400 SX In Australia
Discussion
Guys,
I've spotted this 400 SX for sale over here so am tempted to look at it rather than bring in one directly from the UK myself.
http://www.carpoint.com.au/used-car/TVR/TASMAN/Que...
Does anyone know this car? Is it an original SX or more likely a 400 that has had a supercharger bolted on later?
It looks to be a fair bit more expensive than buying one from the UK myself and bringing it in but then i haven't exactly seen a glut of SXs advertised in the UK either.
Any info appreciated.
Cheers
Al
I've spotted this 400 SX for sale over here so am tempted to look at it rather than bring in one directly from the UK myself.
http://www.carpoint.com.au/used-car/TVR/TASMAN/Que...
Does anyone know this car? Is it an original SX or more likely a 400 that has had a supercharger bolted on later?
It looks to be a fair bit more expensive than buying one from the UK myself and bringing it in but then i haven't exactly seen a glut of SXs advertised in the UK either.
Any info appreciated.
Cheers
Al
Actually, that's a good price now. According to my calculations AUD$30k = £12770.
I paid £14k for mine 2 years ago with 6.5k miles on the clock.
If you buy it, before you drive it get new tyres, or check the date code. They are not much fun on 20-year-old original tyres!
The reg number looks OK. Ebay shows it as 1989 TVR TASMIN SILVER, Date of 1st Registration 06/10/1989. Number of Previous Owners 1 (in the UK of course).
However, the only fly in the ointment is that it was registered as Engine Size 3528cc.
I would therefore double-check the engine number, and possibly get a cylinder pipetted, to make sure it's a 4l - there is a BIG difference in performance. Other than that, go for it! I've never regretted getting mine.
- Adam
I paid £14k for mine 2 years ago with 6.5k miles on the clock.
If you buy it, before you drive it get new tyres, or check the date code. They are not much fun on 20-year-old original tyres!
The reg number looks OK. Ebay shows it as 1989 TVR TASMIN SILVER, Date of 1st Registration 06/10/1989. Number of Previous Owners 1 (in the UK of course).
However, the only fly in the ointment is that it was registered as Engine Size 3528cc.
I would therefore double-check the engine number, and possibly get a cylinder pipetted, to make sure it's a 4l - there is a BIG difference in performance. Other than that, go for it! I've never regretted getting mine.
- Adam
Edited by adam quantrill on Thursday 7th June 10:54
Great news
Without a shadow of a doubt I can confirm this is the real deal. Haughins did two 400 SX's. This one featured in an article in Penthouse and then lived Heathrow way for a few years - the other came up at Auction in 2005. Looks like it's been fitted with a KPH speedo in OZ - not sure what th emileage was when it left UK in the mid 90's - but not that high as I recall
If you buy it - stay in touch - I've got the only one owner one in the world!
As regards engine capacity - Haughins built the cars by buying 350's and 400's from the factory and swapping engines around ( quite a few 350sx's in 390/400 shells) Record keeping wasn't always brilliant.....As it's the only one in Australia I'd go for it!
Without a shadow of a doubt I can confirm this is the real deal. Haughins did two 400 SX's. This one featured in an article in Penthouse and then lived Heathrow way for a few years - the other came up at Auction in 2005. Looks like it's been fitted with a KPH speedo in OZ - not sure what th emileage was when it left UK in the mid 90's - but not that high as I recall
If you buy it - stay in touch - I've got the only one owner one in the world!
As regards engine capacity - Haughins built the cars by buying 350's and 400's from the factory and swapping engines around ( quite a few 350sx's in 390/400 shells) Record keeping wasn't always brilliant.....As it's the only one in Australia I'd go for it!
Edited by Jasper Gilder on Thursday 7th June 11:14
Gandalf said:
Bodywork is certainly all 400SE but never come across a supercharged 400? Maybe an aftermarket fitment? As Adam said get engine capacity checked to be absolutely sure its what it says it is.
Look at my profile - mine's a 400SX.If you ask nicely, see if they still have the mph speedo, that will tell you the mileage before it was changed.
Also - look for the DPR A4 sheet documenting the supercharger conversion. This might tell you what the mileage was just before the conversion (mine was about 4k - just run in). I can email you a copy of mine so you know what to look for.
Finally you can phone up Dennis Priddle (was DPR, now AJ6 Superchargers) in the UK - +44 (0) 1935862260. He might well remember this one. Ask him if there are any discerning features of a 4l installation.
Condition is everything to justify the price thought - don't be afraid to ask for a reduction if you find any stress cracks, touched-up paint, dings on the wheels, etc. This should be mint for that mileage.
Edited by adam quantrill on Thursday 7th June 11:25
in awe to the noise that blower makes Adam!adam quantrill said:
However, the only fly in the ointment is that it was registered as Engine Size 3528cc.
I wouldn't worry about that; as stated a few times on here before, TVR did that to get round having to type approve each individual model. The office bods did however sometimes get it wrong assuming the usual '1 or 2cc less than rated capacity' and many are registered as 3498cc... which never existed of course. ISTR my V5 states '3900'cc when it should have been 3905...Hi Al,
This car has been up for sale for some time - I think I mentioned it on this forum over a year ago.
Price has come down a fair bit since it was first up although the original price was reasonable when considering all the import costs and the rarity factor. If it would have been up for sale when I was looking I would have been definitely interested.
At the time I wasn't sure whether it was a SX as there was no badging and it could have just had a bolt on rather than being an original but if others on here can verify it then it seems a good deal.
Mentions that it has a roadworthiness certificate which I am not sure what that means in terms of registering it as I had to put mine over the pits and initially I had a few dramas in getting it passed.
If it has had a speedo change then this didn't have to be done as you can get just the face repainted with km's, which I did and which kept the original odometer in miles.
The interior dash veneer I imagine has been replaced due to cracking as I doubt any left the factory with gold sheet panels, if it is the Penthouse mag car does anyone have a pic ? Otherwise, as an SE bodied SX with the 4 litre then very rare indeed.
PS If you are looking for a cheaper wedge I know of a decent 390 in Perth that may be for sale.
This car has been up for sale for some time - I think I mentioned it on this forum over a year ago.
Price has come down a fair bit since it was first up although the original price was reasonable when considering all the import costs and the rarity factor. If it would have been up for sale when I was looking I would have been definitely interested.
At the time I wasn't sure whether it was a SX as there was no badging and it could have just had a bolt on rather than being an original but if others on here can verify it then it seems a good deal.
Mentions that it has a roadworthiness certificate which I am not sure what that means in terms of registering it as I had to put mine over the pits and initially I had a few dramas in getting it passed.
If it has had a speedo change then this didn't have to be done as you can get just the face repainted with km's, which I did and which kept the original odometer in miles.
The interior dash veneer I imagine has been replaced due to cracking as I doubt any left the factory with gold sheet panels, if it is the Penthouse mag car does anyone have a pic ? Otherwise, as an SE bodied SX with the 4 litre then very rare indeed.
PS If you are looking for a cheaper wedge I know of a decent 390 in Perth that may be for sale.
Thanks for the info guys.
I think it's probably a good bit beyond my budget to be honest. If i buy a nice tidy 350/390 in the UK for £5000 i can have it here, through customs and road legal for around £7000 all in, takes me closer to the $16,500 mark so too much of a jump up to $30k for this one even if it is very special. With it being after the 1st Jan 1989 build cutoff there could also be issues with me registering it here in Victoria depending on if it has been through full compliancing etc.
I wonder what the issue is that has caused it to sit around for so long, if there were problems getting it complianced etc or if it just hasn't sold at that price. Certainly looks like a stunning car & with an interesting history etc but i wont get the sellers hopes up by talking to them further about it when it's realistically more than i'm prepared to spend.
Would certainly be interested in more details on that 390 you know of Chunder if it's more in the price range i am looking at.
Cheers
Al
I think it's probably a good bit beyond my budget to be honest. If i buy a nice tidy 350/390 in the UK for £5000 i can have it here, through customs and road legal for around £7000 all in, takes me closer to the $16,500 mark so too much of a jump up to $30k for this one even if it is very special. With it being after the 1st Jan 1989 build cutoff there could also be issues with me registering it here in Victoria depending on if it has been through full compliancing etc.
I wonder what the issue is that has caused it to sit around for so long, if there were problems getting it complianced etc or if it just hasn't sold at that price. Certainly looks like a stunning car & with an interesting history etc but i wont get the sellers hopes up by talking to them further about it when it's realistically more than i'm prepared to spend.
Would certainly be interested in more details on that 390 you know of Chunder if it's more in the price range i am looking at.
Cheers
Al
Hi Al,
In my experience the cost of importing will be a bit more than you are reckoning on. Firstly you will need someone to do the transaction for you and get the car to the docks. A container is going to be $2500, import duty 15% of purchase price + shipping and then quarantine and customs inspections etc before you even have the costs of registering it.
I would reckon on UK price in pounds multiplied by 4 to give the on road cost in AU$ which would make a 5kGBP purchase $20,000, and that's if everything goes smoothly and before you spend any money on anything that may need doing to the car.
The 390 is probably going to be a bit more than you are looking to spend but I'll let the seller be the judge and contact you if he wants to. A silver 390 (there are 5 wedges in WA - two 390's, a written off 280, an immaculate 350 and my 450) recently passed hands in the $25 - 30 range and the red one is of comparable condition.
In my experience the cost of importing will be a bit more than you are reckoning on. Firstly you will need someone to do the transaction for you and get the car to the docks. A container is going to be $2500, import duty 15% of purchase price + shipping and then quarantine and customs inspections etc before you even have the costs of registering it.
I would reckon on UK price in pounds multiplied by 4 to give the on road cost in AU$ which would make a 5kGBP purchase $20,000, and that's if everything goes smoothly and before you spend any money on anything that may need doing to the car.
The 390 is probably going to be a bit more than you are looking to spend but I'll let the seller be the judge and contact you if he wants to. A silver 390 (there are 5 wedges in WA - two 390's, a written off 280, an immaculate 350 and my 450) recently passed hands in the $25 - 30 range and the red one is of comparable condition.
adam quantrill said:
No worries mate! Yes I was wondering too, why it's never been driven much.
If the shipping is really under 2k to Oz, then presumably it's also 2k from Oz to Holland. Now there's a thought.
Shipping is much less - that would be all the costs. Depends how you want the vehicle to be shipped - ranges from 300 quid strapped to the deck, 800 roll on roll off below deck to 1k+ in a container.If the shipping is really under 2k to Oz, then presumably it's also 2k from Oz to Holland. Now there's a thought.
If you want the vehicle to look like it did when it was put on at the other end and to have all the bits still attached a container is the only way to do it.
Thanks, all good. Yeah I still need to finalise a couple of bits for how things would work at the UK side of the process but thanfully having brought my Chimaera over back in Feb I'm pretty well aquiainted with the pitfalls and costs through the rest of the process.
Not to mention i have a good friend who works in the shipping industry here who sorted my last container very cheaply and did all the local handling for me which makes it a whole load easier and cheaper...
Not to mention i have a good friend who works in the shipping industry here who sorted my last container very cheaply and did all the local handling for me which makes it a whole load easier and cheaper...
I know it's madness,I already have an esprit turbo,alpine GTA turbo and a citroen SM ( now is probably not a good time to mention the citroen 2cv) here in Oz but would the acceleration of the 400 sx justify me making an offer on it? Does anyone know the specs on it? I know half a second is nothing but if it is a 4.1 or 4.3 second to 100KPH car then I'll not be able to resist.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Except it's now in Stourbridge. Just saw it today at Central Sports Cars. It's the Penthouse car - the other 400SX ( I.E Not Adam's) Silver 400 shell, Seac Interior. Mileage isn't apparently too high, but the chassis looks like it came out of the factory last week!
It's being recommissioned after many years doing not much in Australia and if it goes up for sale it'll give a Seac or a Griff 500 a bit of a fright.
Haughins only built two and the installation was done by Dennis Priddle, if I didn't already have a 350SX I'd be tempted........
It's being recommissioned after many years doing not much in Australia and if it goes up for sale it'll give a Seac or a Griff 500 a bit of a fright.
Haughins only built two and the installation was done by Dennis Priddle, if I didn't already have a 350SX I'd be tempted........
Also for sale half way down this page in Aussie..
http://www.motorsm.com/AUS/cars/used/private_price...
http://www.motorsm.com/AUS/cars/used/private_price...
I think this little beauty came on the market just after I bought the Chim. Knew I should have taken more time looking. 
Although I knew it was coming on the market, I thought you wanted a lot more, so I didn't like to be cheeky & offer less. Some people take offence.
Don't fancy a deal for a Chim do you? You might sell the Chim quicker.
Although I knew it was coming on the market, I thought you wanted a lot more, so I didn't like to be cheeky & offer less. Some people take offence.
Don't fancy a deal for a Chim do you? You might sell the Chim quicker.
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