Performance car manufacturers around the world vouch for their naturally aspirated petrol powered super cars that can do blisteringly fast speeds. However, while super cars are synonymous with petrol; electric and diesel has not really been the most familiar choice in mainstream super cars. Now a small auto manufacturer Trident from Great Britain plans to change that perception and has launched the world’s fastest diesel powered super car the Iceni which is fuel efficient as well.
The Trident Iceni boasts of very British retro styling. You get glimpses of the TVR, Jaguar E-Type (not to forget the F-type inspired tail lights) and a lot of other iconic British models at first glance. However, the Iceni holds its own with the flowing lines and clean curves all around and is very pleasing to the eye. Alongside the Iceni convertible, the company also unveiled two more body styles namely the Iceni Magna fastback and Iceni Venturer estate models.
Step inside the cabin of the diesel super car and you find sport seats, integrated touchscreen display with satellite navigation and DAB radio. The Iceni is practical as well with a storage capacity of two suitcases and two holdalls. Trident also offers the luxury upgrade pack that adds roof blinds, heated seats, Alcantara and leather interior. The upgrade includes heated door mirrors; diamond cut spoke wheels, tinted roof lenses and an ICE upgrade to the Clarion multimedia system with 7-inch HD display that completes the luxurious interiors.
Powering the Trident Iceni is a 6.6-litre V8 turbo diesel engine that makes a healthy 395 HP of power, while max torque available is a staggering 948 Nm. 0-100 km/hr comes up in 3.7 seconds on the Iceni and the super car has a top speed of 306 km/hr. The engine is paired to a 6-speed automatic transmission. Stopping power on the vehicle comes from Alcon 400 mm steel vented discs at the front and 380 mm steel vented discs at the rear, both with 6 pot Alcon callipers.
Customers can choose for the optional performance upgrade pack that boosts the power output from the V8 to 430 HP, while torque maxes out to 1286 Nm along with an upgraded differential and rear carbon diffuser. There is also a track performance pack that increases the power levels to 660 HP and 1422 Nm of torque. The performance pack also includes altered differential, performance intercooler, race spec suspension, Coelene and Kevlar clutch upgrade, paddle shift gearbox and CCX carbon ceramic discs.
Not only is the Trident Iceni a very fast diesel, it is also the most fuel efficient car in its class. The company claims a cruising range of 3220 kms on a single tank when filled with bio-diesel thanks to use of torque multiplication technology offering the best economy and outright performance. Considering that the base version outputs 980 Nm of torque, the Iceni does an average speed of 112 km/hr at 980 RPM. The super car returns an efficient 24.39 km/l (in the UK drive cycle). The company has designed and manufactured over 39 components for the Iceni which include independent control of each seat and the oculight roof.
Customers can also customise their Iceni as per their specific tastes. The automaker is currently taking orders for all the three body styles with prices for the base variant starting at 96,000 Pounds (Rs. 97.70 lakhs). Trident’s target audience is essentially ex-Jaguar XK buyers and the company is also targeting Aston Martin DB9 owners. Iceni says the Trident will be available globally so an India launch can’t be ruled out just yet.
