The Vuhl 05 is Mexico’s 285bhp, £60k track toy

Want a silly, roofless track car in your life? The headache of choosing which one to buy comes second only to the one you’ll suffer after being clonked by road detritus, should you forget to wear your helmet driving to the shops.

From Ariel to Zenos, Britain has more than its fair share of track specials. But now everyone else is giving it a good go. Here’s Mexico’s effort, the Vuhl 05.

The car first appeared in 2013, and after what Vuhl's technical director Iker Echeverria describes as a “consolidation year” in 2014, appointing dealers and accruing orders, the first customer has received their 05, with production is properly underway.

It may look pretty different to the track car norm, but its basics aren’t particularly alien, thanks no doubt to 40 per cent of the Vuhl's components being sourced from good old Blighty.

A Ford Ecoboost 2.0-litre turbo engine comes in 240 and 285bhp tunes, the latter enough to shove the 05’s 725kg to 60mph in 3.5 seconds, and on to a 152mph top speed. It sits behind the driver, powering the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox.

Its construction is based around an aluminium chassis tub, with plastic body panels as standard. If you want lighter bodywork, there's an optional carbon pack cutting 30kg, though adding around £6000. Vuhl boasts of the 05's aerodynamic profile, too, with a flat underbody and a gaggle of splitters and that unsubtle rear spoiler aiding downforce.

Prices in the UK will start at £59,995 – twice what you’ll pay for an Ariel Atom with similar power, but a decent chunk less than the new Elemental RP1 will set you back.

We reckon it looks cool, too: lithe enough to advertise its likely pace on track, but substantial and aggressive, too. It doesn’t look like it would be blown into the kitty-litter by a faster moving GT-R, at least.

Full judgement reserved until they let us have a go, of course. Until then, tell us what you make of Vuhl’s chances of success below…