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Many gearheads have never heard of the Spania GTA Spano, but it's a seriously impressive supercar.

Filing the criteria of a 200+ mph mid-engined V10 supercar, surely that has to be an Italian, right? Well, no quietly flying under the radar, back in 2012 Spania's GTA Spano met all the above and more.

If we're brutally honest, Spania isn't a name widely recognized by gearheads, those in the know are either movie buffs or gamers, both forms of media playing host to this little known supercar. To date, the GTA is Spania's only supercar, one that has been undated since the first prototype broke cover, more power and, naturally, a few cosmetic tweaks keeping things fresh. It comes a little surprise with such an intoxicating mix of power and speed, Spania found its way through the ranks of Motorsports, building on track experience to hit the ground running with one of the least well-known supercars this century.

Spain, best known as a popular summer holiday destination, Sangria and a laid back way of life, not a Mecca for gearheads seeking balls out gasoline-fueled thrills. While SEAT under VAG ownership has produced some hot Cupra badged rides with considerable success, it falls to another less well established brand to pick up the supercar baton.

Founded in 1978, Spania GTA first cut its teeth with private cars, later progressing to Formula 3 and the IMSA GT series, in-house production supercars emerging some 40 years later. The resulting Spania GTA Spano taking the supercar elite somewhat by surprise, with the first customer cars delivered in late 2012.

The mark of many a supercar, entering or exiting anything fast and exotic usually involves highly engineered and complex doors, the Countach wowed with scissor doors, Mercedes similarly causing a stir with the 300 SL's gull wings. Not wanting to be left out, Spania opted for a dihedral door configuration, up and outwards at the same time, easing access.

Mimicry is said to be the greatest form of flattery, we'll score the GTA Spano on par with other exotica. However, Spania does have one neat trick up its sleeves, the GTA Spano a mid-engined supercar places the truck upfront. Access is a mere button press away, but rather than using a simple upwards movement, this one moves up, and then rearwards.

From the get go, Spain's premier supercar looked the part, 1st generation cars sharing a familiar clean streamline approach to that of other supercars. Both muscular and restrained, the GTA Spano was still able to blend in without causing too many neck snapping wow what is that moments.

First generation cars built between 2012-15, mid-engined V10 powered cars with Spania claiming a top speed of 217 mph, the only real visual drama coming with the raising of its rear wing, drivers able to dial in how much down force they need.

All new for 2015, an edgier appearance courtesy of a revised front and rear aero pack. Up front, deeper mesh-filled grilles running full width, topped off with new light clusters and cooling slats. Round the back it's a similar story, deeper grilles, vents and a reworked light cluster we'd swear looks like that of a Corvette. Naturally, the rear wing got bigger too.

Both generations share the same V10 motor, twin-turbocharged for good measure, pushing out 900+ hp with drive to the rear wheels via a 7-speed transmission, customers able to specify either a manual or auto option. Flat out, newer cars, despite their small gains in power, had a higher 230 mph top speed.

Preproduction, 1st generation, and the subsequent 2nd generation GTA Spano's all feature the same V10 motor. At Spania's first public showing, 8.3 liters of American muscle augmented by two turbochargers punched out 770 hp, production Spanos upping the ante to 887 horses with a small bump in displacement. Oddly, more recent cars went the other direction, dropping to 8 liters.

You can probably guess by the numbers above, 10-cylinders of American muscle and 8+ liters, that Spania sourced their engines from the Dodge Viper, as the saying goes there's no substitute for cubic inches.

RELATED: 10 Of The Sickest V10 Engines Ever Put In A Car

Unpainted, it's not hard to spot the tell-tale carbon weave that Spania opted to build the GT Spano from carbon-fiber, lighter and stronger than either steel or aluminum for the given weight, and its cool finish too. Every supercar manufacturer goes down this path, even throwing some titanium and Kevlar, Spania is up there the best.

Pushing the boundaries further with generation 2 updates, the now standard exotic materials were joined by another altogether more space age material, Spania adding graphene to the Spanos construction process.

More generation changes included a move to Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber, 265/30 ZR & 345/30 front and rear respectively, not just a change in brand but larger too. In cold, hard numbers, the performance difference in a drag race is exactly nil, both cars reaching 60 mph in 2.9-seconds.

Fitted with 19/20-inch forged rims front/rear, originally Spania specified Pirelli P-Zero 235/35 & 335/30, representing a minor change in tire size over aspect ratio. Eagle eyed gearheads will easily be able to spot the standard fitted 15-inch carbon ceramic discs, six-piston calipers handling stopping duties.

Settling down in to the driver's seat, a leather trimmed blend of race versus comfort, Spania set-out to make the GT Spano blisteringly quick without the annoyances of other supercars. Rear view mirror? Nope, that often compromised chore is replaced with a rearview camera and LCD panel, no more viewing the world through a slit.

Neat solutions aside, it's the main instrument cluster that wows most, two prominent LED dials relating engine speed and road speed sandwich a smaller fuel readout, and that is all you need when you're pushing well beyond road legal speeds. For those seeking some flexibility, storage is a welcome surprise, Spania providing a generous 150 liters internally.

We've all watched in awe as on-screen racing sequences unleash the full-complement of turbocharged horsepower, Need For Speed showcasing the Spania's 200+ mph performance against some of the biggest names in supercars. Spoiler alert, the Spania GTA Spano unfortunately doesn't win and meets an untimely end, thankfully substituted for a replica.

Those of younger disposition will likely recognize the Spania from one of several big-name racing games, Need For speed the obvious one, but you can add Forza, Asphalt, Driveclub, and CSR racing to the list of digital appearances too.

RELATED: These Were The 10 Coolest Cars Featured In The Need For Speed

The fastest Spanish supercar is about to get a lot faster, and harder too, thanks to Spania's recent track focused variant, the Spano R. In R-Spec, weight drops by an incredible 440 lbs, partly due to the Spano's first real engine change. Ditching its V10 in favor of a more compact 4-liter turbocharged V8 not only saves valuable pounds but ups power output to 1200 hp. Plans for production are limited to 40 examples.

Crashing back to earth and bringing a touch more affordability, gearheads on a lesser budget can pick up BuWizz's custom GT Spano Lego kit consisting of 3800+ bricks for a mere $5200. With 10 electric motors and Bluetooth connectivity, at one time this 1:8 scale held the record of the fastest Lego car with a top speed of 23 mph.

Raised in a car-obsessed environment from an early age ensured a keen interest in anything car-related. first and foremost an F1 fan, but also an avid follower of other motorsports. Professional background working closely with a well established UK based Supercar manufacturer in recent years.