The road to TVR Tuscan ownership
Discussion
I have never really followed the herd when it comes to car ownership and have pretty much always owned and driven what I wanted to drive at the time rather than what was expected of me, not really got a particular brand favourite or type of car so my OH is not surprised when I can go from a Jaguar S Type R to a Saab 9-5 Aero to a Westfield V8 via a Clio 182 and W215 CL500.
Getting older is seeing the rate with which I change cars slowing down and rather than rushing into purchases I'm taking more time to research and consider before proceeding to buy the first car I view.
After selling the Westfield (great fun but areoscreen, 5.1 litres and 205 section tyres made it huge fun but often scary and hopelessly impractical I was without a weekend car again - the search started straight away and after discounting a number of cars:
1. CL63 - this was my first choice and will be purchased at some point in the future but decided wanted something more raw
2. E63 M6 - running costs frightened me off and already have an E64 650
3. V8 Vantage - budget would not stretch to a really nice example
A TVR was actually my OH's idea and I started the research, the original thought of a Chimera was quickly passed over, a Cerbera was a contender for a while but eventually settled on a Tuscan - just seemed to tick more of the boxes for me
Started contacting specialists halfway through 2019, all of them very helpful and giving good advice, joined the owners club and always made a beeline for the TVR section at shows to get to speak to as many owners as I could. The advice was always the same, steer clear of super low mileage examples, buy on history and condition and allow a contingency fund.
Although not in a position to actually purchase until the end of 2019 (preferably early 2020) I was contacted by the owner of a 2001 Tuscan in one of my favoured colours (Viper GTS blue) who said that his car would be available at the end of the year.
Quick trip to see the car showed it was pretty much what I was looking for, only 1 previous owner, had been in regular use throughout its life (although still only showing 44k miles), a complete history with massive folder of bills, the original invoice, all old tax discs and even a load of photos taken during the build.
It id however show a hint of white smoke on start up - the owner was completely straight with me and said it had a stuck valve the previous year and that if he was keeping the car he would be looking at a top end rebuild. A long chat with TrackvRoad who have looked after the cr for the last ten years backed this up.
A lot of thinking ensued as the car was not the cheapest around but its history was a strong draw for me and if I could get the car cheap enough I could get the engine work done before I actually had the car home - a plan was hatched.,
I agreed a deal with the owner of a holding deposit paid in July, balance paid in December and no more than 500 more miles to be put on the car, once the balance was paid the car would be dropped off at TrackvRoad who would do the engine work and I would collect from there.
July to December was a long wait but allowed me to make sure all the funds were in place and the deal was completed on 5th Dec with the car going to TrackvRoad on the 9th Dec, the plan was to get the car back by end Jan / early Feb
Due to illness of TrackvRoads head mechanic, a bit more head work than originally planned and parts delays the car was not finally ready until last week - at an early stage I had decided to have the bottom end checked over but all was found to be perfect but I did opt for a very complete top end rebuild including modified throttle bodies.
Due to collect last Friday but common sense saw me cancel collection, fortunately TrackvRoad had a trip down my way needed so they very kindly dropped the car off for me - of course keeping the 2 metre rule in place.
So 9 months after first viewing the car and nearly 4 months into owning it, I finally have her home and will try and keep the thread updated with progress
Getting older is seeing the rate with which I change cars slowing down and rather than rushing into purchases I'm taking more time to research and consider before proceeding to buy the first car I view.
After selling the Westfield (great fun but areoscreen, 5.1 litres and 205 section tyres made it huge fun but often scary and hopelessly impractical I was without a weekend car again - the search started straight away and after discounting a number of cars:
1. CL63 - this was my first choice and will be purchased at some point in the future but decided wanted something more raw
2. E63 M6 - running costs frightened me off and already have an E64 650
3. V8 Vantage - budget would not stretch to a really nice example
A TVR was actually my OH's idea and I started the research, the original thought of a Chimera was quickly passed over, a Cerbera was a contender for a while but eventually settled on a Tuscan - just seemed to tick more of the boxes for me
Started contacting specialists halfway through 2019, all of them very helpful and giving good advice, joined the owners club and always made a beeline for the TVR section at shows to get to speak to as many owners as I could. The advice was always the same, steer clear of super low mileage examples, buy on history and condition and allow a contingency fund.
Although not in a position to actually purchase until the end of 2019 (preferably early 2020) I was contacted by the owner of a 2001 Tuscan in one of my favoured colours (Viper GTS blue) who said that his car would be available at the end of the year.
Quick trip to see the car showed it was pretty much what I was looking for, only 1 previous owner, had been in regular use throughout its life (although still only showing 44k miles), a complete history with massive folder of bills, the original invoice, all old tax discs and even a load of photos taken during the build.
It id however show a hint of white smoke on start up - the owner was completely straight with me and said it had a stuck valve the previous year and that if he was keeping the car he would be looking at a top end rebuild. A long chat with TrackvRoad who have looked after the cr for the last ten years backed this up.
A lot of thinking ensued as the car was not the cheapest around but its history was a strong draw for me and if I could get the car cheap enough I could get the engine work done before I actually had the car home - a plan was hatched.,
I agreed a deal with the owner of a holding deposit paid in July, balance paid in December and no more than 500 more miles to be put on the car, once the balance was paid the car would be dropped off at TrackvRoad who would do the engine work and I would collect from there.
July to December was a long wait but allowed me to make sure all the funds were in place and the deal was completed on 5th Dec with the car going to TrackvRoad on the 9th Dec, the plan was to get the car back by end Jan / early Feb
Due to illness of TrackvRoads head mechanic, a bit more head work than originally planned and parts delays the car was not finally ready until last week - at an early stage I had decided to have the bottom end checked over but all was found to be perfect but I did opt for a very complete top end rebuild including modified throttle bodies.
Due to collect last Friday but common sense saw me cancel collection, fortunately TrackvRoad had a trip down my way needed so they very kindly dropped the car off for me - of course keeping the 2 metre rule in place.
So 9 months after first viewing the car and nearly 4 months into owning it, I finally have her home and will try and keep the thread updated with progress
Started to do a couple of jobs on the to-do list.
The original stereo was a Pioneer unit but wanted to replace it with a slightly more up to date unit but wanting to keep it subtle, after a bit of searching around I came across the Pioneer SPH-10BT, most functions run through your phone via the SmartSync app, phone sits in a pullout cradle and offers me everything I wanted a very low price
The original stereo would not release from the cage with the extraction keys so needed to take the dashboard top off so I could push the whole thing out from behind - on one hand TVR made this easy by just securing the top with two bolts into captive nuts, one at either end of the panel, on the other hand they made it nigh on impossible to reach the bolts unless you have very slim hands, extra long fingers and are left handed, getting them out took about an hour, getting them back in took nearly 2 hours. The upside of this was that I learned a little more about the car and having the dash top out enabled me to give it a good deep clean, I thought it was not too bad, the dirt that came from it suggested I was very wrong :lol:
Last night saw me move into the engine bay. Whilst the engine was being rebuilt I got the cam cover painted in the original red and black colour scheme, the black element has SPEED SIX cast in to it so decided to attack this with my Dremel to remove the black paint and reveal it in bare metal, job finished by fixing down the new (and expensive at £55) carbon fibre TVR logo at the front of the casting- rest of the engine bay needs some more work but this is a decent start
The original stereo was a Pioneer unit but wanted to replace it with a slightly more up to date unit but wanting to keep it subtle, after a bit of searching around I came across the Pioneer SPH-10BT, most functions run through your phone via the SmartSync app, phone sits in a pullout cradle and offers me everything I wanted a very low price
The original stereo would not release from the cage with the extraction keys so needed to take the dashboard top off so I could push the whole thing out from behind - on one hand TVR made this easy by just securing the top with two bolts into captive nuts, one at either end of the panel, on the other hand they made it nigh on impossible to reach the bolts unless you have very slim hands, extra long fingers and are left handed, getting them out took about an hour, getting them back in took nearly 2 hours. The upside of this was that I learned a little more about the car and having the dash top out enabled me to give it a good deep clean, I thought it was not too bad, the dirt that came from it suggested I was very wrong :lol:
Last night saw me move into the engine bay. Whilst the engine was being rebuilt I got the cam cover painted in the original red and black colour scheme, the black element has SPEED SIX cast in to it so decided to attack this with my Dremel to remove the black paint and reveal it in bare metal, job finished by fixing down the new (and expensive at £55) carbon fibre TVR logo at the front of the casting- rest of the engine bay needs some more work but this is a decent start
Getting on top of some of the little jobs.
Drivers door solenoid was popping ok but only putting the door on to the first catch, needed a second press to release the door fully, you could hear that the solenoid was working ok so reckoned that a bit of relocation of the door release mechanism would sort it out - proven to be right so the replacement door solenoid I had bought just in case can be put away for another day.
Want to keep the car as OE as possible so rather than do anything fancy with the airbox it was just a case of rubbing it down and respraying it in gloss black, just need to allow it to harden off properly and then polished up should look pretty reasonable
Finished first phase of getting the paintwork sorted, full decontamination, clayed and machine polished, just needs sealing and waxing now, really pleased with the results so far, the amount of metallic in the Viper Blue is crazy
Drivers door solenoid was popping ok but only putting the door on to the first catch, needed a second press to release the door fully, you could hear that the solenoid was working ok so reckoned that a bit of relocation of the door release mechanism would sort it out - proven to be right so the replacement door solenoid I had bought just in case can be put away for another day.
Want to keep the car as OE as possible so rather than do anything fancy with the airbox it was just a case of rubbing it down and respraying it in gloss black, just need to allow it to harden off properly and then polished up should look pretty reasonable
Finished first phase of getting the paintwork sorted, full decontamination, clayed and machine polished, just needs sealing and waxing now, really pleased with the results so far, the amount of metallic in the Viper Blue is crazy
Ph1listine said:
Tuscan looks absolutely incredible and well worth the wait. Great that you've got it all prepped and sorted before buying it. Any plans for any big road trips or trackdays? I'd imagine being so light these are surprisingly fuel efficient, but don't they have individual throttle bodies?
How did you find switching from the S Type R to 9-5 Aero? Guessing the Saab wasn't far off with a remap?
I wanted the car thoroughly checked over before actually getting it home and has given me some real peace of mind, not sure about trackdays but was hoping to get up and do the NC500 this year, probably next year now, fortunately living very close to North Wales have access to some great driving roadsHow did you find switching from the S Type R to 9-5 Aero? Guessing the Saab wasn't far off with a remap?
I actually went from the S Type R to a CL500 then on to a 9-3 V6 Aero, the S Type is one car I really regret selling, such a fantastic all rounder and very underrated, whilst the CL500 was a much better looking car I missed the performance of the Jag
Managed to get the paintwork topped with Angel Ti22 followed today with a layer of Angelwax Enigma, its not perfect but probably the best job I have manged with paintwork.
Whilst the rear exhaust cans were pretty spotless externally the pipes themselves were pretty carboned up, managed to find a polishing cone that worked from my drill that was a nice snug fit, used the Britemax twins and with pretty minimal effort the inside of the tailpipes are now as clean as the cans.
Decided that I need to get the wheels refurbished this winter, whilst 99% there two of the inner rims are black whilst the other two are silver, my OCD just can't allow that to last for long, plus the small TVR stickers should be on the spoke opposite the valve and on 2 of the rims they are not.
Also on the jobs to do are cleaning and painting the calipers, still in the OE black with yellow TVR lettering and new footwell carpets, looking slightly tired and hoping my local trimmer will be able to match the colour for me
Whilst the rear exhaust cans were pretty spotless externally the pipes themselves were pretty carboned up, managed to find a polishing cone that worked from my drill that was a nice snug fit, used the Britemax twins and with pretty minimal effort the inside of the tailpipes are now as clean as the cans.
Decided that I need to get the wheels refurbished this winter, whilst 99% there two of the inner rims are black whilst the other two are silver, my OCD just can't allow that to last for long, plus the small TVR stickers should be on the spoke opposite the valve and on 2 of the rims they are not.
Also on the jobs to do are cleaning and painting the calipers, still in the OE black with yellow TVR lettering and new footwell carpets, looking slightly tired and hoping my local trimmer will be able to match the colour for me
With the relaxation of the lockdown rules beginning to feel a bit more comfortable about going out for a drive - need to get the 1,000 miles done to run in the engine and yesterday was just a day of gentle pottering around.
Of course with it being a TVR and having had the boot loaded with 3x 40 litre bags of compost and a load of plants it decided to play up and not open when we got home.
The boot is released by pushing in on the Tuscan badge and activating a microswitch that it turns activates a solenoid controlled by the same ECU that operates the passenger door.
Disconnected and cleaned all the connections, took the opportunity of fitting the new "old stock" boot badge that needed a small washer gluing to the back to make a better connection with the microswitch and all is well - until the next time :-)
Of course with it being a TVR and having had the boot loaded with 3x 40 litre bags of compost and a load of plants it decided to play up and not open when we got home.
The boot is released by pushing in on the Tuscan badge and activating a microswitch that it turns activates a solenoid controlled by the same ECU that operates the passenger door.
Disconnected and cleaned all the connections, took the opportunity of fitting the new "old stock" boot badge that needed a small washer gluing to the back to make a better connection with the microswitch and all is well - until the next time :-)
Managed to put 200+ miles on the car over the last few days but not straying too far from home, the heat, the new engine, the unfamiliarity of the car plus the fact that of course, it a TVR.
Oil temp never above 95, water temp never above 96 with both fans cutting in when they should so all positive signs, plus the bag in the boot to put all the bits that are bound to fall off is still empty.
Frustrating to drive to the 3k rpm limit but now with 250 miles done I'm allowing an occasional flip to 3.5k.
Managed to get out today to get some "industrial" type photos and happy with its looking, plus a quick video (unedited at the moment) to prove it actually moves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWzA7S9PVvU
Oil temp never above 95, water temp never above 96 with both fans cutting in when they should so all positive signs, plus the bag in the boot to put all the bits that are bound to fall off is still empty.
Frustrating to drive to the 3k rpm limit but now with 250 miles done I'm allowing an occasional flip to 3.5k.
Managed to get out today to get some "industrial" type photos and happy with its looking, plus a quick video (unedited at the moment) to prove it actually moves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWzA7S9PVvU
Medic-one said:
Doh, just realised my youtube is in Dutch and I just copied and pasted that line across to the forum. But i'm sure you got the gest of it, it just says it's set to private so we can't see it.
Settings now changed so it can be viewedMedic-one said:
This one of my favourite cars, on the list on "must own one, some day", and then preferably in that same colour...
I have come in to TVR ownership with my eyes wide open and so far no surprises, there are little foibles where sometimes something does not work and then starts again with no intervention but nothing that has me concerned or surprised - the great thing is that most of these foibles are documented and the support from fellow TVR owners is exceptional - by far and away the best of any marque I have owned to dateEdited by Andy665 on Monday 1st June 11:06
Stumbled across the attached yesterday and spent some time today creating it - Car Facts Disc - simply switch on your phone camera and tap the link when it reads the QR code - complete owner control over the content and updateabale as and when you like - the disc is same size as a tax disc and a great thing to have in your car for shows etc
Couple more jobs ticked off the list.
The heater box is not a pretty thing on the Tuscan, seen below at top right of image
Fortunately, a small plastic / carbon fabrication has been playing around with a cover so grabbed one quickly, lots of sanding down, priming, spraying and lacquering got a half decent finish to it and certainly really makes that part of the underbonnet area more presentable
Also decided to move the Anderson connector. The Tuscan battery is in a panel in the front wheelarch which cannot be accessed without taking the wheel off. To allow slightly easier jump starting they fitted an Anderson connector that was accessed from under the battery box (just behind front wheelarch) - hardly a great piece of thinking. The connector is pretty robust but pointing down to the road surface and immediately behind the front wheel guaranteed a load of crap would accumulate around it (even with a cover) and it would quickly corrode - more than a handful of Tuscans have been lost to fire because of this.
Whilst the Anderson connector on mine was new 2 years ago and well greased it was still showing signs of corrosion so was all stripped out and replaced with new leads and connector in the engine bay (bottom right of bottom picture), obviously carefully routed and suitably heat wrapped - provided massively better peace of mind
The heater box is not a pretty thing on the Tuscan, seen below at top right of image
Fortunately, a small plastic / carbon fabrication has been playing around with a cover so grabbed one quickly, lots of sanding down, priming, spraying and lacquering got a half decent finish to it and certainly really makes that part of the underbonnet area more presentable
Also decided to move the Anderson connector. The Tuscan battery is in a panel in the front wheelarch which cannot be accessed without taking the wheel off. To allow slightly easier jump starting they fitted an Anderson connector that was accessed from under the battery box (just behind front wheelarch) - hardly a great piece of thinking. The connector is pretty robust but pointing down to the road surface and immediately behind the front wheel guaranteed a load of crap would accumulate around it (even with a cover) and it would quickly corrode - more than a handful of Tuscans have been lost to fire because of this.
Whilst the Anderson connector on mine was new 2 years ago and well greased it was still showing signs of corrosion so was all stripped out and replaced with new leads and connector in the engine bay (bottom right of bottom picture), obviously carefully routed and suitably heat wrapped - provided massively better peace of mind
Edited by Andy665 on Wednesday 22 July 15:49
Thats the rebuild running-in service completed at TrackVRoad.
Apparently the clearances were very tight and 12 of the valves needed shims - no longer restricted to 3,500 rpm and the engine is transformed, much sharper now its breathing properly
Also got it MOT'd, had been subject to covid-19 extension to late Nov but made sense to get it done whilst with them, pass with no advisories which is always a relief
First time I have driven the car with the roof on, rear screen in and in the wet, unlike most Tuscans it is completely leak free despite the atrocious rain / wind during the 110 mile drive up on Tuesday and was impressively unaffected by the high winds on the journey up to Clitheroe
Car managed to stay incredibly clean despite the weather and a 250 mile trip
Apparently the clearances were very tight and 12 of the valves needed shims - no longer restricted to 3,500 rpm and the engine is transformed, much sharper now its breathing properly
Also got it MOT'd, had been subject to covid-19 extension to late Nov but made sense to get it done whilst with them, pass with no advisories which is always a relief
First time I have driven the car with the roof on, rear screen in and in the wet, unlike most Tuscans it is completely leak free despite the atrocious rain / wind during the 110 mile drive up on Tuesday and was impressively unaffected by the high winds on the journey up to Clitheroe
Car managed to stay incredibly clean despite the weather and a 250 mile trip
TR4man said:
Interested to see your gold heat shielding on the bonnet - that is something I need to do with mine to protect the bonnet from heat crazing.
Why they weren’t factory fitted, I don’t know.
As is always the case this was only fitted after the heat crazing started, certainly seems to do a good job but whenever I get home I always lift the bonnet for a few mins - just to be on the safe side Why they weren’t factory fitted, I don’t know.
Been an eventful few weeks in TVR ownership but happily all resolved.
After the running service was completed all seemed well for 400 miles and then it started to sound very tappetty. Obviously the Sped Six engine is a fairly mechanical sounding engine anyway but this was something that was not normal.
Did the old screwdriver on cam cover test and the noise was definitely coming from the rear and so soon (1,200 miles) after its rebuild I contacted the specialist straight away and sent them over a short video clip.
They initially thought it could be a valve shim that had shifted but agreed it needed to be looked at and arranged to collect the car.
Once they had the car and investigated further it was identified as a failure on one of the new finger followers, this despite me paying for them to be hardness tested before fitment. What was frustrating was that the original finger followers at the point of rebuild were all fine but replaced as a matter of course seeing as though these are the real weak spot on the engine so to have a new finger follower fail after 1,200 miles was a shock.
Specialist has replaced all of the finger followers again, along with the cams and delivered it back to me this week sounding as it should.
Just a freak failure and the specialist was superb, collected quickly and returned, no cost to me at all - just hoping I can now find a few dry days to enjoy it in the months ahead
After the running service was completed all seemed well for 400 miles and then it started to sound very tappetty. Obviously the Sped Six engine is a fairly mechanical sounding engine anyway but this was something that was not normal.
Did the old screwdriver on cam cover test and the noise was definitely coming from the rear and so soon (1,200 miles) after its rebuild I contacted the specialist straight away and sent them over a short video clip.
They initially thought it could be a valve shim that had shifted but agreed it needed to be looked at and arranged to collect the car.
Once they had the car and investigated further it was identified as a failure on one of the new finger followers, this despite me paying for them to be hardness tested before fitment. What was frustrating was that the original finger followers at the point of rebuild were all fine but replaced as a matter of course seeing as though these are the real weak spot on the engine so to have a new finger follower fail after 1,200 miles was a shock.
Specialist has replaced all of the finger followers again, along with the cams and delivered it back to me this week sounding as it should.
Just a freak failure and the specialist was superb, collected quickly and returned, no cost to me at all - just hoping I can now find a few dry days to enjoy it in the months ahead
I agree, the failure was not in any way due to their workmanship and they have been hit with a reasonably substantial bill and a fair amount of time (engine out job) but car delivered back to me within 2 weeks of collection
Poor service from businesses quickly spreads but I like to make people aware of the businesses out there who really do look after their customers
Poor service from businesses quickly spreads but I like to make people aware of the businesses out there who really do look after their customers
Rob-c33sg said:
Glad to hear it’s fixed Andy. I’m back at sportmotive tomorrow as I’m still not 100% on the handling of mine.
I’ll ask him to listen to my engine too because it does have a tappety sound once warmed up. It’s always had it but then again I’ve not had it that long! I think I read somewhere these engines do have that kind of sound and not to worry but maybe screwdriver test isn’t a bad idea just in case.
As the oil warms and thins it will become slightly more tappety sounding , when were the valve clearances last checked / shimmed?I’ll ask him to listen to my engine too because it does have a tappety sound once warmed up. It’s always had it but then again I’ve not had it that long! I think I read somewhere these engines do have that kind of sound and not to worry but maybe screwdriver test isn’t a bad idea just in case.
QBee said:
Sportmotive are another of the good guys in the TVR world.
As the cars haven't been made since 2006 (ish), there isn't a dealer network to support us, just a collection of enthusiastic specialists who we all know and appreciate.
My own favourite specialist, Mat Smith, is hugely knowledgable and goes the extra mile for his customers, old and new, despite being a very small business.
What I also like is the level of respect that appears to exist between the specialists. When I posted on the Facebook Tuscan Owners group page the video that I sent to TrackVRoad I had Dom from Powers call me and reassure me that TrackVRoad would look after me and not to worry about it - not many brands where I think you'd find this sort of thing happening and one of the reasons I have gone down the TVR route As the cars haven't been made since 2006 (ish), there isn't a dealer network to support us, just a collection of enthusiastic specialists who we all know and appreciate.
My own favourite specialist, Mat Smith, is hugely knowledgable and goes the extra mile for his customers, old and new, despite being a very small business.
MB140 said:
I keep musing with the idea of buying one of these as a daily. I don’t have room to store more than 2 cars so the wife has one space and I have the other.
I’m from west Nottingham and we used to have Willow Sports cars and Str8six locally. Unfortunately now both gone.
Does anyone know of a specialist around the west notts area to buy/service them. James Ager has been muted but have no experience.
The general rule is to buy on history, lots of Tuscans with big mileages and lots still on original engines despite the horror stories, I certainly think the more often they are used the more reliable they are, know of a few people who still use Tuscans on a daily basis.I’m from west Nottingham and we used to have Willow Sports cars and Str8six locally. Unfortunately now both gone.
Does anyone know of a specialist around the west notts area to buy/service them. James Ager has been muted but have no experience.
As for James Agger, think the service side of his business has a solid reputation, his sales side seems to divide opinion a little more but when I went to view a car he had for sale he seemed fine, I tend to go on what I find rather than what I hear
MB140 said:
Thanks for taking the time to to answer. Appreciate it. I agree on condition and history over mileage. Problem is I’m an electronics guy not car/mechanical so would be looking for a reputable dealer and service place.
Although I have a great local mechanic he’s not a TVR specialist.
You have two very well regarded specialists within about 50 miles, Powers TVR in Coventry and Sportmotive in Stoke On TrentAlthough I have a great local mechanic he’s not a TVR specialist.
Managed to get the car out for a shakedown run today, it was immediately obvious that the problem has been fully resolved and now sounds exactly as it should, clearly enjoyed the cold air as it felt quite sprightly for a 19 year old car
https://youtu.be/9E5J7MuicdM
https://youtu.be/up5AInb4PU8
https://youtu.be/9E5J7MuicdM
https://youtu.be/up5AInb4PU8
Edited by Andy665 on Saturday 17th October 20:59
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