There's a new British sports car on the street: Connaught is about to launch the Type-D Syracuse (see links to related stories below).
With 300bhp and 274lb-ft of torque from a supercharged front-mounted 2.0-litre V10 petrol engine, the 750Kg car is no slouch. The company claims an entirely believable 0-60mph in under five seconds and a top speed of 170mph. The 2+2 coupé is made of composites and stainless steel with aluminium panels.
The car was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Tony Brooks' historic win for Connaught in the 1955 Syracuse Grand Prix. Connaught was the first British manufacturer to win a Formula 1 Grand Prix, beating works Maserati & Ferraris and the first to build their own aerodynamic wind tunnel.
Due to debut at Autosport International in January, production starts in May. But if you want one, contact the company now as there will only be 100 made -- and 28 have already been sold for the asking price of between £60,000 to £80,000, depending on spec.
Hybrid
In future, there'll be a ‘HigherBred’ (d'oh!) petrol/electric hybrid version, which will include an electric motor and a normally aspirated version of the V10 with 162bhp and 142lb ft of torque. Performance is claimed to be 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds and Vmax of 140mph -- and 42mpg. Impressively, it'll only weigh 100Kg more.
The brainchild of two ex-Jaguar consultant engineers, Tim Bishop and Tony Martindale, the Connaught Type-D has to date received almost half a million pounds worth of funding from the Energy Saving Trust and has 17 patents pending on its ground-breaking technology.
The car was previewed at the Goodwood Revival, a fitting venue to resurrect a famous name of 1950s automotive engineering, but the new Connaught Motor Company insists that it's no heritage-laden throw-back to past eras.
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