Caterham teases an all new sports car with electric power ... and a hard top

The Caterham Seven could be about to get an all-new stablemate after its Dartford-based posted an intriguing sports car silhouette to its Twitter profile with the message "A new concept is coming", and a link to a web page previewing something called "Project V".

The Seven is one of the longest-running production cars on sale, and real favourite among fans of lightweight back-to-basics sports cars. The Project V teaser suggests something altogether different, though, with what appears to be a hard top and — as per the blurb on the website — an electric powertrain.

The closed-roof silhouette hints at a shape not too dissimilar from models such as the Porsche Cayman, Lotus Emira and Alpine A110.

In fact, Caterham and Alpine recently announced a parting of ways from a joint venture that would have seen both firms produce electric sports cars using the same technology. Whether Project V is the fruit of Caterham's involvement in the venture will likely be revealed when it's finally uncovered.

The countdown timer on the Caterham webpage schedules the car's unveiling to take place on Wednesday, July 12, which is the day before the Goodwood Festival of Speed (FoS) kicks off. In that case, it's likely the car will be on static display at the event, and possibly part of the hugely popular Supercar Run that takes place each year. FoS has become popular with car makers for new car reveals in recent years.

Beyond that there isn't much more information about Project V to go by at the moment. The website states it will be pure-electric and has "a bold new design". It is also claimed to be "driver focused, lightweight and fun to drive", as well as "a statement of intent".

Customers can register their interest in the new model on the page.

This is not the first time that Caterham has attempted to expand its model line-up to appeal to buyers beyond those wanting the hardcore and basic thrills offered by the Seven. One of the first attempts was the Caterham 21, revealed in 1994 — a roadster launched to celebrate 21 years of the brand building Sevens.

The 21 was based on the Seven but equipped with a more conventional open-topped sports car body, while power came from a choice of 1.6- or 1.8-litre Rover engines.

The revised body meant it was a more comfortable car to drive than the Seven, while its performance was only marginally slower. Caterham had plans to build 200 cars a year, but while the 21 was praised for its good looks and decent handling, Caterham only built 40-50 cars up to 1999.

Plans for a follow-up came in 2014 with the C120 project. This was part of a joint venture with Renault and its sub-brand Alpine, but neither Renault nor Caterham could get enough funding to see the project through.

The C120 was developed as a mid-engined, closed-roof sports car, but one that would still have combustion-engined power.

The Project V isn't the first electric concept from Caterham, either. Only a couple of weeks ago, the firm revealed the EV Seven, which featured a 240bhp rear-mounted electric motor, 51kWh battery and a 0-60mph time of around four seconds.

The two electric models could conceivably share a common powertrain, and the fact that the electric version was only 70kg heavier than the standard Seven suggests that Caterham is serious about its ‘lightweight and fun to drive’ objective.