Imagine your first sighting of this new Eagle Lightweight GT was from a distance. Not far enough away to require binoculars, but perhaps as you’re walking towards it across a large picturesque car park in the South Downs. If you didn’t already know what it was you would probably think, from a reasonable remove, that it was one of the original dozen ‘60s Lightweights (or perhaps, given the colour, one of the six continuation cars). If you caught a fleeting glimpse of it out on the road you would probably reach the same conclusion.

But afforded a closer view and a few more seconds to inspect it more lingeringly, you would instinctively sense the differences. You might not be able instantly to pinpoint the lower sills of the bespoke front and rear screens’ added rake, but you’d know something was awry. In a good way. Given the chance to scrutinise, you would see the hidden weather seals, flush indicators and frameless door glass. If you really know your Eagle Specials then you might notice the front arches’ subtle flare rather than the blistering of those on the Low Drag GT.

Some of the specifics are, of course, more than aluminium-skin deep. Lift the bonnet and you’ll find a 4.7-litre, all-aluminium straight-six with a wide-angle head and triple Webers fed through a carbonfibre ram air system. This car has also been specced, appropriately, with as much magnesium as Eagle offers – the lightweight metal being used in the gearbox, differential housing, sump and hubs. Inconel manifolds, a titanium exhaust, tubular driveshafts and lightweight wishbones all complete the slim-fast recipe.

Nearly complete. There is one other, rather special upgrade that Eagle has developed for this car: aluminium wheel spinners. They save unsprung and rotational mass, but achieving the required robustness to allow them to be knocked on and off with a brass hammer has been a labour of love.

Open the tiny door, slot yourself in behind the small Nardi wheel and you find yourself ensconced in an interior that is every bit as beautiful as the exterior. This is also where the GT part of the name is most evident, the seats subtly supporting you against lateral slip but also providing a cosseting amount of squish in the squab and back. I’m nearly 6ft 5in tall and would probably struggle to squeeze into an original, but feel perfectly comfortable in these surroundings. What’s more, I had always imagined the hardtop of a Lightweight would make it a little claustrophobic, but the wraparound rear glass means it has a surprisingly spacious and airy atmosphere.

Turn the key, press the starter button and, with a smidgen of throttle, the engine catches with a loud, rasping note from the twin pipes. The sound only improves as you get going and it reaches spine-tingling levels when the needle on the Smiths revcounter swings past 3600rpm. From here to the redline the Webers are in their element and the engine feels good for every one of its claimed 380bhp.

You don’t need to live in this portion of the revs, you can short-shift and rely on the 375lb ft of torque, which, while not quite as smoothly delivered as it might be on SUs, gives a lovely flexibility and helps with the feeling of usability. But the Lightweight GT always feels eager, its lack of inertia thanks to a dry weight of just 1017kg encouraging you to keep piling on the speed, seeking out that harder note and extra kick of acceleration.

The lack of mass obviously aids the suspension, too, and the Öhlins dampers make a fine fist of flattering the terrible road surfaces in the south of England. But while bigger bumps are soaked up and the whole car settles at speed, you always feel firmly connected to the road beneath you. Just as with the engine, for all its impressive civility, this car can never entirely hide the competition side of its character. Thankfully.

I have been lucky enough to drive all the Eagle Specials over the past decade, and two days in and around this latest creation convinced me that it is the best of the lot to drive. Some will find the rortiness of the Webers too much, but I love them. Meanwhile, all the other upgrades really come together to give the greatest sense of connection and response from behind the wheel. It’s a driving experience that lives up to the looks. And that’s saying something.