€310,000 HMC Hidalgo

Little-known Swiss firm Helvetic Motor Company has unveiled its latest creation. Called the Hidalgo (and possibly named after the 2004 film about a horse that featured Omar Sharif?) it uses the running gear from the Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG.

The SLK’s 355 bhp (265 kW / 360 PS) 5,439 cc V8 is reckoned to accelerate the Hidalgo from 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.4 seconds. That’s 1.5 seconds quicker than the AMG, so that obviously Bugatti-inspired body must be quite a bit lighter.

Planned production is only six units per year but, with a price tag of around €310,000 (about £257,000 at today’s rates), even that may be optimistic.