The order books are open for the Hulme CanAm supercar; New Zealand's latest - and possibly only - supercar. Just 20 cars - named after Formula 1 and Can Am champion, Denny Hulme - will be built at a cost of £295,000 before taxes and options.

For that price customers will get a car that carries influences of Formula 1 and the CanAm cars of old. The styling looks vaguely like a wider grand prix car while power comes from a 600bhp, 7.0-litre General Motors V8 - a nod to the big block Chevrolet engine that powered Denny Hulme's Can-Am racing cars. Combined with a weight of less than 1,000kg the claims of 0-62mph in less than 3.5 seconds and a top speed of over 200mph seem plausible.

Anyone who does place an order will have a chance to experience the power before they buy. A private viewing and driving experience will be held at or before the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Place an order and Hulme will fly you out (Business Premiere class, of course) to Auckland, New Zealand for a final fitting and test drives on road and track. The car will then be shipped to the customer's chosen destination. Each owner will be presented with a certificate of authenticity, exact 1/8 scale replica of their car and a photographic dossier of the assembly process.

Interested parties are asked to pay a £10,000 deposit, which is fully refundable in the event that the order does not go ahead. Cars will be delivered from autumn 2011 through 2012 - the 20th anniversary year of Denny Hulme's death.

John Lambert - 28 May 2010