David Brown Speedback revealed

A brand new British sports car company, David Brown Automotive which first appeared in January, has revealed it's first ever model at a private event in London, the Speedback. The company's Speedback model is a handcrafted 2+2 coupe designed to reference classic GT cars from the sixties, using modern technology where possible.

The David Brown Speedback details

The vehicle's chassis and powertrain are carried over directly from a Jaguar XKR, despite the model appearing to look like an Aston Martin DB5. Under the skin is the XK’s aluminium spaceframe chassis, 503 brake horse power 5.0 litre supercharged V8 and six speed automatic transmission, while the basic XK interior architecture is retained.

During creation, the designers used a mix of traditional styling and materials with modern techniques. For example, the aluminium skin was created in this way. Alan Mobberly, chief designer, produced a clay model of the Speedback, which was then digitally scanned and used to accurately make the skin. This traditional-modern mix is a running theme throughout the entire vehicle.

Comments on the David Brown Speedback

David Brown, founder and CEO of the company, commented, “I was in a classic car rally in Spain, in a friend’s Ferrari Daytona, when it broke down. We hired a Peugeot 106 and everyone wanted to drive in that because it had air-conditioning. It gave me the idea to blend the Sixties style with technology that worked properly.”

He went on to say, “These wire wheels were specially made for us, they’re actually the widest wire wheel in production. The headlights are encased like a Sixties original, but actually use LED technology.”

Brown then went on to say that buyers would be able to personalize their cars, “If they want work done on the engine we can do that, if they want a different exhaust note, that’s not a problem.”

The Speedback will make it's official debut at the Top Marques show in Monaco from April 17 to 20th, when the price will be announced. When asked how many of the David Brown Speedback models will be produced, Brown called it a “limited edition.”