Caterham 620R (2013) first official pictures

Caterham will launch its most hardcore road-going Seven ever at the 2013 Goodwood motor show. Called the 620R, the new range-topper develops 310bhp, and will hit 60mph in 2.79sec, making as fast as an a 691bhp Lamborghini Aventador.

The 620R replaces the R500 in Caterham's range, and costs £49,995. The first cars will be delivered to customers later in 2013.

Up front is the familiar Ford Duratec 2.0-litre petrol engine, now fitted with a supercharger to create 310bhp. That's a massive 43bhp more than the already unhinged R500 Superlight, yet the 620R is just as lightweight, at around 500kg (hence the 620bhp-per-tonne figure referenced in the car's name).

Gears are shifted via a sequential manual lever like the R500's transmission. The fastest Caterham ever's official top speed is 155mph.

It's not that simple – Caterham has gone to work on the all over the Seven. The 620R has a gunmetal chassis, and a reshaped aerodynamic nose section, plus extra cooling via a large bonnet-mounted air intake. The car's front track is wider than a standard Seven, with racing dampers used all round. Wheels are lightweight 13in items wearing sticky, track-biased Avon ZZR tyres.

This one might just do: those polished toggle switches are almost Pagani-like in their ornate design...

The 620R also has weight-saving carbonfibre dashboard panels, two carbon bucket seats, a racing steering wheel and competition-derived instrumentation with a digital speedo.

If the 620R is too hot to handle, hold on for the 620S. Caterham has confirmed it'll launch a less focused version of the 620 later this year, offering the same mega-power engine but with a watered-down chassis specification.

By Ollie Kew