The £100k Sagaris: Spotted

Well if you have a lot to spend on a TVR but don't fancy a new Griffith...

2018 looks like being The Year for TVR. The new Griffith will go into production, the LMP1 collaboration will race at Le Mans and - dare we say it - the media may get to drive the new V8 TVR. What a sentence to be able to write. Let's hope and pray that it can deliver.

As the new TVR draws nearer, naturally interest will increase in the old models. After all, these are the cars that the new Griffith must emulate in a stricter, less forgiving, more restrictive automotive world. They were the wildest, silliest, rawest things on four wheels, the old TVRs, and that was a huge part of the charm - can a TVR in 2018 match that with electric steering, traction control and ABS?

There can be little doubt that the Sagaris was as outrageous as TVRs got (if we discount the Cerbera Speed 12 of course). With the slats, the stance, those incredible exhausts and a typically wacky TVR cabin, the Sagaris was - and still is, in fact - like nothing else on the road. It's worth remembering, too, that the Sagaris was the best TVR dynamically, making it all the more upsetting that its life was cut short. Taking lessons from the T350, Tamora and various Tuscan updates, the Sagaris was, at last, a properly sorted TVR to drive. Of course it was ludicrously rapid, but this was a TVR that could finally keep a handle on it.

As the last - and probably best - TVR model produced, values have been rising for a while. However, we've now reached a new peak for the Sagaris, as you've probably guessed: this one is for sale at £100,000.

Yep, the £100k Sagaris. Which is actually more than the new Griffith costs. Predictably, it's an absolute stunner, having covered just 5,000 miles in 13 years and with a flawless service record. It looks absolutely fab as well, completely unblemished, even if the spec might seem a little subdued for some tastes.

Would you buy one for twice what it cost new? Certainly it's hard to imagine a better one ever coming up for sale, if there is a Sagaris-sized slot in your collection. But then, exhilarating thought it is just to look at, wouldn't it be a shame to see the best driving TVR never really move again?

That being said, such is the desirability of Sagarises at present that you'll need more than £60k to buy even the most affordable cars. Crumbs. What to do then, if a late TVR is what you want, but the budget won't quite stretch to these prices? Well, it should be noted that the T350 - from which the Sagaris was derived, don't forget - is still available at a little over £30k for a car with 40,000 miles. It's not quite the hero car, granted, but that is a considerable saving.

Is there anything you might consider instead? You could have a brand new Morgan Aero 8, for example, or a more traditional Plus 8, for this money. And don't forget the Lotuses, either: £100,000 buys an Evora Sport 410 or Exige Cup 430. And where better than PistonHeads to seek some well informed Brit sports car opinions? The floor is yours, and please do let us know if you do take the plunge on that Sagaris...

SPECIFICATION - TVR SAGARIS

Engine: 3,996cc, straight-six
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 412@7,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 349@5,000rpm
MPG: Next...
CO2: 406g/km
First registered: 2005
Recorded mileage: 5,737
Price new: £49,995
Yours for: £100,000