It's Australia's £500k, 700bhp lightweight

Fans of mental track specials, gather round. You have a new hero to worship.

The Quantum GP700 hails from Australia, and its intent ought to be obvious immediately, looking as it does like the result of a sordid fling between an Ariel Atom and a Formula 3 car.
 
It ain’t pretty, but jeez, does it look serious. And unlike the Atom, once you’ve clambered over its high sills, you should be snug and draught-free inside. And, unlike that one-man Formula 3 car, there are two seats…
 
Serious looks betray a very serious spec. The Quantum's bhp-per-kilo ratio is 1:1, with 700bhp driving 700kg. Looking for an equally outrageous figure elsewhere? You’ll need to get yourself a Koenigsegg One:1.
 
Compared to the ‘Segg, the GP700's power comes from a relatively dinky 2.7-litre four-cylinder engine with a pair of superchargers, driving the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox.
 
One can only imagine how much it'll wail on full throttle, which when applied, yields a 2.6 second 0-62mph time. That’s quicker, officially, than a LaFerrari, Nismo GT-R and Caterham’s fastest Seven.
 
Cornering forces can exceed 2G, we’re told. Expect a hurty neck from even the most fleeting trackday sessions.
 
And now for the ‘but’: while GP700 development is still ongoing, don’t expect an awful lot of change from £500,000 when it arrives in around a year’s time. Eek.
 
There’s barely enough space on the internet to start exploring the motley car collections you could have for that sort of money, so let’s instead look at the reason why this will cost you ten times as much as a well-specced Atom. Or, indeed, an equally powerful Dodge Hellcat.
 
In a move akin to Ferrari’s XX programme or McLaren’s P1 GTR, the GP700 will come with trackday support, and each GP700 will be designed and engineered specifically to the buyer’s driving style and talent levels. In the case of TG, that's 'flailing' and 'variable' respectively.
 
As they get to grips with their bonkers-fast car, so Quantum will adjust and fine-tune it to reflect the learning curve the driver is hopefully ascending. And unlike the track-only Ferrari and McLaren, you’re welcome to turn out of the circuit and drive it home afterwards.
 
It’s described as “a truly inimitable driving experience”. But is that enough to warrant such wonga?