Classic tvr's in US
Discussion
what year were tvr's legally imported? i am trying to find an older tuscan but they are very hard to find. im not even sure what year exactly they stopped being imported. ebay rarely has a tvr (usually a 280i) and hemmings has only very few. anyone know any resources which might help me?
tyson221 said:
what year were tvr's legally imported? i am trying to find an older tuscan but they are very hard to find. im not even sure what year exactly they stopped being imported. ebay rarely has a tvr (usually a 280i) and hemmings has only very few. anyone know any resources which might help me?
Tyson: Are you in the UK??? Your profile suggests that. I am in Canada and e-bay had involvement in me obtaining all 3 of our Tivs. You will have to be patient and wait for the right car. Yahoo discussion groups sometimes have info on cars for sale. The TVRCCNA website also has an area for car sales. Good luck in your search.i am not in the uk, i am in the US so finding one of these is most troublesome. I have obsessed over tvr's since childhood but have never seen one in this country. i have some money saved up and am hoping to find an older model 60's or 70's maybe early 80's depending on model. I do not know too much about the model lineage and specs they all seem very similar in design (except that wedge 280? from the 80's) and that light powerful theme holds constant, all i do know is that a few made a limited run across the pond due to emissions and crashtest laws of the 1980s(?)The tuscan seemed to be the flagship although the old griffith and vixen appear similar. thats not to mention the various 1600 2500 3000 models which i know little else about. i could really use some help here because even the mighty internet is not giving me the information i desire.
thanks
thanks
Tyson: Send me an e-mail to
aleppard@hotmail.com
Got pic for you and don't have it on permanent site to copy to here.
That info on "Out of Woodwork" is also a good spot but you would have to wait until the last part of Sept.2009. Here in Canada we can import a car if it is 15+ years old. Know a guy here in Calgary that brought 1 in last year and he now has to lift body to do major frame work. In the states I think a car has to be 25+ years old to import for street use for yourself. Maybe Marshall can give you better info on that... There is a nice Wedge here in Calgary that I looked at for my daughter but it is an 85, so it is only 24 years old next week.
Wayne/Sherry Leppard.
aleppard@hotmail.com
Got pic for you and don't have it on permanent site to copy to here.
That info on "Out of Woodwork" is also a good spot but you would have to wait until the last part of Sept.2009. Here in Canada we can import a car if it is 15+ years old. Know a guy here in Calgary that brought 1 in last year and he now has to lift body to do major frame work. In the states I think a car has to be 25+ years old to import for street use for yourself. Maybe Marshall can give you better info on that... There is a nice Wedge here in Calgary that I looked at for my daughter but it is an 85, so it is only 24 years old next week.
Wayne/Sherry Leppard.
Tyson,
TVRs started coming in the country through Ray Saidel in New Hampshire when he began importing chassis from Trevor Wilkinson and put his own bodies on them back in the fifties.
Jack Griffith, of course, brought in Grantura bodies and chassis and fitted the V8 driveline to them in 1964-66, producing the Griffith 200 and 400 models and a handful of the Robert Cumbeford designed Griffith 600. Gerry Sagerman was the TVR importer from the late sixties through about 1980 bringing in Tuscans, Vixens, 2500s, and the whole M-series line of TVRs before getting out of it around 1980. Then TVR re-entered the country in 1983 with the Tasmin, imported by a company in Georgia. Then, the importers changed almost yearly before Alan Bradley took over in 1985-86, moving the operation to Connecticut until TVR pulled out of the market amid many problems in 1987. So, from 1983-early 1987, they brought in the US spec Tasmin and 280i. Only two V8 wedges were brought into the US, those as show cars. One is road worthy and the other has been off the road for years.
If you are looking for an original V8 Tuscan, it's going to be difficult to find one as it has been quite some time since one was on the market. If one does become available, expect to pay upwards of $60,000+ for a driver.
Feel free to get in touch with me at tvrccna@cox.net if you have any other questions.
Marshall
TVRs started coming in the country through Ray Saidel in New Hampshire when he began importing chassis from Trevor Wilkinson and put his own bodies on them back in the fifties.
Jack Griffith, of course, brought in Grantura bodies and chassis and fitted the V8 driveline to them in 1964-66, producing the Griffith 200 and 400 models and a handful of the Robert Cumbeford designed Griffith 600. Gerry Sagerman was the TVR importer from the late sixties through about 1980 bringing in Tuscans, Vixens, 2500s, and the whole M-series line of TVRs before getting out of it around 1980. Then TVR re-entered the country in 1983 with the Tasmin, imported by a company in Georgia. Then, the importers changed almost yearly before Alan Bradley took over in 1985-86, moving the operation to Connecticut until TVR pulled out of the market amid many problems in 1987. So, from 1983-early 1987, they brought in the US spec Tasmin and 280i. Only two V8 wedges were brought into the US, those as show cars. One is road worthy and the other has been off the road for years.
If you are looking for an original V8 Tuscan, it's going to be difficult to find one as it has been quite some time since one was on the market. If one does become available, expect to pay upwards of $60,000+ for a driver.
Feel free to get in touch with me at tvrccna@cox.net if you have any other questions.
Marshall
Tyson: Good luck in your search.
Marshall: Figured you would come across this topic... Like I said before "you don't miss much" Todd just brought his trailer out to my house and picked up the monster. Going to fix those BooBoos from last winter and get alittle more HP as we now know it can handle it. Coming back to get the supercharged 2500M and put that Toyota 5 speed in for the daughter. Then coming back to get the Spousal Units Taimar to install the ignition and front rubber and touch up the paint. He is going to order me a new 20 ft. trailer for next Sept. Since I can't get double mileage if I bring 2 cars then it will just be the monster in attendance. Second car now gone and he wouldn't let me drive the 3rd one in due to our snow on the roads. Got my 4 glasses/3 key fabs/2 calenders.All apreciated. How long does it take to get from your town to woodwork???? Are there storage places close to you to put a truck/trailer for a week???? Longer mileage if we go via Va. Ca residents scare me for longest travelled.
Wayne/Sherry Leppard.
Marshall: Figured you would come across this topic... Like I said before "you don't miss much" Todd just brought his trailer out to my house and picked up the monster. Going to fix those BooBoos from last winter and get alittle more HP as we now know it can handle it. Coming back to get the supercharged 2500M and put that Toyota 5 speed in for the daughter. Then coming back to get the Spousal Units Taimar to install the ignition and front rubber and touch up the paint. He is going to order me a new 20 ft. trailer for next Sept. Since I can't get double mileage if I bring 2 cars then it will just be the monster in attendance. Second car now gone and he wouldn't let me drive the 3rd one in due to our snow on the roads. Got my 4 glasses/3 key fabs/2 calenders.All apreciated. How long does it take to get from your town to woodwork???? Are there storage places close to you to put a truck/trailer for a week???? Longer mileage if we go via Va. Ca residents scare me for longest travelled.
Wayne/Sherry Leppard.
Wayne,
If you make your route to Woodwork via my house, I'll find you space to park your rig for a week, no problem. You can put it in the space where I store my trailer since I'll be using it anyway.
Going that way should easily net you Long Distance award unless some of the Californians come and they don't usually show up but occasionally.
We'll get it all worked out logistically for you.
Marshall
If you make your route to Woodwork via my house, I'll find you space to park your rig for a week, no problem. You can put it in the space where I store my trailer since I'll be using it anyway.
Going that way should easily net you Long Distance award unless some of the Californians come and they don't usually show up but occasionally.
We'll get it all worked out logistically for you.
Marshall
thanks for all the help guys, september 09 is now definitely on my to do list.
60k+ is alot more (about double) than i expected to see price-wise (and way more than i have saved). no drivers for under 30k or better yet 20? (i enjoy a little wrench time)
i have tried to register with tvrcca but got hung up on the required membership number. it doesn't seem logical to need to be mailed a club card and number just to browse the site.
i wanted an older tvr with a v8 but the 3000M (with the ford v6?) is also a stunning car and i suspect might be cheaper? any information here on build quality/design changes through the years?
furthermore anyone have a good public resource for researching the models and differences? (i.e. pre M, post M, M, taimer, griffith, tuscan... etc)? from what i can tell they are all relatively similar (visual) and use ford v8 and v6 engines. (excluding the triumph straight 6 because that motor is a bit of a pig). nearly all tvr information i can find is on the newer models.
the comment on importing a 25+ year old car as a possibility looks appealing if the price-tag on these cars in america really is around 60k. I am interested to hear if anyone has done this
someone mentioned swapped v8's are significantly cheaper, are these cars comparable to the factory v8's in suspension, brakes, chassis? i have seen too many retrofitted cars that were just not suited to handle bigger motors. i had the intent of really driving the car opposed to just getting attention.
thanks again
60k+ is alot more (about double) than i expected to see price-wise (and way more than i have saved). no drivers for under 30k or better yet 20? (i enjoy a little wrench time)
i have tried to register with tvrcca but got hung up on the required membership number. it doesn't seem logical to need to be mailed a club card and number just to browse the site.
i wanted an older tvr with a v8 but the 3000M (with the ford v6?) is also a stunning car and i suspect might be cheaper? any information here on build quality/design changes through the years?
furthermore anyone have a good public resource for researching the models and differences? (i.e. pre M, post M, M, taimer, griffith, tuscan... etc)? from what i can tell they are all relatively similar (visual) and use ford v8 and v6 engines. (excluding the triumph straight 6 because that motor is a bit of a pig). nearly all tvr information i can find is on the newer models.
the comment on importing a 25+ year old car as a possibility looks appealing if the price-tag on these cars in america really is around 60k. I am interested to hear if anyone has done this
someone mentioned swapped v8's are significantly cheaper, are these cars comparable to the factory v8's in suspension, brakes, chassis? i have seen too many retrofitted cars that were just not suited to handle bigger motors. i had the intent of really driving the car opposed to just getting attention.
thanks again
Edited by tyson221 on Tuesday 30th December 21:48
tyson221 said:
what year were tvr's legally imported? i am trying to find an older tuscan but they are very hard to find. im not even sure what year exactly they stopped being imported. ebay rarely has a tvr (usually a 280i) and hemmings has only very few. anyone know any resources which might help me?
i've been half heartedly looking for a while. there are few i found for sale.http://www.mershons.com/view_photo.asp?ID=6361&...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...
http://www.wirewheel.com/view/409/10693/TVR.html
tyson221 said:
i wanted an older tvr with a v8
someone mentioned swapped v8's are significantly cheaper, are these cars comparable to the factory v8's in suspension, brakes, chassis? i have seen too many retrofitted cars that were just not suited to handle bigger motors. i had the intent of really driving the car opposed to just getting attention.
If you have an interest in a V8 conversion car, I know of a Vixen with a V8 for sale in California. I do not know the condition. I believe it has not been used for quite a while because the owner said it needs a fuel pump to get it going. someone mentioned swapped v8's are significantly cheaper, are these cars comparable to the factory v8's in suspension, brakes, chassis? i have seen too many retrofitted cars that were just not suited to handle bigger motors. i had the intent of really driving the car opposed to just getting attention.
Hello from the UK.
Just looking at this forum and I wondered if you could find a car from over here that is a non runner but structurally sound and import it as a box of parts. Could this be a cheaper option for a spanner man to build a car with a V8 or is this just an ignorant and naive thought. There is a growing group of TVRs in the UK with the latest Chevy LS engines including my own. Lightweight body + powerful light(ish) motor = huge fun.
Just looking at this forum and I wondered if you could find a car from over here that is a non runner but structurally sound and import it as a box of parts. Could this be a cheaper option for a spanner man to build a car with a V8 or is this just an ignorant and naive thought. There is a growing group of TVRs in the UK with the latest Chevy LS engines including my own. Lightweight body + powerful light(ish) motor = huge fun.
ajp70 said:
Hello from the UK.
Just looking at this forum and I wondered if you could find a car from over here that is a non runner but structurally sound and import it as a box of parts. Could this be a cheaper option for a spanner man to build a car with a V8 or is this just an ignorant and naive thought. There is a growing group of TVRs in the UK with the latest Chevy LS engines including my own. Lightweight body + powerful light(ish) motor = huge fun.
Anthony: Here in Canada we can import a whole car if it is atleast 15 years old and in the U.S.ofA. a car has to be atleast 25 years old. Down the street from me there is a guy from the UK that is building his version of an Ultima but with an LS7 engine and that is from what you mentioned above "a box of parts". Everybody that comes here to visit him from the UK has something tucked away in their suitcase for him. I know he has some Scottish blood in him and that may be why he gets some of his parts that way.Just looking at this forum and I wondered if you could find a car from over here that is a non runner but structurally sound and import it as a box of parts. Could this be a cheaper option for a spanner man to build a car with a V8 or is this just an ignorant and naive thought. There is a growing group of TVRs in the UK with the latest Chevy LS engines including my own. Lightweight body + powerful light(ish) motor = huge fun.
(Hi Clive) There is a guy in Toronto Ontario that did some mods to cars that he was importing and shoehorned Ford 302s with 5 speeds and they are fun. We have one of his original cars and we stroked it to 347 (as you say = huge fun)and we also have another one that he cloned to the originals and I put an automatic into that so the Spousal Unit could drive it. Don't ask as there are not enough clutch or transmission spare parts in this area to teach her how to drive a stick. At the moment I have 2 friends who retired on your side of the pond and I have them watching for a LHD car pre 1998 that I can import. I can't believe that on average a LHD car is selling for twice what a RHD car sells for in the UK. There are a copy of guys in Ontario who have imported several RHD cars in the last few years. I think there are also 7 or 8 Griffs here in Canada.You guys outside the UK have to try so much harder to keep your cars on the road and for that and you are brilliant and slightly mad at the same time. We live with the fact they will love you and hate you with equal measure like Rudyard Kipling's 'IF' prose. In the UK we can go to a specialist nearby and get things fixed. We are lucky. You are more devoted.
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