The engine is a Cosworth-honed 2.3-litre Ford Duratec unit. Race-engine specialist Cosworth has stripped the motor and rebuilt it with forged conrods and pistons, new camshafts, uprated valve springs, a gas-flowed cylinder head and roller barrel port throttles. Peak power is 260bhp at 7500rpm, with torque maxing at 200lb ft at 6000rpm, making the CSR 260 the fiercest-accelerating production Seven ever.
Visually, it’s easy to tell apart from other Sevens. The CSR has a new nose with a chin spoiler and carbon wind deflectors, and newly profiled front wings. There are no outboard dampers: they’ve been moved inboard to reduce unsprung weight and, like the nose and wings, give aerodynamic improvement – front end lift is reduced by 50 per cent. At the rear, double wishbones replace the previous de Dion suspension. The chassis is based on that of the wide-bodied SV, modified to increase torsional stiffness by 25 per cent.