Hot Zenos E10 R with 350bhp planned

Zenos is planning a Ford Focus RS engined version of its E10 sports car, with as much as 350bhp

Zenos has confirmed it is working on a faster and more 'focused' version of its E10 sports car, and the new model could share its engine with the Ford Focus RS.

Dubbed the E10 R, the new car is described as being the "most thrilling Zenos model yet" and promises "greater performance and driving thrills."

Although Zenos hasn't officially revealed what mechanical upgrades the E10 R will receive, with the company merely stating it will come with "a large increase in power", company boss Mark Edwards has previously hinted that the E10’s chassis is capable of handling more power. A harder, more focused version of the E10 is the next logical step for the company as it seeks to establish itself in the low-volume sports car market.

The logical engine option for the latest E10 version being prepared at the firm’s Norfolk headquarters would be a more powerful version of the turbocharged 2.0-litre Ford Ecoboost unit used in the E10 (with 200bhp) and E10S (250bhp).

But Autocar understands the new Ford Focus RS’s 2.3-litre Ecoboost engine is also under consideration as the more favoured option, and is understood to fit in the E10’s chassis. A power output in excess of 300bhp is a certainty whichever engine is chosen, something that would give the new version of the E10 a power-to-weight ratio in excess of 500bhp per tonne.

A whole suite of other modifications would also be included as part of the new performance model, with improvements to the brakes and gear shift understood to be two areas in particular the company will focus on. These preview images also reveal several exterior and interior trim modifications.

Despite the extra performance, the new version of the E10 will stay true to Zenos’s affordable roots, and will significantly undercut models such as the Lotus 3-Eleven and Caterham 620R for which its power-to-weight ratio will be a match.

Announcing the new model, Edwards said: "Is it indulgent? Maybe. Is it insane? Very possibly. Is it astonishing? Absolutely!”

The new E10 R will join the existing E10 and E10S in Zenos’s line-up, before the company expands its portfolio with the long-mooted E11 roadster and E12 coupé models in the near future.