For those of you who missed evo's first story on the car (issue 32), it's your trad British roadster, bristling with noise and performance. It's also been knocked into shape by Eric Broadley, the man behind the Lola racing team and engineering consultancy, which gives the Iceni some credibility in spite of its tender age.

The fledgling Trident made its first appearance at the Birmingham show in 1999, but changes in management and a funding crisis or two along the way have delayed its progress. What hasn't changed much over the intervening period is the overall shape of the car; it's 100 per cent brutish Brit, with an aggressive face and thrusting haunches. Where it breaks from tradition is in its roof arrangement. The Iceni has a bold central spar running from the windscreen header rail down to the rear of the cockpit. Fitting either side of this are what Trident calls 'Oculight' roof panels, which fit in the cavernous boot when removed. They also have transparent top sections for a view of the elements without the wind in your hair.

Following consultation with the British Institute of Insurers, Trident is modifying the glassfibre bodywork you see here, while leaving the overall shape unchanged. The prototype test car has a one-piece shell, but the full production versions will be made in sections, to reduce repair costs. This means that the bonnet will extend to the tip of the nose and the bootlid aperture will stretch down to meet the numberplate cut-out. Minor mods include moving the reversing camera to the rear numberplate recess, sticking the central brake light up where the camera came from, and making the side windows into one-piece affairs.

Trident promises interior changes too, notably integrating the sat-nav/reversing camera monitor into the centre console. The Ford steering column will be switched to a GM unit, which will hopefully give a clearer view of the dials.

The Iceni's interior is tight yet comfortable, although getting in and out requires a degree of athleticism familiar to Elise owners. Your feet are kicked in towards the transmission tunnel by the intrusion of the wheelarch, but after a short while you really don't notice and the inboard positioning of the pedals doesn't interfere with their operation. Door closed, you're hemmed in by the sill and tunnel either side, the roof spar above. The presence of that spar is impossible to ignore and means that the Iceni feels like something other than a full convertible, despite the obvious presence of the sky above you. It makes the car feel unique and, as an added benefit, it keeps most of the wind at bay.

There's no escape from the engine noise, and that's A Good Thing. The 3.2-litre 24-valve GM unit normally does service in the Cadillac Catera (a tarted-up Omega), but with the aid of a re-programmed ECU chip and sports exhaust and inlet systems, it yowls and growls with a passion no Caddy owner would recognise. Power output is 245bhp at 7250rpm and there's a 220lb ft slug of torque ready to come out and play at 3800rpm. Although those figures trail behind what TVR has to offer, they still do the job in a car weighing just 1040kg. Acceleration is satisfyingly frantic, and although no official figures have been recorded, Broadley's 0-60 claim of 5.2sec sounds on the pessimistic side of plausible. Top speed is limited to 150mph; Broadley got 182mph from an earlier prototype before running out of road.

A disconnected traction control combined with greasy roads meant we were appreciative of the Iceni's super-quick steering (only 2.2 turns lock-to-lock) and playful on-the-limit manners; its ultimate grip remains a mystery for the moment, though with Broadley's background we'd be surprised if it weren't on the pace. The same applies to the ride quality; dodgy dampers on the day we drove the Iceni meant the ride was too soft for rough roads taken at high speed, especially through bumpy corners. With the dampers in full health, Trident says the problem is eradicated.

Established sports car marques won't be troubled much by the advent of the Iceni. It has potential, for sure, and it's plenty quick, but there's no one area where it outclasses the opposition. On the other hand, during our time with the Iceni people were falling over each other for a look and that's often one of the best starts a car can have in life.