Learning to Drift Is Deeply Satisfying

It’s hard to believe Caterhams are still a thing. They’re tiny, light, and, even with modest power, ludicrously fast. There are no safety aids to speak of. They’re also miserable experiences 95% of the time. They’re cramped, bumpy, on the highway they’re noisy, and the transmission tunnel will slow cook your legs. If the weather turns, the wipers are largely useless, and Caterham’s convertible roofs aren’t great at keeping water out anyway.

But find the right road in a Caterham and you’ll find heaven. Loud noises, a short shift, and the sort of responses the likes of McLaren and Ferrari spend billions chasing. A Caterham of any flavor is about as close to ‘pure’ as cars get. But keeping them on the road is a foolish thing to do. Sure you can race ‘em, but why not spend a day drifting like a teenager in a parking lot while not worrying about getting busted by the cops? 

Friends, welcome to the Caterham Drift Experience: where grown-ups go to slide.

Caterham hosts several days per year when drivers of all abilities can rock up, get in a car, and be expertly taught how to slide, far away from anything solid. 

Unlike the myriad of experience days where you sit in a tired old Ferrari and do three flaccid laps of a parking lot, here you get a car to yourself and are told to listen to one of Caterham’s expert coaches. The result is that you actually learn something—whether you’re an old hand or a rank amateur, the aim is to give you a big grin and a new take on car control.

At the start of the day, the team talks you through the basics: how sliding a car works, how drifting is possible, the concept of weight transfer, and what you’ll be doing for the day. You’re also introduced to the car: a Seven 360R. Packing a 180-horsepower 2.0-liter Ford Duratec motor hooked up to a five-speed stick, it’s a punchy package, especially considering it weighs just 1,235 pounds. 

The ‘R’ in its name indicates this is not a standard car. R cars get a light flywheel, a limited-slip differential, punchier brakes, 15-inch wheels, four-point harnesses, fancier trim, and R badges all over the place. Caterham says it’ll crack 0-60 mph in 4.8 seconds, and hit 130 mph. But on the day, you won’t go