UK automaker Caterham joined with RS Performance earlier this year to create a special performance model of the Seven roadster. The first example of this partnership -- the Caterham RS Levante -- is officially going into production, with only eight cars to be built. Don't get your hopes up, though. All eight have already been sold for £115,000 a piece.

The powerplant for the RS Levante is a custom-built 40-valve, 2.4-liter, supercharged V-8 which produces a staggering 500 horsepower. Weighing in at only 1150 pounds due to its carbon fiber, Kevlar, and aluminum body, this special Caterham has a power-to-weight ratio double that of the Bugatti Veyron. The RS Levante is said to hit 60 miles per hour in under three seconds. Caterham requires that all eight of the owners enlist in a two-day advanced driving school when they take delivery.

Click through the post to read Caterham's full press release and to see a video of the RS Levante in action.

+ Autoblog: All eight, £115,000 Caterham RS Levantes sold out

Caterham RS Levante – Sold Out

Despite the recent decline in car sales and consumer spending, all of the £115,000 plus Caterham-based Levante supercars scheduled for production have been sold.

Launched in Spring 2008, the Levante is the most powerful production Caterham ever, with only eight being hand-built by Hertfordshire-based RS Performance in association with Caterham Cars.

The Levante boasts RS Performance's unique, in-house designed supercharged 500+bhp 2.4 litre V8 engine, housed in a modified version of the lightweight Caterham SV chassis. With close to 1000bhp-per-tonne, the figure is nearly double that of the Bugatti Veyron.

With its modern and aggressive interpretation of the Seven's classic looks, the Levante possesses a sophisticated electronics package, including traction and launch control, to allow drivers to get the most from the incredible machine.

All new owners of Caterham RS models are required to attend a two-day advanced driving course on delivery of their machines.

Caterham sales & marketing director, Andy Noble, commented: 'The fact that all eight Levantes have been sold so quickly comes as no surprise. Over the last 51 years, the Seven has created and met the demand for those searching for the purest form of driving available. For drivers looking for the ultimate, the Levante facilitates that by taking Colin Chapman's original design to a staggering new level.'

In parallel to the success of the Caterham RS Levante, Caterham Cars enjoyed one of its best ever sales periods this summer thanks to the arrival of the critically acclaimed Superlight R500 and the expansion of the Academy race series from two to three grids for the 2009 season.