VUHL 05 - A new lightweight supercar for road and track

The name may sound German to most, but the new VUHL 05 is in fact the creation of a Mexican based company, the name of which is pronounced 'vool' and stands for Vehicles of Ultra High-performance and Lightweight.

The VUHL 05 is an innovative mid-engined two-seater born of a motorsport heritage and will make its official debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed from 11^th to 14^th July.

Guillermo Echeverria senior, the father of its designers Guillermo and Iker Echeverria, was a professional driver who built and successfully raced his own cars for 30 years. The sons inherited his passion and knowledge and added qualifications in transportation design.

Guillermo Junior has direct experience of the performance car industry, while Iker won the Mexican QUORUM Industrial Design Award in 2007 when he was still a student - he was not only up against fellow scholars but senior designers, agencies and universities.

The car is built on a monocoque chassis with a three section bonded tub constructed from aluminium extrusions and aluminium honeycomb that tips the scales at just 78kg, with the body made from RTM reinforced plastic, though, carbon fibre panels are offered as an option. The dry weight of the entire car stands at 695kg.

For power, it comes from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged EcoBoost engine from Ford, tuning it up to 285bhp and 420Nm of peak torque for an impressive power to weight ratio of 400bhp per tonne. A six-speed manual gearbox drives the rear wheels. The VUHL 05 sprints from 0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds and has a top speed of 245km/h, which should be more than enough to give you a freaky hairstyle if you don't wear a helmet, since the 05 doesn't come with a full windshield.

Inside the car, unique specification can include carbon bucket seats, 330mm quick release water-resistant suede-covered steering wheel, electronic data acquisition dash, integral HD camera, and water-resistant Dinamica suede trim.

Initial sales will be confined to the U.K. and North America (dealers are currently under appointment in both countries), but the intention is to make the car available in other key European countries, China, Middle-East etc in due course.