TVR Tuscan : A Year in the Life.... Take 2!
Discussion
[kquote=MrChips]Looks like it's time for a little update!
It's been a very busy few weeks since picking up the car... and it has been absolutely brilliant!
To clear up one of the queries... the car is definitely Crystal Topaz,
[/quote]
The colour looks exactly like mine with the 'Gold' highlighted under sunlight on the wings and other raised areas.
I think the full paint description is Crystal Topaz Pearl as opposed the flatter colour without the Pearl.[/pedant mode off]
It's been a very busy few weeks since picking up the car... and it has been absolutely brilliant!
To clear up one of the queries... the car is definitely Crystal Topaz,
[/quote]
The colour looks exactly like mine with the 'Gold' highlighted under sunlight on the wings and other raised areas.
I think the full paint description is Crystal Topaz Pearl as opposed the flatter colour without the Pearl.[/pedant mode off]
s6boy said:
I think the full paint description is Crystal Topaz Pearl as opposed the flatter colour without the Pearl.
Cheers for that, I did think that there must have been a difference, but good to know for future paint touch up etc! Whitey said:
nice one. What happened to your roof when it flew off? Damaged?
Luckily the passenger side and the front clip held on. I managed to slam on the brakes and get the window down and held onto it! Doesn't look like it'll be too much to sort out, although it's going to be a difficult one to test 
robsco said:
What an absolutely wonderful looking car. The 2s look so much more resolved from a design perspective than the MK1s IMO. Those upright spoilers look absolutely gorgeous too.
Really, wow beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, I think the Mk1 is infinitely better looking. I think the sunken in lights were one of the best features on the Tuscan 1, the front grill and rear were also better IMO. In fact every stylistic change was a step back in my opinion and I think those spoilers look gash. Don't get me wrong, I would say no to a 2 but would always prefer the 1. Still if we all liked the same things it would be a very boring world.Guvernator said:
Really, wow beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, I think the Mk1 is infinitely better looking. I think the sunken in lights were one of the best features on the Tuscan 1, the front grill and rear were also better IMO. In fact every stylistic change was a step back in my opinion and I think those spoilers look gash. Don't get me wrong, I would say no to a 2 but would always prefer the 1. Still if we all liked the same things it would be a very boring world.
It's a weird one.... I actually used to really dislike the mk2 as well!! When I first saw one I thought it had lost the daring, edginess and just looked a bit too soft and flowing. I still think that today but I think maybe it's just my taste that's changed! The only bit of the mk1 I really can't understand is the 'S' spoiler as it just spoils the lines of the profile too much.From a styling perspective, I'd go as far as to say that the MK1 Tuscan is, to my eyes, the least attractive design from the Wheeler era. That's not to say its not a wonderful piece of automotive design, because it is, but it has none of the traditionalism of a Chim, Griff or Cerb, and is not as resolved as the T-cars (yes, including the Tamora).
I know I'm in a distinct minority here, but just my twopenneth.
I know I'm in a distinct minority here, but just my twopenneth.
robsco said:
From a styling perspective, I'd go as far as to say that the MK1 Tuscan is, to my eyes, the least attractive design from the Wheeler era. That's not to say its not a wonderful piece of automotive design, because it is, but it has none of the traditionalism of a Chim, Griff or Cerb, and is not as resolved as the T-cars (yes, including the Tamora).
I know I'm in a distinct minority here, but just my twopenneth.
Come on, how can you not love that front headlight arrangement on the MK1? To me it screams TVR whereas the lights on the Mk2 are very generic=bland and boring (not the rest of the car obviously, that criticism could never be levelled at a TVR)I know I'm in a distinct minority here, but just my twopenneth.
Has it really been almost 3 months since the last update? Ok, so it’s summer which means I’m normally out making the most of the weather, often on the bike, although that’s not been out much as my health hasn’t been great for the past few months 
So.. what’s the latest? Well firstly I’ve managed to resolve all of the issues that I reported last time without much hassle at all. The aircon was fixed by Str8six (turned out to be a leak), while the fuel gauge was just a dodgy connector. I re-did the windscreen top seal with Sikaflex 291 which worked a treat, and the other bits were all checked out by Jason and the team, and the car given an all clear…. So onto the update!
It’s definitely become apparent over the past months, just how easy the car is to drive around town. The clutch is light and not snatchy at all, the steering nicely weighted considering how quick it is, and just generally it seems just as easy to drive at low speeds as most other new cars that I’ve driven. This of course is a danger as I’ll be more and more tempted to use the car for shorter journeys, or commuting etc which I’m sure doesn’t do the car (indeed any car) the world of good. Plus being on a 5k mileage limit (I’ve done 2k so far) means I need to make the most of the car for what we bought it for, driving!
Having completed the drag racing day at Odiham, I had heard that they were planning a trackday there in July, so I was first on the list! The day went swimmingly
I enjoyed driving the car in the wet more than in the dry as it was a good chance to push the limits a little without needing to go too quickly. The Goodyear Eagle F1 2’s performed brilliantly, with plenty of grip in the wet and really came into their own when the track started to dry out.
The suspension is definitely a little too soft for full on track work, especially making the car lurch a little if you happen to provoke it but this would only be an issue in the dry, and to be honest, I’m happy to compromise in order to retain the good ride quality for road driving.
I also had a chance to go out with George (GFWilliams) in his caterham.. in the wet.. Hmmm. It was um… interesting! Ok alright, I own up.. it was a bloody god laugh. Even as a passenger, you could tell just how responsive the car was and sitting so far back really did help get a feel for when the limits of traction where about to be reached exceeded. Speaking of which… this may or may not have been me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOUDkm9si8w
So with the car having had a good workout, it was time to give it a proper clean, so out came the snowfoam, buckets, karscher, brushes, etc etc etc. Safe to say it took a fair amount to get all the grime off but a few hours later the car was looking pretty good again. I even managed to polish out the scratches from the rear screen. It took some aggressive compounds but it’s not looking pretty clear again. This is most noticeable when driving at night and using the brakes. Previously, the 3rd rear brake light simply light up the inside of the screen, highlighting the scratches, but stopping any view behind at all, now it's simply clear, almost as good as glass.
Much as I enjoy cleaning the car for the sake of it, I only really do it properly if there’s an event or similar coming up. Some people may have seen the request for a Tuscan to appear in a feature on Targa cars in Classic and Sports Car. Well, I must have been lucky that day as I got the gig!
So on a very very sunny Wednesday, myself and what turned out to be 10 other Targa cars met up at Dunsfold to allow our pride and joy to be pimped out for media attention! Can you name 10 Targa cars? I certainly couldn’t? And no, other TVRs don’t count. I managed 4 (cough, including mine).
So the morning was spent pretty much bathing in the sunshine, bit of a read of the paper, a chat to all the other owners, occasionally moving the cars around for the static shots. The afternoon proved more interesting, with Russ (the writer) taking each of the cars for a spin. Once we'd gone for a little spin and warmed the car up, he was a little taken aback when I practically forced him to go full pelt through 1st,2nd and 3rd I guess I’ll have to wait until the mag is published before I find out his verdict
I didn’t really take many pics on the day… so here's a very boring one of us as we pulled up. Can you name 10 Targas now with this as a starting point?
The mag will be out sometime towards the end of the year, most likely December (January’s issue). Fingers crossed there’s a chance we might make the front cover, although the others that they did cover shots for looked stunning I have to say.
So what’s next? Well, I’ve got a place on the next VMax event at Bruntingthorpe so a few things need to happen first. I’m heading to meet Tim at ACT on the weekend to fit some new shark nose cans (same as here: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... )
Hopefully these will bring the noise levels well down below the 98dB limit as the event is very strict. Tim’s been good enough to get the cans made up and we’ll go test them before buying. I understand that Cliff (in the link above) is getting his sleeved as they were too quiet.. so hopefully these should fit the bill, quiet “trackday” cans that also look good!
Also need to get the geometry re-checked as the car has felt a little more lively recently. It’d be fine on a nice smooth surface but I’ve been told that Brunters main straight can be a little lumpy? Hexham set the car up really well when I picked it up so I’ll see if they know what settings they use.
Any advice on how much a proper place should charge for a full geo? Also need to find somewhere in the next couple of weeks near Reading if possible.. nothing like planning ahead is there!
Till the next time
So.. what’s the latest? Well firstly I’ve managed to resolve all of the issues that I reported last time without much hassle at all. The aircon was fixed by Str8six (turned out to be a leak), while the fuel gauge was just a dodgy connector. I re-did the windscreen top seal with Sikaflex 291 which worked a treat, and the other bits were all checked out by Jason and the team, and the car given an all clear…. So onto the update!
It’s definitely become apparent over the past months, just how easy the car is to drive around town. The clutch is light and not snatchy at all, the steering nicely weighted considering how quick it is, and just generally it seems just as easy to drive at low speeds as most other new cars that I’ve driven. This of course is a danger as I’ll be more and more tempted to use the car for shorter journeys, or commuting etc which I’m sure doesn’t do the car (indeed any car) the world of good. Plus being on a 5k mileage limit (I’ve done 2k so far) means I need to make the most of the car for what we bought it for, driving!
Having completed the drag racing day at Odiham, I had heard that they were planning a trackday there in July, so I was first on the list! The day went swimmingly
I enjoyed driving the car in the wet more than in the dry as it was a good chance to push the limits a little without needing to go too quickly. The Goodyear Eagle F1 2’s performed brilliantly, with plenty of grip in the wet and really came into their own when the track started to dry out.
The suspension is definitely a little too soft for full on track work, especially making the car lurch a little if you happen to provoke it but this would only be an issue in the dry, and to be honest, I’m happy to compromise in order to retain the good ride quality for road driving.
I also had a chance to go out with George (GFWilliams) in his caterham.. in the wet.. Hmmm. It was um… interesting! Ok alright, I own up.. it was a bloody god laugh. Even as a passenger, you could tell just how responsive the car was and sitting so far back really did help get a feel for when the limits of traction where about to be reached exceeded. Speaking of which… this may or may not have been me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOUDkm9si8w
So with the car having had a good workout, it was time to give it a proper clean, so out came the snowfoam, buckets, karscher, brushes, etc etc etc. Safe to say it took a fair amount to get all the grime off but a few hours later the car was looking pretty good again. I even managed to polish out the scratches from the rear screen. It took some aggressive compounds but it’s not looking pretty clear again. This is most noticeable when driving at night and using the brakes. Previously, the 3rd rear brake light simply light up the inside of the screen, highlighting the scratches, but stopping any view behind at all, now it's simply clear, almost as good as glass.
Much as I enjoy cleaning the car for the sake of it, I only really do it properly if there’s an event or similar coming up. Some people may have seen the request for a Tuscan to appear in a feature on Targa cars in Classic and Sports Car. Well, I must have been lucky that day as I got the gig!
So on a very very sunny Wednesday, myself and what turned out to be 10 other Targa cars met up at Dunsfold to allow our pride and joy to be pimped out for media attention! Can you name 10 Targa cars? I certainly couldn’t? And no, other TVRs don’t count. I managed 4 (cough, including mine).
So the morning was spent pretty much bathing in the sunshine, bit of a read of the paper, a chat to all the other owners, occasionally moving the cars around for the static shots. The afternoon proved more interesting, with Russ (the writer) taking each of the cars for a spin. Once we'd gone for a little spin and warmed the car up, he was a little taken aback when I practically forced him to go full pelt through 1st,2nd and 3rd
I guess I’ll have to wait until the mag is published before I find out his verdict I didn’t really take many pics on the day… so here's a very boring one of us as we pulled up. Can you name 10 Targas now with this as a starting point?
The mag will be out sometime towards the end of the year, most likely December (January’s issue). Fingers crossed there’s a chance we might make the front cover, although the others that they did cover shots for looked stunning I have to say.
So what’s next? Well, I’ve got a place on the next VMax event at Bruntingthorpe so a few things need to happen first. I’m heading to meet Tim at ACT on the weekend to fit some new shark nose cans (same as here: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... )
Hopefully these will bring the noise levels well down below the 98dB limit as the event is very strict. Tim’s been good enough to get the cans made up and we’ll go test them before buying. I understand that Cliff (in the link above) is getting his sleeved as they were too quiet.. so hopefully these should fit the bill, quiet “trackday” cans that also look good!
Also need to get the geometry re-checked as the car has felt a little more lively recently. It’d be fine on a nice smooth surface but I’ve been told that Brunters main straight can be a little lumpy? Hexham set the car up really well when I picked it up so I’ll see if they know what settings they use.
Any advice on how much a proper place should charge for a full geo? Also need to find somewhere in the next couple of weeks near Reading if possible.. nothing like planning ahead is there!
Till the next time
The Lukas said:
It was you I met on Supercar Sunday this year? You sat in my little S Series? Yours is an absolutely a lovely car to set eyes upen. Looks like you really care for your pride and joy.
Yup, that was me! I've been to almost so many events since getting the car that i've forgotten half of them! Hope you're still enjoying the comfy armchairs in the S! I practically need to pre-book a physio after every weekend Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff