Sagaris latest after factory visit
Discussion
Visited factory today to pick up my courtesy Tamora, kindly loaned to me while I wait for the Sagaris.
I saw 3 sagaris bodies having bits fitted to them. One was black and belongs to Nikolai Smollenski. That had an engine with a red cam cover which I guess is what the tuscan s engines will have unless it's a one off just for him. Maybe his is getting even more power. The other bodies were chameleon green and solid red.
The t350 fuel filler seems to have gone on all of them in favour of a motorbike style metal cap. A slight shame in my opinion. What is potentially a tragic change is that all the gashes over the wheel arches appear to be filled in. I'm desperately hoping they were just yet to be cut out but none of the cars had the trade mark axe cuts. The marks are still there but there are no holes in the body work, ie they are all dummy. The guy at the factory said they were now like that but I'm hoping he's got it wrong. The whole point of the car for me was that it was a sophisticated aerodynamic package compared to the t350. ie no pressure build up under the wheel arches a la closed wheel racing cars. As it is it's just a widetrack t350 with a 4.0 engine. Very disappointing and I'm not sure I wouldn't rather have a t350 RR with a 4.0 stuffed in it. It would be just as quick but more subtle. Please Nick, don't take the mick! There better be a damn good reason for filling them in or I'll have to get the hack saw out myself!
Smollenski's car was also hide trimmed across the dashboard so it looks like the interior body colour bits have gone too. As has the scoop under the rear number plate area although I think this improves the back.
I saw 3 sagaris bodies having bits fitted to them. One was black and belongs to Nikolai Smollenski. That had an engine with a red cam cover which I guess is what the tuscan s engines will have unless it's a one off just for him. Maybe his is getting even more power. The other bodies were chameleon green and solid red.
The t350 fuel filler seems to have gone on all of them in favour of a motorbike style metal cap. A slight shame in my opinion. What is potentially a tragic change is that all the gashes over the wheel arches appear to be filled in. I'm desperately hoping they were just yet to be cut out but none of the cars had the trade mark axe cuts. The marks are still there but there are no holes in the body work, ie they are all dummy. The guy at the factory said they were now like that but I'm hoping he's got it wrong. The whole point of the car for me was that it was a sophisticated aerodynamic package compared to the t350. ie no pressure build up under the wheel arches a la closed wheel racing cars. As it is it's just a widetrack t350 with a 4.0 engine. Very disappointing and I'm not sure I wouldn't rather have a t350 RR with a 4.0 stuffed in it. It would be just as quick but more subtle. Please Nick, don't take the mick! There better be a damn good reason for filling them in or I'll have to get the hack saw out myself!
Smollenski's car was also hide trimmed across the dashboard so it looks like the interior body colour bits have gone too. As has the scoop under the rear number plate area although I think this improves the back.
fjt9 said:
they better put those holes in the wheel arches, or else
Why? They didn't have any function that I could see. (There was a liner stopping them from pulling air out of the wheel arch.) Same goes for the lump at the back where an extractor would normally go, superficially it looked like an extractor but the angles were unworkable. Ditto for the tortuous air intake for the main cooling rad, recipe for cooling problems as far as I could see, and if I remember correctly the vents were pulling air from the front of the rad so they would reduce cooling rather than increase it. It was all very strange when you looked into the details.
Despite the hype I reckon the whole thing was styled rather than designed. If you like it for its styling fair enough, I just don't buy the argument that it looks that way for aerodynamic reasons.
This doesn't sound good. The only way I could cope with the crazy styling was the belief that it would be a benefit on track days. Had a lengthy discussion about the aerodynamics at the motor show etc... if the car is going to be wide T350 with lumps out of it I think I'd go for the T350RR instead.
I got a 'brochure' for the Sagaris a couple of weeks ago, and it definatley had the slits over the wheel arches.
Surely they cannot change it without informing the people who have ordered one, having been sent 'final' details through previously.
Surely, they could find themselves with a huge amount of cancelled orders ?
Surely they cannot change it without informing the people who have ordered one, having been sent 'final' details through previously.
Surely, they could find themselves with a huge amount of cancelled orders ?
There are no confirmations of ANY changes as yet, and therefore until told otherwise I personally would/will assume there has been no changes.
All orders that have been placed are based upon the most recent car shown, i.e, with all slits, etc, and therefore cannot believe TVR would just change the car without informing the would-be owners.
What would happen if you had one on order, were informed it was ready to collect, and upon your arrival found it to be a T350 with a bodykit & a bigger engine ? I for one would not accept it.
All orders that have been placed are based upon the most recent car shown, i.e, with all slits, etc, and therefore cannot believe TVR would just change the car without informing the would-be owners.
What would happen if you had one on order, were informed it was ready to collect, and upon your arrival found it to be a T350 with a bodykit & a bigger engine ? I for one would not accept it.
The concensus of opinion seems to be that a Sagaris without slits is not what we ordered. I must admit that recently I've been trying to justify to myself the £12,000 difference in price between the Sagaris and T350 and if it now turns out that the dramatic styling has been ditched in favour of cosmetic filled-in slits then that really will tip the balance against the Sagaris. It might be a second faster to 60 but that isn't worth 12 grand in my book!
It also seems to me that the fact that the gashes were filled in does indicate that they weren't simply waiting to be cut out - after all, presumably the spaces for the headlights weren't also filled in - in other words, any bits that were going to be holes were already holes at that point in production?
If it's true, it's a real shame.
It also seems to me that the fact that the gashes were filled in does indicate that they weren't simply waiting to be cut out - after all, presumably the spaces for the headlights weren't also filled in - in other words, any bits that were going to be holes were already holes at that point in production?
If it's true, it's a real shame.
hobo said:
What would happen if you had one on order, were informed it was ready to collect, and upon your arrival found it to be a T350 with a bodykit & a bigger engine ? I for one would not accept it.
I ordered this at one motorshow:
www.ballisticbanana.co.uk./The%20TVR%20Griffith/Speed%206.jpg
18 months later one of these was delivered:
www.sleepy-fish.com/images/Tuscan/1.jpg
I wasn't too unhappy.
And so you would/should be.
However, the motorshow Sagaris was always going to change, and everyone knew this.
However, the Sagaris brochure has been printed & sent out, and therefore I personally think that what is shown in this should be what you are getting.
>> Edited by hobo on Thursday 23 December 11:52
However, the motorshow Sagaris was always going to change, and everyone knew this.
However, the Sagaris brochure has been printed & sent out, and therefore I personally think that what is shown in this should be what you are getting.
>> Edited by hobo on Thursday 23 December 11:52
Here's hoping that they just hadn't got round to cutting the holes out yet. The trouble is all the lights were in place and they'd even put a bit of steel mesh in the holes under the head lights.
Smollenski's in for a shock if he thinks we won't mind or that it doesn't make much difference. I for one will try and order something else. It could be going all a bit XJ220! Really didn't mean to scare monger and again I hope I've got it horribly wrong, not TVR, but if I'm right then maybe we can apply pressure to have it changed, in the nick of time.
Smollenski's in for a shock if he thinks we won't mind or that it doesn't make much difference. I for one will try and order something else. It could be going all a bit XJ220! Really didn't mean to scare monger and again I hope I've got it horribly wrong, not TVR, but if I'm right then maybe we can apply pressure to have it changed, in the nick of time.
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