By Jorn Madslien at the British International Motor Show

Speed and luxury are keywords to the world premiers at the motor show in Birmingham, and some of this year's stars have been produced by UK car makers.

When the show opens for the public on Friday, they will get to see two new British sports cars for the first time.

TVR's new T350 will set a few petrolheads' hearts pumping, and there is little doubt that the car maker will be able to sell the car.

But from a commercial point of view, MG Rover's new high performance sports car will be more interesting as the company's struggle for survival as an independent car maker continues.

"It's great news that this British car will see its world debut on home soil," said the chief executive of the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Christopher Macgowan.

Aston Martin's Vanquish 007 Car will also be on show for the first time, ahead of the release of the latest James Bond movie, Die Another Day.

Then there is the new Bentley Continental GT, of course, which was described as the fastest four-seat car in the world when it had its world debut in Paris last month.

Ford will be making its mark, too, with a concept car built for speed. Ford's RallyeConcept marks "a new chapter in Ford's accomplished rallying tradition", the company said in a statement.

Also on view for the first time will be Ford's Thunderbird and its 4x4 Ranger.

UK debuts

Almost all the global debuts in Birmingham are British.

This is a symptom of the way the show is routinely overshadowed by the Paris Motor Show, which takes place just a few weeks earlier.

In Paris, there were 29 world premiers. In Birmingham there will be just a handful.

But few visitors to the show in the UK believe this matters.

They will still get a chance to witness the UK premiers of the likes of Volkswagen's new Touraeg four-wheel-drive car, Citroen's C3 Pluriel five-in-one car and Nissan's new Micra.