Spicy Wedges

[JumboBeef]

Long time Wedge lover, but owner of zero Wedges.....

Back in the mid 1980's, my girlfriend at the time got a job at a place in Birmingham. Can't remember what it was called, but they raced Jags and sold a few interesting cars. On that day, I sat in my first Wedge and said "one day, I'll have one of these..."

The girlfriend dumped me (actually, she ran off with the boss's son and they are, I believe, still together) and the years rolled by. Kids, houses, divorce all got in the way.....

As a milestone birthday approaches, I feel I really should get a Wedge as it is on my bucket list and might be more accessible than a night with Kylie....

Anyhoo, my question is thus: taking a "standard" Wedge, what is the difference in spicyness (ie: power and driveability) between the different engines? Is it worth the effort to go for a 3.9 over a 3.5 for example?

I'm talking "stock" engines here, I know any engine can be jazzed up.

I'm no stranger to the V8. We have a RRC 3.9 at the moment, and I have have owned 3.5 and 4.2 ones in the past. However, in the breeze block that is a Range Rover, there isn't (I feel) a huge amount of difference between the 3.5 and 4.2 (other than the speed at which the fuel gauge drops).

So, when I do get one, should I go for a 3.5 or spend the extra for a spicier one?

Thanks.

[keatsie]

Depends on what your after, the standard 350 V8 wedge is not slow and has a fantastic sound. The 390 and 400 have more grunt, the 390 delivering it in a slightly more aggressive manner. Then you have the specials with supercharges, they are just ballistic.

The best way ismtomget a drive out in one and see what you think, I don't think you would be disappointed with any of the above for sheer grin factor... And the sound!!

[mrzigazaga]

As said...Also what is your budget..There are some nice wedges for sale at the moment on here..
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/t...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/t...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/t...
Or if you really want to push the boat out...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/t...
There are some right bargains to be had and most can be enquired about as regards to ownership/History...Ziga

[Trickie Dickie]

If you put where you are in your profile
then there may be some Wedgers close by to let you have a look and advise

I have had both the 350 and now have a 400
Strangely the 350 was quicker on a 1/4 mile dragstrip
although the 400 finished 5 or 10 mph faster

I much prefer the looks of the 400 although loved all about my 350

Good luck

Trickie

[Rockettvr]

Condition should be your first consideration when buying a wedge. The bigger engined wedges tend to fetch more money(I'm sure someone will post a link to a thread about wedge prices) But a very good 350 is always going to be a better buy in the long run than a rough 400. Its going to depend on your budget really -so I think it's more a case of buying the best that you can afford rather than setting out to buy a particular model. There's loads of wedges for sale at the moment so you've plenty of oppertunity to go and try a few out. Good luck with the search

[celcius]

Go and view some

[V8 Fettler]

Set your budget and look at lots, 30 years on the only variable is condition.
Rule number 1: do not let the seller start the engine before you've completed all your checks.
Rule number 2: do not test drive the car through a tunnel, you might as well stop before the tunnel and hand your wallet to the seller.

"See Wedge, buy Wedge, see another Wedge, buy Wedge" ... who wrote that?

[JumboBeef]

Thanks for the replies. I'm in Fife, Scotland

Trickie Dickie said:

I have had both the 350 and now have a 400
Strangely the 350 was quicker on a 1/4 mile dragstrip
although the 400 finished 5 or 10 mph faster

That's the sort of info I was after.

What sort of 0-60 times do the different wedges give (with "standard" engines)?

[Danny Hoffman]

I think the rear axle ratio makes quite an impact on 0 - 60 times. I seem to remember that TVR had a habit of fitting lower ratios to road test cars to improve the bragging potential at the bar

[Trickie Dickie]

Sorry for the format of this (on PH) but if you copy and paste it in Word you should be able to sort

Model Body Date of manu Number Capacity Engine bhp Torque ft/lbs kgs 0-60 0-100 Max
Tasmin S1 fhc 1980-81 118 2993cc Ford 'Cologne' V6 160 162 1074 8.2 23.2 130
Tasmin 280i dhc 1980-87 812 2993cc Ford 'Cologne' V6
Tasmin S2/280i fhc 1981-85 136 2993cc Ford 'Cologne' V6 150 162 1074 8.0 23.7 121
Tasmin 2+2 dhc 1981-85 47 2993cc Ford 'Cologne' V6
Tasmin 200 Coupé fhc 1981-84 16 1993cc Ford 'Pinto' Inline 4 101 112 971 - - -
Tasmin 200 dhc 1981-84 45 1993cc Ford 'Pinto' Inline 4 101 112 971 - - -
Tasmin Turbo fhc 1981-84 1 2792cc Ford 'Cologne' V6 Turbo 228 - - - - -
Tasmin 350i +2 fhc 1983-84 6 3528cc Rover V8 190 220 1150 6.0 16.5 135
350i dhc 1983-85 417 3528cc Rover V8 190 220 1150 6.0 16.5 135
350i Coupé fhc 1983-87 36 3528cc Rover V8 190 220 1150 6.0 16.5 135
390 SE dhc 1984-88 33 3905cc Rover V8 275 270 1150 5.6 14.9 144
420 SE dhc 1985-88 7 4228cc Rover V8 300 290 1131 4.7 12.3 150
350i Series II dhc 1985-87 470 3528cc Rover V8 190 220 1150 6.0 16.5 135
420 SEAC dhc 1986-87 37 4228cc Rover V8 300 290 1131 4.7 12.3 150
400 SE dhc 1988-91 242 3948cc Rover V8 275 270 1150 5.6 14.8 145
450 SEAC dhc 1988-89 18 4441cc Rover V8 324 310 1131 5.2 - 150
450 SE dhc 1988-89 35 4441cc Rover V8 320 310 1131 5.2 - 150
350 SE dhc 1989-90 25 3905cc Rover V8 275 270 1150 5.6 14.9 144

HTH
Trickie

PS I didn't type all this!!!

PPS There are plenty of Scottish Wedgers on the Wedge Forum here who some may be close-ish to you

[Number 7]

Don't get too hung up on the quoted power outputs though - as I'm sure you know, TVR's numbers were occasionally somewhat optimistic, although to be fair, the 350i was only 7 bhp more than the SD1 Vitesse. As for the bigger engine variants, well.......a typical output for 4l engine would be about 250 bhp, so still a significant chunk up on a 350i. Per Dickie's table, I reckon the 400 is about 1 second quicker to 60, and probably 10 mph or so higher top speed. Having owned both a 350i and a 400se (albeit the latter modified), the bigger engine gives significantly more punch where the 3.5 struggles - all comparative of course!