Remember The Zenos E10 Sports Car? It's Back

Zenos revives the lightweight E10 with up to 380 horsepower and a manual.

Photo by: Zenos Automotive

By: Brian Potter

Oct 14, at 4:00pm ET

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Zenos is building sports cars again. The British marque, now under AC Cars' ownership, has revived the E10 for 2027 with reservations open and first deliveries scheduled for the second quarter of that year.

The new E10 comes in two flavors: the 300-hp r2 and the 380-hp rZ, both weighing just 1,742 pounds and both running a six-speed manual. There is a catch for anyone outside the UK hoping to drive one on the street.

Two Engines And 1,742 pounds

Zenos E10 (2027)

Photo by: Zenos Automotive

The entry model, the E10 r2, pairs a 2,261-cc turbocharged four-cylinder with 300 hp and 313 lb-ft of torque. Zenos claims a 0 to 62 mph sprint of 3.8 seconds for that version.

Step up to the E10 rZ, and you get a 1,969-cc turbo four making 380 hp and 376 lb-ft, good for a claimed 0 to 62 mph run of 3.2 seconds. Both cars share an announced top speed of around 150 mph.

Both versions tip the scales at approximately 1,742 pounds, thanks to a carbon-fiber tub and body panels mounted on an extruded aluminum chassis. That puts the rZ's power-to-weight ratio around 480 hp per metric ton, well clear of a Nissan Z-sized rival.

Zenos revised the six-speed manual's shift mechanism for this generation, keeping the gearbox as the only transmission offered. No automatic or dual-clutch option exists on the order sheet, a rarity as rivals chase quicker shift times in the segment.

Gallery: Zenos E10 (2027)

Source: Zenos Automotive

Prices And The UK-Only Catch

Zenos prices the r2 at £115,900 ($153,400) and the rZ at £129,900 ($172,000) in the United Kingdom, positioning both well above lightweight rivals like a stock Mazda MX-5 Miata. Orders are open now, with bespoke metallic finishes available at launch.

Here is the catch buyers outside Britain need to understand. Zenos has announced road-legal registration only for the UK, covering both the r2 and rZ for public roads there. For every other market, the automaker's current offering is limited to track-only cars.

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That means American enthusiasts drawn to a 1,700-pound manual sports car with 380 hp should not expect a street-legal E10 in their driveway anytime soon. No US road approval has been announced, and nothing in Zenos's current plans points toward federalizing the car for American roads.

The distinction echoes other small-batch British builds that chase UK homologation first and leave wider certification for later, if it comes at all. Buyers hunting a similarly raw, rear-wheel-drive manual experience closer to home might look instead at something like the manual Nissan Z Nismo.