December isn’t typically the best time of year for seeing rare cars on the road, so when I noticed an unusual green shape in my rearview mirror last week, I had to slow down and see what it was. As it approached, I recognized the shape as a Lotus Elise, but as if that wasn’t remarkable enough, I noticed what was following. The next two vehicles included a Caterham (being towed) and the unmistakable profile of a Ferrari.
Coincidence? Probably not. I’ll make the wild assumption that these three cars were travelling together. I was heading out to Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains with my family for hiking, and my guess is that these three drivers were headed to the same region for driving on twisty mountain roads. Let’s take a brief look at each of these three unusual sports cars.
The first to pass us was this 2005 Lotus Elise. If I were to quickly name a “pure sports car” made in the last 20 years, the fiberglass-bodied, mid-engined Elise would come to mind. The Elise is a modern embodiment of Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s mantra that “adding power makes you faster on the straights; subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere.” Powered by a Lotus-modified Toyota 1.8-liter VVTL-i engine as used on the Celica GT-S, this Elise produces 190 hp… all to power a car that weighs 2,000 lbs. (even for a federalized version like this one).
To say this is a “driver’s car” would be somewhat of an understatement – it has little in the way of luxuries, but can reach 60 mph in about 5 seconds and can attack curves like a race car. In fact, the Elise is quite possibly Lotus’s purest sports car since the classic Lotus 7. Speaking of which…
This is what followed the Elise. First of all, have you ever seen a Ford Focus towing another car? I surely haven’t, but this is a Caterham Seven 420R, which makes the Elise seem downright portly, weighing only about 1,250 lbs. Lotus made the original Seven from 1957 to 1972, after which it sold rights to produce the car to Caterham Cars, which has produced Sevens in various forms ever since. As is probably obvious, this is a minimalist sports car.
Caterham has sold cars in the US on an on-and-off basis in recent years, and this appears to be a newer US-market version. US-bound Sevens are imported in pieces, and assembled Stateside, thus falling into the kit car category… and this is one fast kit. The featherweight Seven corners like an F1 car and is powered by Ford’s 2-liter Zeta engine that develops 210 hp… which can propel the Seven to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds. And if you consider the regular Seven 420 too broughamy, you can order the R package like this one, which brings the “sport suspension” (yes, the regular ones have a “road suspension”), racing seats, and other goodies that justify the R moniker.
I understand its owner’s desire to tow it – driving a race-package Seven on an Interstate would be a… punishing experience.
And then we have the Ferrari. Although this particular car is a 1992 512TR, 99.5% of people would call it a Testarossa. Ferrari enthusiasts likely cringe at folks calling these cars Testarossas – after all, there were hundreds of changes between the two models… everything from revised front end styling to 40 more horsepower (the new flat-12 cranked out 421 hp). But the continued presence of those remarkable side louvers ensures that it will always be connected with that name. A total of 2,261 TRs left Maranello between 1992 and 1994, with 408 of those destined for the United States.
In my opinion, the back end of this car is not its best angle, but then I was never in Ferrari’s target demographic – maybe if I was, the ultra wide and low design would appeal more to me. Regardless, the years I spent obsessively reading 1980s car magazines left an indelible mark on my conscience, and I would love the chance to drive one of these just once. Not own, mind you, just drive.
As these three fortunate drivers vanished into the Blue Ridge’s blue haze, I could only guess as to the fun they would all have that day. I was tempted to tag along, but somehow I think my minivan might have been left in the dust somewhere.
Photographed on Interstate 66 in Fauquier County, Virginia in December 2020.
Great find, Eric. A Focus ST towing a Caterham would have been enough for a post all by itself, that guy likes his cars. The ST isn’t rated tow at all and has a center exhaust exit, so I’m curious how he set it up.
The funny thing is that when I saw these cars, I was so focused on the Caterham that I didn’t even notice the tow vehicle until after it passed. And I don’t have another photo that shows the tow set-up. But I was rather surprised when I realized just what does doing the towing there!
Great spotting, Eric. I love spotting classics on the interstate and wonder where they are off to, adventure wise.
Of course, if the are headed for Skyline Drive, the poor Ferrari driver may not be able to get his car out of second gear, to paraphrase Sammy Hagar. The speed limit is only 35, although much like Mr. Hagar in his song, he’s likely not concerned with driving at the legal limit.
I am surprised the 512 isn’t sporting Maryland’s “Historic Plates”, considering its age. The sports car being towed by the Focus should have them too.
This Semi-DD one that I occasionally see in Columbia, MD is sporting them. The guy that owns this one takes it out in all kinds of weather….
I live north of the border, just west of Toronto. I have historic plates on my hobby car. The cost is $18.00 per year. The cost of conventional plates is $120.00 per year. The government doesn’t give you something for nothing. There are a lot of restrictions placed on this plates as far as regular use. I drive my car around 500 miles per year and do not abuse the intent of these plates.
Believe it or not, the Caterham being towed by the Focus is new, or nearly new… though it’s mighty hard to tell.
I remember you mentioning that silver Testarossa in an earlier post – quite a remarkable commuter car! I agree with what Jack says above about Historic plates — here in Virginia the Historic plate restrictions are largely ignored, but given my luck, I’d be the one person in the state who’s busted for driving to work in a Historic-registered vehicle.
The Ferrari is displaying the standard Maryland plate commemorating the War of 1812, which has since been replaced by the design seen on the Caterham. The 1812 plate – with its red “fireworks” on a white background – was either a plain design failure or a ploy to get us to spend a little extra for “protect the Chesapeake Bay” plates. Well, at least I did.
Having used U-Haul dollies, my guess is that the dolly weighs almost as much as the Caterham Seven, increasing the load for the poor Ford.
All three drivers are anxiously looking at the weather app on their phones for any indication whatsoever of snow flurries coming in…
Quite the little grouping and as usual the Ferrari is the most visually noticeable of the bunch, say what you will about its styling, it certainly has a presence and a way of making one’s head snap around toward it.
I got to drive a Testarossa, just once. It was in the mid-90s, and a local Ferrari enthusiast had just taken delivery. It was to be his “winter” car, so it didn’t bother him that the roads were cold and icy, and that it had summer tires on. He drove first, to warm it up, then let me have a turn.
The indelible impressions:
The clutch was as heavy as any truck I had driven.
The shifter was incredibly stiff. It did not “snick” between gears, but took a determined shove.
And the headrests seemed to push my head forward uncomfortably. That is, until I cracked the throttle in first gear, when the headrests kept my gaze on the road ahead, and not the roof.
The drive lasted about 10 minutes. The stupid grin on my face lasted for days.
What an interesting little convoy. I have had a Caterham well up on my fantasy garage list for some time along with an Elise. Great post
I have to disagree a bit on the rear view of Testarossa (err, 512TR), to me that’s the most defining view of it, as the front is fairly anonymous wedge sports car, and the sides are so busy with the stakes they visually overpower the otherwise great shape. The rear on the other hand emphasizes and pulls together all that exotic wedgy lowness and wideness so special to the design, I guess people don’t like the square shaped taillights behind the Trans Amesque louvered cover instead of the traditional rounds but it works for me, much better than the 512M and the insect like taillight treatment of modern Ferraris.
512TR flows off the tongue doesn’t it? Testarossa is one of the greatest names ever christened to a car and they turned it into acronym soup. Sorry snotty Ferrari fans, this is a Testarossa, what does that TR stand for anyway? Wasn’t the Testarossa’s predecessor the 512BB? Doesn’t it stand to reason the original Testarossa was a 512”TR” too if one were to abbreviate it?
I’m finding myself appreciating the Elise more and more, rock solid and reliable Toyota power, light mid engined chassis and styling that to my eye echos the Dino 246 GTS. When I was a kid they weren’t exotic enough, and I was more attracted to the Esprit design that these effectively took the thunder from.
For some reason, I find the combination of the extremely low and wide dimensions and the louvered lights/engine cover ends up looking a bit too kit car-ish for me. I like the distinctiveness of the side louvers, but only because they were unique… if other sports cars adopted that look I’d have been annoyed by them.
But my favorite minor design feature on these Testarossas is the review mirror mounted on those long stalks… for some reason I think that alone generates excitement.
XR7Matt, my reply to what does TR stand for – despite being a lifelong car nut – is, of course, Teddy Roosevelt. And happens to be one of my favorite Presidents of the past, based on what is known about him. My brother shares a birthday with him, only born 99 years later!
I have neighbor who parks his Testarossa on the street.
Got to love the way Caterham badge their cars………. 420 means 420 bhp/ton