RE: Pic Of The Week: TVR Tasmin Vs Lotus Eclat

RE: Pic Of The Week: TVR Tasmin Vs Lotus Eclat

Friday 6th August 2010

Pic Of The Week: TVR Tasmin Vs Lotus Eclat

Just one question: Which wedge would you want?


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The design story of the compass-and-set-square TVR Tasmin and Lotus Eclat is perhaps one of the cheekiest in British sports car history. Having created he the Eclat in the early 1970s, designer Oliver Winterbottom then flogged almost the same design to TVR to create the Tasmin. Genius.

Actually, that's a bit unfair - these origami coupes might look similar, but they're definitely not the same - even though both push out an identical 160bhp via a front-mounted engine driving the rear wheels and break 60mph in a little over eight seconds. Definitely not the same. At all.

Joking aside, you can read more about the Cologne V6-engined Tasmin and Lotus slant-four Eclat in September's issue of Classic & Sports Car, from whence we purloined this rather pretty picture... enjoy...

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Author
Discussion

steve_n

Original Poster:

430 posts

209 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
Terrible POTW...


Mazda Baiter

37,068 posts

195 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
Good underdog choices there. thumbup

GFWilliams

4,942 posts

214 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
Really not a fan of those cars....

ETA: and could the location have been any worse? Mucho Distracting...

Edited by GFWilliams on Friday 6th August 12:12

havoc

30,870 posts

242 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
Oh dear, whoever put that image together needs a stern talking-to - even I could have done better than that, and you should see George's portfolio.

(No really - go have a look at George's work...it's stunningly good).



Poor effort PH...but it's not yet 1pm, there's still time to change it!

Garlick

40,601 posts

247 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
We didn't take it.....but we liked the cars in it....sorry frown

oxfordbiker

54 posts

192 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
My vote goes for the Lotus. Looks like the TVR's been karate-chopped halfway along its bonnet.

nelly_h

138 posts

186 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
That Lotus brings back fond childhood memories. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but a 70s Elite or Eclat in JPS colours with those wheels is one of my favourite looking cars cloud9

The angle the Tasmin is lined up at looks all wrong in the piccy, and the wheels are horrible. Given the article is a Classic and Sportscar one I assume they are original, but they look like 90s Halfords efforts frown

markh1

2,846 posts

216 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
I prefer my TVR's curvy tongue out

Apologies for piss poor excuse to post up the favourite pic of my car!


FHCNICK

1,305 posts

238 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
havoc said:
Oh dear, whoever put that image together needs a stern talking-to - even I could have done better than that, and you should see George's portfolio.

(No really - go have a look at George's work...it's stunningly good).



Poor effort PH...but it's not yet 1pm, there's still time to change it!
They are certainly not original wheels for a tasmin, probably because the originals are 14" & tyres are kind of hard to come by in a 205/60 vr14 these days

Beefmeister

16,482 posts

237 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
article said:
Having created he the Eclat
Buh?

havoc

30,870 posts

242 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
Garlick said:
We didn't take it.....but we liked the cars in it....sorry frown
I've no problem with the cars in it (Wedge's are so un-cool right now they're probably due to come back into fashion), just the photo - POTW should be something "wow, good photo, cool cars".


Quick question Paul - do Haymarket either employ or pay that photographer for his work?!? And if so, can I offer my services as a replacement (freelancer, that is)? wink

Munich

1,071 posts

203 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
Lotus.

Chris71

21,548 posts

249 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
I quite like it. getmecoat

I think I'd take the Tasmin out of those two. Choice would become more difficult if it was an Excel SE.

rev-erend

21,536 posts

291 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
Luckily the Tasmin evolved in to the SEAC smile

williamp

19,550 posts

280 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
Well I think Classic and Sportcar is a good edition this month....


(I'd have the Lotus)

pwd95

8,402 posts

245 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
I think they struggled to find a Fixed Head Coupe Tasmin for that article. Not the prettiest car in the world but getting to be unobtanium. yes

Twincam16

27,646 posts

265 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
pwd95 said:
I think they struggled to find a Fixed Head Coupe Tasmin for that article. Not the prettiest car in the world but getting to be unobtanium. yes
The Tasmin in the picture was one of only two currently MOT'd examples of the 47 2+2s built that we could find (most of the others were still declared SORN from the winter when we did that shoot - the first properly sunny day of the year, was absolutely scorching). It's a bit of a 'bitsa', being the very first Tasmin S2 made, and has a number of features that differ slightly from other 2+2s built previously - the bumpers and wingmirrors, for example. The wheels are from a later model. It's a PHer's car, incidentally.

Chris71

21,548 posts

249 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
pwd95 said:
I think they struggled to find a Fixed Head Coupe Tasmin for that article. Not the prettiest car in the world but getting to be unobtanium. yes
I realise I'm in the minority here, but I prefer the looks of the wedge in FHC form. A mint 350i FHC with a few tweaks would be fantastic.

GFWilliams

4,942 posts

214 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
havoc said:
Oh dear, whoever put that image together needs a stern talking-to - even I could have done better than that, and you should see George's portfolio.

(No really - go have a look at George's work...it's stunningly good).



Poor effort PH...but it's not yet 1pm, there's still time to change it!
Thank you Sir smile

I can provide a wallpaper if anyone is interested smile Whatcha want?

xj6executive

117 posts

195 months

Friday 6th August 2010
quotequote all
If it was the Lotus Excel, then Id take that for sure