Trident Iceni Magna

Have you ever wondered why most automobiles seem to follow certain conception rules? Some of them are just the best option known so far, like shaping the front as a wedge so as to improve in aerodynamics. Others, in turn, were strengthened or weakened only by what the public ended preferring. One of the latter is equipping sports cars with gasoline engines. After examples such as LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder, the English coupé you’re about to meet brings another equally interesting way of achieving very high speed.

Despite working mostly for the local market, this automaker could make a great example of “design language”, which has been so widely used in the current decade. After all, whether in Magna or Grand Tourer versions, Iceni looks different from most cars in many aspects. Sure, dividing roof and trunk lid in two bubble-shaped sections might not be the prettiest solution available, but this is the kind of idea which is truly able to distinguish a car in nowadays. The roadster version uses a longitudinal bar to connect windshield and trunk lid over the occupants’ heads, but both cars feature the same rounded design with an abrupt rise started at the doors. Elements like this are what makes a car recognizable even from meters of distance.

Entering Iceni will reveal a cabin which surprises for its details, rather than its level of technology or equipment. Considering that this kind of car is bought mostly for the pleasure of driving, this is actually good: such a simple dashboard provides easy and quick access, without taking much time from the driver to deal with entertainment functions or all the physical and virtual buttons that control them. What Trident offers for some extra money, in turn, is the Luxury package formed by laser-cut, two-tone Alcantara-and-leather upholstery, smoked or tinted glass roof panels, heated rearview mirrors and an infotainment central with 7”, HD touchscreen – in case you’ve really got to check your social network accounts while on the road.

However, if we’re talking about item packages you might as well prefer to know the Premium one: this one adds heated windshield, electrically-assisted seats and UV-resistant carbon fiber inserts for the cabin. Everything to give you a nice welcome before making use of what is surely Iceni Magna’s best feature: a turbo-diesel engine. Yes, it runs on the same fuel with which Dacia Dokkers and Volkswagen Sharans haul cargo and children around town, with the tiny exceptions of this coupé’s unit being a 6.6L V8 and generating 395 hp of power and 700 lb-ft of torque. In other words, you can go from 0 to 96 kph in 3s7 and to the top speed of 306 kph without one single drop of gasoline. Always using a six-speed automatic transmission.

If you already got breathless, take a moment before reading this: those numbers can be upgraded with not one, but two other packages. The Performance pack includes “uprated differential”, better headlights, rear air diffuser and some engine tweaks, which take the same engine to 430 hp and 950 lb-ft. If you’re still thirsty for speed – or just impressed with how far did Trident go with a diesel engine, which is perfectly comprehensible – there’s the Track Performance pack. The previous list adds uprated intercooler, high-flow turbo and pipework, race-spec suspension with Eibach springs, carbon-ceramic brake discs, performance clutch and paddle-shifters. And more engine tuning, this time to reach 660 hp and 1,050 lb-ft of torque. In United Kingdom, prices go from £96k to £126k.