Bristol Cars, the U.K.'s perennial low-volume, low-profitability carmaker may be delving into somewhat uncharted waters: construction of a 200-mph electric supercar. But will anyone care?

If it's truly a supercar, in terms of looks, luxury, and handling in addition to outright speed, very likely people will care. Perhaps even enough to pay supercar-sized prices. But Bristol will have to build the car first.

According to EVO, the Bristol electric supercar could arrive as early as 2013, featuring electric propulsion with an onboard range-extending generator, much like the Chevy Volt.

Actually, according to the report, the drivetrain will be two full, yet separate, electric powertrains, one for the front wheels and one for the rear. Each powertrain has two motors, one powering each wheel, opening the door for truly awesome traction/stability control algorithms. A 14kWh battery pack will store the electricity. That clocks in about 2 kWh short of the Volt's pack, meaning pure-electric range will be limited to something like 20-30 miles, depending on driving conditions.

So where is Bristol getting this influx of range-extended electric car know-how and moxie? From its new corporate parent Frazer-Nash, which is working with other carmakers including Proton (owners of Lotus), on its own take on the range-extended powertrain system.

If the new car draws any of its inspiration from the gorgeous 1955 Frazer-Nash Le Mans Coupe, we might not even care about the whole electric drive part.

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