1995model Caterham Super Seven JPE Racing Evolution

Caterham Super Seven JPE… It’s a machine that emits an otherworldly performance and a divine aura, a car that surpasses even the current fastest models and remains the most unforgettable in Caterham’s history for enthusiasts, doesn’t it? I, too, am one of those enthusiasts… To me, the car magazines that featured the JPE when it was announced are keepsakes to be treasured forever… I can vividly recall the articles I’ve read over and over, especially the photo of it counter-steering out of a corner, lifting the front and launching forward aggressively…

Between mid-1993 and mid-1995, only 53 units of the JPE were assembled by Caterham engineers Gary May and Perry Smith. Of these, just seven left-hand-drive models were exported to Europe and North America, with around ten staying in the UK, and the rest delivered to France and Japan, making it an incredibly rare car.

Despite its limited production, the JPE is a name known not just to Seven enthusiasts. Though a road car, it set world speed records for 0-60 mph and 0-100-0 mph (miles), among others, at the time. It became a precursor to the super high-spec Sevens that we see today, leaving an indelible mark in the memories of car enthusiasts worldwide.

Named the JPE (Jonathan Palmer Evolution) because British racer Jonathan Palmer, who retired from F1 after the 1989 season driving the Tyrrell 018, was involved in its development, the Caterham’s racing evolution model had its engine tuned by Swindon Racing Engines, who specialize in Vauxhall engines. This tuning elevated its power by a staggering 50 horsepower over the standard Vauxhall-powered Seven, delivering 250 horsepower. With an incredible power-to-weight ratio of over 500 horsepower per ton, the car’s front lifts at over 4000 rpm, accelerating like a rocket—truly the fastest car in the world.

On Monday, March 8, 1993, at the Millbrook vehicle test facility in Bedfordshire, England, one JPE, prepared to break records, lined up on the one-mile straight. Revving up to the peak torque of 6250 rpm, it launched with a racing start, unleashing its full potential.

With the accelerator fully pressed to the bulkhead, it maintained 7000 rpm until it reached 55 mph (88.5 km/h), where the speed of the rear tires finally matched the forward velocity. Just before the limiter kicked in, shifting to second gear, it hit 60 mph (96.5 km/h) in only 3.46 seconds—surpassing the world record for 0-60 mph, even beating the Ferrari F40, which was hailed as the fastest at the time!

Considering the current environment surrounding car design, with various regulations impacting automobile manufacturing, it’s unlikely that such a car will ever be made again. The JPE was born in an era right before emission regulations and single vehicle type approvals began to affect small-scale manufacturers like Caterham. This JPE was created by the bold vision of two young men, Andy Noble, who would later serve as Caterham’s marketing director, and Jez Coates, who became the technical director. Their vision? “To create the most extreme, high-performance Seven.”

Profit forecasts, sales estimates, and calculations of losses can often stifle brilliant ideas in not just the automobile industry, but the world of business as a whole. Perhaps the early 1990s were just barely a good time for such ventures, because this project started with Andy and Jez declaring, “Let’s do it!” without any meetings to discuss development costs, presentations explaining sales forecasts to executives like Graham Nearn, and no concerns about anything except for the thrill of the challenge.

The two of them, working at Caterham, would stay late into the night after their regular duties, assembling test models and racing on weekends. They’d then return to the factory to work on improvements, fully dedicated to creating this special Seven. This is something unimaginable in today’s environment, but at the time, the project lacked any cost controls, and the two of them were simply pushing ahead with the sole goal of creating “the most extreme, high-performance Seven.” As long as the company made a profit and Graham Nearn, the owner, gave his approval, their passion and brilliant idea for the “most extreme, high-performance Seven” could continue moving forward.

The two men took the 170-horsepower Vauxhall 2.0L twin-cam engine used in the fastest Caterham model at the time, the HPC, to Swindon Racing Engines and requested its development into a racing engine. Disregarding costs, as mentioned earlier, the Vauxhall racing engine alone had a purchase price of £34,950 (roughly 6.7 million yen at current exchange rates!), which was about three times the cost of the HPC engine. The tuning was intense: precision cylinder honing to house ultralight Cosworth pistons operating with a 12:1 compression ratio, racing camshafts, Cosworth-designed air intakes, and an Alpha Weber injection system—all of which produced an incredible 250 PS at 7750 rpm and 25.8 kgm of torque at 6250 rpm, extraordinary for a road car.

This engine was then mounted onto a lightweight, durable racing frame. The vision of the two young men at Caterham—creating “the most extreme, high-performance Seven”—was finally realized. The final setup was done by Jonathan Palmer, a former F1 driver, who fine-tuned it into the “ultimate road-going Seven.”

It was fate that brought the two Caterham employees and Jonathan Palmer together. After retiring from F1 in 1989, Palmer had just launched his sports driving experience business in 1991 and was in talks with Caterham to provide demonstration cars for his programs. Andy Noble, who already knew Palmer from a previous Ford corporate event, invited Palmer to join the JPE development. Their friendship led Palmer to offer his cooperation for free, providing invaluable support to the project.

Thus, with the two men’s passion and Palmer’s fine-tuning, the most extreme, high-performance Seven, equipped with a Vauxhall engine and a lightweight, durable chassis, was christened JPE (Jonathan Palmer Evolution) and unveiled at the 1992 British Motor Show. In the UK, the initial buyers had the opportunity to ride in the passenger seat with Palmer on the track, witnessing firsthand just how extreme and high-performance the JPE was. At that time, Caterham Cars President Graham Nearn told the media, “This super Seven is the ultimate road-going car for challengers. It far outperforms supercars in every way, at a fraction of the price, making it the best value-for-performance car.” This story has become a well-known legend.