As we may have let on during last year's Paris Motor Show, we're quite fond of a bit of automative madness here at T3 Towers, and if the Caterham-Lola SP/300R is anything to go on, this year's annual Autosport Show at the NEC will be a worthy bedfellow to that Parisian parade of electric supercars, gull-winged hatches and iPhone-controlled scooters.

- Caterham-Lola SP/300R pictures

Caterham haven't done the whole "sports concept" schtick before, but for a first attempt it's pretty daring. It's got a four-cylinder turbocharged engine and 300bhp. Not that impressive until you consider the SP/300R weighs in at under 600kg, working out at 500bhp/tonne at least, accelerating to 60mph in 2.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 170mph.

All of which is madness at a car with a production run of 25 p.a. and a starting cost of £60k - almost as OTT as the new Mercedes SLK with its controllable window tint. Sorry, we meant "Magic Sky Control". Seriously.

Expect more automative madness as it rolls out of the driveway over the weekend.