The Caterham Seven 310S takes winter in its stride

As the evenings draw in and the days get shorter, traditionally Caterhams get put away to slumber in a warm, dry garage awaiting the fresher, brighter and slightly warmer days of Spring to arrive.

However, this isn’t the case with our 310S.

Thanks to excellent heaters that help the cabin become more of a cocoon than a chiller, it’s not an uncomfortable place to be – even with these colder temperatures.

Of course, the side screens do help a lot with this. Coming as part of the ‘S’ package, they really take the vast majority of wind chill. I’ve driven it with them removed and, though this is okay in summer time, it’s best avoided this close to winter.

I have, in fairness, seen a few other Sevens on the road with steely eyed owners behind the wheel clad in all manner of all-weather gear. The only real addition I feel I need, however, is a hat – the wind can whistle around your head something awful and leave you feeling like you’ve been biting chunks out of ice cubes.

I’ve got to admit that I went into this long-term loan with a good degree of excitement, and I leave it with an unimaginable need to have one of these little cars for my own. It’s not very often that this happens – but the way the Seven makes you feel, as well as the way it makes other people feel is quite infectious. I’ve only got a few weeks left with it, and I’m desperately trying to come to terms with its upcoming departure.

Is there anything I’d change about the car? Not particularly. I feel that the ‘S’ level suspension is spot-on for the UK. I’ve driven the ‘R’ version – this gains stiffer, lower suspension as well as a limited-slip differential – and it feels a touch brash, especially on country roads like those near to where I live. The standard sports seats provide plenty of support too, though I’m a big fan of the optional carbon composite units – though at £1,110 each they’re not cheap. I’d also appreciate the lighter flywheel that comes on ‘R’ cars – this gives the 310 a far ‘zippier’ feeling, with the engine losing and gaining revs far quicker than the ‘S’ car.

One thing that I, and most people who see the car agree on, is the colour. Without the Lava Orange scheme, Carl – as he’s come to be known – just wouldn’t be the same. If I were specifying my own car, I’d probably pick something similar – though I do feel that one finished in Volkswagen’s MK2 Golf ‘Oak Green’ would look equally impressive, and certainly less in-your-face.

Though many people have called the ‘SV’ wide-body Caterham not a ‘proper’ version of the Seven, I’ve got to disagree. It’s a far airier place to be, and those who have been in the passenger seat feel a little less confined. My only issue is that the pedal box has also been widened, which makes heel and toe quite tricky – not something you’d expect from a Caterham. The narrower Seven certainly feels more hemmed-in around you, but for everyday usability I think the SV works well.

I’ve already found out what the 310S will be replaced with – I’ll leave you guessing about that for a little bit – but let’s just say it’s a reasonable amount larger than the Caterham, though this isn’t particularly tricky. It is, however, worlds away in terms of performance and everyday usability.

Unfortunately for me, Caterham does offer a – temptingly – good finance deal on its cars. With Carl going back soon, it’s looking better and better by the day. I’m sure the girlfriend wouldn’t mind, would she?

Model: Caterham Seven 310S SV
Price: £32,995
Engine: 1.6-litre petrol
Power: 152bhp
Torque: 168Nm
Max speed: 127mph
0-60mph: 4.9 seconds
MPG (COMBINED): N/A
Emissions: N/A
Mileage: 7,850