• Invicta to help blind British driver achieve goal of 200 mph
• Special 600 bhp supercharged V8-powered coupe to be built
• Record-breaking run planned for World Sight Day, 14th October 2004

The Invicta Car Company is to build a special supercharged version of its V8-powered S1 luxury coupe to help Britain’s fastest blind driver, 42-year old Barclays bank manager Mike Newman achieve his record-breaking goal of 200 mph.

The new Invicta, called the S1-600 and closely based on the current model, will be powered by a supercharged 5.0-litre Ford V8 engine which produces more than 600 bhp at 4,500 rpm. As well as the new engine, which hikes power by 88% compared to the S1 model, the record car will feature a six-speed manual gearbox, refined aerodynamics, specially-made Toyo tyres, full safety kit and GPS electronic driving aids.

"We are very pleased to join forces with Mike Newman’s Speed-of-Sight Project 200 to break the 200 mph barrier in a British car and highlight vision and blindness issues around the world," comments Invicta Chairman Michael Bristow. "Our target is to design, build and test the new S1-600 in good time for Mike to undertake a series of practice sessions before his record-breaking run which is scheduled for 14th October, World Sight Day 2004."

From day one, the Invicta S1 was conceived and developed as two cars in one – a luxurious Grand Tourer and a no-compromise sports car with the potential to become a class-winning GT racing car. Consequently, the S1 already has sophisticated, adjustable racecar suspension and an all-ventilated-disc braking system which ensure that the sleek coupe is immensely stable and has enormous reserves of stopping power.

"The S1 was designed to accept much more power than the current 320 bhp, and it was always envisaged that once full production of the S1 road car was underway, a second, supercharged model would be developed for customers wanting more power," continues Bristow. "Invicta has now reached that point in the company’s development and supporting the Speed-of-Sight challenge is a natural fit for us. We will learn much from testing and running the S1-600 record car and those lessons will then be incorporated into next year’s supercharged road car."