The Caterham Seven is coming to the United States, legally

Fans of no-frills, no-nonsense motoring, rejoice: The Caterham Seven is coming to the United States, legally -- some assembly required.

Caterham says Irvine, Calif.-based Superperformance is the automaker's official U.S. distributor as of Jan. 1, and it's set to offer "several variants of the Seven" in the coming months. We'll get the more powerful versions of the car first, with the 311-hp supercharged 2.0-liter-equipped Seven 620R topping the range for now.

In keeping with the rest of Superperformance's offerings, which include a GT40 and several Shelby Cobra variants, the Caterhams will be sold as drivetrain-free "rollers" that you'll have to complete at home. Based on the sheer number of "continuation" Cobras we see on the road, though, you probably won't have to be a mechanical prodigy to install the powerplant of your dreams

To what or to whom do we owe this New Year's gift? According to Caterham, we should be thanking Simon Cowell, who boosted interest in the brand after he took delivery of a Seven CSR 260 in Los Angeles last year.

We'll be sure to let you know how much your new Seven will cost as soon as we can get the figures. To provide some reference, a turnkey Seven 620 costs the equivalent of roughly $82,000 in England -- but there's no telling how much you'll save if you drop the motor in yourself. For a car that can rocket to 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds, it's a bargain however you slice it.

By Graham Kozak