Caterham Is Working With Yamaha On Its Next Sports Car

The announcement that Caterham, purveyor of some of the most raw, involving sports cars around is teaming up with Yamaha, maker of astonishing high-revving superbike engines (and pretty good pianos too, apparently) to work on powertrains had us rather excited.

There is a catch, though, and it’s the one you’ll be pretty used to in the year 2024. Temper your expectations for some kind of ultra-special Seven powered by the screaming 197bhp, 13,500rpm four-pot from the (now sadly discontinued) Yamaha R1 litre bike, because the two companies are set to work together on Caterham’s upcoming electric sports car.

That’s the car currently known as Project V, which we saw in concept form last year. As a two-door, closed-body coupe, it’s set to be a big departure for Caterham, which has previously only gone beyond the classic Seven silhouette once before with the fleetingly rare 21 roadster of the 1990s.

As an EV, Project V is an even bigger deviation from the norm, but we’re promised it’ll still pursue lightness and driving fun above all else – and if there’s anyone we reckon can deliver that in electric guise, it’s Caterham.

Yamaha’s main contribution to the car will be an e-axle – effectively a single unit that incorporates a traditional axle plus an electric motor and transmission, allowing for tighter packaging and reduced weight. Yamaha will also provide the “vehicle motion control”, i.e. the software that keeps the car’s lateral, longitudinal and vertical motion in check.

The two companies are currently collaborating on a prototype, which they hope to have up and running by the middle of next year. It’s just one part of Yamaha’s expansion into electric propulsion – the Japanese company is also developing a powertrain for the reborn Lola motorsport outfit as it prepares to enter the upcoming season of Formula E.