2015 CATERHAM SEVEN 620 R

310 horsepower is a nice little number. But the average car weighs somewhere around 4,000 pounds. So when you get that 310 hp in a featherweight 1,200-pound vehicle, as it is with the Caterham Seven 620 R, something special happens when you hit the gas.

With an unwavering emphasis on vintage styling, lightness, and no-frills speed, the 620 R is one of the fastest ways in the world to get from 0-60 mph, doing it in a blistering 2.8 seconds. The supercharger 2.0-liter Duratec engine creates 219 pound-feet of torque and reaches a top speed of 155 mph. There’s serrated fins in the opening and an extra intake for cooling, performance tuning, adjustable dampers, and aero-shaped control arms, as well as a Bilstein- and Eibach-sourced independent suspension up front and a de Dion rear end. But that’s it. In the cabin there’s no airbags, no radio, no nothing. The 620 R starts at $72,900 for a rolling chassis, but with extras (like paint jobs for $5k), you’ll be over $100,000 easily when you’re done customizing one. [Purchase]