British

It’s been a while since we last heard from British sports car manufacturer Trident, the company behind the unique Iceni diesel-powered sports car. Today, however, the company has announced that it will be showing an updated version of the car, the Iceni Grand Tourer, at Salon Privé 2012 taking place in London early next month.  The Trident Iceni, named after an ancient tribe that inhabited the area of modern-day Norfolk, England, Trident’s current home, is a low-slung sports car built in the same vein as other British classics, but with one major difference: it’s packing a 6.6-litre turbodiesel V8. The mighty engine is sourced from General Motors and modified to run on biodiesel.In the latest Iceni Grand Tourer, the engine is tuned to deliver 316 kW and a staggering 1288 Nm of torque. Trident says it's good for a 0-100 km/h time of just 3.7 seconds and a top speed of almost 320 km/h, but where the Iceni Grand Tourer really shines is in its fuel economy.The company says that the Iceni Grand Tourer's engine runs at approximately 980 revs when the car travels at a constant speed 110 km/h, such as cruising on a highway. In this way, it can return an average fuel economy of 4.1 litres of fuel and cover a range of over 3,200 km on a single tank of diesel.If this sounds interesting to you, Trident will build you one for £75,000 (approximately $114,000 AUD), though the company hasn’t mentioned if left-hand drive versions are available. It has, however, mentioned that power upgrades for the Iceni Grand Tourer are available, including one kit that lifts output to 485 kW and 1424 Nm of torque.Salon Privé 2012 kicks off on September 5 in the UK.Motor Authority

An electric sportscar with a five-speed manual gearbox has been designed by Morgan with the support of British technology specialists Zytek and Radshape.Shown as a concept to test market reaction, the radical new roadster could enter production if there is sufficient demand. "We wanted to see how much fun you can have in an electric sportscar, so we have built one to help us find out," explained Morgan operations director Steve Morris."The Plus E combines Morgan's traditional look with high-technology construction and a powertrain that delivers substantial torque instantly at any speed. With the manual gearbox to increase both touring range and driver involvement, it will be a fantastic car to drive."The Plus E is based on a tailored version of Morgan's lightweight aluminium platform chassis clothed in the revised traditional body from the new BMW V8-powered Plus 8, also launched at Geneva. Power is delivered by a new derivative of Zytek's 70kW  300Nm electric engine, which is already proven with US vehicle manufacturers.Mounted in the transmission tunnel, the Zytek unit drives the rear wheels through a conventional five-speed manual gearbox. The clutch is retained, but because the motor provides torque from zero speed the driver can choose to leave it engaged when coming to rest and pulling away, driving the car like a conventional automatic."A multi-speed transmission allows the motor to spend more time operating in its sweet spot, where it uses energy more efficiently, particularly at high road speeds," explained Zytek Automotive managing director Neil Heslington."It also allows us to provide lower gearing for rapid acceleration and will make the car more engaging for keen drivers."The program will deliver two engineering concept vehicles. The first, with the five-speed manual box and Li-ion batteries, will be used for preliminary engineering assessment while the second will be closer to potential production specification, with alternative battery technologies and possibly a sequential gearbox."The superb capability of the finished car reflects the passion with which the Zytek team has applied their considerable expertise," adds Morris. "The project is a true collaboration aimed at delivering as much driving pleasure as possible in a zero emissions vehicle. It worked really well, with aluminium fabrication specialistRadshape paying particular attention to retaining chassis stiffness and weight distribution to ensure excellent dynamics and ride quality with good steering feel."The collaborative research and development project is part-funded by the UK Government's Niche Vehicle Network Program, which is managed by CENEX to promote the development and commercialisation of new low-carbon vehicle technologies. 

...with the British brand planning a mild makeover this year.There are predictable changes to the grille and lamps but the most important thing is more efficiency for the engines.

We all thought so when the BMW engineers wheeled out the Mini pie van concept, a Mini wearing Wellies and a Mini coupe with a baseball cap on backwards. But then we noticed those wacky lederhosen-wearing Bavarians weren't laughing. Consequently we have the Mini Clubman, Countryman and Coupe which arrives this month.Now those boys in their funny leather shorts are making us laugh again with a five-door two-seater Clubvan concept to be released at the Geneva motor show next month. It is designed for small business owners who want a two-seater van with some carrying capacity - but not too much - yet they still want five doors. In short it's the answer to a question no one asked.BMW Group Australia spokesman Piers Scott agrees."I can rule this one out for Australia," he says.The Clubvan concept is nothing new. Back in 1960, Mini released the Morris Mini Van with an extra 10cm of wheelbase. The new Clubvan is basically a Clubman with front seats only and unbroken side body panels so business owners can signwrite them. Unfortunately, it also has the Clubman's suicide doors on the wrong side of the car that empty their passengers out into the traffic - suicide doors, indeed.Inside, is a flat floor cargo area which is roped off from the cabin by an aluminium and steel partition grille.BMW proudly proclaims it is the "first premium model in the small car-based van segment". Sort of like an expensive Twingo.If it does go into production, undoubtedly it will have Mini characteristics such as go-kart handling, it will turn heads in traffic and will be the must-have car for Gen-Xers. And there will be a host of accessories to personalise the car and probably a range of petrol and diesel engines, and maybe even a JCW.

The UK government rebate off the cost of a plug-in van is an extension of the Plug-In Car Grant which offers 25 per cent - up to 5000 to motorists buying a new plug-in car. Government Ministers have also re-confirmed there is funding secured for this grant until 2015. There is nothing like this scheme available in Australia and nothing planned. The purpose of the consumer grant in the UK is to enable the purchase of ultra-low carbon vehicles which could otherwise have been unaffordable.The consumer will also benefit from lower running costs over the lifetime of the vehicle. The UK Government has adopted the position that electric vehicles are the arrowhead for a low carbon revolution in motoring and as more models come to market sales will gather pace. The subsidy will have the effect of influencing businesses vehicle buying decisions in favour of low carbon models. From As of now, ultra-low carbon van manufacturers will be able to apply to be part of the Plug-In Van Grant - which will help to improve local air quality in cities, reduce carbon emissions and meet Government carbon reduction targets. To be eligible for the scheme, vans will have to meet performance criteria to ensure safety, range, and ultra-low tailpipe emissions. Consumers, both business and private will receive the discount at the point of purchase.

The open-topped version of the current monster 410kW coupe is not expected to go public until early next year, for the start of the spring buying season in Europe.

The musician, real name Kasseem Daoud Dean and husband of R&B singer Alicia Keys, is Lotus' new vice president of creative design and global marketing.Lotus says it's a natural fit: "Like Group Lotus, he means business. He's a risk taker with considerable credentials including music producer, rapper, designer and painter'', the otus announcement reads."Like our cars, he's multi-award winning - this year he shared a Grammy Award with Jay-Z and like Group Lotus, he keeps good company - this man regularly works with the likes of Bono, Kanye West, Beyonce and Alicia Keys."

The upcoming Mini Coupe and Roadster are getting a thorough workout at the Nurburgring in readiness for showrooms, including the go-faster John Cooper Works model.Carparazzi caught the car with plenty of evidence of a typically-JCW performance upgrade, including a retractable rear spoiler, a centre-mounted twin-pipe exhaust and bigger wheels than other Roadster prototypes.

The newest stretched Roller is testing in England after its public unveiling at the New York motor show. It's the Ghost, which is headed for the same sort of model stretch as the larger Phantom flagship, starting with a long-wheelbase model and eventually including a coupe and convertible.