A GT40 reborn with 789 hp and, yes, the option of a manual

A Le Mans legend reimagined, with the one feature enthusiasts crave most

Cape Advanced Vehicles has spent more than two decades building GT40 replicas. Now the South African firm has done something far more ambitious: the GT MkII, a spiritual successor to the Le Mans legend with a 789 hp twin-supercharged V8 and, gloriously, the option of a manual gearbox. In an era where almost everything fast is automatic, that last detail is the headline.

Successor, not replica

Cape Advanced Vehicles, or CAV, has built GT40 replicas since 1999, completing 223 examples before this. The GT MkII is a deliberate step beyond that: the company calls it a spiritual successor rather than a traditional replica. The classic cues are all present, the round rear lights, the twin air intakes, the rear snorkels and an evocative Gulf-style blue and orange livery, but the proportions and detailing are entirely reimagined for the modern era, with LED lighting, a wide body and a low, purposeful stance.

The engine and the gearbox that matters

Power comes from a heavily modified 4.2-litre Audi V8 fitted with twin centrifugal superchargers, producing 789 hp at 7,800 rpm with a 9,000 rpm redline. A six-speed automated single-clutch gearbox is standard, a dual-clutch is optional, but the choice that will excite enthusiasts is the proper manual transmission. Offering a three-pedal option in a 789 hp modern supercar is increasingly rare, and exactly the kind of thing a small, driver-focused builder can still do.

Modern underneath the retro skin

Despite the period looks, the GT MkII is thoroughly modern. It is built on an Audi R8-derived platform with aluminium and carbon fibre construction, and runs all-wheel drive, KW adjustable dampers, Brembo brakes, an Inconel exhaust, active aerodynamics and contemporary driver aids and safety systems. The performance is genuinely supercar grade: 0 to 100 km/h in 3.0 seconds and a top speed of around 328 km/h. This is a classic shape with none of the classic compromises.

How many, and not for everyone

The GT MkII is strictly limited, with just 40 examples built as a 60th Anniversary Edition, marking six decades since the GT40's era. CAV is winding down its original GT40 replica builds as it shifts focus to this new model. Pricing has not been disclosed. Not everyone is sold on the styling, with some purists arguing it strays too far from what made the original special, but reimagining an icon was always going to divide opinion.

AutoNext Take

We will forgive the GT MkII a great deal simply for offering a manual gearbox behind a 789 hp supercharged V8, because almost nobody else will. The purists grumbling that it strays from the original have a point on styling, but they are missing the bigger picture: a small South African firm has built a modern, all-wheel-drive, R8-engined supercar wrapped in GT40 spirit and given drivers the choice of three pedals. That is a love letter to driving, not a museum piece, and at just 40 units it will be one of the most characterful ways to wear a piece of Le Mans history on the road.