Trident: You’ve Never Seen Diesels Like These

While the details are comparatively scant, Trident Sports Cars Ltd., of the U.K., has announced that its Iceni sports car is now available in a couple of variations.

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Here are some numbers:

--Starting price: £96,000

--Engine: 6.6-liter turbodiesel V8

[Yes, that’s right: turbodiesel. According to Trident, in addition to running on regular diesel fuel, it can also run on 100% bio-diesel—as in used cooking oil, virgin rapeseed, linseed, palm, soya bean oil, kerosene and paraffin.]

--Output: 395 hp, 700 lb-ft of torque

--Acceleration: 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds

--Top speed: >190 mph

--Cargo capacity: “A minimum of two suitcases, as well as two holdalls”

Here’s the puzzling part: the company claims that the Iceni has the ability to run for 2,000 miles on a single tank of fuel. While we don’t know what the fuel tank capacity is (nor any of the other vehicle specs for that matter), assuming that this thing isn’t the size of a locomotive, chances are the fuel tank isn’t any bigger than that used in a Chevrolet Silverado HD, which is also available with a 6.6-liter turbodiesel V8 (although this powertrain provides 397 hp and 765 lb-ft of torque). The full-size pickup has a 36-gallon capacity. So if the sports car has a 36-gallon capacity, too, then the powertrain would have to provide 55.5 mpg, which isn’t unthinkable by any means, but, really, a 36-gallon tank? (30 gallons would need 66.6 mpg; 25 gallons, 80 mpg.)

Trident claims to have something called “torque multiplication technology” that is said to increase fuel efficiency by up to 20%. Must be something.

Still, looking at the Magna and the sports car, Trident certainly cuts an interesting form.