Invicta S1 coup
One man blocked off a lay-by to prevent us getting away and demanded to know what the car was and where he could buy one. Later, another asked for the telephone number of Invicta so he could order an S1. You get to drive some attractive motors in this job, but we've never seen a reaction like this.
The S1 is a thoroughly modern, two-seat coup
One man blocked off a lay-by to prevent us getting away and demanded to know what the car was and where he could buy one. Later, another asked for the telephone number of Invicta so he could order an S1. You get to drive some attractive motors in this job, but we've never seen a reaction like this.
It's certainly striking. The first impression is of the massive width of this sleek, carbon fibre-bodied two-seater. At 2,134mm including the mirrors, it is no wider than the new Range Rover. But with your seat just inches from the road, it feels every bit as big as a combine harvester on the narrow lanes near the factory in Chippenham, Wilts.
Factor in the racing-car-style all-wishbone suspension on solid bushes, and you will understand that this isn't a machine to exploit too fully on the road. That chassis set-up also makes the ride harsh at times, while noise is right at the limits of acceptability.
The suspension does give the S1 fantastic handling, though. The power-assisted steering is direct, well weighted and makes placing the car in corners easy. As a result, the nose tracks along a fast, snaking A-road better than virtually any GT car you can think of. Such is the stability that the 320bhp V8 sourced from the Ford Mustang never feels quick enough for the chassis. The massive low-profile tyres mean that, no matter how hard you press the throttle, the S1 never comes unstuck. Even in the wet, there are no nasty surprises.
The 32-valve V8 endows the Invicta with a valiant exhaust note and seemingly endless acceleration. But there's no kick in the back - we seriously doubt the S1 is capable of meeting its maker's claims of 180mph all-out and 0-60mph in five seconds. Using Ford components, however, gives the maker lots of options; there's a supercharged version of this engine that might find its way into the S1 before long, as well as a choice of four-speed automatic and five or six-speed manual gearboxes.
The cockpit is roomy and well designed, but this early pre-production car is not of sufficiently high quality to tempt buyers of other £70,000 models. Invicta acknowledges it has some way to go, and admits an accident which wrote off its only prototype in May has put its plans back by at least four months.
That said, there is enough room for two six-foot-plus adults to be comfortable, and you could fit plenty of luggage in the boot. And while the window-lift switches are clearly from Ford's Fiesta, the centre console is unique and the instruments delightfully styled.
It's early days for the firm, and it has faced setbacks already. As the recent history of Jensen and Lea Francis has shown, reviving British car makers is a risky business, but the economics of the project seem to have been carefully worked out. We wish Invicta well.
