It’s got the same V8 found in the Vauxhall VXR8 super saloon, producing 400bhp

This is the Breckland Beira – a brand new British sports car announced ahead of its London Motorexpo debut next week.

The £55,000 Breckland Beira soft-top is hand built in Norfolk and features a 6-litre V8 engine designed to run on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).

View more pictures of the Breckland Beira

It’s the same V8 found in the Vauxhall VXR8 super saloon and produces 400bhp.

Unlike the big Vauxhall VXR8 however, Breckland claims the Beira only weighs 1,400kg – giving the convertible a mighty power-to-weight ratio.

Acceleration from 0-60mph should take less than five seconds before the Breckland Beira reaches its artificially limited 155mph top speed.

Unusually the Beira is designed with two fuel tanks – one for petrol and one for LPG. With both full to the brim, Breckland claim a range of 700 miles is possible without refuelling – a huge distance for a 6-litre V8 sports car.

The Beira’s suspension has been developed in association with manufacturing experts KW Suspension to provide a focused ride and handling while its brakes have been developed by UK specialists HiSpec.

Inside, the Beira features a custom-made interior and includes electric windows, air conditioning and twin airbags with a hand-stitched leather/Alcantara seats and trim.

The central dashboard cluster features an in-car entertainment from manufacturer Clarion with a 7-inch colour touch screen, DVD player, iPod and Bluetooth communications link, and 30GB hard drive with European satellite navigation.

The announcement of the stunning rival to the fellow Brit sports car the Farbio GTS comes just ahead of its debut at the London Motorexpo car show at Docklands on June 9.

It will be available for around £55,000 and is planned for sale internationally – meaning the first batch has been designed with left-hand-drive.

We’ll be at the London Motorexpo where top marques including Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, BMW and Porsche will also be displaying their motors, so don’t forget to come back for all the big news.