DAVID BROWN AUTOMOTIVE UNVEIL 'SPEEDBACK GT'

DBA leaked a few teasers of what they called "Project Judi" back in January, but the London unveiling marks the culmination of a project that started two years ago, according to company founder and CEO of DBA, David Brown (who has no relationship to the David Brown of early post-war Aston Martin fame).

With a background in vehicle engineering and manufacturing, Brown has a passion for both classic and contemporary cars. The concept for a classically styled GT car with modern mechanicals and reliability is similar to that being done by Eagle with their E-Type lookalikes that boast all-modern mechanicals and suspension. Despite its obvious Aston Martin influences, the DBA creation is more individual than Eagle's creations.

"The launch of Speedback is the realisation of a dream for me, and is the result of skilful and dedicated work by a team of highly talented designers, engineers and craftsmen," Brown said at the London launch.

"I am delighted at the reaction of the media, our suppliers, potential customers and friends, and I look forward to presenting the car to the public in Monaco.

"The Speedback name perfectly reflects the classic sports car tradition of the past, whilst also doing justice to the sophisticated silhouette of the car's hand-built body and unique styling which features amongst much other detail, a fold-down picnic seat."

The David Brown Automotive team includes highly-experienced Chief Designer, Alan Mobberley, and the car has been engineered and handcrafted in Coventry, using traditional British materials and craftsmanship. Bodywork is all in handcrafted aluminium, over a CAD-designed chassis optimised for aerodynamics and performance.

Specifications revealed so far include a Jaguar-sourced supercharged 5.0-litre V8, 6-speed automatic transmission, while performance is listed at 375kW and 625Nm, with a 0-100 km/h time of 4.8 seconds. DBA says the Speedback "promises exceptional performance and handling."

Brown says the new Speedback GT will appeal to anybody who desires a truly individual sports car, which can boast a fine British pedigree. Production will be limited to around 50 units a year, according to DBA, to ensure exclusivity.

Brown has his finger in a few pies, with the Speedback GT launch held in the London showroom of specialist stone suppliers, Lapicida, one of his business interests, with a Yorkshire-based craft brewery another of his ventures.

Full specs and pricing are yet to be revealed for the Speedback GT (that may come when the car is presented publicly for the first time at the exclusive Top Marques show in Monaco, which runs at the Grimaldi Forum from 17th to 20th April), but expect to pay a six-figure sum to be required to get one of these in your garage. Australian availability has yet to be confirmed.

Further details and updates at: www.davidbrownautomotive.com