2027 Zenos E10 r2 | PH Review
Lower-powered two-seater is still a road-legal track day rocket - but with a twist
If the monstrously fast E10 rZ prototype we drove last year sounds too terrifying for your liking, rest assured the reborn Zenos brand is launching a less extreme take on its road-legal track car. Swapping out the highly strung turbocharged Volvo 2.0-litre for a more relaxed 2.3 EcoBoost four banger, the E10 r2 has a comparatively modest 380hp per tonne, meaning it’s less likely to pull your skin off your face with a 0-62mph time of 3.8 seconds. With a lower starting price of £116k to the rZ’s £130k and longer service schedules too, it might also be a tad easier to justify to the other half.
That is until you take them for a spin, because while this entry-level Zenos - which, as we’ll get onto shortly, has been significantly overhauled from the E10 that failed to see out the 2010s - looks like a moderately quick track car on paper, but out on the open road, it’s still ruddy rapid. With its lack of any driving assistance gizmos (and not just of the ADAS kind, but also the ESC and TC kind too), rear-wheel drive and unassisted steering, it’s still very much 790kg of supercar slayer. Which goes some way to explaining the price.
In fact, it’s much clearer now than it was during our Donington Park prototype drive just how far the new Zenos brand has gone with the template. Sure, the less-than-50-strong team of staffers working directly on the project is small, but it’s supported by dozens more from the AC Cars and Green Tech Automotive companies that sit alongside, all under the stewardship of Alan Lubinsky. That has given Zenos direct access to already established global supply chains, not to mention UK R&D and innovation.
Case in point, all of the carbon that goes into the E10 models, which includes all body panels and the tub at its core, is made in-house at Bognor Regis. The aluminium T-shaped chassis is bonded and riveted because, as you may already know, there are more than just a few former Lotus employees at Zenos (plus it’s better at surviving rapid changes in temperature than welding). Even the seats are carbon items made by Zenos. The new interior is now fully weatherproof, while the electronics are motorsport-grade and yet offer a simple button-start experience.
The chassis, too, has seen a major overhaul from the pre-Lubinsky era E10, while eagle-eyed observers will have noticed changes in the body too. The nose is far more aggressive, with a much larger opening that exposes a carbon fibre floor, while the headlights are now much simpler, integrating both the dipped and main beam into a single unit, along with the indicators. The area used by the old U-shaped indicators now provides space for intakes to channel air to the front brake calipers. Handy.
More aero work has taken place on the side of the car, where you’ll find new winglets that also give the E10 in both forms (because they both look identical) more muscle. Behind them, the intercooler radiators, which have been shifted from the nose to this new position, are tucked close to the engine bay, meaning less plumbing is needed than before, saving weight. At the back, there’s a new bumper with no grille for maximum aggression and a cleaner look. The tailpipes are stacked in the middle for much the same reason.
Both E10 variants use the same adjustable Bilstein coilovers with push rods all round, with the potential for aggressive geometry if owners really want to extract maximum performance from their car. That said, with under 800 kilos to carry and the option to fit road-friendly Toyo rubber rather than semi-slick tyres on the 16- and 17-inch stacked wheels, they won’t necessarily come out of the box with lap time-chasing setups.
Ensuring the chassis upgrades create something both fast and approachable has been a big part of development because Zenos wants to ensure its E10 pairing satisfies a wide range of enthusiasts. With cars sold in Britain each being made road legal for no extra cost via the DVSA’s Individual Vehicle Approval inspection, they also have to (at least upon arrival) be drivable on roads that are considerably bumpier than a race track. A car that tramlines like a road bike might knacker you before you arrive at the track day.
Moreover, this means UK cars have to run with catalytic convertors and silencers, although other markets might not necessarily need to if owners don’t require their cars to be road legal. In fact, Zenos plans to sell the E10s abroad specifically as track cars. As you might expect, a big market for this is America, where Zenos is eyeing circuits where vehicles are made available for rent or tuition, not to mention the many individuals with a few dollars to spare - especially anyone who fancies their chances against GT4 and GT3 machines on an open track day.
The roads outside Donington Park, where Zenos’s main showroom can be found, are nothing like Road America. There are far more speed humps, roundabouts and distracted Jaecoo drivers to be anything like that. And it’s here where we opt to sample this friendliest of E10s, because our stint on track last year confirmed the obvious: that a Zenos on semi slicks is an absolute monster when it comes to lapping a circuit. How will it fare with public roads, where a helmet and gloves are optional?
Surprisingly well, it turns out, at least initially. Because the EcoBoost is running around 300hp, it’s actually less tightly wound than the motor you’d find in an old Focus RS. The six-speed manual it’s paired with, after some fine-tuning by the Zenos team since our 2025 drive, offers such a lovely, positive shift action alongside a clutch that’s light and feelsome. It's very easy to pull away smoothly and short shift up a few cogs in the r2. You can drive the 2.3-litre setup of this E10 like any normal four-pot sports car - like a manual Lotus of old, if you will.
The Hethel comparisons don’t end there, because the low-speed ride on the Toyo Comfort tyres of our r2 is actually quite soft, and yet you’re acutely aware of every detail in the road surface below through your backside and the wonderfully chatty steering. Naturally, if you catch a pothole or deep drain cover, there’s a thump through the chassis. But you’re never beaten up - far from it. Oh, and the tracks are wide enough, and the ride just about high enough, for you to position the car perfectly to avoid those narrow humps that all Cayman GT4 drivers (and their front splitters) know very well.
Floor it and the EcoBoost isn’t lag-free, needing 3,000 revs before locating the good stuff. But with so little weight to shift, even if you burble and whoosh along (the turbo feels like it's breathing just behind your left ear) above tick over, you can easily keep up with traffic. Drop a couple of gears, however, and the cheaper E10 piles on sufficient speed to have you leaning on that headrest. If, like us, you don’t have a windscreen, you’ll be wanting a full face lid to keep the flies out of your eyes and mouth, because in three seconds they come at you thick and fast.
If you plan on using a Zenos on the road, this is definitely the motor to go for, not just because it’s more forgiving at low speed but also because the turn of pace is far more usable in public. And with quick but not overly-reactive steering and a playful mid-engined balance, you can arrive at B road bends with only a quick dab of brakes and one heel-and-toe downshift before picking your line. You’ve space to play, the car rotates in a friendly, light-footed manner, and even if you catch a bump mid-bend, the shocks have more than enough in reserve to soak it up.
That said, if you want a hooligan, the Volvo-powered E10 rZ is more throttle adjustable, with the limited-slip differential on our 2.3 being so effective that any requests for serious rotation are met with a satisfying (but not particularly lairy) hooking up of the driven axle. But as a road sports car, that’s fine. And it goes with the manners of a car that isn’t too loud, and isn’t too aesthetically shouty. Or too hard on its passengers.
You can make things more road-friendly with the optional windscreen. But it’s the potential (or at least the acknowledgement that it might be desirable to some) for a spider-style fabric roof setup that could really make the E10 feel more like a road car. With a phone mount or even a small, built-in CarPlay screen, you might even take it on longer driving holidays in sunny climes, if you can survive with packing just a toothbrush and fresh pants. But as things stand, even though this is very much a track car you drive on the road to get to your track day, you will at least have fun along the way.
Is it £116k fun? For someone with just one car on the driveway, probably not, as a track-oriented sports car is probably a better bet. But for those with multiple vehicles in the garage, this could very well be the perfect one for stripped-back fun. Easy to maintain and capable of bothering much pricier machinery on track, those who bag themselves a Zenos E10 z2 or zR will have themselves one heck of a turn-key thrill.
SPECIFICATION | ZENOS E10 r2
Engine: 2.261cc 4-cyl turbocharged
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 300@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 313@3,500rpm
0-60mph: 3.8secs (claimed)
Top speed: 150mph (claimed)
Weight: 790kg
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
Price: £116,000
The only hope going forward with other cars is cheaper productionisation with the development of things like large format 3D metal printers, carbon injection moulding etc. but at the moment it's a losing battle.
I think that means it's lost it's appeal.
Although I wonder if they'll do the coupe version that was originally promised...
The E10 was under developed, so they have had to fix various issues. Primarily the electronics, which are now properly waterproofed.
A big change is the body panels which are carbon fibre instead of GRP.
Is it with £116k? I don't know. It is a handmade car that can be driven on the road, lap at supercar pace all day, and drive home again. With tyres and brakes ready to do it all again.
There are not many alternatives that deliver an entirely unassisted driving experience at this pace.
The E10 was under developed, so they have had to fix various issues. Primarily the electronics, which are now properly waterproofed.
A big change is the body panels which are carbon fibre instead of GRP.
Is it with £116k? I don't know. It is a handmade car that can be driven on the road, lap at supercar pace all day, and drive home again. With tyres and brakes ready to do it all again.
There are not many alternatives that deliver an entirely unassisted driving experience at this pace.
Really would love Zenos to succeed, I have followed them for years, but it's hard to see how it works at these prices.
The only hope going forward with other cars is cheaper productionisation with the development of things like large format 3D metal printers, carbon injection moulding etc. but at the moment it's a losing battle.
I'm glad it exists but god only knows what the business model is supposed to look like. It looks like it would be a tough sell at half the price.
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20852641
Message Board | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff