Fancy a challenge? Try to categorise the car I’m about to describe. Trackday star, supercar, super-GT, roadster – whatever you think fits the bill.
You descend into the cockpit to find Sabelt harnesses but also, if specified, heated seats. At just 750kg wet, it is light enough to belong in the super-lightweight clique, yet the contact patch is almost to Ferrari 430 Scuderia spec. Then there is the power-to-weight ratio, which is a satanic 666bhp per tonne, though engineers on the project insist the car is capable of rewarding those of a more saintly disposition (or simply unable to take it by the carbon scruff).
They also say it’s fit for touring, with real ride quality, yet there’s little doubt this car would munch anything the sensible side of a McLaren 750S were you to unsheathe one at a track day, as many owners will do. It has racing ABS yet greater luggage capacity than a Porsche 911 GT3. It has no obvious aero to speak of but can apparently pull 2.15g when its semi-slicks are simmering. It is most enjoyable on sunny days but, with a carbonfibre top that takes up surprisingly little space when stowed, rainstorms are no problem.
Lastly, and most confoundingly, although it’s at the cutting edge of materials technology, at heart this is a car from 1957, with roots behind a pub in Hornsey, north London.