TVR Tuscan 2S in Cascade Copper
Discussion
Not arrived as yet as she is being prepared, but this one really has got my stomach churning! It will be my seventh TVR. They built circa 50 MK2 Tuscan S, in this colour its possibly one of 2 or 3.
S spec includes a (boldly) claimed 400bhp, gas discharge headlights, close ratio 'box, larger bore exhaust, bigger brakes, colour coded boot carpet and air con. This car has the optional full hide rather than the standard half hide too. I will update the thread on collection!
S spec includes a (boldly) claimed 400bhp, gas discharge headlights, close ratio 'box, larger bore exhaust, bigger brakes, colour coded boot carpet and air con. This car has the optional full hide rather than the standard half hide too. I will update the thread on collection!
Targarama said:
Awesome looking car. How is it to own and drive?
... and what happened to the T350.
Hi Tref! Still awaiting collection... We agreed a front end paint as part of the deal as there were a few stone chips, some webs in the gel coat and the splitter had been caught at some stage. Needless to say getting the paint right is proving a nightmare! I'm hoping to collect on Saturday.... and what happened to the T350.
The T350 went last October - she took us to Monaco and back without a glitch. Still miss the car; the one thing that led me to change was that it just felt slightly lacking in grunt after coming from Cerbs. The 3.6 is arguably a sweeter engine than the 4 litre but it just wasn't quite quick enough.
How's the McLaren?
Brother D said:
Love these! They are like a sporty alien spaceship. I'd assume they are so rare they must be basically depreciation-proof right?
They dipped as low as early to mid 20s back when TVR had collapsed and the brand was at its lowest ebb. Nowadays they are going for twice that value and climbing. It's a very safe place to have your money these days!To those who spotted the road in Hong Kong, good call! The car spent a few years there but is now back home where it belongs. First impressions are excellent. There's a real composure and surefootedness to it that is missing in early Tuscans. Although it still gets a little wayward over bumpy roads, it's much more adjustable than a MK1 Tuscan and doesn't hit the bump stops aggressively, and due to the slower rack and improved suspension, is no longer immediately heading in a different direction. Fit and finish is same old TVR really so there's some work to do there.
As usual some areas of the design are utter genius, but others frustrating. The knurled aluminium wheel in the centre console twists left to open the passenger door and to the right for the driver, it's beautifully damped and makes such a mundane task a joy - which is what made TVR great. On the contrary, the periscope style digital dash is nigh on impossible to read with the roof off, so none of the vital temperatures or speed can be seen unless you've got the roof fitted. D'oh!
The close ratio 'box is excellent and keeps the old sixer howling, and the noise is just utterly ridiculous. I've got it on fully sleeved cans and decats at the minute and it's actually a bit much. I'll probably de-sleeve the standard cans and progress from there. The paint is just staggering. No amount of photographs could ever do it justice, it's spectacular and I can see exactly why it was a £3500 option.
As usual some areas of the design are utter genius, but others frustrating. The knurled aluminium wheel in the centre console twists left to open the passenger door and to the right for the driver, it's beautifully damped and makes such a mundane task a joy - which is what made TVR great. On the contrary, the periscope style digital dash is nigh on impossible to read with the roof off, so none of the vital temperatures or speed can be seen unless you've got the roof fitted. D'oh!
The close ratio 'box is excellent and keeps the old sixer howling, and the noise is just utterly ridiculous. I've got it on fully sleeved cans and decats at the minute and it's actually a bit much. I'll probably de-sleeve the standard cans and progress from there. The paint is just staggering. No amount of photographs could ever do it justice, it's spectacular and I can see exactly why it was a £3500 option.
sr.guiri said:
I remember going to the Motorshow and seeing one of these when they first came out. I was at the time on my second TVR, a very early 4.2 Cerbie in aquamarine (horrible colour on reflection). I think we even got chatting to Peter Wheeler.
I thought the Tuscan was amazing - proper rocket ship as someone said but ended up going for a Cerbie 4.5, which I swear was slower than my early 4.2
I don't share the enthusiasm for the nail-varnish colours of the late 90s, but I think this was a good purchase, respect, Dude!!. Very timeless, even nearly 20 years later.
One day I hope to have another Cerbie. It'd need to have the original headlamps, and the original 4.5 17" wheels, not the spider wheels. And for me, LHD - which I don't think exists
Agreed on the original headlamps and RL7s, the best combination for the car in my view. Cerbs just seem to sit too tall on the spiders. Agreed also on the 4.5 to 4.2; my chianti starmist 4.2 was seriously quick, much sharper than my old 4.5.I thought the Tuscan was amazing - proper rocket ship as someone said but ended up going for a Cerbie 4.5, which I swear was slower than my early 4.2
I don't share the enthusiasm for the nail-varnish colours of the late 90s, but I think this was a good purchase, respect, Dude!!. Very timeless, even nearly 20 years later.
One day I hope to have another Cerbie. It'd need to have the original headlamps, and the original 4.5 17" wheels, not the spider wheels. And for me, LHD - which I don't think exists
macky17 said:
robsco said:
To those who spotted the road in Hong Kong, good call! The car spent a few years there but is now back home where it belongs. First impressions are excellent. There's a real composure and surefootedness to it that is missing in early Tuscans. Although it still gets a little wayward over bumpy roads, it's much more adjustable than a MK1 Tuscan and doesn't hit the bump stops aggressively, and due to the slower rack and improved suspension, is no longer immediately heading in a different direction. Fit and finish is same old TVR really so there's some work to do there.
As usual some areas of the design are utter genius, but others frustrating. The knurled aluminium wheel in the centre console twists left to open the passenger door and to the right for the driver, it's beautifully damped and makes such a mundane task a joy - which is what made TVR great. On the contrary, the periscope style digital dash is nigh on impossible to read with the roof off, so none of the vital temperatures or speed can be seen unless you've got the roof fitted. D'oh!
The close ratio 'box is excellent and keeps the old sixer howling, and the noise is just utterly ridiculous. I've got it on fully sleeved cans and decats at the minute and it's actually a bit much. I'll probably de-sleeve the standard cans and progress from there. The paint is just staggering. No amount of photographs could ever do it justice, it's spectacular and I can see exactly why it was a £3500 option.
Have you played with the ABC buttons to adjust the brightness of the display? I can see mine fine roof off...As usual some areas of the design are utter genius, but others frustrating. The knurled aluminium wheel in the centre console twists left to open the passenger door and to the right for the driver, it's beautifully damped and makes such a mundane task a joy - which is what made TVR great. On the contrary, the periscope style digital dash is nigh on impossible to read with the roof off, so none of the vital temperatures or speed can be seen unless you've got the roof fitted. D'oh!
The close ratio 'box is excellent and keeps the old sixer howling, and the noise is just utterly ridiculous. I've got it on fully sleeved cans and decats at the minute and it's actually a bit much. I'll probably de-sleeve the standard cans and progress from there. The paint is just staggering. No amount of photographs could ever do it justice, it's spectacular and I can see exactly why it was a £3500 option.
As you probably know, a set of nitrons transforms things all over again.
Spent a little time organising a couple of small improvements to the Tuscan this week. The rear badge had some paint flaking off and had begun to become a little furry around the edges. Sanded back, repainted fully in black and then picked out the lettering and edging with wet and dry before clear lacquering the finished badge. It's not perfect but much better than it was and as TVR are charging over £100 for badges, I figured a much better solution!
The wheel centres had also faded to virtually all grey and needed freshening up. Four wheel centres later from TVR Parts and refitted and to me at least, there's a massive difference.
The wheel centres had also faded to virtually all grey and needed freshening up. Four wheel centres later from TVR Parts and refitted and to me at least, there's a massive difference.
Looks the same, TR4. How are you enjoying your new Tuscan?
Things with the new Tuscan couldn't be perfect forever, there are a few niggles beginning to creep through which need some attention. The car is struggling at cold idle and often just dies without throttle intervention. What's more there is also a high RPM misfire which needs some attention so it's back to a specialist next week for some jiggery pokery. The car is under warranty so we'll see what the problem is. My gut feeling is throttle bodies which tend to wear badly with the Speed Six.
On the plus side, it still looks incredible.
Things with the new Tuscan couldn't be perfect forever, there are a few niggles beginning to creep through which need some attention. The car is struggling at cold idle and often just dies without throttle intervention. What's more there is also a high RPM misfire which needs some attention so it's back to a specialist next week for some jiggery pokery. The car is under warranty so we'll see what the problem is. My gut feeling is throttle bodies which tend to wear badly with the Speed Six.
On the plus side, it still looks incredible.
On Wednesday night we embark on the TVR's first European road trip! We begin heading to Dover, crossing to Calais, Paris, Lucerne, Florence, Pisa, Rome and Positano (our five day break), before venturing back north visiting Venice and Milan. We then blat across for our Calais ferry, crossing the whole of France in one hit!
Unfortunately the car has thrown a few curveballs. This week alone, we have a failed coolant temp sensor, a fried starter motor and failed fuel pump relay. The car will return on Tuesday night with hours to spare, sporting a new starter motor and the other small areas recitifed - this only a couple of weeks after the throttle cable failed leaving us stranded. In all honesty, right now my faith in the big Tuscan's ability to complete this journey is dwindling, however we won't be beaten! With teamwork, defiance and a girlfriend never quite allowing the Tuscan from the doghouse, it's all to play for!
I'll keep you posted on the plucky Brit's (hopefully drama free) journey.
Unfortunately the car has thrown a few curveballs. This week alone, we have a failed coolant temp sensor, a fried starter motor and failed fuel pump relay. The car will return on Tuesday night with hours to spare, sporting a new starter motor and the other small areas recitifed - this only a couple of weeks after the throttle cable failed leaving us stranded. In all honesty, right now my faith in the big Tuscan's ability to complete this journey is dwindling, however we won't be beaten! With teamwork, defiance and a girlfriend never quite allowing the Tuscan from the doghouse, it's all to play for!
I'll keep you posted on the plucky Brit's (hopefully drama free) journey.
Apologies for the late response!
I didn’t happen to take too many photos on the way down but the trip we took was as follows:
North Yorkshire down to Canterbury for overnight stop, sailing from Dover (I don’t enjoy ferry travel so Hull to Zeebrugge overnight was a strict no)
Calais to Paris (stopping for two full days in Paris – secure underground parking so no car worries)
Paris to Lucerne, Switzerland (one night here. Not long enough, it transpired!)
Lucerne to Pisa (one day and night in Pisa, which was quite long enough… very little to see beyond the tower and the associated piazza)
Pisa to Florence (only one day and night here, a huge shame as we were extremely fond of Florence)
Florence to Rome (two full days and nights in Rome)
Rome to Amalfi (5 day break here, our “relax” time. Utterly stunning but the car rendered almost unusable due to narrow cliff roads and parking restrictions, necessitating a Vespa to get around)
Amalfi to Venice (2 nights in Venice)
Venice to Milan (overnight stay)
Milan back to North Yorkshire (in one, arduous 18 hour journey)
There were so many highlights to this wonderful trip that it’s difficult to single out particular ones. Whereas we’d planned to use a lot more of the scenic driving routes, when time is at a premium and there’s so much history and beauty to digest, time constraints force your hand a little. Would I take the TVR back to Italy? Probably not. Whereas the pedal-to-the-metal, flat out nature of Italian driving is easy to adapt to, the quality of the roads leaves a lot to be desired (incidentally we were not far from Genoa when the bridge came down). The autostradas proved hard work, with huge expansion gaps causing the car to bounce off its bump stops quite frequently, meaning you could never quite settle. The Tuscan unfortunately is rather crudely set up, in that the car’s suspension travel ends rather harshly and thumps through the cabin; I believe that new, stiffer shocks will aid this. There were a few issues along the way which threatened to hinder progress, namely an intermittent hot start misfire which didn’t rear its ugly head until we were deep into Switzerland, forcing us to fuel with the engine running where the attendants allowed!
In the heart of Italy, travelling from Amalfi to Venice in 30 degree heat, the car completely died on the Autostrada with no warning at motorway speeds… having coasted to a halt, I feared the worst. After gathering my emotions, following a minute or so of rest, the car simply restarted on the button and behaved faultlessly for the rest of the journey. What the issue was I am still at a loss, perhaps fuel vapourisation in the heat. It’s not all bad news, though! In the TVR’s defence, it covered a full 1000 mile journey on the final day which filled me full of pride in Blackpool’s finest. Having set off at 12am from Milan in the pelting rain, despite the dipped beam failure (we had to use full beam to keep on the move, much to the understandable annoyance of other motorists), the car ran through to the Swiss border, into France and all the way north to Calais, stopping only for fuel and a 15 minute power nap somewhere in France. What's more, at 6am and shortly before sunrise, dipped beam flickered its way back into life!
After a 90 minute break during the ferry cross, the car then drove us from Dover back to Yorkshire, again in the pouring rain, through typical British traffic jams and safely to the doorstep by 8pm. It isn’t a journey that I’d repeat in a hurry, but driving through 4 countries in a day to end a very special holiday, with a very special person, and in arguably one of the most iconic cars of the 21st century (slightly biased!), is something I’ll never forget.
So, to the car… What has the first year of ownership taught me? The Tuscan needs to be viewed as a classic car with modern performance in order for it to make sense. Dynamically, the car is flawed. Fit and finish was lightyears behind what a customer would expect in 2004, let alone today. Although the car is ferociously fast, it never quite feels like 400bhp in a car weighing a shade over 1000kgs. The Tuscan is all about the experience, not the absolute numbers. The gearbox is beautiful (although perhaps not to the level of earlier T5s in Cerberas etc), the brake feel is incredible and the engine, whilst snuffling and grumpy when cold, is a snarling animal when it gets into its stride. It makes all the right noises, has the presence of cars costing 5 times the price, attracts the right sort of attention, goes like hell and looks like nothing else brought market before or since. After a year of gazing at it in awe, I’m glad to report that nothing has changed. I still cannot walk away from it without looking back and wondering how on earth a few folk in Blackpool could knock together something like this, and what a travesty it is that they sold so few.
The two photos below were taken on a recent trip to Burghley House for the TVRCC season opener.
I didn’t happen to take too many photos on the way down but the trip we took was as follows:
North Yorkshire down to Canterbury for overnight stop, sailing from Dover (I don’t enjoy ferry travel so Hull to Zeebrugge overnight was a strict no)
Calais to Paris (stopping for two full days in Paris – secure underground parking so no car worries)
Paris to Lucerne, Switzerland (one night here. Not long enough, it transpired!)
Lucerne to Pisa (one day and night in Pisa, which was quite long enough… very little to see beyond the tower and the associated piazza)
Pisa to Florence (only one day and night here, a huge shame as we were extremely fond of Florence)
Florence to Rome (two full days and nights in Rome)
Rome to Amalfi (5 day break here, our “relax” time. Utterly stunning but the car rendered almost unusable due to narrow cliff roads and parking restrictions, necessitating a Vespa to get around)
Amalfi to Venice (2 nights in Venice)
Venice to Milan (overnight stay)
Milan back to North Yorkshire (in one, arduous 18 hour journey)
There were so many highlights to this wonderful trip that it’s difficult to single out particular ones. Whereas we’d planned to use a lot more of the scenic driving routes, when time is at a premium and there’s so much history and beauty to digest, time constraints force your hand a little. Would I take the TVR back to Italy? Probably not. Whereas the pedal-to-the-metal, flat out nature of Italian driving is easy to adapt to, the quality of the roads leaves a lot to be desired (incidentally we were not far from Genoa when the bridge came down). The autostradas proved hard work, with huge expansion gaps causing the car to bounce off its bump stops quite frequently, meaning you could never quite settle. The Tuscan unfortunately is rather crudely set up, in that the car’s suspension travel ends rather harshly and thumps through the cabin; I believe that new, stiffer shocks will aid this. There were a few issues along the way which threatened to hinder progress, namely an intermittent hot start misfire which didn’t rear its ugly head until we were deep into Switzerland, forcing us to fuel with the engine running where the attendants allowed!
In the heart of Italy, travelling from Amalfi to Venice in 30 degree heat, the car completely died on the Autostrada with no warning at motorway speeds… having coasted to a halt, I feared the worst. After gathering my emotions, following a minute or so of rest, the car simply restarted on the button and behaved faultlessly for the rest of the journey. What the issue was I am still at a loss, perhaps fuel vapourisation in the heat. It’s not all bad news, though! In the TVR’s defence, it covered a full 1000 mile journey on the final day which filled me full of pride in Blackpool’s finest. Having set off at 12am from Milan in the pelting rain, despite the dipped beam failure (we had to use full beam to keep on the move, much to the understandable annoyance of other motorists), the car ran through to the Swiss border, into France and all the way north to Calais, stopping only for fuel and a 15 minute power nap somewhere in France. What's more, at 6am and shortly before sunrise, dipped beam flickered its way back into life!
After a 90 minute break during the ferry cross, the car then drove us from Dover back to Yorkshire, again in the pouring rain, through typical British traffic jams and safely to the doorstep by 8pm. It isn’t a journey that I’d repeat in a hurry, but driving through 4 countries in a day to end a very special holiday, with a very special person, and in arguably one of the most iconic cars of the 21st century (slightly biased!), is something I’ll never forget.
So, to the car… What has the first year of ownership taught me? The Tuscan needs to be viewed as a classic car with modern performance in order for it to make sense. Dynamically, the car is flawed. Fit and finish was lightyears behind what a customer would expect in 2004, let alone today. Although the car is ferociously fast, it never quite feels like 400bhp in a car weighing a shade over 1000kgs. The Tuscan is all about the experience, not the absolute numbers. The gearbox is beautiful (although perhaps not to the level of earlier T5s in Cerberas etc), the brake feel is incredible and the engine, whilst snuffling and grumpy when cold, is a snarling animal when it gets into its stride. It makes all the right noises, has the presence of cars costing 5 times the price, attracts the right sort of attention, goes like hell and looks like nothing else brought market before or since. After a year of gazing at it in awe, I’m glad to report that nothing has changed. I still cannot walk away from it without looking back and wondering how on earth a few folk in Blackpool could knock together something like this, and what a travesty it is that they sold so few.
The two photos below were taken on a recent trip to Burghley House for the TVRCC season opener.
In preparation for the TVRCC meet at Burghley House, I had the Tuscan into CG Autorefinishing of Harrogate to take care of a couple of paint defects. Whilst the car was in, I had the car clayed, machine polished and ceramic coated. The inner wheelarches were also repainted in their factory satin black finish, the hubs were repainted and the wheels removed and ceramic coated also. My iPhone photos unfortunately don't do the finish justice.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff