The last ever kit TVR?

[Chris71]

Does anyone which TVR was the last to be supplied as a kit and when?

My dad has a suspicion the title falls to his 1600M, supplied in late February 1973 (less than two months before the tax laws changed and TVR, Lotus etc. stopped selling kits).

It seems the cars often languished in dealers for quite long periods of time before being sold to customers (my dad's actually left the factory in May 1972) so it's impossible to go on chassis numbers.

It came from Barnet Motor Company, which was one of the principal TVR dealers at the time and it was definitely the last kit they sold. There's a good chance this makes it the last one ever and we're curious to find out whether that's true.

Can anybody shed any light on the situation?

[sonnylad]

This guy may be able to help:

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/t...

If not try Bespoke performance in Ware

[Chris71]

sonnylad said:

This guy may be able to help:

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/t...

If not try Bespoke performance in Ware

Had a fascinating chat with Giles, but he doesn't have any records going back that far and he suspects nobody else does either. It may well be impossible to confirm which car was actually the last kit to be sold.

Will give Bespoke a call. I know the guys there quite well as they looked after my S3 and my Chimaera.

[ChilliWhizz]

Can't help I'm afraid, but it takes me back... I worked at Caterham Car Sales when they were up on the hill late'69 early'70, and the memories of Vixens, Tuscans, and Lotus 7 kits coming in are still vivid today I particularly remember the Tuscans and being seriously impressed (at that tender age) that a car manufacturer was putting 3.0 V6 engines in lightweight sports cars

[Chris71]

ChilliWhizz said:

Can't help I'm afraid, but it takes me back... I worked at Caterham Car Sales when they were up on the hill late'69 early'70, and the memories of Vixens, Tuscans, and Lotus 7 kits coming in are still vivid today I particularly remember the Tuscans and being seriously impressed (at that tender age) that a car manufacturer was putting 3.0 V6 engines in lightweight sports cars

Funnily enough, this car was originally supplied to Caterham Cars in kit form, then got sent to Barnet Motor Company, where it was eventually sold.

Here it is:

[ChilliWhizz]

That's lovely
I'd left before the M's were produced, 1972, sprog was born, Lotus 7 went, to be replaced by a Morris Cooper 1275S, and nearly 40 years before I finally owned a TVR....

[Chris71]

Adrian@ said:

I have seen a N reg kit...It was a single days job to 'build' a kit, they came that complete! Have you asked the TVRCC? There are original owners of kit built cars around (I know of 3).
Adrian@

This car is one owner from new too. It's an L-reg car. A kit-built could have been registered in 1974, but I would imagine it's unlikely to have been sold that late due to the introduction of VAT.

[Chris71]

Adrian@ said:

Hi Chris...PM me a couple of front and rear pictures (or post them here) I am working on a 73 M atm, and the customer has a crossbreed of a bonnet and he is trying justify putting an OE bonnet on the car, OR, as simply changing the marker lights and recess, as your pictures shows, when he paints the car.
Adrian@

Hi Adrian,

More than happy to do that, but the other shots are on my old PC which I'll need to dig out.

CP