New British car company Connaught is planning an ambitious range exapnsion including a V12-powered luxury flagship saloon.

A long-wheelbase development of the Type-D GT coupé, the new four-door is pencilled in for production around 2010. The company plans to start development in 2007. ‘We’ve not kicked off the project yet, but it’s the next car we want to make as a development of our current chassis,’ says project director Tony Martindale.

Connaught’s engineers have done a feasibility study on the coupé’s steel-tube spaceframe, which shows at least a 100mm wheelbase stretch is possible. With a greater rear overhang to increase boot space, the Connaught saloon is likely to stretch to around 4.6m, still compact dimensions for a flagship four-door.

The V12 will be a development of Connaught’s narrow-angle V10 with a capacity around 2.4 litres, a supercharger and peak power close to 360bhp. A hybrid version is also in the pipeline.

The four-door is just one of an ambitious nine-model plan outlined by Connaught by 2010, including the forthcoming supercharged Type-D Syracuse and a petrol/electric V10 hybrid. Average annual production is planned at around 600 a year, with a peak of up to 2000 a year by 2010 when the V12 saloon arrives