Currently reading: Zenos E10 revealed at Autosport International

The first of three new performance-orientated models from Zenos cars revealed in Birmingham at the Autosport show; priced from £24,995

The Zenos E10 sports car has been revealed at the Autosport International show in Birmingham.

Director of the company and former Caterham cars CEO Ansar Ali unveiled the car, which is powered by a 197bhp 2.0-litre Ford engine. Available with either a five or six-speed manual transmission, the E10 weighs in at 650kg - meaning it has a power to weight ratio of more than 300bhp per tonne.

Official performance figures for the car have not yet been revealed, but a 0-60mph time of less than five seconds is expected.

While orders have already opened for the standard car, which is priced at £24,995, Zenos is also putting a special Launch Editition of the E10 on sale. Priced at £28,995, the first 75 E10 models will be Launch Editions, and will come with a six-speed manual transmission, performance wheels, a limited-slip differential, a quick-release steering wheel and bespoke paintwork.

Much of the E10's engineering, Ali told Autocar, lies in its simple construction. A single aluminium 'spine' runs the length of the car, with a carbon tub bolted to it to form the shell. Ali says that approach makes the new platform very adaptable, meaning longer-wheelbase designs were also possible.

Ali also confirmed that Zenos will launch a further two models, a roadster version of the E10, badged E11, and a coupe variant badged as E12. Those models are likely to keep the E10's powertrain and platform.

"We're making a statement about value and about having our own design language," he said. "We've developed our product profile for the last 18 months, the E10 is the first model we're launching and we're confident that Zenos Cars will find its place in the sports car market."

While the UK will undoubtedly be the largest market for the E10, Ali says the company has had expressions of interest from elsewhere in Europe. Over 200 registrations of interest have already been made for the E10 via Zenos' website.

Zenos Cars has the capacity to produce up to 200 units of the E10 annually, with the company hoping to have sold anywhere upwards of 150 units globally at the end of its first year of sales.

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uk_supercar_fan 10 January 2014

carbon and aluminium

...don't mix well. I hope they have done their homework and made adequate corrosion protection, otherwise this will be a summer-only car in the UK!
Cardinal Fang 9 January 2014

I bet the MX5 will be nowhere

I bet the MX5 will be nowhere in terms of performance though - it'll probably weigh nearly twice as much.
xxxx 9 January 2014

Next stage

If there was a model with doors and removable roof and the price could be kept to around £30,000 they'd be on to a winner given the next MX5 (with performance to match) won't be far of that price. Even as it is looks a potential go'er. Good Luck