History on Pre-Production Sagaris Prototype PJ54WNL Please

[tvrtuscans]

I have just bought PJ54WNL from TVR....it's the red/yellow car in Readman Racing Colour's. i would like to get the lo-down on it's history. From the TVR data-base, the car was manufactured on the 18th November 2004, it was fitted with Sparco race seats. It was displayed at the 2004 TVR Tuscan Challenge end of season soiree. It was the display car at the NEC Autosport show on the Pipercross stand in Jan 2005. During 2005 NS apparently used the car before being passed to the development dept for the testing of a prototype sequential TVR gearbox.

Mr Terry Grant was loaned the car for display's at the 2006 Excel Motor Show and at Live Theatre of MPH06 at Earls Court. In June 2006, it broke a world record.

Does anyone have any more info/photo's please??

Thanks

Tony M

[stainless_steve]

Are the vents cut out?

I'd email Gaffer,she will know some of the history


http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?mem...

[Don1]

I saw this at RG a few weeks ago.

It is the world record 'donut' car, and had just been rebuilt to that full spec. Vents cut out, exhausts wrapped and it looked very good.

[_DeeJay_]

It's mentioned on here: http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...

The first time I saw that car was when it was being used to advertise the race series. I can't work the Pistonheads search engine very well so can't find the thread, but I'm sure there was a news article with a picture of that car.

edited to add: some more basic info here: http://tvrblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/find-of-week-t...

and here http://sagaris.ru/Sagaris%20RT.htm

and here http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=52&i=1000...

Edited by _DeeJay_ on Saturday 3rd January 19:57

[Pharoah]

Racing Green had it up for sale for a while as has been mentioned - perhaps 3 / 4 months ago. It was a bit tired looking at the time but was priced accordingly - I am sure there were some threads about it on here at the time...

[tvrtuscans]

Thank's v much everyone for the info so far.

Indeed it does have all the vents cut out, and shorter mirror arm's than the production vehicle, different nose-cone (no recess for reg number) and petrol filler located on side of rear wing rather on top of wing/no mesh under the headlamp appertures. I first saw the car in Feb 08 at Racing Green looking v sorry for itself. To cut a long story short, I traded my (pristine) Mk 1 TuscanS in and got the vehicle in June. Racing Green then set about sorting the car....now it's very nice indeed....not over-restored....just right IMHO. Racing Green also managed to get the original Compomotive wheels for the car. Guinness World Records have supplied me a DVD of the car breaking the world record in Spain.

As far as I can ascertain, this car was one of three pre-production prototypes manufactured....this car PJ54WNL (manufactured 18/11/04)......PJ54WNM in Red Glow....manufactured on 8/12/04, and PJ54ZLK in Mystic Black on the 10/12/04. Tho' by the look of it Claire's car was the first?

Again if anyone has more info on the car and photo's etc, it would be really helpful.

[M4000]

Hope these of use.Pics taken Dec 04

[tvrtuscans]

Quite excellent pic's. Thanks v much.

Does anyone know if this vehicle is an 'RT'.....and was this an official designation??

[M4000]

Hi Tony
This was badge Sagaris RT

[_DeeJay_]

RT - supposedly more power from (400hp), slats open, different suspension and lightweight body + interior.

I've no idea whether your car was just badged RT when used for adverising the race series (because it's shell was cut before TVR decided not to have open vents and it therefore looked like the RT was planned to) or was actually a different spec altogether.

[teamHOLDENracing]

Hi Tony - in reply to your e mail...

The car was built in Autumn 2004, displayed at the Tuscan Challenge end of season dinner and subsequently on the Pipercross stand at the Autosport show in Jan 2005. At this stage the Russian had taken over and after initially announcing that he was withdrawing all support for racing, reversed this and announced a series of the T cars which would be made available for racing in various specs. This included the Sp6 Tuscan, T350 and Sagaris. We would be supplied the cars as rolling chassis and kits of parts to build them into race cars. I can't remember much about engines but I think we were to lease them.

The Sagaris was to be available in a Challenge spec (effectively the road car with a cage and better dampers), all the way up to an international GT spec with sequential box.

The red and yellow car was built from the prototype shell. To my knowledge it was not significantly different from the later road cars. It had a Pi Research race dash (or it could have been Stack), fire extinguisher, and an extra roll cage bar across the back to which the race harnesses were attached. It was fully trimmed with carpet etc. The cage in this car was absolutely not suitable for racing!

The race series was canned and I believe the car was then used for development. It was fitted with a 'TVR' sequential gearbox - the same design of box that is now in Tim Hood's race Sagaris.

That is about as much as I know. John Read would know far more.

Kind regards

Andy

[brem]

Taken Jan 08 at Racing Green:

[_DeeJay_]

Are the headlight fixings standard? I'd always thought the saggy was like the t350 and sealed from the inside using the panel in the wheel arch.

However, that one looks to have external screws to hold the covers in place?

[tuscan4000]

Thousands compliments for this car!!! I've been told that it's very near to a pure race car.

If you would like to send me some cool images of it with your personal driving impressions, I'd be proud to publish them on my blog.

Alvise

[tvrtuscans]

This is all terrific info everyone....many thanks.

Yup the front light covers are attached using screw fixings, not 'bonded' as in the production car.

Best rgds

Tony

[tvrtuscans]

More info on this car. When Racing Green finally connected the battery, the odometer read......wait for it....1151 miles! Now I appreciate that this might not be an accurate record of milage, but even so.....

Any info on the engine. It sounds exceptionally quiet from cold......certainly not like a normal Speed 6....in view of the comments earlier in the thread, is it likely that the engine would have been 'breathed on'??

[Gaffer]

A few things,

1 - Its NOT the Pre-Production Prototype for the Production models.
2 - IIRC it was built as a showcase for the race series - there were x amount of shells made for the race series that had the open vents and the rounded nose. Best email John Reid to get the exact history.
3 - Candy was made late 2003/early 2004 and was on display at the May 2004 NEC Motorshow
4 - Candy isnt Red Glow - she is Candy Apple Pearl Red
5 - No idea on the speedo - Candy had 427 on her, engine is likely to be stock TuscanS engine, again JR will be able to tell you more.

HTH
Claire

Edited by Gaffer on Sunday 4th January 16:37

[kmpowell]

Gaffer said:

2 - IIRC it was built as a showcase for the race series - there were x amount of shells made for the race series that had the open vents and the rounded nose. Best email John Reid to get the exact history.

As I understand it PJ54 was fully built just after the Sagaris' Race Series got cancelled. TVR decided to start a Sagaris race series and all the shells were all cast with cut out vents etc etc, then at the last minute the series was cancelled. PJ was already pretty much built though (as the intended showcase), so they finished it and then displayed it around the dealers as a show car as to what a race Sag would look like.

Gaffer said:

3 - Candy was made late 2003/early 2004

First week April 2004 to be exact.

[Gaffer]

kmpowell said:

Gaffer said:

2 - IIRC it was built as a showcase for the race series - there were x amount of shells made for the race series that had the open vents and the rounded nose. Best email John Reid to get the exact history.

As I understand it PJ54 was fully built just after the Sagaris' Race Series got cancelled. TVR decided to start a Sagaris race series and all the shells were all cast with cut out vents etc etc, then at the last minute the series was cancelled. PJ was already pretty much built though (as the intended showcase), so they finished it and then displayed it around the dealers as a show car as to what a race Sag would look like.

Gaffer said:

3 - Candy was made late 2003/early 2004

First week April 2004 to be exact.

I heard earlier than that as she was at the Motorshow in May but no specific dates. Will check with Gerb - shame Mum hasnt got the records so I can check for myself. Its a PIA not being able to just ask Dad.

[tvrtuscans]

Have emailed John for more blurb.....tks

Sooo if not pre-production prototype, would it be accurate to say...........show-car/prototype/development mule for the race series that never happened then?

Ohhh yes, the inner wings are covered in heat-reflecting foil, and it has an alcantara dash-top.

I will be interested to see what John say's about the engine.......as I say....exceptionally quiet from cold....

Any other info anyone??