The Trident might be the most infamous of all TVR's controversy ever

Rare ONES Here comes another iconic car from England that existed in the 1970s, its name is TVR Trident was designed by a British designer of Italian descent named Trevor Frost or Trevor Fiore as he was known to some, and built by the Italian's coachwork company Carrozzeria Fissore for the British automotive company TVR in before-and-then Martin Lilley's era during the 1960s to early of the 1970s.

1965 TVR Trident prototype no.3 in coupé style with righ handed steering wheel. (Picture from: Carrozzieri-Italiani)

As the Tridents were nothing like a TVR had ever been; in some respect, it has some kind of visionary shape have appeared decade ahead of their time by resembling more an eighties' TVR 350i Coupe than a classic one. Besides that the TVR concept car looks thick with an Italian car style, and completed with a modern pop-up headlights as well.

1965 TVR Trident prototype no.4 in convertible style with righ handed steering wheel. (Picture from: Carrozzieri-Italiani)

As you can see the car has typical 'wedge' bodywork was steel with a one-piece aluminum bonnet, and built on top of the chassis of the Grantura Mark III. While its power came from a 4.7 liter Ford Cobra V8 engine developing 270 bhp, with the wheels were Dunlop 72 spokes.

1965 TVR Trident prototype no.1 in coupé style with left handed steering wheel while sat on display at the Geneva Motor Show 1965. (Picture from: Story-Cars)

There were a total of 4 units of the TVR Trident prototype built during 1964 to 1965. As the firstly commissioned by the British auto company were two coupé units (no. 1 and no. 2) built based on a Grantura/Griffith chassis, and were finished just in time before the 1965 Geneva Motor Show.

1965 TVR Trident (in pictured prototype no.3) looks thick with an Italian car style, and completed with a modern pop-up headlights as well. (Picture from: 2Drive.ru)

In March 1965, the British automaker presented this new Trident model in coupé version at the Geneva Motor Show, the car exhibited was incomplete mechanically and not quite to production specification in certain other respects, a demonstration car is doing the rounds. At the back is an enormous expanse of windows set at a rakish angle. It is all very striking, if unlikely to suit the majority taste.

1965 TVR Trident (in pictured prototype no.3) has typical 'wedge' bodywork was steel with a one-piece aluminum bonnet, and built on top of the chassis of the Grantura Mark III. (Picture from: 2Drive.ru)

However the new TVRs got a warm welcome from the motoring press, and according to the Daily Mail, the Trident was the most beautiful car in the world. After the exhibition, TVR received orders worth over £150,000. One of major dealers from Woodbridge named W.J. 'Bill' Last saw this opportunity and encouraged TVR to remake the Trident prototype.

1965 TVR Trident (in pictured prototype no.3) has a fairly luxurious interior layout coupled with righ handed steering wheel. (Picture from: 2Drive.ru)

In short, TVR ordered two more Tridents from the Fissore workshops, this time a coupe (no. 3) and a convertible (no. 4). So these two cars were then exhibited at the 1965 Turin Motor Show, and later used as test cars to explore the possibility of further development of the Trident.

1965 TVR Trident (in pictured prototype no.3) powered by a 4.7 liter Ford Cobra V8 engine developing 270 bhp. (Picture from: 2Drive.ru)

However, the Trident never reached serial production as TVR was soon overwhelmed by the financial crisis that caused it to go bankrupt and then take over by the Lilley family. With the company in liquidation, projects and rights to build the car were taken over by Bill Last who founded a new company in Woodbridge, Trident Cars.