4 litre engine specs and upgrades

[eng622]

Thanks for the replies regarding my post on servicing costs etc. Before I start to look at any cars I would like to know more about the engine spec./types. From what I read the 4L started out at 360 BHP. I read in some adverts 380 BHP quoted so ask what variant this is. Then I read of Red Rose or converted to same, so are these different again. I then read of others with 390 BHP and of Tuscan S with 400 BHP?. Please enlighten me of all these variants and the dates they became avaiable. If a car has a recent or not so recent engine rebuild (I take it this is normlly just the top end) what variant is the end product?
Many thanks

[UpTheIron]

eng622 said:

Thanks for the replies regarding my post on servicing costs etc. Before I start to look at any cars I would like to know more about the engine spec./types. From what I read the 4L started out at 360 BHP. I read in some adverts 380 BHP quoted so ask what variant this is. Then I read of Red Rose or converted to same, so are these different again. I then read of others with 390 BHP and of Tuscan S with 400 BHP?. Please enlighten me of all these variants and the dates they became avaiable. If a car has a recent or not so recent engine rebuild (I take it this is normlly just the top end) what variant is the end product? Many thanks

Tuscan 4.0 - early Tuscans thru to 2003-ish (?) - 360BHP
Tuscan 3.6 - 2002 - date "standard" Tuscans - 350BHP
Tuscan 4.0 RR - 1999 - 2000 (inc bigger brakes etc)- 380BHP
Tuscan 4.0 S - 2001 on. - 390BHP
- 2004 on. - 405BHP

Dates could be very wrong. Basically two models:

"Standard" - was 4.0 then became 3.6
"Red Rose / S" - always 4.0, was 380BHP, became 390, then 405.

All measured in Blackpool Horse Power.

My recommendation:
1. Decide which bodyshape you prefer (standard or S, Mk1, Mk2)
2. Buy on condition alone.
3. Ignore the BHP claims.

[TimW]

I've always thought the early 4.0ltrs where making nearer 390 standard..

[2 Smokin Barrels]

TimW said:

I've always thought the early 4.0ltrs where making nearer 390 standard..

Nope

[wild oyster]

mine is a 2000,says in service book/user manual 390 bhp,why would they lie as this was the first year the car was built(as far as i know)!

[CiderwithCerbie]

wild oyster said:

mine is a 2000,says in service book/user manual 390 bhp,why would they lie as this was the first year the car was built(as far as i know)!

Ummm...was this your first TVR?

[anonymous-user]

CiderwithCerbie said:

wild oyster said: mine is a 2000,says in service book/user manual 390 bhp,why would they lie as this was the first year the car was built(as far as i know)! Ummm...was this your first TVR?

Ignore the Oyster.

The std 4.0 was always 360 bhp AFAIK. But............ The fantastic Speed6 engine is the first TVR engine that not only does what it says on the tin but quite often more! When Tuscans have gone on the rolling road they've performed well and produced at least what TVR were claiming for them.

>> Edited by dazren on Monday 19th December 17:57

[NCE 61]

unrepentant said:

CiderwithCerbie said: wild oyster said: mine is a 2000,says in service book/user manual 390 bhp,why would they lie as this was the first year the car was built(as far as i know)! Ummm...was this your first TVR? Ignore the Oyster. The std 4.0 was always 360 bhp AFAIK. But............ The fantastic Speed6 engine is the first TVR engine that not only does what it says on the tin but quite often more! When Tuscans have gone on the rolling road they've performed well and produced at least what TVR were claiming for them.

Cerbra Speed Six was 350 BHP, am sure my Tuscan V2 hanbook also quotes this figure, but 360 was always the quoated figure elsewhere for the standard 4 Litre & most of the dyno test results I have seen are very close to this & some a bit over.

>> Edited by dazren on Monday 19th December 17:57

[T88CAN]

2 Smokin Barrels said:

TimW said: I've always thought the early 4.0ltrs where making nearer 390 standard.. Nope

Wrong there are now quite a few "standard cars" making nearer 380/390 Bhp than the 360, get your self to a few rolling roads to see
Either way the Speed 6 power is normally as quoted minimum

[trackcar]

T88CAN said:

2 Smokin Barrels said: TimW said: I've always thought the early 4.0ltrs where making nearer 390 standard.. Nope Wrong there are now quite a few "standard cars" making nearer 380/390 Bhp than the 360, get your self to a few rolling roads to see Either way the Speed 6 power is normally as quoted minimum

Are you sure these *standard cars* haven't received S type engine mods as a gesture of goodwill at rebuild time .. that does occur
I'm not aware of any true std cars making anywhere near 390bhp.

[whitey]

T88CAN said:

2 Smokin Barrels said: TimW said: I've always thought the early 4.0ltrs where making nearer 390 standard.. Nope Wrong there are now quite a few "standard cars" making nearer 380/390 Bhp than the 360, get your self to a few rolling roads to see Either way the Speed 6 power is normally as quoted minimum

Well that all depends which rolling road you go to......

[whitey]

Are you sure these *standard cars* haven't received S type engine mods as a gesture of goodwill at rebuild time .. that does occur
I'm not aware of any true std cars making anywhere near 390bhp.[/quote]

I'm not aware of any Sp6 engines making anywhere near 390bhp. Nelly1 is organising a shoot out at SRR, I will certainly be interested in the results from more recent build/re-built engines considering my mighty Red Rose engine(2001 re-build) in peak tune only made 339bhp at the SRR....and the handful of other Tuscans that had been on there most running way too lean did not even make that.....

[Plotloss]

I was always under the impression

Tuscan 3.6 - 380 or 390 Red Rose
Tuscan 4.0 - 400 Tuscan S
Tamora 3.6 and later - 350bhp (detuned for reliability perhaps?)

[2 Smokin Barrels]

Plotloss said:

I was always under the impression Tuscan 3.6 - 380 or 390 Red Rose Tuscan 4.0 - 400 Tuscan S Tamora 3.6 and later - 350bhp (detuned for reliability perhaps?)

Nope

I had a 4 litre non s quoted 350 or 360 bhp...I forget

[trackcar]

I had an early 2000 supposed std 4 litre tuscan make 373bhp at Nobles , but that car was an ex dealer demo car and it had larger brakes on too, so I suspected the engine might have been to the then RR spec .. in which case 373bhp was a very impressive number

[uncle egbert]

the '3.6 convertible' has a 4 litre in it.........

[F C B P]

Weren't some of the BMW 316s 1800 cc?

[wild oyster]

unrepentant said:

CiderwithCerbie said: wild oyster said: mine is a 2000,says in service book/user manual 390 bhp,why would they lie as this was the first year the car was built(as far as i know)! Ummm...was this your first TVR? Ignore the Oyster. The std 4.0 was always 360 bhp AFAIK. But............ The fantastic Speed6 engine is the first TVR engine that not only does what it says on the tin but quite often more! When Tuscans have gone on the rolling road they've performed well and produced at least what TVR were claiming for them.

yes it's my first and i obviously don't have a clue what im talkin about,AFAIK.

[Redtuscan]

You say above "All measured in Blackpool horsepower".

Does anyone remember the Autocar test of the Cerbera 4.2 in 1996. They put it on a rolling road and the figures were within 1 bhp and 1 lb/ft of torque of the figures claimed by TVR. Why have things now gone awry?

[JR]

Redtuscan said:

Does anyone remember the Autocar test of the Cerbera 4.2 in 1996. They put it on a rolling road and the figures were within 1 bhp and 1 lb/ft of torque of the figures claimed by TVR. Why have things now gone awry?

Have things now gone awry?