The motor industry is notoriously secretive. To keep their competitive edge, new cars are designed far from the prying eyes of the media. In the studios of the major manufacturers high security is vital to guard against people smuggling out pictures of 'the next big thing'.

Caterham is a much smaller operation but they were equally nervous about allowing cameras to document the project they were embarking on. The film was to be a rare insight into the birth of a new car. To their credit, with the occasional gentle reminder, Caterham allowed us to film the entire process, even when the going got tough.

For me the story that slowly unfolded in front of our camera is about far more than cars. It is a story of succession: succession of management in a family run business and succession of product in a one product business. It is a snapshot of a period in time where the past and the present did battle for control of the future.

Had I known more of the history of the car Caterham was setting out to replace, perhaps I would have understood difficulties the team might face. The Caterham Seven is a product with a long history. It was designed back in 1957 by Colin Chapman, a man without whom the 'legends of British motorsport' file would have looked rather thinner. Chapman's design had survived through a combination of timeless appeal and the enterprise and sheer hard work of Simon's father, Graham Nearn and colleagues who took over production of The Seven in the early Seventies. Although The Seven had evolved substantially over the years, it had always remained true to the spirit of Chapman's original design.