TVR 450 SEAC

A rare opportunity to acquire a genuine, unrestored, late 450 SEAC.

Supplied new by Fernhurst in August 1991, this was the penultimate example of these Countach-bating, road-going race cars – specially built at a cost of almost £50,000 for the same TVR customer that ordered one of the first 420 SEACs in 1986.

The car has an Agreed Value of £25,000 confirmed by my insurers (Adrian Flux) in November 2016, plus a written valuation of £25,000 from the TVR Car Club (February 2017). I also have certification of its clear HPI check.

The car’s full life story was recently published in the January 2017 issue of Classic Cars magazine. It comes with an outstanding history file with original Service Book and Owners Manual, old tax discs and MOTs, and receipts from 1994 onwards totalling almost £20,000.

I bought the car in autumn 2015. A total of £5,309.78 has been spent on its light re-commissioning and recent improvements to bring it up to ‘driver level’ standard. These works include a radiator refurbishment, a new clutch slave cylinder, central locking fault rectified, new battery, four new Toyo tyres, wheel alignment, new rubber door seals, new rear caliper and pads, new headlamp motor, new ignition switch, new swan neck and induction hose, door handle faults rectified, window fault rectified, new exhaust mount fixing, chassis waxolying, new rear plastic window, some wiring improvements and a recent major service at a TVR Heritage Network specialist in Cornwall.

As you can see from this list of work, my ownership approach has simply been to slow down the natural deterioration process to a crawl – preservation rather than total restoration. Sound chassis, good oil pressure, age-related chips and blemishes to original paintwork, and 26-year old patina to interior.

Driving it remains as intense as it would have been when it left the factory in the summer of 1991 – this is a street version of a racing car after all. But having covered only 1,500 miles since I bought it, it’s time for someone else to take the reins and get more use out of it.. I’ve driven nothing quite like it (including Lamborghinis, Porsches, Astons and various fast Fords) and have enjoyed every vivid moment - not, I have to say, a sentiment shared by my wife who prefers our classics a little less…‘raw’. Hence the sale.

Cureton Green, Clay leather interior, 55k miles, MOT to October 2017.

This is an eminently collectable car, with a fully documented history, matching numbers and verified mileage - ready to be enjoyed by its next owner.