AC two-seater

Rejuvenated firm AC is back - and this is how the maker's new two-seater will look

Auto Express Car Reviews

08th October 2006

Project Kimber, the team of industry experts behind the firm's rebirth, is set to build the re-engineered Smart Roadster at a site in south Wales.

However, despite sharing its underpinnings with the defunct German sports car, the tiny Brit will wear fresh new clothes. The most obvious additions include big headlamps and a gaping grille.

The new model will be offered as a roadster or coupé when it hits showrooms next year, priced from around £13,000. It is expected to use fresh powerplants and dispense with the slow automated manual gearbox fitted to the Smart.

Gordon Murray, the man responsible for designing the McLaren F1 supercar, is just one of the leading industry figures involved in the project. He is joined by John Piper, director of special projects for manufacturing consultant Visioneering, who supplied us with this image. Piper's last job was to help build the JCB Dieselmax land speed record car, so the two-seater has strong credentials.