Sports car manufacturer attempts to drive 1000 green miles

A Breckland based sports car manufacturer will attempt to drive from Norwich to Monaco on one tank of bio-diesel fuel in an incredible motoring first.

The car in question is the Iceni, a 6.6 litre V8 two-seater sports car, designed, developed and manufactured by Trident Performance Vehicles Ltd, based at Beeston, Norfolk.

The challenge commences at The Forum, Norwich, where the Iceni will be viewable for the first time from 09:00 until 11:00 on 17thth April 2007. During this time, the 100 litre fuel tank will be drained and re-fueled with Bio-Diesel, supplied by Green Fuels Ltd. An independent person will then be asked to give it their seal of approval by signing and sealing the fuel cap, thereby rendering it tamper-proof.

At 11:00 Trident Sales Director and former racing driver, Kelly Bevan and motoring journalist, Suzannah Sorrell will set off for Monaco, where the car is due to be displayed at the Top Marques International Motor Show from Thursday, 19th – 22nd April 2007.

The Iceni is expected to arrive in Monaco at 11:00 on Thursday, 19th April in full view of Europe’s international media. The car will then have its fuel seal removed and any residual fuel will be drained and the quantity verified and recorded by an independent person before going onto complete a maiden lap of the famous Monaco Grand Prix Circuit.

Although it has the usual sports car specs - 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds with a top (limited) speed of 170mph - the Iceni is environmentally friendly. At a consistent 56mph, the Iceni will return 70mpg. With this in mind, the Iceni is set to become one of the most fuel efficient sports cars available today and at £60,000, one of the cheapest.

Top Marques Monaco is the most prestigious luxury and supercar show in Europe and it will expose Trident to potential customers and vital business contacts. This kind of exposure is usually difficult for SME’s to achieve but the company’s export initiative is backed by Breckland Council with a £3000 grant through their REV (Rural Enterprise Valley) project. REV has a role to play in promoting and marketing the area as an attractive location for inward investment and this is a fantastic opportunity to promote the Norfolk car industry.

Keith Davis, Chief Executive at Breckland Council – “This is exactly the sort of exciting and innovative initiative that REV was set up to support. Breckland Council is committed to stimulating economic growth, attracting quality jobs and supporting local business to achieve in what is increasingly becoming a global marketplace.”

Miss Kelly Bevan commented, "Having just completed fuel economy tests, I'm delighted to say that travelling from Norwich to Monaco on one tank of bio-diesel is going to be a breeze. We (the Trident team) are very excited about exhibiting at the Top Marques Show...it's a very prestigious event - we never dreamt we would launch the Iceni somewhere so glamorous and we are grateful to REV for helping us get there. As one of the drivers, I can't wait - it's going to be spectacular!"

A video diary of the journey will be recorded by on-board video cameras, supplied by Sportscams of Colchester. The footage will be viewable on the REV Project website revproject.com and trident-vehicles.co.uk.