Caterham Cars was a major Lotus 7 dealer during the 1960s, run by Graham Nearn from its base in Caterham, Surrey. When Lotus announced in 1973 that it would stop building the Seven, Nearn’s company acquired the rights and began producing the car itself.
Production stayed in Caterham until 1987, when it moved to Dartford, Kent, where the company has been based since. Some operations moved to Leafield, Oxfordshire in 2012, and Caterham moved into a new Dartford facility in 2024.
Caterham stayed independent until 2011, when it was bought by Team Lotus, forming the Caterham Group. In 2021 Caterham Cars was acquired by VT Holdings, the Japanese importer of the Seven since 2009.