Motorexpo at London’s Canary Wharf was the stage for the debut of a new British sports car on 9 June when Breckland Technology took the wraps off from its two-seat V8 soft top, the Beira.

The Beira is a hand-built, two-seat roadster with unique styling cues, based on proven GM architecture and powered by GM’s LS2, 6-litre V8 engine, tuned to produce just a whisper short of 400bhp.

Tipping the scales at some 1,400kg, the Beira’s impressive power-to-weight ratio ensures invigorating performance, according to Norfolk-based Breckland. The manufacturer promises a sub-five second sprint to 100kph, coupled with tremendous torque and a top speed limited to 155mph.

Few sports cars are developed specifically for Britain’s roads but, this month, Alfa Romeo says it is planning for the new limited-edition Brera S to join the exalted ranks of what we might call true ‘driver’s cars’, reports Nick de Cent.

After a year of intensive suspension and chassis development at motorsport specialist, Prodrive, Alfa has come up with a sports coupé that ‘subtly enhances all that is good about the original Alfa Brera, while bestowing it with outstanding driver feedback and handling’. Briefed to make the Alfa Brera S less of a long-distance tourer and more sporty on UK roads, the engineering team at Prodrive developed a unique suspension set-up.

Prodrive engineers tweaked spring rates and ride heights to match the reduced weights of the 2008 model year Alfa Breras. Then followed an extensive damper tuning exercise to achieve the desired ride/handling balance and steering response required by driving enthusiasts in the UK.

What’s this? I must have been watching too many episodes of Ashes to Ashes! The 1980s was surely the heyday of the hot-hatch… but not so far as Vauxhall is concerned, writes Nick de Cent.

And to just to prove it, Vauxhall has pulled the wraps off a Nürburgring special edition of its Astra VXR. According to the GM subsidiary, this variant is ‘named after the car’s spiritual home, where much of its pre-production development was carried out’.

The new XKR-S variant is a real Geneva show-stopper, says Nick de Cent.

With an avalanche of unveilings, new launches and concept models at this month’s Geneva show, the Jaguar XKR-S is bound to stand out in British eyes. On sale this summer, the XKR-S is the lightweight sports coupé that Jaguar is hoping will conjure up a rare alchemy.

As the fastest production XK to date, the S variant aims to deliver a combination of high-speed performance, dynamic excellence and crafted luxury that will have well-heeled drivers slavering in anticipation of a run down to Cannes. The fact that the XKR-S will be limited to a total of 200 units and only available in the European market (in both left- and right-hand drive configurations) are factors designed solely to increase its appeal.