TVR TUSCAN 2 RANGE
TVRs Tuscan 2 Represents A Clear Sign That The Future Is Bright In Blackpool. Andy Enright Reports
Whatever your view on
TVR cars, without them being around the motoring world would undoubtedly be a far poorer place. The Blackpool company has long introduced a hell of a lot of colour, pricked at the bubble of pomposity and introduced a whole stream of cars that, if nothing else, have given motoring writers plenty of entertaining copy. One of the most successful of all models to roll through the gates of the Bristol Avenue plant has been the Tuscan, now with us in Tuscan Mk2 guise.
The company has undergone a lot of changes in recent years and if the Tuscan Mk2 is indicative of future directions, it may well have plenty of life in it yet. Wind the clock back to the start of 2004 and things were very different. A cursory glance at TVRs declining sales figures over the past few years coupled with the massive costs of compliance with forthcoming European legislation meant that in order for the business to expand, new money was needed. A lot of it.
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The situation was becoming critical.
TVR owners had noted an increasing difficulty in sourcing spares and staffing levels in many key departments had been cut in order to slash costs but nothing could disguise the fact that TVR was a company heading quickly for the buffers. Few would have suspected that the source of funds would come from a 24 year old Russian, but for the merchants of doom and gloom lamenting the loss of Britains biggest sports car manufacturer, a few points to bear in mind. Exactly how British is a TVR? The company already sources differentials from Australia, body parts from Malaysia, oil tanks from India, hubs from the US and engine parts from Germany.
Car manufacture is a global business and new investment capable of ensuring TVRs are sold in Europe and the US was desperately required. This means TVRs with airbags and anti-lock brakes. It also means selling cars to customers less tolerant of their quirks than us Brits.
"Its a car which is capable of utterly destroying the performance figures of a
Porsche 911 Turbo or
Ferrari 430"
The latest Tuscan 2 is a case in point. Quality control has been improved but the revised interior shows that the company is in no way selling out and dumbing down the personality of its vehicles. TVR has ditched the old combined analogue and digital instrumentation, fitting digital-only instruments. A rev counter with racing-style shift lights has been fitted as have start and stop buttons.
Typhoon-style door and window controls and blade-thin audio speakers combine with reshaped seats to improve the cabin. Tuscan S models also feature air conditioning, gas-discharge headlamps and a digital radio. The low-mounted steering wheel features wiper and light switches but the wide spokes make it an acquired taste. The fascia is delightfully minimalist with the minor controls consisting of a set of turned aluminium pastilles mounted just below the stereo system.
The key change most will notice are the smooth faired in headlamps and a rear spoiler that conforms to the soap bar contours of the bootlid. The overall effect is to give the Tuscan a smoother, more refined look that some feel is reminiscent of the much-loved Griffith. Another equally vocal bunch of TVR enthusiast have voiced their opinion that the car is growing older to cater for older owners as younger buyers move in for T350C and Tamora models. Whats important is that TVR now has the capacity and budget to offer this choice.
The Tuscan 2 range expands with the addition of a full convertible model which uses the same chassis as the targa model but utilises a pair of rollover hoops where it divests itself of the rear window section. The hood secures using a technique only TVR could have come up with. A carbon fibre roof panel is first positioned atop the car, whereupon the rear fabric section is pulled up to meet it, the hood being screwed to the rollover hoops using two knurled bolts that secure into two chamfered cups. The suspension and steering have also come in for some significant attention.
All Tuscan variants feature revised geometry to add more camber and castor. New Dunlop tyres are specified and spring rates have been stiffened on the Tuscan S. Ride quality has been significantly improved and the sneeze-and-youre-off steering of early Tuscans has also been replaced by a rack thats less malicious, all Tuscans now featuring the same electrically assisted rack that debuted on the T350. With light clutches and a gearbox that can easily be operated by those of us without the biceps of a lumberjack, the sheer physicality of early TVRs has largely been removed from the Tuscan 2 experience.
Thats not to say the car doesnt have a lot to get you excited about. With 350bhp under the bonnet (400bhp if you plump for the Tuscan S) and no traction control, stability control, anti lock brakes, brakeforce distribution, nor driver or passenger airbags, the Tuscan tends to focus the mind. Couple that knowledge with some rather icy roads and the realisation that I was only insured for third party risks on the demonstrator car and Im unfortunately unable to inform you how the Tuscan 2 feels at the limits of dry adhesion. I can tell you that the new steering system is quick and accurate enough when controlling slides on glare ice at 10mph, so the portents are nevertheless good! With prices opening at £39,850, theres little doubt that the Tuscan 2 still represents one of the biggest performance car bargains around.
Its over 100bhp up on a
Lotus Exige 240R but more than £5,000 less. The 400bhp Tuscan S will require £49,995 of your disposable income but compare that to the £82,950
MG want for their broadly comparable 375bhp X-Power SV-R and the case for makes itself. Whilst its great to see TVR developing a car rather than replacing it with their latest whim, their PR machine is perhaps a little underpowered to punt the Tuscan 2 into the global eye. Its about the only thing about TVR that is.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: TVR Tuscan 2 range
PRICES: £39,850 - £49,995 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
PERFORMANCE: [Tuscan] 0-60mph 4.6s / Max Speed 175mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [Tuscan] (average) 18mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Rigid passenger cell
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height mm 4235/1810/1200mm
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