British company Trident says it has built the sports car of the future - a 6.6-litre, V8, turbodiesel, two-seat grand tourer that accelerates from 0-100km/h in less than four seconds, has a top speed of more than 320km/h yet burns only 4.1 litres/100km at a steady 110km/h.
It's called the Iceni* and can run on any type of biodiesel without adjustment or loss of performance, says the maker, which also claims that it should have a range of about 3200km on a 130-litre tank of diesel.
A Trident spokesman said: "We recorded 4.1 litres/100km at a constant 110km/h in our first test at Millbrook Proving Ground.
"The figures naturally improve at lower speeds. Trident's initial tests returned 2.6 litres/100km at 50km but we don't believe in quoting a figure for 50km/h as this is unrealistic unless you drive only in city traffic."
It's achieved through a technology called torque multiplication that can be applied to all diesel vehicles. Trident says it's available now, requires no further development and can make an immediate difference to the amount of emissions diesel vehicles produce.
The UK government supports a number of organisations that exist to provide grants to people and/or companies that can help reduce CO2 emissions. Trident says it has applied to them all and received nothing. It has also struggled to get reasons why and has been unable to find out who has received grants.
Trident has invested £2.3-million (about R33-million) in the project and says the car is now ready for production.
The Iceni's stainless-steel chassis is guaranteed against corrosion for 100 years and the body is made from composite material that can't rust or degrade.
Its 6.6-litre V8 turbodiesel produces a claimed 410kW at 3800rpm and 1290Nm at 1800rpm, driving the rear wheels through an eight-speed, semi-auto transmission.
It has double-wishbone suspension and disc brakes all round and runs 255/35 front and 335/30 rear tyres on 20" rims.
It costs £75 000 (about R1.08-million).
* The Iceni were a particularly rough English tribe who gave the invading Romans a really hard time about 2000 years ago.