Looks like Connaught's Type-D is getting nearer to its Britcar fruition. Apparently the Connaught Motor Company is building a new, $25 million HQ and R&D skunkworks in the UK constituent and home country of Catherine Zeta-Jones. That is, Wales, where inhabitants speek in tongues and sell crempogs like hotcakes (or so we hear). Nonetheless, the company is working on what could become the first high-performance hybrid — a gas-electric V10 that gets upward of 42 mpg. Before that lofty goal is fulfilled, however, the company will start producing its traditional, 2.0-liter (that's not a typo) V10 Type-D in Wales by year's end with an eye toward early-2008 delivery. Connaught's ramp-up plans involve building 100 cars in its first year, 250 in the second and 1000 cars annually within five years. We can almost hear the glass-breaking revs from here. – Mike Spinelli

Related:
Connaught Type-D Released at Autosport International [internal]

Our man in Coventry, CJ, reports in from the Autosport International show in Birmingham, England with a shot from the unveiling of the Connaught Type-D. More finished-looking than it has been in other photos we've seen of the car, it definitely looks less ungainly than we expected. Plus, who doesn't love a car with a V-10 only slightly larger than that of a Honda Gold Wing's? The stupid-light coupe's soon-to-come mild hybrid system boosts the economy even further, delivering over 40mpg in a car that's expected to top 140mph. Bonneville, anyone?

Related:
Connaught V10 Luxury Coupe Revealed, No Hybrid Yet [Internal]

Pistonheads is reporting that the Connaught company is ready to launch its first sports coupe, the Type-D Syracuse, powered by a super small, 2.0-liter V10 producing 300hp and 274 lb-ft of torque. The 2+2 coup-ay is made entirely of composites and stainless steel with aluminium panels, giving it a curb weight of around 1650 lbs and zero-to-60mph times of under five seconds (top speed, 170). The company is also working on a hybrid-drive version, which it claims will get 42mpg. Maybe next year. [Update: Edmunds has some photos of Syracuse in a rear three-quarter view. Hmm.]

CONNAUGHT TYPE D UNVEILED [Pistonheads]

Related:
Connaught GT: Bespoke Luxury for the Conservationist Set [internal]