Typhon up and running!
Discussion
The first 'customer' registered Typhon is on the road! I collected it from the factory this morning and what a car. It looks amazing, sounds fantastic and feels really 'planted' on the road. The build quality is excellent and the factory have certainly made a big effort to ensure that the finishing touches are in keeping with what will be a very rare TVR.
No supercharger or sequential box! The power output is the same as found in the Tuscan S but I am told its about 100 kgs lighter. Two rear seats much the same as found in say a 911, but so much more leg room in the front. In fact, with the passenger seat back as far as it will go (and that is a long way) there is still leg room behind! Great soundtrack from the exhausts althought its still too early to get the full pitch.
The cabin feels so much larger than you are used to with a TVR but then the car is about 16 ins or 40 cm longer than a Tuscan. My original order for a T440 was placed with Ben S. in 2002. At times it seemed the car would not get finished, even when a large part of it had been manufactured as long as 12 months ago. There seemed nothing to lose by being patient and here it is. The car has a conventional gearlever. I understand that the original Reflex Charcoal model seen at various shows and dealerships in the past, has been purchased by the owner of TVR. Wheels are 19 inch.
There is only 1 supercharged version, but the Typhon won't be a production model, in fact (again as far as I know) apart from the original T440 there are only 3 Typhons in existence (as type registered) - the supercharged orange car owned at the moment by TVR and the 2 Reflex Charcoal models. There could be one more but that will depend on TVR.
The cabin feels so much larger than you are used to with a TVR but then the car is about 16 ins or 40 cm longer than a Tuscan. My original order for a T440 was placed with Ben S. in 2002. At times it seemed the car would not get finished, even when a large part of it had been manufactured as long as 12 months ago. There seemed nothing to lose by being patient and here it is. The car has a conventional gearlever. I understand that the original Reflex Charcoal model seen at various shows and dealerships in the past, has been purchased by the owner of TVR. Wheels are 19 inch.
There is only 1 supercharged version, but the Typhon won't be a production model, in fact (again as far as I know) apart from the original T440 there are only 3 Typhons in existence (as type registered) - the supercharged orange car owned at the moment by TVR and the 2 Reflex Charcoal models. There could be one more but that will depend on TVR.
Thanks for the good wishes.
GingerNinja - internal pictures as requested.
forthright mc - yes, it really is that much bigger. You can see on one of the shots below (4th one) where the passenger seat is as far back as it will go and that gives a loads of leg room in the front (much more than say a Sagaris). There is still reasonable room behind in the 'plus 2' seat (if your not too tall that is...)
big.jezz - you are correct, this car does not have a supercharger and yet it has been type registered as a Typhon. I was advised not to have the supercharger fitted due to the heat it generated.
GingerNinja - internal pictures as requested.
forthright mc - yes, it really is that much bigger. You can see on one of the shots below (4th one) where the passenger seat is as far back as it will go and that gives a loads of leg room in the front (much more than say a Sagaris). There is still reasonable room behind in the 'plus 2' seat (if your not too tall that is...)
big.jezz - you are correct, this car does not have a supercharger and yet it has been type registered as a Typhon. I was advised not to have the supercharger fitted due to the heat it generated.
There are 1 or 2 around but as far as I know this is the only Typhon on the road today (other than the original T440). Not sure how you get hold of one but if you contact the factory, then Jason Oxley is the probably the best person to call.
The 1,000 mile service will be done in early April and so hopefully after that there would be the opportunity to join in some of this year's events.
The 1,000 mile service will be done in early April and so hopefully after that there would be the opportunity to join in some of this year's events.
Paul, I totally agree with you. After 9 months of owning a Typhon, I certainly would not swap it for the newer version. There is no doubt that the existing chassis can handle the extra power (as the Le Mans experience proved) and that is my only disappointment. I'd go a stage further and say that a Typhon is the most stable TVR on the road today especially at higher speeds. Richard already has a T440 (as per this thread) and now the second Typhon, so he will be able to confirm or deny this view.
The 'new TVR' say they can sell 60 Typhoons, but nobody seems to have considered who will service and/or repair them. I've already had one embarrassing breakdown that required the car to go back to Blackpool on the back of a transporter (to date that has been the only option open to me). Heath and Paul in the Service Centre have done a really good job looking after my car but when it had its 1,000 mile service, it still took them over 2 hours to get the front off the car before they could work on the engine! Needless to say I have no idea what will happen in the future.
How much effort would it have been for TVR to write to its customers in an attempt to maintain an on-going dialogue with them over future plans and development (even for future sales)? I suspect the truth is that the new management really don't care about UK owners as they see their market in foreign fields. The UK dealer network looks shot to me (no disrespect to the guys who look after the cars) and that is hardly surprising as they don't really have many business reasons right now to be enthusiastic about what is going on.
No doubt there are 'new' customers out there who will pay the reported asking price of £120k for a Typhoon but I can't see too many arriving in the UK unless those buyers fancy an expensive punt! Let's hope I am wrong.
The 'new TVR' say they can sell 60 Typhoons, but nobody seems to have considered who will service and/or repair them. I've already had one embarrassing breakdown that required the car to go back to Blackpool on the back of a transporter (to date that has been the only option open to me). Heath and Paul in the Service Centre have done a really good job looking after my car but when it had its 1,000 mile service, it still took them over 2 hours to get the front off the car before they could work on the engine! Needless to say I have no idea what will happen in the future.
How much effort would it have been for TVR to write to its customers in an attempt to maintain an on-going dialogue with them over future plans and development (even for future sales)? I suspect the truth is that the new management really don't care about UK owners as they see their market in foreign fields. The UK dealer network looks shot to me (no disrespect to the guys who look after the cars) and that is hardly surprising as they don't really have many business reasons right now to be enthusiastic about what is going on.
No doubt there are 'new' customers out there who will pay the reported asking price of £120k for a Typhoon but I can't see too many arriving in the UK unless those buyers fancy an expensive punt! Let's hope I am wrong.
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