• Incredible exterior condition • One of 395 • Mechanically completely sound
The Background
The TVR Taimar was based on and shared the same running gear as the TVR 3000M platform, which was a backbone chassis design with the fibreglass body on top. The chassis which was designed by Mike Bigland was made to be very durable and improve over the Tuscan designs.
Despite being a hatchback the car only weighed 9kg more than the 3000M but had much better cargo space and accessibility along with a much improved heating and ventilation system and a better suspension setup.
Double wishbone suspension and a very light platform combined with Ford's venerable Essex 3.0 V6 engine makes for a very agile sports car, a refreshingly visceral experience with no modern electronics to get in the way, allowing a pure driving experience.
Over its three-year production run, a total of only 395 normally aspirated Taimars were built. TVR had developed the chassis to be very durable and actually offered a 5-year guarantee against corrosion as standard on the chassis which was unheard of at the time. They were able to achieve this by capping all tube ends and not running fasteners through the frame directly and coating the chassis in a post-production oil film.
This Taimar, originally sold to its first owner in London, was then owned by its second vendor for 20 years up until 2018. By this point, the car had laid dormant for some time. A little over a year ago, the current owner stepped in and the little TVR was given all the love and attention it required to get it back into fantastic shape.
The V5 is present together with a comprehensive history file full of receipts and invoices for the servicing and upgrade work carried out, a dyno sheet is included, lots of MOT’s and history from the few well known TVR specialists that have carried out the work on this vehicle.
The Taimar is registered as a Historic vehicle and is exempt from MOT and benefits from zero road tax.
It is shown as having 12 previous keepers on the V5.
The interior is very fresh and clean with newly upholstered seats with leather facings with contrasting perforated grey inserts and black bolsters, tastefully finished with grey piping. Anything that has needed replacing has been, including some new areas of carpet. As such the interior is in overall fantastic condition, and just a really nice place to be.
It really embodies the feel of a late 70’s sports car and wants for nothing. The TVR logo wood gear knob and chrome ashtray and handbrake button is a nice touch. Some age-related marks are present, but everything is very genuine with nothing unexpected or damaged.
This is where this Taimar shines, quite literally! The exterior of this car is very, very impressive. It would not take much to get this car to concours condition. The Taimar has had a full respray this year in a lovely royal blue to a very high standard and only been driven 8 miles since, so the paint is impeccable. A new front windscreen has been fitted together with new seals, also installed at the rear screen.
New 15” MiniLite style, Minator wheels in silver, shod with four Toyo Proxes CF-1 tyres in near new condition. A set of five original, “T-Slot” alloy wheels will also be provided with the car for the purist! All of the chrome and brightwork is in very good condition and has evidently been well maintained. Being fibreglass bodied this car does not suffer from corrosion further preserving the excellent condition of this exterior.
The black vinyl sunroof has been refurbished and compliments the new gloss black bumpers which have replaced the tired rubber versions and offset the chrome trims against the rich blue paint perfectly. A truly excellent exterior.
Mechanically very sound, the Taimar has been very well maintained by the current owner. A dyno test was taken before the engine was bored out to 3100cc and fitted with a high performance cam in 1995, together with an electronic ignition system upgrade and all needed changes to jetting and carb settings done to make sure it runs well and documentation suggests 166bhp was achieved. Quite a sizeable chunk of power in small, lightweight car like this!
All maintenance work has been carried out by only a couple of specialists who are very familiar with the car and all work has been to a high standard. Some other things it has had done include a new Weber carb, new door seals, upgraded bonnet release system, new bonnet support frame, fairly recent upgraded aluminium fuel tank, new sender, and a fairly new set of Magnacore spark plug leads.
An engine bay detail and clean up and a touch of paint underneath is really all it needs to take this cars condition to the next level. Nothing needs attention and very little would be required to get this absolutely perfect.
TVR were arguably the masters of providing visceral driving experiences with unparalleled purity, with a classic twist of British quirkiness.
This Taimar is no exception. Its light body, zesty engine and excellent suspension setup provide all of the those quintessential TVR ingredients in spades. This example is in truly amazing condition and needs very little to take its condition to top end show condition.
The very minor things that it needs to reach that level are fairly trivial however, because what we have here is a TVR that drives fantastically, with a simply wonderful paint finish and rude mechanical health to match.
A great opportunity, that is not to be missed.
Notice to bidders
Although every care is taken to ensure this listing is as factual and transparent as possible, all details within the listing are subject to the information provided to us by the seller. Car & Classic does not take responsibility for any information missing from the listing. Please ensure you are satisfied with the vehicle description and all information provided before placing a bid.
As is normal for most auctions, this vehicle is sold as seen, and therefore the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. All bids are legally binding once placed. Any winning bidder who withdraws from a sale, is subject to our bidders fee charge. Please see our FAQs and T&C's for further information. Viewings of vehicles are encouraged, but entirely at the seller's discretion.
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1979 TVR Taimar
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