Monday 24th January saw another dealer venture up the M6 to the TVR factory at Blackpool. Mole Valley TVR were on their way to collect their new Tuscan Demonstrator car. Charles Eyston, John Heywood and customer Lou Coppellotti began the trek on Monday afternoon. 'Three up' in a Cerbera would be a challenge in itself, but with the wee little Lou sat in the back initial concern was soon dispelled. The journey took about four hours. Once there we all checked in to the Stakis, and then hit the town with Factory glamour girls Danielle and Katrina. The evening went well with much banter coming from all at the table. The odd glass of wine was also consumed...

Next morning we drove in the Cerbera to the Factory. At last we got to see the demo car. Ah... it was still being worked on, and had not yet been road tested. Charles went off for a meeting with Peter Wheeler, so John and myself embarked on an unofficial factory tour.

Just Browsing

We started by having a look down the various end production lines. All six had mainly Tuscans in various states of build. Apart from the Mole Valley car, which was at the front of the line, Brooklands had their Sunset Yellow Pearl car at the front of another line. They too were due to collect the Car later in the day.

The thing that was very apparent was that unlike previous models each Production line was responsible for a certain number of cars. With the Dealer demos taking priority it was important to have teams to get the cars out. At the very end of each line were the first customer cars. These are due to be ready in March.

The time flew by. We wandered around most parts of the factory. One impressive area was where the New Tuscan main instrument panel was being tested and assembled. It is made up of various PCBs and looks very impressive. The boffin who was assembling it told us that they are trying a new mod out that will allow the radio to be controlled from the panel. This is still under development. It was nice to see the amount of work and effort that goes in to this sort of thing.

Peter Wheeler Oversees

We decided to go to the Paint shop. On the way we got our first sight of a moving Tuscan. Rolex Blue, and sounding very crisp. The paint shop was in its usual busy state. Tuscans being prepared in a variety of colours. A few Cerberas and Griffs as well.

Pacing

Time was now 2 o'clock. The car was still not ready. There was a fault with the main instrument panel. The TVR guys worked in a controlled manner to cure the problem. At this point Peter Wheeler appeared. He was keen to find out how the car was progressing. After about an hour the car was ready for its road test. Off it went burbling out of the factory. The Moonraker black looked very nice, and lessened the effect of the "unusual" front grill.

Four o'clock and the car returns to the factory. Up on to the hydraulic ramp it goes and the guys swarm round to check all is OK. We are told that there is another problem. This time the steering wheel wasn’t lining up straight. We were told this could take about two hours to sort. Two guys worked on the tracking set up while another sat in the drivers seat adjusting the steering wheel. The underneath of the car has a strange air intake duct on the offside front.

Ready to Roll

Seven o'clock and the Car is finally ready. Chris Goss from Brooklands has arrived, and we discuss various things about both cars. John gets the nod to start the car and it rolls of the ramps. Charles jumps in and the car purrs out of the factory. I am elected to follow in the Mole Valley 4.2 Demo Cerbera. After refilling both cars with fuel we set off along the M55. Charles at the wheel and me in the passengers seat.

The car feels superb. No rattles and hardly any wind noise, apart from window on my side not shutting completely up in to the rubber (slight adjustment required) considering the car has just rolled of the production line it feels and drives fantastically. The airflow from the dash is works extremely well and the eyeball vents look very smart. We continue on for about eighty miles, taking care to keep the revs down. After a quick toilet stop John takes over at the wheel, with me in the passenger seat. "Am I ever going to get a go," I ask John. "Oh yes" John replies.

The M6 comes up in no time. I have been in the car for 2 hours and must say that if is very comfortable. The new seats provide good lower back support and good support under the front of the seat. Only the driver benefits from the pump up lumbar support found on the Cerbera.

We arrive at Warwick Services. John tosses the keys to me. At last it’s my turn. I fire up the straight six and the rev counter zips up to 4,000rpm. The throttle seems much lighter than my Cerbera. The first thing that feels strange is the pedal set up. Being mounted on the floor the pedals took a bit of getting used too, but this will soon be overcome once the car is driven a lot. We pull out on to the motorway. The car feels VERY responsive. Up to 90mph and the car hums along at 3,200rpm. It feels very solid and the ride is quite similar to my Cerbie. It feels a lot better than the Speed Six Cerbera, which I found to be too soft and squishy.

Fiddley Bits

I decide to fiddle with the main adjustment knob on the right hand side of the centre panel. This is a tad fiddly to attempt while on a Motorway, so I decide to leave alone. Personally I would have like to have seen the vital readings such as revs, oil pressure and engine temperature continuously on display. I couldn’t imagine trying to fiddle with this if I was on a track day. This is a nice touch but I feel that it is a tad gimmicky. I also found that if I looked at the speedo it gave the illusion that the whole instrument panel was moving. I guess that this would be lessoned if the dash lights were dimmed down.

The radio was a disappointment. Apart from the fact that it looks like it has just been dropped on the dash tray, the speakers gave a loud buzz each time the indicators were operated. A minor adjustment needed but the positioning needs a rethink.

Safe and Sound

We arrive at my house at eleven. I feel relaxed and not at all stiff. The car has performed extremely well and I am very impressed with the ride and performance. I couldn’t give it any kind of stick for obvious reasons, but feel that it will be as quick, if not quicker than the Cerbera. The interior was a tad disappointing, and I hope that TVR will rethink a few bits.

Would I buy one?  No - I love the Tuscan, but the Cerbera is for me.

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Link: www.mole-tvr.co.uk