Cascade Indigo 4.0 Tuscan Mk1
Discussion
Thanks guys, it is a stunner, immaculate condition too. It had a Str8Six rebuild in 2017 (5000 miles ago) and a respray a few years ago - the paint is immaculate other than a tiny mark on the rear quarter and a mark on the a pillar where the window failed to close before the door was shut, which Str8Six are going to tidy up. They are also going to refurb the wheels, in any colour I want - thinking a dark gold or bronze given the undertones in the paint - and I'm hoping to have the rocker cover powdercoated and some worn bolsters on the drivers seat sorted. Not the cheapest Tuscan out there but given condition (and colour - e.g. shmoo had a tuscan a few grand cheaper buts its silver on black which I couldn't live with! Squirrel yours is also a lovely colour
) hopefully it's a good one.
) hopefully it's a good one.Congratulations: marvellous-looking car.
I adore both of those colours and am extremely jealous.
RE: the wheels: my tastes are quite ‘traditional’, but have you thought about a dark grey (there’s bound to be a proper name for this, currently unbeknownst to me)?
Rupert: what’s the chassis like? I guess with the engine rebuild, that’s potentially the only (big) thing that might need addressing any time soon.
I look forward to hearing all about your ownership experience/adventures!
I adore both of those colours and am extremely jealous.
RE: the wheels: my tastes are quite ‘traditional’, but have you thought about a dark grey (there’s bound to be a proper name for this, currently unbeknownst to me)?
Rupert: what’s the chassis like? I guess with the engine rebuild, that’s potentially the only (big) thing that might need addressing any time soon.
I look forward to hearing all about your ownership experience/adventures!
Thanks :-D
I have thought about a shadow chrome / anthracite grey. I think the silver is too bright so want something a bit darker but not too dark you lose the detail (don't like black wheels!).
Yes the chassis was my other big concern, as other than the engine it is the thing that can give rise to a big bill! It looks very good, AFAIK never welded (I think that tuscans didn't rot quite as bad as chims / griffs?). Jason at str8six says its one of the best condition originals chassis he has seen (he would say that though
) few pics...
I have thought about a shadow chrome / anthracite grey. I think the silver is too bright so want something a bit darker but not too dark you lose the detail (don't like black wheels!).
Yes the chassis was my other big concern, as other than the engine it is the thing that can give rise to a big bill! It looks very good, AFAIK never welded (I think that tuscans didn't rot quite as bad as chims / griffs?). Jason at str8six says its one of the best condition originals chassis he has seen (he would say that though
) few pics...Pleasant surprise of today is an insurance quote of only £360 with agreed value was expecting it to be much higher with me being in my twenties and living in South East london. Remarkably other insurers can't seem to get anywhere close to footman james quote, had a few £1000+ quotes...
was expecting it to be much higher with me being in my twenties and living in South East london. Remarkably other insurers can't seem to get anywhere close to footman james quote, had a few £1000+ quotes...PrinceRupert said:
Not the cheapest Tuscan out there but given condition (and colour - e.g. shmoo had a tuscan a few grand cheaper buts its silver on black which I couldn't live with! Squirrel yours is also a lovely colour) hopefully it's a good one.
Completely agree, a Tuscan has got to be in a loud colour in my opinion- silver on black wouldn't do anything for me either!) hopefully it's a good one.Looking forward to seeing what you decide the wheels - I have to say I do prefer the silver, but gold could work quite well with that paintjob.
Ours was pretty cheap (around £5k less than yours was up for) by virtue of having some paint blistering on the scuttle panel and a few stone chips here and there- i.e. will get a respray another day, but nothing urgent- it's still probably the best condition bodywork on any car I've owned! But it has had the Powers engine rebuild, albeit back in 2014 and 9k miles ago, and a load of other stuff done to it.
Most importantly though it was Halcyon Atlantis which is my wife's favourite colour for a TVR, and the price meant we were able to keep hold of this moneypit too
PrinceRupert said:
Excellent, looks lovely. May I ask who you bought yours from?
The only spec problem with this car is a lack of AC which might put some off. I'll just take the roof off if its warm
We got ours via Mark at Amore. It has recently been to Str8six for it's 12k service (collected it a few weeks ago), as they had done a lot of the servicing on the car in the past.The only spec problem with this car is a lack of AC which might put some off. I'll just take the roof off if its warm
I don't see aircon as being a big deal in these cars, by all accounts the stuff fitted by TVR was pretty wheezy anyway and on a summer's day you want to have the roof off and the back window out, which gives great airflow- plus you can hear the car much better, which lets face it is one of the main points of enjoyment of a TVR!
PrinceRupert said:
Thanks :-D
I have thought about a shadow chrome / anthracite grey. I think the silver is too bright so want something a bit darker but not too dark you lose the detail (don't like black wheels!).
Yes the chassis was my other big concern, as other than the engine it is the thing that can give rise to a big bill! It looks very good, AFAIK never welded (I think that tuscans didn't rot quite as bad as chims / griffs?). Jason at str8six says its one of the best condition originals chassis he has seen (he would say that though ) few pics...
Anthracite! That’s the name!I have thought about a shadow chrome / anthracite grey. I think the silver is too bright so want something a bit darker but not too dark you lose the detail (don't like black wheels!).
Yes the chassis was my other big concern, as other than the engine it is the thing that can give rise to a big bill! It looks very good, AFAIK never welded (I think that tuscans didn't rot quite as bad as chims / griffs?). Jason at str8six says its one of the best condition originals chassis he has seen (he would say that though
) few pics...I’m far from an expert, but the chassis looks decent from what I can see. I guess like with anything, things (even on a TVR!) last if one looks after them...
How handy are you with the old spanners? I’m hoping to move into TVR ownership in the next few years, but had been slightly put off the non-Rover engined cars due to their alleged relative complexity. Any ideas on the veracity of these claims? Maybe this won’t be an issue if the engine’s been rebuilt...
My heart says Tuscan; head says Chimaera...
I started looking at cheaper Chims but they didn't appeal so much. I was then looking at Corvette C5s but didn't find a decent one. Then this came up, a bit of man maths...
I have another thread on my Peugeot 205 which is my attempt to teach myself some spannering. I'm pretty amateur but would try a few things on the Tuscan - changing pads and discs for example. I think its right that the speed six is more complex than the rover v8 but let's be honest I wouldnt be rebuilding either myself so not sure it matters so much. You will be aware the speed six is not the most reliable powerplant (it is the most powerful production 6 cylinder ever I believe!) So I'd only buy one that had been rebuilt by str8 six or powers performance (mine has a bill for full rebuild for 8.4k - cheaper rebuilds might be top end ony). Quite a few were apparently rebuilt by the factory but not to a great standard. Other than the complex engine I'm not sure the tuscan is hugely more expensive to run than the Chimaera? Str8six reckoned about 1500 a year - 390 small service/ 890 big service alternate years/6000 miles - obviously provided engine doesn't pop or chassis needs a body off refurb.
I have another thread on my Peugeot 205 which is my attempt to teach myself some spannering. I'm pretty amateur but would try a few things on the Tuscan - changing pads and discs for example. I think its right that the speed six is more complex than the rover v8 but let's be honest I wouldnt be rebuilding either myself so not sure it matters so much. You will be aware the speed six is not the most reliable powerplant (it is the most powerful production 6 cylinder ever I believe!) So I'd only buy one that had been rebuilt by str8 six or powers performance (mine has a bill for full rebuild for 8.4k - cheaper rebuilds might be top end ony). Quite a few were apparently rebuilt by the factory but not to a great standard. Other than the complex engine I'm not sure the tuscan is hugely more expensive to run than the Chimaera? Str8six reckoned about 1500 a year - 390 small service/ 890 big service alternate years/6000 miles - obviously provided engine doesn't pop or chassis needs a body off refurb.
bobsavage789 said:
My heart says Tuscan; head says Chimaera...
If you are paying specialists to do the work for you then it's easy to rack up expenditure on either to be honest- my Chimaera has eaten £8k since 2016, although that did include an engine rebuild at £5k. That said, the same rebuild on the Tuscan would be around £9k.Our Tuscan has receipts for just shy of £30k since 2004, but that includes the engine rebuild at £9k. So around £21k spent over 16 years on servicing / MOTs / general upkeep, which is less than £1.5k a year. Doesn't sound so bad.
Our Chimaera I've spent £8k on- if we ignore the £5k engine rebuild that's £3k spent in 4.5 years, so less than £700 a year for servicing / MOTs / general upkeep.
Basically as long as you can avoid the big ticket items in your ownership (engine rebuild, major chassis work) then there isn't much to fear
Look at it this way, they are a 20+ year old sports car with a lot of performance (a LOT in the case of the Tuscan), and I'd say the running costs are less than you'd expect to pay for an equivalent aged Porsche 911 or similar.
Northbrook said:
75, 205 and this - nice fleet!
Thanks! My better half does wonder why we need three cars when she doesn't drive and we only do around three or four thousand miles a year ... I tell her they all serve different purposes!
I do want to upgrade the 75 to an X308 XJ8 (haven't yet scratched my V8 itch!) or even a v12 Toyota Century but ill be in a lot of trouble if that happens before a kitchen and an engagement ring is bought...
There is also something quite useful about having a car you're not too precious about to run to the shops etc. A Toyota Century might not be the easiest car to parallel park outside the Post Office..
PrinceRupert said:
I do want to upgrade the 75 to an X308 XJ8 (haven't yet scratched my V8 itch!) or even a v12 Toyota Century but ill be in a lot of trouble if that happens before a kitchen and an engagement ring is bought...
I bought the engagement ring, 18 months later my now-wife bought the Tuscan - give and thou shall receive! Or something like that 
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