TVR Tuscan - advice please?
Discussion
Hi - I am looking to buy a Tuscan as a second car, but I am new to this. I will probably only get to use it once a week or so - is this likely to be a problem or will that be enough to keep it all going and the battery charged? Any thoughts or advice very gratefully received. Thanks!
Talk about diving in at the deep end. 
Most TVRs work better the more they're driven, I'd imagine the Tuscan will be the same. But a decent run out once a week should be fine.
Serious question though, if you're new to this, what draws you to a Tuscan apart from staggering performance and fantastic good looks?
It's just that getting a wrong one without the decent engine rebuild could be ruinous and really put you off the marque for good. Not something any local garage can look after either.
Have you considered a more 'agricultural' Griffith or Chimaera? Great performance, noise, looks, & sense of occasion but simpler mechanicals.
There's a dedicated Tuscan sub-forum on here, so best have a good read through the threads on there.
Good luck.
Most TVRs work better the more they're driven, I'd imagine the Tuscan will be the same. But a decent run out once a week should be fine.
Serious question though, if you're new to this, what draws you to a Tuscan apart from staggering performance and fantastic good looks?
It's just that getting a wrong one without the decent engine rebuild could be ruinous and really put you off the marque for good. Not something any local garage can look after either.
Have you considered a more 'agricultural' Griffith or Chimaera? Great performance, noise, looks, & sense of occasion but simpler mechanicals.
There's a dedicated Tuscan sub-forum on here, so best have a good read through the threads on there.
Good luck.
You'll be absolutely fine.
During April though to the end of October-ish I use mine about once per week. As a previous poster has stated, a battery conditioner is essential. Mine is plugged in all the time that the car is garaged and I use the simple adapter you can get from Racetech to plug it in via the cigarette lighter.
I'm lucky in that I live equidistant between two specialists Sportmotive and RVT Torque and they do all the servicing and maintenance work as I am a bit of a mechanical duffer. Even though you may intend on using a Tuscan infrequently do not for one moment think you can skimp on their maintenance. An excuse to post a photo of it at it's second home....
During April though to the end of October-ish I use mine about once per week. As a previous poster has stated, a battery conditioner is essential. Mine is plugged in all the time that the car is garaged and I use the simple adapter you can get from Racetech to plug it in via the cigarette lighter.
I'm lucky in that I live equidistant between two specialists Sportmotive and RVT Torque and they do all the servicing and maintenance work as I am a bit of a mechanical duffer. Even though you may intend on using a Tuscan infrequently do not for one moment think you can skimp on their maintenance. An excuse to post a photo of it at it's second home....
vixen1700 said:
Talk about diving in at the deep end.
It's just that getting a wrong one without the decent engine rebuild could be ruinous and really put you off the marque for good. Not something any local garage can look after.
Good luck.
Not every Speed 6 needs a rebuild. Just check that it has been serviced regularly and that it isn’t blowing smoke or sounds “rough”. It's just that getting a wrong one without the decent engine rebuild could be ruinous and really put you off the marque for good. Not something any local garage can look after.
Good luck.
Chim450 said:
Not every Speed 6 needs a rebuild. Just check that it has been serviced regularly and that it isn’t blowing smoke or sounds “rough”.
Very true. I've owned 5 TVR's with S6 engines over the years and one has needed rebuilding. If you talk to the experts they will tell you some were poor from the factory, but many were fine. More importantly, original ones that are still running fine are over 14 years old now, suggesting they must be pretty solid!Englishman said:
Chim450 said:
Not every Speed 6 needs a rebuild. Just check that it has been serviced regularly and that it isn’t blowing smoke or sounds “rough”.
Very true. I've owned 5 TVR's with S6 engines over the years and one has needed rebuilding. If you talk to the experts they will tell you some were poor from the factory, but many were fine. More importantly, original ones that are still running fine are over 14 years old now, suggesting they must be pretty solid!Hi Greg. From around April - Oct I run mine every week / two weeks for around 20-30min a time with the occasional longer trip. I don't trickle charge over this period. Over winter the rest of the year its on charge. My battery is 2 years old.
I jumped into TVR ownership (MK1) over 3 years ago and my advise is do your research, view and drive as many as you can.
Buy the best you can afford, ideally from a specialist dealer especially if your not handy with a spanner.
I jumped into TVR ownership (MK1) over 3 years ago and my advise is do your research, view and drive as many as you can.
Buy the best you can afford, ideally from a specialist dealer especially if your not handy with a spanner.
I fully agree with not all speed six engines require a rebuild. Mines a 2003 with 33k on it - has never had a rebuild, however has been serviced every year without fail, regardless of mileage. I've kept it that way as that was the one point I was looking for when buying - I also wanted every receipt there was going too!
I had a Chim for 10 years before and have come to being able to do the smaller jobs myself if anything needs dealing with between its annual service.
I run mine from March to Oct. It sits in the garage on it's charger fine over the winter. I was told not to run it unless taking it out as letting it iddle in the garage will cause more damage than sleeping!
A folder of receipts can tell you allot about a car (one for a radiator and steering rack would be good). Ask to see the car on a ramp if buying from a dealer - easy way to check the chassis. Spider wheels are soft - make sure they are still round.
Car covers are not always a good thing - they can cause micro-blisters on the paint if the cover gets damp.
The speed six is a great engine - wouldn't go back to a V8 now.
Happy hunting!
I had a Chim for 10 years before and have come to being able to do the smaller jobs myself if anything needs dealing with between its annual service.
I run mine from March to Oct. It sits in the garage on it's charger fine over the winter. I was told not to run it unless taking it out as letting it iddle in the garage will cause more damage than sleeping!
A folder of receipts can tell you allot about a car (one for a radiator and steering rack would be good). Ask to see the car on a ramp if buying from a dealer - easy way to check the chassis. Spider wheels are soft - make sure they are still round.
Car covers are not always a good thing - they can cause micro-blisters on the paint if the cover gets damp.
The speed six is a great engine - wouldn't go back to a V8 now.
Happy hunting!
Edited by jasonsteptoe on Monday 16th September 18:02
I jumped straight in 5 years ago, went in eyes open. Tuscan is such a unique car in how it sounds, looks and goes.
Viewed many private options but ultimately bought from a specialist. You need a well maintained one if you are not mechanically skilled. I remember I took one out from a sports car (non TVR) specialist and the engine error code for low oil pressure came on. Sales guy said it just needed a top up of oil and not to worry and to "push it". Needless to say, I walked away...
Key is service history, work done and condition. I have mine serviced each year by STR8SIX (500 mile round trip) along with any necessary preventative maintenance. Car has been faultless and I put that down to the preventative maintenance. I was told to budget 1K per year over the lifetime of the car for preventative maintenance, and it's not a bad figure. Some years its quite low, while others are higher. My Nitrons need a refurb and I'll be doing some other suspension work this year, but the last few years it was very kind to the wallet.
I only use mine 6 months of the year and cover less than 3K per year. You need to dry store it and keep it charged. As previously mentioned, when you drive it, make sure it's a long enough drive to get all the temps up and always follow the warm up procedure.
Viewed many private options but ultimately bought from a specialist. You need a well maintained one if you are not mechanically skilled. I remember I took one out from a sports car (non TVR) specialist and the engine error code for low oil pressure came on. Sales guy said it just needed a top up of oil and not to worry and to "push it". Needless to say, I walked away...
Key is service history, work done and condition. I have mine serviced each year by STR8SIX (500 mile round trip) along with any necessary preventative maintenance. Car has been faultless and I put that down to the preventative maintenance. I was told to budget 1K per year over the lifetime of the car for preventative maintenance, and it's not a bad figure. Some years its quite low, while others are higher. My Nitrons need a refurb and I'll be doing some other suspension work this year, but the last few years it was very kind to the wallet.
I only use mine 6 months of the year and cover less than 3K per year. You need to dry store it and keep it charged. As previously mentioned, when you drive it, make sure it's a long enough drive to get all the temps up and always follow the warm up procedure.
Just bought one recently. As mentioned previously, for me it was all about history and condition. The one I went for had a huge amount of history and receipts, which showed that maintenance hadn’t been ignored or done cheaply. I wouldn’t want to just to the bare minimum to maintain one of these cars.
It is surprising how many out there don’t have much history at all, or have had their records ‘lost’.
It is surprising how many out there don’t have much history at all, or have had their records ‘lost’.
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