Description
I have decided to sell my 2001 TVR Tuscan in Red Bull Blue that has recently undergone restoration work. I bought the car as a project in September and rebuilt the engine over the winter with the intention of driving her this year, I finished her in late February and have been using her daily since. My senses have unfortunately overcome me and I have decided to start saving for a house, sadly she must go…
This is a 4. 0l speed-six with the T5 gearbox. The engine is now running well, nice and smooth (well, as smooth as can be expected for a speed-six!). The engine is still bedding-in having covered 400 miles of the 1, 000 mile bedding-in procedure (keeping it under 3, 500 rpm). She has covered 35k miles and has a good service history. There are various receipts from work and services carried out. Some carried out by specialists/ garages and others carried out by previous owners.
The top-end rebuild was carried out by Automotive Services of Northampton in January this year. The rest of the engine work was carried out by me. Following this, I also sorted out a few other problems to get the car back on the road. I have receipts for all parts replaced, totalling thousands of pounds. The following work was undertaken:
- Cylinder head rebuilt with new valve guides, valve stem seals, finger followers and valves, valve clearances set (Automotive Services)
- Heli-coils fitted to the cylinder head for the cam cover with all bolts replaced
- Main and big-end bearings replaced
- Half-time bearings replaced
- All oil seals replaced
- Oil scavenger pump replaced (supplied by TVR Power)
- Both pump chains + timing chains replaced
- Oil pressure sender + both ECT sensors replaced
- Slave cylinder rebuilt with new seals
- Spigot bearing and clutch release bearing replaced
- New ECU fitted (supplied by TVR Power), 9-pin serial diagnostic plug wired in
- Diff bushes replaced by TVR Power
- MOT valid until 30th January 2023
- New battery with polarities reversed, this prevents a potential short-circuit which can lead to fires. Grounding straps cleared of corrosion
- Decats fitted to help under-bonnet temperatures (I do have a cat for the MOT)
- 12k service carried out, all fluids replaced
The interior is in good condition with no tears to the leather and the carpets were replaced prior to my ownership. All the electronics function correctly, the digital readout in the instrument cluster is accurate as is the speedo. The previous owner fitted a new Sony head unit with Bluetooth audio which sounds great. When you’ve got the roof off though who needs music, that straight six produces its own soundtrack!
In my opinion, the paintwork is perfectly presentable and polishes up lovely however there are stone chips to the front bumper and bonnet, as to be expected with any fibreglass car. There is wear to the edges of the doors and a few more scratches around the boot lid.
The chassis is solid with some light surface corrosion starting to show. The Uniroyal Rainsport tyres were pretty much brand new when I bought the car and have plenty of tread left. There are no vibrations in the steering wheel and the car tracks perfectly straight. The diff bushes were replaced and as such there are no longer any knocks or bangs. The brakes are very sharp with no squealing.
In summary, this is a perfect car for those who don’t mind tinkering with their own projects. From my experience of owning this car and a Cerbera for 2 years prior, I’ve found TVR’s straightforward to work on. Parts are readily available and there is plenty of support online or through the various specialists. If you are looking for a pristine car cared for by specialists, then you might be better off looking elsewhere. If you are looking for one ready to enjoy, don’t mind some visual imperfections and like to get your hands oily then this may be the car for you.
Feel free to contact me with any questions, I’m quite happy to entertain any viewings. I’ll also take anyone out for a ride. If you are a fair distance away, then I’m happy to drive halfway to meet you. Just one thing to bear in mind, the engine is still bedding-in and care will need to be taken for the first 1, 500 miles. My plan was to keep under 3, 500rpm for the first 1, 000 miles and then gradually increase the rpm after that.
