
"Caterham has always been about individuality and the quality engineering that makes the Seven peerless when it comes to the driving experience," says company boss Graham Macdonald.
The new model, he says, is "a reimagining of a true modern icon, delivering exactly what the original was designed to offer - a focus on driving feel and race-inspired upgrades but with some touches of luxury to the finishes".
These are wonderful, distinctive little sports cars that offer a driving experience like nothing else. Anyone with any interest in cars should try to drive one, some time. Incidentally, I rather like that Caterham's press cars wear Northern Ireland number plates...
