Aspid on the limit

It might look like a cross between hot-rod dragster and sports race car but it's claimed to be packed with luxury and designed primarily as a road car - despite a 0-100km/h sprint time of just 2.8 seconds.

The Aspid is a two-door, fixed-top sports car from Spanish automotive design and technology firm IFR Automotive, making its world debut at the British Motor Show this weekend.

Its feature is its light weight, just 700kg. Combine that with a two-litre, supercharged engine claimed to generate 300kW of power and that makes a stunning power-to-weight ratio, which accounts for its startling acceleration.

Although its performance might suggest it's a track-day special - 0-160km/h in 5.9 seconds, for example - it is “a premium sports car designed for the road”. It has a wheelbase shorter than a Yaris and the latest weight-saving technology - technology that could pass on to mass-produced cars.

Although perhaps those headlights that stick up like old movie cameras look like an afterthought.

“The whole point of the Aspid is that it is a small and lightning fast,” says IFR founder Igancio Rodriguez. He says it's a genuine attempt at producing an unusually compact luxury sports car.

It has an ultra-lightweight aluminium extrusion composite panelled chassis, lightweight aluminium double wishbone suspension and a lightweight stainless steel brake system which weighs 70 per cent less than conventional brake systems. There's even weight savings in the electrical circuits.

Conventional instruments in the dashboard are replaced by interactive touch screens. Through these, the driver can alter the rev limit, power output, steering assistance, noise valve, brake balance, ride height, traction and stability controls and suspension damping. No price has been released, but the car will be built in right-hand-drive versions and sold worldwide.