The singleminded single seater crafted in Cheshire

A British sports car designed to give the sensation of a Grand Prix car is available to order now, its makers have said.

New arrivals BAC, based in Cheshire, have revealed details of their Mono sports car, which as the name suggests is a single seater which makes more than a knowing nod to the world of motorsport.

“All cars are built to order on a first-come, first-served basis and our flexible production facility has the capacity to manufacture between 50 and 100 vehicles per year – or more if demand requires,” Neill Briggs, one of the company's founders, said.

“All I can currently say is, the early response has been extremely encouraging.”

Packing a power to weight ratio of 520 bhp per tonne - that's more than a Bugatti Veyron's - it can rocket to 60 mph in just 2.8 seconds, 100 mph in 6.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 170 mph. Power comes from a mid-mounted 280 bhp, normally-aspirated 2.3-litre Cosworth engine.

The car is more expensive than similar lightweights from Caterham, Radical and Westfield, at £79,950, but undercuts both the similarly speedy Caparo T1 and Ariel Atom 500. For further details, log onto www.bac-mono.com.