TVRs in London
Discussion
I test drove a T350 a year ago and was hugely impressed, but was put off by the trek to the dealers to get it serviced etc. Now that London TVR has open just down the road, a T350 is back on the cards.
The vast majority of the time it will be making a daily journey of a few miles and back in central London. There are some back roads and a few juicy corners where I can make some progress, but most of the way is typical London crawl. Will a T350 be too much of a pain? Will it leave me stranded in the middle of the Euston Road? Does anyone have any similar experiences?
Would any other TVR be a better choice? I’ve always loved the Cerbera, which would be great to take the kids along too, but it has always struck me as a bit too fragile to use every day.
Since I have never owned a TVR before, any advice would be gratefully received!
The vast majority of the time it will be making a daily journey of a few miles and back in central London. There are some back roads and a few juicy corners where I can make some progress, but most of the way is typical London crawl. Will a T350 be too much of a pain? Will it leave me stranded in the middle of the Euston Road? Does anyone have any similar experiences?
Would any other TVR be a better choice? I’ve always loved the Cerbera, which would be great to take the kids along too, but it has always struck me as a bit too fragile to use every day.
Since I have never owned a TVR before, any advice would be gratefully received!
Just a few miles each way in London traffic will be hard work - for you ! ...... I have a Griff and won't do the 4 miles to work in it as I don't think it is fair on the car - it doesn't even get properly warm! I haven't driven a T350 but if it's heavy like a Griff then personally I wouldn't enjoy it.
As for reliability I am sure the car would be up to it and wouldn't break down but it's a bit of a waste .....
I either use a motorbike or cycle the 4 miles I have to get into work ..... in London incidentally. We are also on the point of buying a secondhand Smart 4/2 (the little one) as a 'throwaway' coommuting / shopping car as it's so easy to use and does 50mpg. Having a Griff and a Smart on the drive kind of appealed to my warped sense of humour ......
As for reliability I am sure the car would be up to it and wouldn't break down but it's a bit of a waste .....
I either use a motorbike or cycle the 4 miles I have to get into work ..... in London incidentally. We are also on the point of buying a secondhand Smart 4/2 (the little one) as a 'throwaway' coommuting / shopping car as it's so easy to use and does 50mpg. Having a Griff and a Smart on the drive kind of appealed to my warped sense of humour ......
Hi rah,
Don't let any one put you off! The 350 is probably the best of the bunch for your daily commute.It should only take 10-15 mins to warm the oil, even in traffic,just make sure you can open the car up regularly and the engine will run much more smoothly.The only thing to watch out for is being stuck in traffic for extended periods with all electrics ie lights air con etc on.The alternator starts to re-charge the battery at slightly higher revs than most cars hence also being good to open up when you can. My daily journey to and from work was approx 5 miles in traffic, Richmond to Chiswick and as long as you do the above ,you should not have any problems. Adam or Geoff at London TVR or Jason at TVR London will both be happy to re-assure you I am sure.
Enjoy!
Ed
Don't let any one put you off! The 350 is probably the best of the bunch for your daily commute.It should only take 10-15 mins to warm the oil, even in traffic,just make sure you can open the car up regularly and the engine will run much more smoothly.The only thing to watch out for is being stuck in traffic for extended periods with all electrics ie lights air con etc on.The alternator starts to re-charge the battery at slightly higher revs than most cars hence also being good to open up when you can. My daily journey to and from work was approx 5 miles in traffic, Richmond to Chiswick and as long as you do the above ,you should not have any problems. Adam or Geoff at London TVR or Jason at TVR London will both be happy to re-assure you I am sure.
Enjoy!
Ed
A cerbie with:
* optical tpots
* 20 second delay automatic big fuse
* upgraded throttle cable
* fan override switch
* backup battery
* upgraded alternator belt
will outshine any speed 6 in any condition hands down mate.
Yup they're historic models now, but they're bloody solid when you get shot of the bits that fail with alternative bits, and joolz has all the fixes...
* optical tpots
* 20 second delay automatic big fuse
* upgraded throttle cable
* fan override switch
* backup battery
* upgraded alternator belt
will outshine any speed 6 in any condition hands down mate.
Yup they're historic models now, but they're bloody solid when you get shot of the bits that fail with alternative bits, and joolz has all the fixes...
Hi rah
I live in Central London, and while I don't use mine for the daily commute (the journey is shorter even than yours), she starts and ends all her journeys there.
In general the Tamora / T350 range are much more pleasant and well-behaved in heavy traffic than the older models - the clutch, gearbox, and hand-brake are all much lighter. As a bonus, the 'speed' of London traffic should ensure that the oil gets up to temperature before you can make much use of the upper rev range
I would add cabin temperature as a consideration though - make an effort to get one with working air-con. Power steering may also be a good option, though I wouldn't have bought one without it in any case...
I live in Central London, and while I don't use mine for the daily commute (the journey is shorter even than yours), she starts and ends all her journeys there.
In general the Tamora / T350 range are much more pleasant and well-behaved in heavy traffic than the older models - the clutch, gearbox, and hand-brake are all much lighter. As a bonus, the 'speed' of London traffic should ensure that the oil gets up to temperature before you can make much use of the upper rev range
I would add cabin temperature as a consideration though - make an effort to get one with working air-con. Power steering may also be a good option, though I wouldn't have bought one without it in any case...
Well living there I drive the chim through town, its a pain as you cant let it off the leash but other than that its fine. Plus you get some nice echo's of built up streets and the noise turns heads a lot, which if your a posing git like me its great....
The only annoying thing is the chim doesn't really like pootling along in first with no revs applied, but I think that is due to a none too clean air filter at present.
The only annoying thing is the chim doesn't really like pootling along in first with no revs applied, but I think that is due to a none too clean air filter at present.
From my experience in the last 16 months of ownership, the S6 is very well suited to town driving. I live and work in Central London and drive my Tam to and from the office on a daily basis. As long as you warm the engine properly before concluding your journey and respect the rev range while the engine is cold, you should find the T350 to be a great car around town! But its also advisable to take a long blast out of London on weekends!
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