Grafschaft-Gelsdorf, Germany  - A band of racing enthusiasts hopes to attract a well-heeled clientele to a new sports roadster named Veritas which revives the name of Germany's pioneering post-war Formula One team.

The Veritas RS3 is a sleek single-seater seater built around a carbon kevlar-clad monoque frame. Power comes from a breathed-on 10 cylinder BMW M5 engine with 600 brake horsepower mated to an automatic gearbox.

Veritas aims to produce just 50 examples annually of the handbuilt machine which it says "captures the pure feeling and fascination of an authentic racing car."

A company spokesman said the RS3 would be priced at around 220,000 euros (346,000 dollars), putting it firmly in the supercar league alongside products from Ferrari and Bugatti.

The "no frills" track specification does not include modern driving aids such as an electronic stability programme or even power- assisted brakes. A more practical GT version with a hardtop and room for a front seat passenger is also in the pipeline.

The Rhineland-based Veritas claims the lightweight RS3 can top 347 kilometres per hour and sprint to 100 kph in just 3.2 seconds.

Hardly surprising since the car tips the scales at a mere 1,070 kilogrammes. The original Veritas racers won 13 German Championships and took 29 first places only a few years after the end of World War II.

In 1951, a Veritas Meteor entered the Swiss Formula 1 Grand Prix, making it the first German Formula 1 racing car ever. (dpa)