Discussion
Hi guys, long time since I’ve been able to make a Readers Cars thread but I’ve finally got my finger out, finished my garage and bought myself something for weekends like this.
My last PH worthy car was a B7 RS4 which I loved however this time I fancied something a bit more impractical and a bit less ‘good’! Something I could get my teeth into a bit and something that was like nothing else I’d owned up to this point - I’m pretty happy with my choice!
996’s, 993’s, classic 911’s, Escort Cosworths, Focus RS’ and various Lotus’ were in the mix and disregarded for various reasons - too small, too slow, too old, too expensive, not special enough etc... I then set about looking for a T350c/t however quickly realised I was a bit big for them at 6ft 5”, I could drive them fine but it wasn’t comfortable.
Mark at Amore Autos, a TVR specialist near Bristol then sat me in a Mk2 Tuscan which felt great, a bit less refined than the T car but it didn’t feel any less special, if anything it was more of an event - the crazy bonnet and interior gave it something extra.
So, fast forward a while and I’d looked at 6 Tuscans - from the sublime(Mk2 S - expensive) to the ridiculous(Battered Mk1 with 82k on it - still expensive!) and everything in between. Then, typically whilst working abroad, I spotted an ad for this car on the carandclassic website.
The pictures were great, the write up was clearly well thought out and covered most bases. I gave the seller a ring and he was a gent, he had 4 other TVRs including a Sagaris, an immaculate Cerbera, a Griffith and a SEAC. He encouraged me to speak to the specialist he uses who he was sure could vouch for the car and of course they did,a glowing report that I took with a pinch of salt as obviously they want to keep his business! But they did put their name to it so I could only trust them.
Deposit paid and the 3 week wait until I got home from work began - excruciating.
Arrived at the station to be greeted by the seller in the Tuscan and immediately knew I’d done the right thing. An immaculate, 2 owner, 26k mile car, standard apart from the usual sensible upgrades and meticulously looked after by this TVR nut.
We drove back to his, gave the car a check over, had a drive myself and done the deal. Viewed the rest of his fleet then set off the 130miles home. What a drive, huge noise, huge attention, hugely scary on the damp spring afternoon too...
Since then I’ve done 500 faultless miles and gave it a deep clean, clay, polish, wax...I won’t call it detailing as I’m sure my techniques leave a lot to be desired but she’s came up well.
Anyway - have a load of pictures and I’ll keep this thread up dated with anything remotely interesting.
And when the TVR breaks down, at least my Alfa will get me home.... or is it the other way around!?
My last PH worthy car was a B7 RS4 which I loved however this time I fancied something a bit more impractical and a bit less ‘good’! Something I could get my teeth into a bit and something that was like nothing else I’d owned up to this point - I’m pretty happy with my choice!
996’s, 993’s, classic 911’s, Escort Cosworths, Focus RS’ and various Lotus’ were in the mix and disregarded for various reasons - too small, too slow, too old, too expensive, not special enough etc... I then set about looking for a T350c/t however quickly realised I was a bit big for them at 6ft 5”, I could drive them fine but it wasn’t comfortable.
Mark at Amore Autos, a TVR specialist near Bristol then sat me in a Mk2 Tuscan which felt great, a bit less refined than the T car but it didn’t feel any less special, if anything it was more of an event - the crazy bonnet and interior gave it something extra.
So, fast forward a while and I’d looked at 6 Tuscans - from the sublime(Mk2 S - expensive) to the ridiculous(Battered Mk1 with 82k on it - still expensive!) and everything in between. Then, typically whilst working abroad, I spotted an ad for this car on the carandclassic website.
The pictures were great, the write up was clearly well thought out and covered most bases. I gave the seller a ring and he was a gent, he had 4 other TVRs including a Sagaris, an immaculate Cerbera, a Griffith and a SEAC. He encouraged me to speak to the specialist he uses who he was sure could vouch for the car and of course they did,a glowing report that I took with a pinch of salt as obviously they want to keep his business! But they did put their name to it so I could only trust them.
Deposit paid and the 3 week wait until I got home from work began - excruciating.
Arrived at the station to be greeted by the seller in the Tuscan and immediately knew I’d done the right thing. An immaculate, 2 owner, 26k mile car, standard apart from the usual sensible upgrades and meticulously looked after by this TVR nut.
We drove back to his, gave the car a check over, had a drive myself and done the deal. Viewed the rest of his fleet then set off the 130miles home. What a drive, huge noise, huge attention, hugely scary on the damp spring afternoon too...
Since then I’ve done 500 faultless miles and gave it a deep clean, clay, polish, wax...I won’t call it detailing as I’m sure my techniques leave a lot to be desired but she’s came up well.
Anyway - have a load of pictures and I’ll keep this thread up dated with anything remotely interesting.
And when the TVR breaks down, at least my Alfa will get me home.... or is it the other way around!?
Danm1les said:
Lovely car! Does the rear window retract into the boot?
The rear window in these unclips, then slides into the boot for storage, 'retract' makes it sound much more sophisticated than it actually is.TVR were at their prime when they launched the Tuscan, so many features were beautifully simple whilst being very unconventional. They are such an event in every sense of the word
Thanks for the positive feedback, the car sure does sound great, thunderous with the pops and bangs on overrun.
Performance wise... I feel like my old RS4 was perhaps very slightly quicker. In the Tuscan you absolutely 100% have to engage brain first... mashing the loud pedal like you could in an RS4 would produce lots of noise and tyre smoke as you fishtail up the road, where as the RS4 is an easy drive in comparison.
Starting to get a feel for the handling now too, which is actually pretty good, it’s a lot more nimble than the big long bonnet makes it ‘feel’, I think.
Yeah the back window doesn’t retract as such, there is very little automation on the car and the back window is no different, hand-o-matic. You unclip it, drop it down into the booth the stow it in a bag. Same with the roof, it lifts of and stows in the boot. It’s well designed, everything fits neatly in the boot, leaving room for a couple of bags too.
The orange side repeaters.... marmite! It had orange indicators and clear side repeaters when I bought it however I opted to swap the clear repeaters back to orange in the interest of originality, I’m also unsure on the look but I do think it looks ‘classic’, it’s a two minute job to put them back if/when I get fed up.
There’s plenty oddities and quirks with the car... like the battery being behind the N/S/F wheel, meaning if you get a flat battery, you need the wheel off and a screwdriver to remove an access panel, before you can jump it. There is an Anderson connector which is more accessible, but means buying specific jump leads, about £50. However, if they are stored inside the car and the battery is flat... none of the doors or boot will open! I bought some for piece of mind but hopefully a ctek trickle charger keeps the battery in good order.
Performance wise... I feel like my old RS4 was perhaps very slightly quicker. In the Tuscan you absolutely 100% have to engage brain first... mashing the loud pedal like you could in an RS4 would produce lots of noise and tyre smoke as you fishtail up the road, where as the RS4 is an easy drive in comparison.
Starting to get a feel for the handling now too, which is actually pretty good, it’s a lot more nimble than the big long bonnet makes it ‘feel’, I think.
Yeah the back window doesn’t retract as such, there is very little automation on the car and the back window is no different, hand-o-matic. You unclip it, drop it down into the booth the stow it in a bag. Same with the roof, it lifts of and stows in the boot. It’s well designed, everything fits neatly in the boot, leaving room for a couple of bags too.
The orange side repeaters.... marmite! It had orange indicators and clear side repeaters when I bought it however I opted to swap the clear repeaters back to orange in the interest of originality, I’m also unsure on the look but I do think it looks ‘classic’, it’s a two minute job to put them back if/when I get fed up.
There’s plenty oddities and quirks with the car... like the battery being behind the N/S/F wheel, meaning if you get a flat battery, you need the wheel off and a screwdriver to remove an access panel, before you can jump it. There is an Anderson connector which is more accessible, but means buying specific jump leads, about £50. However, if they are stored inside the car and the battery is flat... none of the doors or boot will open! I bought some for piece of mind but hopefully a ctek trickle charger keeps the battery in good order.
Edited by ColdoRS on Tuesday 23 April 15:56
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