Caterham to appear on the F1 cars of new partner Team Lotus at the British GP 2011

At the Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 9 and 10, Caterham Cars will enter Formula One where its name will be seen on the F1 cars of Team Lotus, its new partner. This move by the British sportscar maker brings it to the center of global motorsport and allows its cars to be promoted in new territories. This move comes half a century after Innes Ireland of Team Lotus had its first Formula One victory in the U.S. Grand Prix.

A holding company, which is part-owned by Tony Fernandes, bought Caterham last April. With the new partnership, Caterham will appear on the sidepods of the two Team Lotus F1 cars, which will have Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli behind the wheel. Graham Nearn founded Caterham Cars in the 1960s to serve as a dealership for the Lotus Seven created by Colin Chapman, who also joined the F1 in 1954. In 1973, Caterham got the rights to produce the Seven. As the years passed, the Seven evolved into this formidable supercar while the Caterham brand became an iconic independent brand.
Caterham Cars managing director, Ansar Ali, said: “This is a monumental occasion for Caterham Cars. We are a niche low-volume sportscar manufacturer and yet we are now a key partner for a Formula One team with an extremely bright future. The purchase of Caterham signalled an exciting new era for the company in terms of the continued development of the legendary Seven."