21 October 2002: A world debut at the British International Motor Show this week will revive a once-respected luxury sports car brand, the Invicta. The 170mph habd-built car has a carbon-fibre body and is powered by a 320bhp 4.6-litre V8 engine sourced from a US manufacturer.

Its claimed sprint performance is 0-to-60mph in 5.0 seconds, but the S1 is also tractable for every-day driving, with a spacious, leather-trimmed cabin, a large boot and a 100-litre fuel tank giving owners the ability to cover long distances, comfortably at speed.

The Invicta S1 is the world’s first car to feature a one-piece carbon-fibre bodyshell bonded to the steel tube spaceframe chassis to create an immensely strong, but lightweight, structure. It will be produced in strictly limited numbers at Invicta’s Wiltshire facility.

The engine drives the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox and in Britain is priced at £69,950. Equipment includes satellite navigation, climate-control air conditioning, central locking, heated front and rear windscreens and electric windows.

Under the slogan ‘the most wonderful performance car in the world’, the original Invictas were consistent race winners in the 1930s.