Low-volume British sports cars have plastic bodywork and lacklustre engines borrowed from a mainstream manufacturer, right? Not according to Connaught. The firm, based in Daventry, Northants, has taken the wraps off the Type-D GT Syracuse - and the newcomer’s supercharged 2.0-litre V10 engine and aluminium panels mark it out as a star in the making.

The 300bhp limited edition heralds the return of the Connaught name to UK roads. In the metal, the plucky Brit looks more impressive than pretty. Big headlights and numerous vents give it a brutish appearance, while bulging rear flanks and flared wheel-arches guarantee an aggressive stance.

Even so, neat details include mesh-covered indicator repeaters disguised as air vents, plus pop-out door handles. The rear bumper bears a bold Connaught inscription, and twin exhausts continue the butch theme. There’s no rear wing; the GT relies on a flat undertray for stab-ility at its claimed 171mph top speed.

With a front-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive, the coupé follows the trad-itional 2+2 blueprint. Yet, while it’s shor- ter than a Porsche 911, its rear legroom matches that of the Bentley Continen-tal GT, even if headroom is limited.

Inside, a bold centre console dominates the cabin. It incorporates controls for the ventilation, plus auxiliary gauges and a clock. There’s also an electrically operated driver’s seat, in addition to rake and reach-adjustable steering.

Performance - delivered via a five-speed manual box - should be blistering, and the 0-60mph sprint is expec- ted to take less than five seconds. The unusual V10 configuration also promises a great exhaust note and, thanks to the use of tried-and-tested components where possible, good reliability.

There will be few driver aids to keep the 300bhp beast pointing in the right direction, although the all-round independent suspension promises to deliver a comfortable ride and fine handling. This will be helped by featherweight construction, with a stainless steel chas-sis that uses composite parts beneath the aluminium body. The result is a kerb-weight of only 850kg, which should enable fuel economy of up to 28mpg.

A mere 100 of the special-edition hand-built models will be produced, and the firm has already taken 23 deposits. Deliveries are scheduled to start next summer. We’ve heard plenty of bold claims from small British car makers in the past, but by offering a unique engine and taking a sensible approach - the company also intends to include a reassuring three-year warranty - Con-naught is clearly on the right road.

(this article was taken from autoexpress.co.uk)

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