What is it about TVR's
Discussion
Mate came round last night to give me a passenger ride in his new toy, a late model Porsche 997 Turbo which has uprated suspension and engine tuned to around 625 bhp.
Hats off to Porsche, iv'e never experienced the horizon get so big so fast in a road car, even as a passenger i could feel the thing digging in to the tarmac, phenomenal technology.
We went down a local country lane which is straight but so bumpy that in the Tuscan i won't dare go above 60mph, the Porsche made it feel like the M1 even at warp 9.
So, ballistic performance, sure footed, nice to look at, but would i swap the Tuscan for one ?..........No bloody chance, can't really explain why, but i'm sure you lot will understand
Hats off to Porsche, iv'e never experienced the horizon get so big so fast in a road car, even as a passenger i could feel the thing digging in to the tarmac, phenomenal technology.
We went down a local country lane which is straight but so bumpy that in the Tuscan i won't dare go above 60mph, the Porsche made it feel like the M1 even at warp 9.
So, ballistic performance, sure footed, nice to look at, but would i swap the Tuscan for one ?..........No bloody chance, can't really explain why, but i'm sure you lot will understand
I think that part of the reason that little else will do is that, for some (including me), in a TVR, you always get the full fat, uncosseted driving experience every time you drive it. Mine always puts a smile on my face whether just pootling about or giving it full beans. It is the sensation of driving it (even at or below speed limits) that is so addictive - raw with little compromise. Some would hate that, but others love it.
You can brag about all the BHP and torque you like, but if you're shielded from the experience unless you're going 150mph, really, what is the point?
You can brag about all the BHP and torque you like, but if you're shielded from the experience unless you're going 150mph, really, what is the point?
chris watton said:
I think that part of the reason that little else will do is that, for some (including me), in a TVR, you always get the full fat, uncosseted driving experience every time you drive it. Mine always puts a smile on my face whether just pootling about or giving it full beans. It is the sensation of driving it (even at or below speed limits) that is so addictive - raw with little compromise. Some would hate that, but others love it.
You can brag about all the BHP and torque you like, but if you're shielded from the experience unless you're going 150mph, really, what is the point?
Agree and you don't have to be driving at bonkers speeds to get this feeling in a TVR, even at tick over it makes me smile You can brag about all the BHP and torque you like, but if you're shielded from the experience unless you're going 150mph, really, what is the point?
I've always said that the RX-8 that I had before my Chimaera was a much 'better' car - more comfortable, faster point to point across the back roads, everything worked and it was *COMPLETELY* reliable for 76,000 miles - but I get far more 'fun' out of the Tiv at 70-80 mph than I did out of the RX-8 at any speed.
I've owned 3 Tuscans, 1 Cerb and a 997 Turbo.
I got rid of my 997 Turbo 1 year after ownership because it was always going wrong. (does that sound familiar).
Anything engine or coolant related needed the engine out. A £6 pipe at the top of the engine cost me £4500 to replace.
An actual Porsche dealer didn't bother to replace the 7 year old jubilee clips when they had the engine out. So when I was on the AutoBahns doing 150mph the turbo pipe blew off.
I got fed up with it in the end.
I got rid of my 997 Turbo 1 year after ownership because it was always going wrong. (does that sound familiar).
Anything engine or coolant related needed the engine out. A £6 pipe at the top of the engine cost me £4500 to replace.
An actual Porsche dealer didn't bother to replace the 7 year old jubilee clips when they had the engine out. So when I was on the AutoBahns doing 150mph the turbo pipe blew off.
I got fed up with it in the end.
Well, I used to own a Very nice mk 1 Tuscan with one of Dom’s superb 4.3’s and now I have a 996 turbo with some nice mods and would Never swap it for another TVR.
Don’t get me wrong, I love TVR’s, proper old school motoring and I thought about buying a T350T before the Turbo, but the Porsche does everything soooooooooooo well it was a no brainer in the end.
In an ideal world I would have both
Don’t get me wrong, I love TVR’s, proper old school motoring and I thought about buying a T350T before the Turbo, but the Porsche does everything soooooooooooo well it was a no brainer in the end.
In an ideal world I would have both
Mark A S said:
Well, I used to own a Very nice mk 1 Tuscan with one of Dom’s superb 4.3’s and now I have a 996 turbo with some nice mods and would Never swap it for another TVR.
Don’t get me wrong, I love TVR’s, proper old school motoring and I thought about buying a T350T before the Turbo, but the Porsche does everything soooooooooooo well it was a no brainer in the end.
In an ideal world I would have both
I have had a few Porkers over the years, the last being a 54 plate 996 with bits and pieces added. It was by far the best Porsche I have owned but was getting bored with it as it was a weekend only car.Don’t get me wrong, I love TVR’s, proper old school motoring and I thought about buying a T350T before the Turbo, but the Porsche does everything soooooooooooo well it was a no brainer in the end.
In an ideal world I would have both
Had a test drive in a 997 Turbo and it was so fast, I thought yeah I stump up the serious wad of cash and go for it.
Then by chance I saw an advert of Tony Gilbert's went down and test drove a very, very nice Reflex Charcoal T350C and it blew me away.
Bought the T350 and love the raw visceral feeling of the car and also the amazingly positive reaction from pedestrians and other motorists.
Sometimes on the fuel station forecourt I have three or four people come over to chat about the car.
chris watton said:
I think that part of the reason that little else will do is that, for some (including me), in a TVR, you always get the full fat, uncosseted driving experience every time you drive it. Mine always puts a smile on my face whether just pootling about or giving it full beans. It is the sensation of driving it (even at or below speed limits) that is so addictive - raw with little compromise. Some would hate that, but others love it.
You can brag about all the BHP and torque you like, but if you're shielded from the experience unless you're going 150mph, really, what is the point?
That, with bells on. You can brag about all the BHP and torque you like, but if you're shielded from the experience unless you're going 150mph, really, what is the point?
In what other car can I be driving at the speed limit and have the driving sensation of doing 20mph faster than the limit, the hood down, wind blowing comfortably around me, and that throaty engine sound that most people take for a narly V8 and still get 18 mpg with a triple weber setup? Pure fun! (3000S).
I have a cayman s for getting around just is good at all things small trips or hacking down to Lemans full of tents etc for the classic . But is it great does it make me grin? Not really ,had a t350 so totally low and impracticable but boy that made me smile now just have classic tvrs for the grin and a Porsche to get somewhere fast , safe with the misses ! Do I wear a Porsche top not on you're life once Tvr is in you're blood you're buggered !!! Richard
Edited by griff 200 on Sunday 26th July 16:29
TVR every time for me. TVR has soul, something that very few modern manufacturers can boast. They are very different animals, The Porker MAY have reliability on it`s side, but I would rather feel as if the car loved me back as well.
And never forget that, The girl in the Porsche is wearing nice perfume, while the girl in the TVR is wearing no knickers....
And never forget that, The girl in the Porsche is wearing nice perfume, while the girl in the TVR is wearing no knickers....
alspeed said:
Fantastic analogy, sums it up perfectly, will have to remember that one
Reference to Spitfire versus Eurofighter.On a few occasions some jealous guys gather round my Tiv and cynicaly say "How's your reliability?" I reply, same as a Ferrari and Lambo and much much more easy and cheaper to fix, and it is British. The difference is, Lambo Ferrari & Porkers don't get the publicity about their breakdowns, blow ups and fires etc because money'ed arrogant owners are too embarrassed to admit it. Methinks.
I'm considering an Emerald ECU although 14Cux is just about ok, and our RV8s in good order are an appreciating asset. New100K Lambos etc, are not ! Easy to get a 20K agreed insurance valuation on a 1999 Griff 500.
Edited by EGB on Sunday 26th July 20:33
Just popped down to my local village in the Griffith so the wife could pick up some dry cleaning. We had forgotton that it was school kicking out time, and the roads were clogged up with busses and children.
Drove past a busy bus stop and a young lad shouted at the top of his voice "TVR" and pointed it out to his mates
We smiled and waved to him.
He could only have been about 2/3 when the last one rolled off the production line
He clearly has fine taste, I hope my lad grows up to know a good car when he sees one too
Drove past a busy bus stop and a young lad shouted at the top of his voice "TVR" and pointed it out to his mates
We smiled and waved to him.
He could only have been about 2/3 when the last one rolled off the production line
He clearly has fine taste, I hope my lad grows up to know a good car when he sees one too
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