The British Supercars Resurgence

When most people are quizzed about automotive exotica or 'supercars', Italian and German speed machines like the Porsche Carrera GT, Ferrari Enzo and Mercedes McLaren SLR are usually the first to come to mind.

The Brits have cars like the Aston Martin DB9, and TVR has the manic Sagaris in its stable of lightweight track specials, but these vehicles aren't yet household names.

With a number of failures in the past and nothing exotic from internationally recognised Jaguar in quite some time, it's not really surprising.

But British are not out for the count yet, and the 2004 British Motor Show uncovered a slew of speedsters that may go some way to putting Great Britain back on the supercar map.

The first of the two new models is from Noble, who took the wraps off its M14, which the marque reckons will be on par with, and compete against the Porsche 911 Turbo and Ferrari's 360 Modena.

Big words, to be sure, but Noble's got an impressive record when it comes to building limited numbers of ridiculously responsive sportscars, and seeing as this new one packs a forced induction 3.0-litre V6, perhaps Ferrari and Porsche should take notice.

The M14 is a highly aerodynamic supercar with a rear wheel drive transmission, a mid-mounted engine and a low kerb weight.

Like the M12 GTO and the GTO-3 before it, the M14 is very light, and with about 300kW of power on tap it's expected to surpass the triple ton (300km/h), while accommodating more luggage space than you'd expect.

Where the M14 differs from its predecessors is in its appearance. While the car is technically similar to what Noble has been building for five year, the body work and its profile are much less 'track special' or 'kit car' and much more 'exotic supercar'.

Take a look at the front end for evidence - it's got a very 360 Modena look. There's the flat, sloping bonnet, large twin air dams and the clear lens headlight clusters that are reminiscent of Italian styling.

From behind, the new Noble screams exotica, what with the small, round, individual tail lights and road-hugging ground effects, including diffusers flanking the integrated exhaust pipes.

As one of the stand out models at the British Motor Show, the new supercar is available for £74,950 (AU$192,000), which makes it the flagship of the Noble range, falling into place above the existing M12 models.

The M14 is assembled in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and thanks to the turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 Ford engine, it cranks out about 300kW and a whopping 522Nm of torque.

Noble claims the new M14 will hit 100km/h from standstill in 4.3 seconds thanks to its blown V6 mill and a low 1150kg kerb weight, putting it firmly in supercar territory.

TVR was also waving the supercar flag for all patriotic Britons to see, unveiling its new Tuscan 2 and the insane Sagaris.

The Sagaris will rival the V12-powered Lamborghini Murcielago's straight line speed, claiming to reach 100km/h from rest in just 3.6 seconds thanks to a naturally aspirated 4.0-litre straight six and a 1100kg kerb weight.

Sagaris production is now ramping up and the first deliveries will be in July for £49,995 (AU$130,000), which is incredible value. Click here for a full report and lots of images on TVR's giant-killing Sagaris.

TVR's other exotic is the Tuscan 2, which takes supercar design to a very special place, as well as building on what was one of TVR's most popular models.

The UK-based niche sportscar makers have managed to give the Tuscan 2 a incredibly retro feel, where the front end brings back memories of the Jaguar E-Type.

But while there's plenty of retro curves in there, the overall aesthetic is very modern, and together with TVR's renowned inline 6-cylinder engines and light kerb weights, the 280kW Tuscan 2 is likely to be a big seller for the niche automaker.

TVR expects to sell 500 of the Mk II Tuscan's per year for the £39,750 (AU$100,000), and that it will account for 50 per cent of annual sales.

Marcos Engineering, one of Britain's oft-forgotten small volume marques, is also doing its part for the British supercar revival with its fresh-faced two-seater V8 supercar, the TSO.

Tony Stelliga, Chairman of Marcos Engineering, said "The TSO marks the return of the sharp, affordable, high performance V8 British sports car. We believe it hits a gap in the marketplace that stirs the soul of motoring enthusiasts and are thrilled with the result."

0-100km/h in just 4.0 seconds? We'd be thrilled too. The TSO R/T is powered by the same engine that powers Chevy Corvettes and Holden SS Commodores, the Gen III 5.7-litre small-block V8.

And while it's been used in hundreds of different applications over its six-year lifespan, the big and beefy V8 does wonders for a car that weighs 1090kg - hence the 4.0 second sprint time.

Making 400 horsepower, or about 298 kilowatts, Marcos Engineering PR peoples reckon the TSO R/T is capable of eclipsing 300km/h (185mph) - which is arguably the supercar benchmark along with good power-to-weight ratios.

Furthermore, the TSO R/Twill 160km/h (100mph) in just 9.0 seconds. That's mighty quick folks.

The British automaker says that in it's 45-year history, this new open top sports car delivers levels of power, precision and style that unprecedented.

There is also a cheaper TSO model that doesn't benefit from intake and valve train enhancements that are made to the Corvette V8 in the R/T model, and makes 260kW of power (350bhp).

On road agility and solid road holding in the TSO are expected to be available in spades, due mainly to extensive chassis development and testing under a partnership with Prodrive – a recognised leader in chassis dynamics, vehicle dynamic systems and powertrains.

Currently, Prodrive has six World Rally titles and five British Touring Car Championships to their name, not to mention part-owning Aussie company Ford Performance Vehicles. Click here for a road test of 520Nm FPV models.

As for the design on the new TSO, Marcos seems to have borrowed a few elements from Jaguar's XKR up front. The broad bonnet and oval air dam look quite nice, very sporty, and headlight cluster in particular gives the car its own identity.

Marcos Engineering's design teams goal was to capture some of the history of the 45-year-old brand, while still keeping things contemporary. Designed by Damian McTaggart, formerly the designer of TVR's Tuscan and T350 (on which the Sagaris is based), the TSO's lines are clean yet aggressive and clearly identify it as something special.

The entry level TSO is priced at £39,950 (AU$102,000) and delivers 350 horsepower with a 5-speed transmission and 17-inch wheels. The TSO R/T is priced at £44,950 (AU$115,000) and produces 400 horsepower with a 6-speed transmission, sports suspension package and bigger, wider 18-inch rear wheels for better power down.

The 2004 British Motor Show also saw the official unveiling of the stunning new Aston Martin DB9 and DB9 Volante, and other go-fast exotica like the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti and the Porsche 911 Turbo 'S' tin- and drop-top.

So there you have it. The Brits are back with plenty of supercar product that will go a long way to putting them back on the Euro-exotica map, and together with competitive prices, striking good looks and shit loads of power, the UK niche car market is looking very healthy indeed.