A leading industry voice is out to put Britain firmly back on the motoring map after failing in a bid to buy collapsed Midlands car manufacturer MG Rover.

Professor Krish Bhaskar, a top academic and former vehicle manufacturing adviser to the European Commission, and consultant to major brands including GM, Ford, Fiat and the Volkswagen Group, wants to re-establish a quality car that harks back to one of the top names from Britain's motoring heyday.

With that in mind, he has established Project Tempest, and developed a vision of how a 21st Century version of how a big Healey might look.

Professor Bhaskar will neither confirm nor deny suggestions that the new car, named Tempest, will be a spiritual successor to the Austin Healey 3000 -- but does admit to having been inspired by the legendary British roadster.

Bhaskar says he is in discussions with potential partners "to re-establish a well-known brand from the heyday of the British motor industry".

"Codenamed Project Tempest, development work on a core range of affordable, high-performance cars is now at an advanced stage," adds Bhaskar. "The basic package will cost as little as £25,000, offering performance and handling characteristics traditionally associated with cars costing significantly more.

"Each car will incorporate a host of active and passive safety features. Project Tempest is about creating a range of exciting and safe cars that are fun to drive, with class-leading fuel economy."

Bhaskar has previously raised concerns over a drop in the skill and ability levels to design, develop and engineer a car in Britain, and said that these levels are currently at around a fifth of what they were 25 to 30 years ago.

"Emotionally committed" to re-establishing a UK manufacturing base for an all-British car, Bhaskar says: "I would dearly like to a see a 21st Century Healey. Who wouldn't?