Great Britain has a long and illustrious history of producing luxury vehicles and sports cars, and when the two come together in brands like Jaguar and Aston Martin, the results can be spectacular. David Brown Automotive intends to be the next great British sports car maker, and has revealed plans for a brand new sports car, due to be unveiled in April 2014. The company's founder, businessman and sports car enthusiast David Brown, says the car will mix the impact and style of a classic sports car with the capabilities and conveniences of a modern one.

That's a tall order for any automaker, not least a startup, but Brown has pulled together talents from across the automotive industry to make it happen. Among them is Alan Mobberley, formerly chief designer at Land Rover for 19 years, and the Envisage Group, which will engineer the vehicle for production. Beyond that, few details about the car are known--and its powertrain will remain a mystery until its unveiling in April. Brown does say the exterior design has been commissioned specifically for the model, while British suppliers will provide bespoke interior trim and materials. The car has been thoroughly engineered for low-volume production--combining, the company says, the latest manufacturing techniques with traditional craftsmanship.

Low-volume production should side-step some of the traditional pitfalls of the startup automaker, and indeed it's a process that has worked well for fellow small-volume British automakers like Morgan. Others, such as the Zenos E10 unveiled at the Autosport Show, will tread a similar path--though the David Brown sports car is likely to be less track-focused than the Caterham-inspired Zenos.

British car enthusiasts will already recognize the name David Brown--albeit in a different setting. Back in 1947, it was a different David Brown who acquired the Aston Martin car company, turning around its fortunes and leading to some of the company's most famous cars. He's honored to this day in the company's naming system, which often starts with the letters "DB". There's no guarantee the latest David Brown will have a similar legacy, but on name alone he's off to a good start...

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