Bugatti basher makes do with two

It's dubbed the Acabion GTBO 70, and don't feel like a dunce if you've never heard of it, because neither had we, until recently.

Seemingly designed with George Jetson in mind, the futuristic two-seater was unveiled at the recent Geneva motor show, and its maker boldly claims the range-topping variant can top 600km/h -- yes, you read right.

Equally gobsmacking is the company's boast that it can accelerate from standstill to 450km/h in 19 seconds. At that rate of progress, you'd be searching for Schumi and his Ferrari F1 car in the rear-view mirror -- except that there doesn't appear to be one.

What makes this sort of performance possible? Part of the answer lies in the turbocharged 1.3-litre Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle engine, which has been worked over to belch out an absurd 510kW -- virtually on par with today's F1 cars.

Add to this the fact that the Acabion weighs just 359kg -- nearly 200 kegs less than an F1 car -- and the result is a power-to-weight ratio that could be described as "healthy"... if you're prone to extreme understatement.

In case all this sounds a bit much for your weak ticker, there's also a garden-variety model with ‘only' about 270kW, and its top speed is a modest 550km/h.

Believe it or not, there's supposedly even an element of practicality, thanks to boot space of 150 litres and claimed fuel consumption of around 4L/100km -- superior to a Toyota Prius!

We've no idea how the Acabion fares in terms of high-speed stability, or whether it can negotiate corners without falling over, particularly in view of the fact that the supplementary rear 'stabilisers' (which look rather like the trainer wheels on my first bike) retract once "walking pace" is exceeded.

No Acabions have as yet been delivered to would-be owners, but the contraption's German manufacturer is said to be taking customer orders. Form an orderly queue...