Take A Look At The World's First 190mph Diesel Sports Car

We've become a little bit jaded by the long list of start-up supercars that spring from the sheds of rich businesses. They're often hideously designed and inevitably LS V8 powered and will almost certainly never see production. So why, when we received the press release for the Trident Iceni, were we so intrigued?

Under that long, vented bonnet sits a 6.6-litre GM-sourced V8. So far, so start-up, but here's the kicker: it's the Duramax turbo-diesel found in the Chevrolet Silverado, which has been mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox. Obviously, its engine has been tuned for a little more refinement and power.

A Chevrolet Silverado, which shares an engine with the Iceni

According to Norfolk-based Trident, the Iceni's top speed is 190mph, and it runs on mineral diesels and bio-diesel, allowing it to achieve 2000 miles from a single tank (assuming you don't go anywhere near that ridiculous top speed, of course). That means you can pump used cooking oil, virgin rapeseed, linseed, palm, soya bean oil, kerosene or paraffin into the tank, then mash the throttle to license-breaking speeds.

That's quite a bold claim. And with the cost of the thing, it'd better live up to the stats. The base package is £96,000 ($160,000), which gets you 395bhp, but the Iceni's trump card is its torque: 700lb/ft which helps break 60mph in 3.7sec.

The full-fat version will cost considerably more. For an additional £31,000 - about 30 per cent of the original price - you can spec the Track Pack. Power surges to a whopping 660bhp and 1050lbs/ft of torque thanks to a bigger turbo, while an uprated diff improves acceleration. Stopping power comes in the form of carbon ceramic brakes, which cost £15,500 when specced seperately. You'll also get a paddle shift gearbox, Eibach race springs and a Kevlar race clutch. There's also a mid-range Performance Pack that makes 430bhp with 950lbs/ft of torque.

This is no stripped back track monster, though. There's a leather and alcantara interior, air conditioning and electric windows. For extra cash you can get carbonfibre inserts, heated seats and luggage sets.

And to be fair, it's not even that ugly. Sure, the pinched front and uninspiring headlights could be improved, but the long vented bonnet reminds us of TVR, while the back looks a little like the Morgan Aero Coupe with chubby F-type-inspired rear lights.

The Iceni is available now in coupe, convertible or estate forms. It'll be fascinating to see if those performance figures stack up in the real world.