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Caterham calls time on iconic Superlight R500

By Adam Binnie Motor Industry 08 July 2014 10:52 The final Caterham Superlight R500 has rolled off the production line as the Dartford sports car maker closes the order book on one of its most extreme creations. The 253bhp R500, which is capable of reaching 60mph in 2.88 seconds, pirouetted onto the scene in a cloud of tyre smoke in 2008. This lightweight David went on to win hearts and minds around the world by beating the Goliath Bugatti Veyron on Top Gear TV’s test track by nearly half a second.

Dusting off chavs in a 1963 Jaguar Mark II 3.8

The guy in the baseball cap with the gold sticker still on the peak glanced across and registered nothing. The empty sound of 1.6 litres of Citroen’s finest fell impotently out through an exhaust pipe larger than a drain. Content in the thought that he did not need to worry about the old-fashioned chrome laden crock next to him, the lights turned to amber and he drew his elbow in through the window as the glow of blue LEDs emanating from under the sills launched down the road, followed by the un-silenced sound of French chipped distress.

Driven: Ford Mondeo wagon

But the design of this Mondeo is interesting because of this, not despite this. The core challenge for the Ford design team was how to balance delivering a distinctively engaging design with being acceptable to as much as possible of the broad target profile of potential buyer. This is perhaps the biggest unspoken challenge for today's vehicle designer.