2016 Zenos E10 R, car review: One of Britain’s purest and best-value sports cars gets better than ever

Zenos already offers two versions of its E10 sportscar. But here’s the third – and it’s a good way to complete your hat-trick.

Called the E10 R, this has uprated springs and adjustable Bilstein shocks, as well as lighter rims and bigger brakes. So it’s more track-focused than ever.

It’s faster, too, thanks to the 2.3-litre Ford Ecoboost engine that stars in the new Focus RS. This replaces the 2.0-litre unit used in Zenos’ previous models, and with 350bhp and 349lb ft beneath your right foot the results are predictably sparkling.

That it’s fast goes without saying. More than that, though, it’s responsive to a finely set degree – without any sign of temperament. You can trust it to deliver every time you squeeze the throttle.

Previous E10s had almost too much grip for the 2.0-litre engine. So with more power and firmer suspension settings, what you have now is the perfect recipe.

We had the misfortune to test it on a wet day. That was enough to demonstrate how good it is in the wrong conditions, though – and tease us with a glimpse of how much better is promises to be when the track below its wheels is dry.

Zenos E10 R

Location: Castle Combe, Wiltshire 
On sale: now 
Price: £39,995 
Engine: 4cyls, 2261cc, turbocharged petrol 
Power: 350bhp 
Torque: 349lb ft 
Gearbox: 6-spd manual 
Kerbweight: 700kg 
0-62mph: 3.0sec 
Top speed: 155mph 
Economy: na 
CO2/tax band: na

Its body control is outstanding, of course, and so is its steering, with spectacular levels of response and feel. Zenos doesn’t fit the car with a sticky diff, however, and the E10’s rivals from Ariel and Caterham seem a trace more adjustable on the throttle, but without having driven them together in the dry that’s no more than a gut instinct.

What’s not a gut instinct, but a cold hard fact, is that the Caterham 620S and Ariel Atom 3.5R both cost many thousand pounds more than the Zenos. This is a car with a 3.0-second sprint time and a price tag under £40k, and that’s a combination that takes some beating.

Best of all, if you’re already the owner of an earlier E10, the R package can be retro-fitted on your car. That’s called looking after your customers – and we think many of them will say thank you by asking Zenos to do just that.