A Practical Supercar

Surprisingly for such a powerful and fast car (0-60 believed to be under four seconds) a great emphasis has been placed on ride quality and practicality. Chairman Peter Wheeler has stated that he wants the car to be practical as a daily driver and also suitable for two adults to tour in for two weeks.

That led to much work on the suspension of the car. Relatively soft springs were used to achieve the ride quality with damping controlling pitch and roll.

Roof Off Action

TVR have been producing a steady stream of convertibles for over twenty years now and they're best known for their roof-off muscle cars. The Cerbera was a recent exception but TVR customers were still demanding power and wind in the hair.

Pleased with the safety provided by the full FIA approved roll cage in the Cerbera, TVR were keen to offer a similar level of protection in the new Tuscan. Traditionally styled rollover hoops offer few options in terms of styling so TVR took the decision to turn the car into a Targa top with a removable rear window. Roof off, window out and there's just the rollover hoop left in place. Once again TVR have created a whole new concept in body design.

Instrumentation

With increasingly stylish interiors, more and more of TVR's interior switchgear is being made in house. With the Tuscan it's even got to the stage where the instrumentation is made in house.

The single binnacle is now located on the adjustable steering column. A speedometer with a needle sweeping though 180° dominates the drivers view. The gold background initially seems bold yet not out of place.

Fuel and water temperature are the only other gauges. An electronic display in the centre of the speedo can display the other information with warning buzzers alerting on a need to know basis. Not even a rev-counter. A change up light and beep tells you what you need to know.

Lighting

In the past TVR have - like many other low volume manufacturers - raided the parts bins of the big players for items such as lights and instrumentation. The lights on the Tuscan are one of its most defining features. Last years Motor Show cars had the distinctive recessed lights... from a bus!. The quest to save weight led to the sourcing of new lightweight units.

At the rear, no suitable light cluster could be found or manufactured and type approved economically. TVR applied a bit of lateral thinking and now make these LED clusters themselves.

Power

TVR started making their own engines in the belief that they would only be considered truly great once they'd rid themselves of someone else's power unit. No ties to an engine manufacturer would also ensure their future was in their hands.

Unprecedented for a company of their size, they now produce a V8, a straight six and a V12. The use of the straight six is a return to a traditional British sports car layout in TVR's view. A tradition that can now benefit from modern methods and materials.

So up front in the Tuscan is a four litre straight six, slanted to fit under the bonnet and fitted with a dry sump. Emissions regulations require catalysts to fit nearer and nearer the engine in order to warm more quickly. The use of the six eases this packaging task too.

Power delivery is said to be more civilised than in the V8's, making it easier to drive at slower speeds, but with the same power further up the rev range and revving to 7,000 rpm.

Performance?

TVR claim initial figures of 0-60 in 4.2 seconds, 0-100 in 9.2 and a top speed of over 180mph!

PetrolTed says: "Although liking the original car, I was never taken with it. Somehow it didn't seem quite balanced or muscular enough somehow. The cars at the Motor Show are a different kettle of fish. Finished, road going cars with interiors that look good rather than quirky and a real sense of purpose about the whole car. It's going to be a real head turner."