Iconic British Sports Car manufacturer set to go global following acqusition by F1 Team Lotus Enterprise.

Caterham Cars, the custodians of the two-seater Caterham Seven race-car, has been purchased by Team Lotus Enterprise in a deal announced last week. The acquisition by Tony Fernandes, Kamarudin Meranun and SM Nasarudin will ensure the continued development of the legendary Caterham Seven and additions to its range of products. The Seven was originally conceived by Colin Chapman in 1957 and is still one of the most raced cars in the world.

The Caterham Seven is a familiar sight in the local area as visitors to the Caterham Cars showroom in Station Road take the eye-catching sports car out for test drives around town.

Andy Noble, Sales and Marketing Director for Caterham Cars, said: "This is exciting news for the town that will certainly put Caterham on a global rather than national map. As our association with the F1 team becomes more public we will become a worldwide brand - it is a big quantum leap for Caterham Cars!"

The exciting new era for Caterham Cars will be led by the company's existing management team, headed up by Managing Director, Ansar Ali. Ansar has been responsible for boosting Caterham's exports during the last five years, creating the Superlight R500 - Top Gear's Car of the Year for 2008 - and their first brand new model in 15 years, the SP/300.R sports prototype racer.

Ansar said: "This is another exciting chapter in the Caterham story. The acquisition of the company by Team Lotus Enterprise will allow us to take the spirit of pure driving enjoyment to a new audience.

As Caterham Cars continues to grow across the globe we will also have the opportunity to expand beyond the Seven and SP/300.R and breathe new life into our uniquely respected brand."

Tony Fernandes, one of the new owners, said: "Caterham has a unique place at the heart of the motoring world. As well as being proudly and staunchly British, it has an enviable and uniquely unblemished reputation within the industry for performance, handling and engineering excellence.

"It is already a successful business with sales across Europe, Japan, Australia and the Middle East. Under the guidance of the existing management team we now have all the ingredients to further evolve and take Caterham to new exciting horizons with innovative products and greater global brand exposure."

Andy Noble added: "We could not wish for a better partner - it is a dream come true. Following the outcome of a legal case currently going on it is probable the Team Lotus Enterprise F1 car will carry Caterham Seven livery and there is the possibility that the team name will incorporate 'Caterham'!"