This week I'll be attending the Performance Car Show and I'm rather looking forward to it, so look out for some Car Obsession coverage from the event. The event itself has actually kicked off today, and one of of the many cars on show is the new production model of the Avatar Roadster.
What is it?
Avatar is a British sports car brand which is a sister company of Marlin, who you may be familiar with. The Roadster comes under the concept that was unveiled last year and is the Devon-based brands first production model. One of the first things worth noting is that it's light. Very light. In fact the roadster weighs just 695kg and comes with a choice of two engines, both of which come from Ford.
Buyers will be able to choose from either a 2.0 litre EcoBoost engine or the 2.3 litre EcoBoost engine used in the Ford Focus RS. Whichever engine you choose though, the performance results will be pretty profound - the 2.0 litre offers 250bhp whilst the 2.3 litre offers 350bhp - that means 500bhp per tonne! The 2.0 litre will hit 60mph in 4 seconds and will hit 145mph and the 2.3 litre will must a 0-60 time of just 3.6 seconds and then on to a top speed of 165mph. A 5-speed manual comes standard although there is a also a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed sequential automatic available as well.
This all sounds jolly impressive but the Roadster has some very firm competition in the form of Zenos, Caterham, Lotus, BAC, Ariel, the list goes on. So what marks this out a being different? Let's face it, if you want a car that will excite you on the track then there are certainly plenty of them. Weirdly enough, it's creature comforts that is the difference. You see, cars like Zenos and Caterham are great fun but you are lacking some everyday conveniences. Like a roof for starters.
If required, you can specify the Roadster to come with smartphone integration, a stereo, air conditioning and joy-of-joys, a roof, which will come very handy in the winter months. Like the Zenos, the colour can be bespoke to the customer's desires and you can also choose leather if you want. The driving position if offset to improve weight distribution with track days in mind and if you do fancy some track action, you can ask for options such as full roll cage, fire extinguisher, rear wing, limited slip diff, GoPro camera kit, data logger and a foam-filled tank.
The price also puts in amongst its rivals with a price of £39,990 - production will start in the next few months.