How many volunteers here?

Have any of you got insurance quotes yet ? If so, from where please.

[rrtuscan]

The amount of orders for the tamora are VERY poor in comparision to when the tuscan came out. You would have thought that a cheaper TVR with what the press rate as excellent handling would be selling more.

Many dealers dont have any orders on their books and even the big name dealers have less than a handful.

[nubbin]

What relevance does your comment have, rrtuscan? What is your problem with the Tamora? Most of the initial orders for Tuscans (1500) were based on the Griffith look-alike speed six from the 1993 (I think) motor show. TVR didn't produce these for another 2 years, when it had become a completely different car. I personally don't care if they sell 10 or 10,000 Tamoras, I'm buying one of them, and I know I am getting a roadster which happens to be one of the best driving cars in the world - almost as fast as a Tuscan, cheaper, better built, certainly better handling. I'm not buying it to show off, I'm getting it to replace my Chimaera, with a car that enhances my personal driving experience. They will sell, but it is a new step for TVR, into direct competition with big established names. Unlike the Tuscan, it won't sell on dramatic looks and pose value, but once they hit the streets, the public will see that its a great car, and people who like to drive good cars will buy it. As you can probably tell, I'm getting a little pissed off with comments trying to find fault with the Tamora - it is a TVR, and the best DRIVER'S car they have ever produced, and close to being the best performance car in the world. What do TVR have to do to satisfy people such as you? Continue producing flawed publicity statements, or should they just build excellent sports cars? It's easy to trot out criticism of the Tamora when that's all that seems to be happening - the back end isn't perfect, but the rest looks very much like a modernised Griffith, which wasn't a bad looking car, if I remember... and oh, dear, it doesn't have a V8, oh calamity!! Neither does the Tuscan, and the AJP v8 is a race engine which doesn't make the same noise. The Rover V8 is dead because it can't meet emissions, and has passed it's sell by date. I don't hear people bleating on about the noise a Tuscan makes, so why pick on the Tamora? The Tamora has been designed to be totally driveable in a way a Tuscan can never be - it's difficult to use even 8/10ths of the Tuscan's potential except on a track, if you're a very brave or rich driver. I prefer to have some help, not constant challenge, from a car, so I can use all of it's abilities to the max. I'll get that from my Tamora. Stop criticising a potentially great car, built by a great sports car manufacturer.

[pbrettle]

Nubbin - woah there horsey, keep your toys in your pram - no need to get too irate... I am sure that RRTuscan has his reasons. I am in agreement with you on the case of the Tamora. Looks a little strange, but hey, so do most of the cars on the road today!

As far as I am concerned, it is a major step forward for TVR. Not only is it a sweet handler (according to the reviews having not driven it), it goes well and has the "features" that people look for. The simple case that it has been pitched against the likes of a Boxster S and Z3M indicates how far TVR have come.

I was at Castle TVR over the weekend and yes, they do have a silver demonstrator and it is now registered. However, it hasnt had its first service and they are desperately trying to put the mileage on to get it serviced - they want people to drive it properly, not under the run-in limitations! Guess that the other dealers are the same. The interior is excellent and I love the seats. I compare it to my Chimaera and you can see the changes - try spotting a parts-bin bit in there!!!

It takes time for a company the size of TVR to get the parts, engine and chassis to the way that they want them. Without selling 100K plus cars they dont have the financial muscle to do it. However, the Tuscan was the first of the new breed - brand new chassis, all TVR engine and parts line up. Dont get me wrong the Cerbera is nearly a 100% TVR car, but it did / does share some commonality with the Chimaera and Griffith....

The Tamora represents the most accessible TVR todate - easy to drive, easy to live with and still sticks to the standard TVR principle - bleedin' fast. I hope it is a sucess and I am sure that it will be a turning point for the company...

Oh, and contrary to popular belief (doomsayers) they are selling quite a few Tamoras now. Orders are dependant on demonstrators (now available) and a fixed specification (now fixed) - the order books are starting to fill up and certainly I have met a couple of people who have placed orders...

So there - ner ner.

Cheers,

Paul

[flasher]

nubbin, I couldn't have put it better myself mate. I think there is a tad of jealousy creeping in here from Tuscan owners who can't handle the fact that they have paid £48k for something that doesnt handle as well as Tamora, has a stupid fiddly roof, a ridiculous and ugly speedo design and has depreciated like a rocket because of it's poor build quality.I love it's looks but isn't looks down to personal preference?

I could have bought a Tuscan but didn't because of all these things. So far all the Tamoras I have seen (and that includes three I have driven and ten to twelve I saw being built at Blackpool) have a 100% better build quality than the Tuscans I have seen. Whether the Tamora depreciates like the Tuscan remains to be seen. But I am very happy that I have bought a car that I KNOW is the best handling TVR yet.
Why do people constantly slag TVR off when they are doing well? What baffles me is that all the people who are knocking them already own a TVR and claim to love the marque.
I don't know how many people have ordered one but if I placed my order in November and have to wait until March that should give you some idea. The notion that some dealers haven't taken any orders is IMO complete bollocks.

[nubbin]

Too right, flasher - I was tempted at one point to try a Tuscan - when the wait for the Tamora seemed too much, and my dealer thought that it might not be produced at all. I was impressed by the mechanical refinement compared to the Chimaera, and strangely it made me wait for the Tamora - a soft-top Tuscan, really, only better! I don't understand, as you say, why people who love TVR want to criticise other models within the marque - all of them have loyal followings, but it shouldn't be to the exclusion of appreciation of another model. You pays yer money, and takes yer choice. But the common theme running through all TVR models should unite us, not spark off catty little squabbles, denigrating this or that car. There seems to be precious little praise for TVR in these pages, and a great deal of anger. THat is diametrically opposed to the TVR ownership experience, as far as I can tell - lots of pleasure, and occassional pain!

Incidentally, I enjoyed reading evo's COTY - the fact that the Tamora performed faultlessly, being hammered across Europe, round Italy for 4 days, than back to England, all in the hands of nutter journo's, certainly bodes well for the mechanical robustness of the car. That could be the REAL turning point for TVR!!

Edited by nubbin on Monday 10th December 17:12

[sixspeed]

I thought I'd add a quick post.

Drove the Tamora demo at Mole Valley. I *can* see what the hype is about. Ok, the car was being run in, but that doesn't stop you going round corners quickly....

The Tamora felt sooo much more planted than the Tuscan that I was immediately more at home driving the Tamora. The car was a lot more chuckable, like my MX5 and I was taking corners quicker much sooner than I was when I drove the Tuscan demonstrator. It felt planted, predictable and fun - and that was with my enjoyment limited to 4000rpm!

I wouldn't trade the Tuscan S for one, but thats because I love the Tuscan. But there's no doubt that I would love a Tamora.

I will say one thing though. A lot of people are going on about build quality, but Mole Valley's demo had a *lot* (and I mean a lot) of wind noise coming from the windows/roof seals. There was none of this in the Tuscan that I remember, or certainly not as noticeable. Also, the plastic air vents felt very flimsy and loose in their housings, as did the glove-box. I wasn't overly impressed about the interior all in all, but then thats not really what these cars are about. Besides, like with the Tuscans, the first Tamoras are bound to suffer niggles that will be ironed out over the next 12 months.


-andy-



Edited by sixspeed on Monday 10th December 17:15

[pbrettle]

Well said chaps - we should be creating a community of like minded individuals and not picking petty squables between ourselves. There are too many other posters on these pages that like to target and pick on TVR - as previously said - you make your choice!!!

Anyway, can we not turn our attention to something that duely deserves picking on - like Ladas and Protons? Now there is a discussion or three.

Cheers,

Paul
(P.S. Have a Chimaera and what the wife doesnt know is that I am looking to upgrade next year - Tuscan / Tamora, who knows, but will get one!!!)

[nubbin]

Sixspeed - I wonder if the build quality is suffering because the factory are trying to rush through the demo's? My order has been pushed bak because the 20 or so demonstators are still in build. The one I drove at Harrogate seemed very solid, and I was messing with the vents a lot, to try to get hot air - couldn't get it to come out of the dash vents, but it all went up the screen vents! Still, I think the Tuscan suffers a similar flow problem, doesn't it?

[sixspeed]

Possible, if a bit stupid.

I'm sure they want to get the customer's cars out as quickly as possible, but if the demo's come out a bit rough around the edges as a result, then any potential new customers to the Tamora, or more importantly, to TVR are going to be rather unimpressed.

I suspect that any P*rsche Boxster contender who drove the TVR Tamora at Mole Valley to compare the two would be rather disappointed.

I'm not trying to put the car down though! I loved it. As I said, I'm sure that these are "early-build" niggles.



-andy-

[flasher]

I fully agree with your sentiments nubbin. I want to put a few things straight. I love all TVR's and I think all of them are good in their own way. If I hadn't been made redundant a couple of months back (I'm back working now) I would have kept my Cerbera because it was the fastest car around. No-one ever beat me in it anyway!!
Once I was back in employment I had to get another TVR and decided to try the Tuscan and Tamora. Back to back power wise there really is nothing in it, but the Tamora was a lot better handling wise. I honestly beleive that if you fitted the Tamora steering and 16" wheels then the Tuscan would be the same. It wouldn't look right without the 18" wheels though. What swung it for me was
1. Handling- I wanted a trackday car that could beat elises etc.
2. roof- fully convertible and not fiddly. the fact that it may be a bit noisier doesn't bother me too much.
3.Interior- I dont like the "steamship" binnacle in the Tuscan and I know it doesn't work properly either.

And that's it really. Although I have had a wedge, Griff and a Cerbie I have never had a brand new TVR and going to pick my colour etc. in Blackpool was fabulous. I love the way the Tamora looks and I'm not really bothered if a few judgemental people slag it before having a go. What bothers me is when it's other TVR owners. Do they want TVR to fail? Are they displeased that the car has been lauded by the motoring press? I just don't get it......

[dicky]

Hi guys, been in morning recently as my tamora was on order with Fernhurst. The silver demonstrator was Mole valleys for sure. Ferniies won't have one at all for obvious reasons and Hawthorns is due this Friday.

[richb]

You ought to try getting out in the afternoons then, it's less grief. Rich...