One of my favorite car companies is the quirky UK outfit Bristol Motors. I admit, the styling hasn’t always been for everyone, but I adore all their clever aerospace-inspired touches.

Five years ago, things were looking bleak for a company many thought a relic of bygone times. The Fighter—a 200mph GT with the V10 from of a Dodge Viper in the nose—failed to find much of an audience in the 21st century, leading to insolvency. But new owners took over, and the past two years have seen occasional, tantalizing announcements about a new car—Project Pinnacle. Now, the wraps are off: meet the Bristol Bullet.

Before we get to the Bullet, a little history: originally a division of the Bristol Aeroplane Company, merger after merger turned Bristol Cars into some percentage of BAE Systems. Bristol started building cars after World War II—powered by BMW’s 328 racing engine thanks to post-war reparations—and spun off the business in 1960 once the UK’s aviation industry began to condense on government orders.