718 Boxster

Make
Porsche
Segment
Compact

Apparently taking a cue from Spyker, a Belgian boutique supercar maker, called Minerva, has decided to resurrect the name of a long-forgotten prewar luxury marque. The first model from the reborn company is known as the J.M. Brabazon, a plug-in hybrid supercar named after a British racing driver. The gasoline engine is a twin-turbo V12 mated to a six-speed F1 gearbox, while the electric portion of the drivetrain consists of two motors which drive the front wheels.

The top speed is said to be 248 mph, and the car has five different driving modes: Economy, Normal, Sport, Race and Safe Mode. This all sounds like it could be promising, although we're always a bit skeptical when a new company announces a new and magnificent supercar. Assuming the hybrid setup is something like the one used by Audi in its Le Mans prototype cars, there is definite potential here. But a company which leaves the initials of the person they're naming their car after in the model name is clearly a company which makes odd decisions. In all, we'll wait to judge it until we've seen it.