Mexico's Mastretta MXT headed for production, Clarkson unavailable for comment

The 2011 Mastretta MXT, Mexico's homegrown sports car that took a Top Gear slagging, is ramping up production. The company is on track to produce 100 vehicles by the end of 2011, and that figure will double next year. Speaking at the Guadalajara International Motor Show (SIAG), Daniel Mastretta announced the first production MXT will be delivered by the end of July.

Despite what Clarkson, May and Hammond had to say about Mexican cars and cuisine, co-founder Daniel Mastretta didn't fire back at Top Gear with anger. In fact, the comments on the popular show helped publicize the MXT and spurred the company to make improvements to the vehicle. The aluminum chassis MXT features a turbocharged Ford Duratec four-cylinder and MTX transaxle, but as Lotus has proved with the Elise, plebian pieces with a light load can translate into thrilling performance. Mastretta is holding 30 percent of its Toluca, Mexico factory output back for the Mexican market, while the rest of the coupes will head out for other lands.

Vehicles will soon be put in the hands of media for evaluation drives. That's a vote of confidence by the manufacturer in its product and Mastretta can count us among the interested parties who are eager to see what this car is capable of.