TVR T350C
Whatever else you may think of TVR, you have to admire their pluck. Developing their own engines in house was a massive risk for such a small company and an ever-changing product portfolio hints at the whirlwind of ideas emanating from the Blackpool brand. Certain strategies, however, are resolutely traditional. Proving your products on the racetrack is a formula that has served Porsche and Ferrari admirably and the T350C coupe aims to continue TVRs passion for circuit racing.
Theres a great deal of pragmatism about the £38,500 T350C. TVR had received requests from overseas for a model suitable for a one-make race series. Given that the Tuscan racing cars could only be produced in relatively small quantities, it was to the Tamora model that chairman Peter Wheeler turned. First there was the small job of improving the car for a life spent on the track.
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Plans to include the T350C in the GT Cup class of the British GT Championship sees the Tamora chassis and running gear enveloped in one of the most striking shapes ever to roll out of the unprepossessing TVR factory. The swooping coupe shape uses a front splitter and rear diffuser combination to channel air efficiently beneath the car and the lack of a central radiator means the T350C cleaves the air with effortless Ă©lan. The sloping roof and sharply truncated tail are distinctive design features that ensure the car has enough practicality built in for road users and the sort of sawn-off rear overhangs that are the mark of a decent track car. Certain features are delightfully detailed in a way that TVR has made a trademark. The hinges of the flip-up rear window are elegantly drilled metal arcs whilst closer inspection of the front headlights shows tear duct intakes nestling just below.
The interior is much as weve come to expect of the Tamora. An analogue speedo and rev counter vie for the drivers attention with a multifunction digital display with winking shift lights and whilst it doesnt rival the Tuscan in terms of sheer design exuberance, it still looks the part. Broad swathes of leather and the trademark TVR metallic pastille controls are very much in evidence as well as a steering wheel with a conspicuous lack of dirigible protection. The starkly elegant pedal set is probably the most noteworthy piece of styling, and alongside the cosmetics, theres also function.
Cabin space is fine for a six-footer, the boot is surprisingly spacious and the huge glass area means that all round visibility is exceptional.
"Although it may be a relatively small car, the tape measure showing it to be shorter than a Mazda MX-5, the T350C nevertheless demands massive respect "
TVR newbies may still be stumped while searching for door handles to effect an entry into the T350C, but those seasoned in the marques wares will instead reach for the door mirror and prang the tiny button on its underside. The door then pop forward with a solid clunk and the windows drop by half an inch or so. Not the sort of thing you at first expect from such a small company but evidence of the lateral thinking thats evident throughout the T350C. Although it may be a relatively small car, the tape measure showing it to be shorter than a Mazda MX-5, the T350C nevertheless demands massive respect.
Any car that tips the scales at 1100kg and is powered by a 350bhp engine is a very serious proposition but TVR have worked overtime on transforming the car from a terrifying point and squirt weapon into something less intimidating. The company once seemed genuinely proud of a tiresome macho mentality that resulted in a string of cars being virtually undriveable by their eventual clientele. The T350C may well be destined for the most expert slice of TVR customers but the knife-edged dynamics of old school TVRs have gone, replaced instead by a more forgiving nature. Rear end grip has been improved beyond recognition and traction off the line is better than any car with this sort of power to weight ratio has reason to expect.
Like all TVRs to date, the T350C does without anti lock brakes and airbags with TVR pointing out that the long travel throttle pedal acts as its own form of mechanical traction control. Performance is suitably ridiculous. Official figures have yet to be produced but reckon on a top speed in the region of 180mph and a sprint to 60mph in 4.2 seconds and you shouldnt end up disappointed.
That Speed Six engine, designed completely in house, is no thud and blunder anachronism either. Its an all-alloy unit with four valves per cylinder and a fully mapped engine management system with some genuinely sophisticated engineering built into the manifolds and catalysts. The individual throttle butterflies on every cylinder seem to hardwire that throttle pedal to the engine, the revs rising and falling almost instantaneously with minimal flywheel effect. Power assisted steering could be construed as evidence of TVR going soft in its old age, but customers find their TVRs marginally less uncontrollable with a bit of help from a subservient servo, so there it is.
The T350C is evidence of TVR maturing as a company. Perhaps the signs were there all along, chairman Peter Wheeler famously cancelling the 800bhp Speed Twelve because it wasnt suitable for Joe Public. Now we have a model thats so much more than a big engine and a lightweight body, offering instead a more informed approach to chassis dynamics, production capability and aerodynamics. So many TVRs have in the past failed to live up to their promises.
The T350C is cut from very different cloth.
Facts At A Glance
CAR: TVR T350C
PRICE: £38,500 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 180mph / 0-60mph 4.2s [est]
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (average) 18mpg [est]
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 3974/1835/1195mm
