Canadian TVRs in vintage racing
Discussion
About ten years ago I shovelled the remains of an 1969 Tuscan and a 1970s M into a container and shipped it from Edmonton, Alberta to Gore, New Zealand. There the useable bits were assembled into a race car for participation in the annual New Zealand Southern Festival of Speed, which my wife and I attend every February as our annual break from the Canadian winter. TVR historians tells us that during the 1960s and 1970s, SBF V8s were installed by TVR importers in the USA (~300 Griffiths plus some Tuscans), Australia (at least one Griffith per the Modern Motor, January 1966 issue), Canada (Tuscans and 25-30 2500M-to-5000Ms)and who knows when and how many elsewhere.
Motorsports New Zealand FIA offers several categories of more or less original specification vintage racing. Unfortunately all "COD"s (Certificate of Description), require original manufacture of more than 100 specimens of identical chassis, body and engine specification. In the case of TVR this is obviously impossible because TVRs were originally fitted with miscellaneous Ford V8s, from two barrel 260s to modified Boss 302s, whatever the importer found convenient or productive of a paying customer.
Fortunately vintage racing clubs recognize that a requirement for strict originality would disqualify most of the cars now racing, e.g. forcing everyone in TVRs, Tigers, Cobras and Mustangs to find original Boss 302 or Gurney Weslake heads in order to be competitive would result in decimated fields. Adherence to less onerous requirements is sensibly maintained: e.g. the FIA allowance of a one inch wheel diameter and width increase over the best original spec. means a 1970s TVR V8 can go to 8 x 16 from 7 x 15.
TVRs should be faster than the likes of Mustangs, Cobras and Sunbeam Tigers. They are inherently superior: the large diameter tube frame when roll-caged can provide excellent chassis rigidity, four wheel independent A-arm suspension, light weight, low CD. The diabolical throttle-on oversteer/throttle-off understeer of the cars as delivered 30-40 years ago can be remedied by small changes to suspension geometry and differential setup - we have experienced this through seven years of development in the Southern Festival of Speed.
Motorsports New Zealand FIA offers several categories of more or less original specification vintage racing. Unfortunately all "COD"s (Certificate of Description), require original manufacture of more than 100 specimens of identical chassis, body and engine specification. In the case of TVR this is obviously impossible because TVRs were originally fitted with miscellaneous Ford V8s, from two barrel 260s to modified Boss 302s, whatever the importer found convenient or productive of a paying customer.
Fortunately vintage racing clubs recognize that a requirement for strict originality would disqualify most of the cars now racing, e.g. forcing everyone in TVRs, Tigers, Cobras and Mustangs to find original Boss 302 or Gurney Weslake heads in order to be competitive would result in decimated fields. Adherence to less onerous requirements is sensibly maintained: e.g. the FIA allowance of a one inch wheel diameter and width increase over the best original spec. means a 1970s TVR V8 can go to 8 x 16 from 7 x 15.
TVRs should be faster than the likes of Mustangs, Cobras and Sunbeam Tigers. They are inherently superior: the large diameter tube frame when roll-caged can provide excellent chassis rigidity, four wheel independent A-arm suspension, light weight, low CD. The diabolical throttle-on oversteer/throttle-off understeer of the cars as delivered 30-40 years ago can be remedied by small changes to suspension geometry and differential setup - we have experienced this through seven years of development in the Southern Festival of Speed.
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