David Brown teases glimpses, details of new car

New British sports car brand David Brown Automotive have issued the first teaser looks and details for their creation -- codenamed Project Judi for now.

Echoing the heritage of their namesake, the car looks to be a redux of the hallowed Aston Martin DB5 (itself named for the other David Brown, who headed the brand for decades) and is based on the Jaguar XKR. However the company's press blurb talks of bespoke and "completely original exterior and interior design, realised through the highest quality materials and craftsmanship".

It's been announced Project Judi is based on the Jaguar XK-R for reliability and weight-saving strategies. “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," David Brown says.

Under the bonnet will be Jag's supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine developing 375kW of power and 625Nm of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels. The company claims Project Judi will do the 0-100km/h sprint in 4.6 seconds -- 0.2 seconds faster than the XKR coupe but 0.2 behind the XKR S -- and reach an electronically limited top speed of more than 250km/h.

Project Judi will be unveiled at Top Marques Monaco on April 17, but it's likely we'll see more images and details emerge before then.

This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott