The modern performance car has become a numbers contest, and not always a more enjoyable one.
The Wells Vertige takes a different route, with compact proportions, a manual gearbox and a focus on the kind of involvement that can get lost when power, weight and software all spiral upward.
Built in the UK in small numbers, it’s a reminder that a sports car doesn’t need four-figure horsepower to feel special.
At a glance
- The Wells Vertige is a small British sports car designed around analogue driving pleasure and everyday usability.
- The Series 2 uses a 2.5-litre Ford Duratec four-cylinder engine with 225bhp, individual throttle bodies and a six-speed manual gearbox.
- With an 850kg dry weight and a starting price of GBP 85,000 including VAT, it aims for accessible engagement rather than hypercar theatre.
A British sports car with a deliberately modest footprint
Wells Motor Cars was founded by Robin Wells after a long search for a pure, lightweight sports car left him unconvinced by what the market offered.
Automotive engineer Robin Hall, formerly of Jaguar, later joined the project, and the Vertige reached public view in 2021 after an extended programme of design, prototyping and development.
The first cars were Founder’s Edition examples allocated to early customers, followed by a 25-car Launch Edition run that sold out in roughly a year.
Every car is hand-built in the UK by a small specialist team, which explains both the pace and the appeal.
A more powerful Vertige R followed in limited numbers and also sold quickly, while the next chapter is the Series 2 with a new engine and a 225bhp base output.
Compact proportions, dihedral doors and clean surfacing
The Vertige is shaped like a small coupe, but it doesn’t rely on aggressive aero add-ons to make its point.
Its bodywork is curvaceous and neatly resolved, with a simple front intake, modern LED headlights and a cabin set into a form that stays compact without looking cramped.
The most theatrical detail is the pair of dihedral doors, a gesture that nods to exotic machinery without pushing the whole design into pastiche.
Behind the cabin, the body rises into engine air intakes and a lightweight hand-formed polycarbonate canopy over the powertrain.
At the rear, round taillights, a small integrated lip spoiler and twin exhaust outlets give it just enough drama without cluttering the shape.
Lightness does the heavy lifting
The Series 2 Vertige uses a 2.5-litre four-cylinder Ford Duratec engine with an all-aluminium construction.
It features individual throttle bodies with polished trumpets, a bespoke ECU and a six-speed manual transmission.
On paper, 225bhp and 200Nm won’t trouble today’s most extreme performance cars, but the Vertige weighs only 850kg dry.
That changes the equation.
The car reaches 100kph in 4.8 seconds and runs to a top speed of 140mph, which is more than enough for real roads and far easier to access than the performance of many heavier, more complex machines.
The engine is mounted transversely behind the cabin, with drive sent to the rear wheels only.
A central tub with front and rear subframes gives the car a rigid foundation, while double wishbone suspension at each corner and adjustable toe and camber settings point to a chassis built for response rather than comfortless posturing.
Usability hasn’t been ignored
The Vertige’s appeal isn’t limited to Sunday morning road blasts.
Wells has aimed for a car that can be driven year-round, with air-conditioning, Bluetooth connectivity, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, wireless and USB charging, and satellite navigation all available in the cabin.
The leather sports seats are multi-adjustable, and the driving position is intended to keep the driver comfortable across longer journeys as well as twisting back roads.
Visibility is helped by the curved windscreen, while the packaging is more practical than the car’s small footprint suggests.
The Vertige measures just under four metres long, yet still accommodates a full-size spare wheel, twin fuel cells with a combined 50-litre capacity and a 200-litre boot behind the mid-mounted engine.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Wells Motor Cars |
|---|---|
| Model | Vertige Series 2 |
| Body style | Compact two-door coupe |
| Engine | 2.5-litre Ford Duratec four-cylinder |
| Engine construction | All-aluminium |
| Induction | Individual throttle bodies with polished trumpets |
| Transmission | Six-speed manual |
| Drive | Rear-wheel drive |
| Power | 225bhp |
| Torque | 200Nm |
| Dry weight | 850kg |
| 0-100kph | 4.8 seconds |
| Top speed | 140mph |
| Suspension | Double wishbones front and rear, adjustable toe and camber |
| Length | Just under 4 metres |
| Fuel capacity | 50 litres across twin fuel cells |
| Luggage capacity | 200 litres |
| Price | From GBP 85,000 including VAT |
The Vertige isn’t trying to outgun the supercar establishment, and that’s precisely the point.
For drivers who care more about feel, weight, visibility and mechanical connection than launch-control statistics, this small British coupe looks like one of the more interesting answers to a question too many performance brands have stopped asking.
