Face to face with the ultra-rare Invicta S1-320 Coupé

“There were only seven made”. Says Mark, as he walks us around the beautiful, low, and extremely wide Invicta. “It was launched at the 2002 British International Motor Show. A client of mine was ordering one, so I went to the factory with him. I ended up ordering one too!”.

The Invicta Company's origins date back to 1924 when Noel Macklin and Oliver Lyle created a car combining American levels of flexibility and performance with European quality and handling. A venture which was cut short due to the depression of the 1930s. Following an attempt to revive the marque in the 1950s which never really got going, Mike Bristow acquired the rights to the brand in 1980 with fresh impetus.

“They had a bit of bad luck.” says mark, as an increasing number of Breakfast Club punters stalk around the S1-320. “The prototype they had at the motor show they gave to Silverstone to use as a pace car. The guy they let drive it wasn't up to the task and wrote it off completely. The engineer at that time did very little work with computers or software, so 10 million pounds worth of R&D went in that one accident.”

“They started again and the car kept being tweaked and tweaked and tweaked before being supplied to customers.” We ask Mark how long he had to wait for this particular example and with a smile followed by a deep sigh, Mark proves how much he wanted this car.

“I had it on order for 11 and a half years before I got it. They went bust in 2011 and I finally got mine in 2014. Can you imagine the ribbing I got from mates down the pub for waiting that long?”.

Hand-built with bodywork constructed from a single carbon-fibre mould, and powered by a reliable Ford Mustang 4.6-litre V8, the S1-320 has, you guessed it 320bhp. With a cavernous boot, the perfect size for golf clubs we’re told, the S1-32O is more of a grand-tourer than an out-and-out sports car, but not to the detriment of the driving experience.

“There's no traction control, no ABS braking, and a manual gearbox. It is a drivers' car. In my opinion it’s the modern-day version of an Austin Healey 3000.”

Being only one of seven in existence, it’s palpable how proud Mark is of the car sat in front of us. It’s a joy too to see such an interesting, unique looking piece of motoring history adorned with an unfamiliar badge on the nose drawing so much attention. Especially amongst such esteemed company.

“It's fun to drive, but it's just so wide for the country lanes. I've yet to go anywhere in it without people asking what it is, or asking to take photos. I can remember one drive in particular with my brother, where we spotted a guy in a nice suit literally shout, "What the f*** is that?!" as we drove past. That was a good feeling.”

With five of these machines owned by a single owner, and another being based in Germany, it’s a fantastic privilege to have Mark talk to us about the car and show it here on the Goodwood Motor Circuit grid. We just hope you made it down to the chicane to have a peak, because who knows when you’ll see one again.

Photography by James Lynch.