Honed on the race circuits of Europe, and with nearly half a century of heritage, the explosive new Caterham Seven Superlight R500 evolution has arrived.

Weighing just 470 kg (1036 lb), the lightweight Seven packs a 530bhp per tonne punch from the specially bored 1998cc K Series engine. Impressive figures but the real clout comes from the 190lb-ft of torque that kicks in at less than 4,000 revs, serving up the 125bhp per litre quicker and with more gusto than anything else on the road.

Engineered, designed and hand built in Britain, the new R500 evolution will sit at the top of the hugely successful Superlight family – joining the world record breaking R500, the R400 and fastest ever selling Seven, the R300.

The minimalist cabin is dressed with lightweight carbon-fibre trim, carbon-kevlar race seats and the classic Superlight Stack speedometer. New lightweight 13-inch eight-spoke wheels shod with Avon CR500 tyres help convert the raw power into road performance, whilst the AP Racing brakes have been fine-tuned at endurance events at Nurburgring and in the USA.

Fully adjustable dampers allow those buying the R500 evolution for track day hedonism to travel en route to the circuit with a set-up more tuned to the road conditions, only to alter and lower for the rigours of high-speed tarmac action.

"Designed for the experienced driver, the Superlight R500 evolution perfectly sums up the spirit of the Seven and in doing so, sets a new standard in terms of performance, agility and enjoyment," explained Simon Nearn, managing director of Caterham Cars.

On sale from end of April in UK, the Superlight R500 evolution is priced at £42,000 (approx. $77,000) on the road.