What's the news?

David Brown Automotive (no, not that David Brown) has released teaser photos with advance specification of a wholly new and supposedly bespoke British car. Dubbed the "Project Judi", the all-new luxury car is slated for an April 17th reveal at Monaco's Top Marques Show. Sources suggest the new car will use the Jaguar XKR's powertrain with a 5.0-litre supercharged V8.

Exterior

The teaser photographs do suggest styling that's very similar to an Aston Martin DB5's, a car that David Brown actually owns himself. Although, bear in mind this is part of the teaser campaign: to keep us guessing during the build-up to the lightweight aluminium car's April launch.

Interior

No advance photographs have been released of the interior, but David Brown himself has offered hints about the car's interior: "I wanted all the impact and style of a classic sports car, but with the modern capabilities and conveniences," he said. We do know that interior fittings are claimed to be state-of-the-art with bespoke, high quality materials. Think more of a carefully crafted TVR than a stripped-out Radical, then.

Mechanicals

Using the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine from the Jaguar XKR appears a deliberate, tried and trusted approach. Brown explains: "As reliability is vital, we chose to adopt a thoroughly proven and acclaimed chassis that not only delivers dynamic performance but also lends itself to our lightweight aluminium design. The XKR has been extensively developed and refined by one of the world's greatest car manufacturers, making it an obvious choice on which to base our car." How fast? Quoted performance figures suggest a 0-62mph time of 4.8 seconds and a top speed of over 150mph, with 510hp and 625Nm of torque feeding the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission.

Anything else?

You too may receive advance information on the car that leads up to the nicely stage-managed launch in April. Simply go to www.davidbrownautomotive.com and register your interest.

Mark Gallivan - 10 Feb 2014