| The Tuscan 2 is a significant launch for TVR.
It blends all the most successful elements of TVRs past with the progress
that the company has made over the past few years. A myriad of detail
changes demonstrate the attention to detail that TVR’s engineers
and stylists have dedicated themselves to while evolving the most popular
TVR of recent years. Since the Tuscan was first launched in 2000, it has
achieved what was previously thought to be impossible for a company of
its size, but TVR has never been intimidated by projects that would daunt
much larger car manufacturers.
Every car is hand-built to a customer's own specification; every engine
has the engine builder's initials on it. In the case of the latest generation
of cars, this philosophy has been implemented even further and everything,
from body to chassis to engine and in this case even the switchgear and
instrumentation, is designed and crafted in house.
The Tuscan 2
The Tuscan 2, that has evolved from the Tuscan Speed Six, made its first appearance at the UK Motor Show in May, 2004 |
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The most important debut of all for TVR at the 2004 Birmingham Show is
that of the Tuscan 2. The TVR Tuscan Speed Six originally went into production
early in 2000 and since then TVR have built more than 2,500 of them. The
changes to the car are significant:
While the roof and rear screen have always been removable on the Tuscan,
many customers have expressed a desire for a full convertible. The new
Tuscan convertible is launched with the 350bhp speed six engine. It features
twin rollover hoops that are bolted through to the chassis and slightly
staggered for increased rollover stiffness as well as being trimmed for
elegance. The carbonfibre roof panel is lighter than those of convertible
TVRs of old for ease of use and the roof hoop is locked onto the rollover
protection by means of screw catches which are very easy to fit as well
as making the whole structure immensely strong. Boot space is also increased
to cavernous compared to any of its competition, which adds even further
to the surprising practicality of Tuscan 2.
The styling of all Tuscans has been changed with aerodynamics at the forefront
of the stylists’ minds. Led by Graham Browne and with Peter Wheeler’s
customary considerable input, the design team have worked with the brief
of reducing drag and increasing downforce. They have achieved this with
the aero package of the Tuscan S reducing its lift even further, necessitated
by the higher performance engendered by its 400bhp motor. Its front splitter
has been influenced by the aerodynamics work performed by TVR’s
engineers in the Le Mans programme and it has a higher tail to place its
larger gurney well up into the airflow.
TVR’s suspension engineers have not been idle either. All cars on
the Tuscan platform (including Tamoras and T350s) will now feature new
suspension geometry adding more castor and camber change to suit the latest
tyre designs with the rack position having to move to maintain zero bump
steer.
While this has necessitated an adjustment to the rack height, the opportunity
has been taken to use the electro-hydraulic power assisted steering rack
from the Tamora and the T350, which has had its speed reduced by 10 per
cent.
The spring, damper and anti-roll bar rates stay largely the same on the
Targa and Convertible and, while most customers opt for the 18”
wheels for cosmetic reasons, 16” wheels remain standard which, with
the latest tyres from the Goodyear Dunlop stable, give outstanding levels
of ride comfort for the class. 18” wheels give a sportier look and
feel without degrading the ride by any significant degree. The suspension
is now much stiffer on the Tuscan S, which will run a similar set-up to
the Sagaris with much higher spring, damper and anti-roll bar rates which
help to keep the attitude of the car flat, quite significantly adding
to the aerodynamic efficiency of the car.
The interior of Tuscan 2 has also been dramatically changed over the existing
model. Most immediately obvious is the new instrument binnacle. For three
years, TVR has been building Tamoras and latterly T350s with a combined
analogue and digital set up and it appears that the analogue part of it
has become redundant. As Britain’s roads become more and more plagued
by cameras, extremely accurate speed readings have become of paramount
importance and a digital readout is the only way of delivering this. On
the revs side, no-one can tell when to change gear in a car of a TVR’s
performance by using an analogue rev counter and so a combination of digital
read out and shift lights has been found to work best on both racing and
road cars. An analogue gauge gives a rough impression of engine speed
but anyone who has lived with a car for longer than a weekend can do that
by ear. The shift light system also has the benefit of being automatically
set lower until the oil temperature is sufficient to allow sympathetic
use of higher engine revs. All the other extra data that TVR owners have
become accustomed to such as outside air temperature, battery volts, oil
pressure and temperature, water temperature, fuel level etc. are all available
to the driver as is a small warning on the rare occasions that the car’s
extremely sophisticated self-diagnosis system might have picked anything
up.
The Tuscan 2, along with all other new TVRs, features the new British
designed and made NXT AFR extremely thin high quality speakers which are
mounted high up in the car to raise the sound stage, and which provide
an extremely clear and even sound to both driver and passenger. The Tuscan
2 also sees a return to the starter and stop buttons system seen on the
Cerbera back at the Motor Show back in 1993 and much copied by other manufacturers
since. The door and window controls are developed from those used in the
flagship Typhon range. Machined from billet aluminium the switchgear is
as elegant as it is easy to use.
The seats of the Tuscan have always featured removable squabs for additional
lateral location but the seats have now been redesigned to make that level
of lateral design permanent. As TVRs are all built to order, customers
who prefer a higher seating position will be able to specify one as will
those who wish for the extra two inches of legroom and headroom on top
of the snugger seat arrangement.
It is well known that TVR takes safety extremely seriously and as part
of this, the seatbelts have always locked earlier than on a conventional
set-up, in order to get a little closer to a racing harness type application.
Tuscan 2 features an altered set-up to keep this useful safety feature
while making it easier to use the seatbelt when parked on a steep angle.
The design brief for the Tuscan was that it should be a car in which the
roof should come off while having sufficient for two people and their
luggage to go on holiday for a month, in safety, with creature comforts
like air conditioning and power steering but without the car weighing
much more than 1000kg.
No computers have been used in the styling of the car and the team of
stylists took two years sculpting the shape of this future classic. There
are a number of advantages in designing a car in the manner that TVR does.
Sculpting and developing the shape solely by hand is an inordinately time-consuming
business. Just as one only truly appreciates the lines of a car when one
washes it, so it is TVR's belief that one can only really get to grips
with the design of a car over a long period of time. Furthermore, it is
impossible to control a surface as subtly on a computer screen as when
sculpting the car by hand. It is with this in mind that one should view
the new Tuscan. When a vehicle is mass-produced the tooling takes longer
to develop than the styling but that is categorically not the case here.
The whole philosophy at TVR is that the shape of the car comes first so
the constraints of conventional industry thinking have not been an issue.
As such, the philosophy behind the styling of the car has been that function
and form have been combined and the result has been left on show. Many
of the features that make this car extraordinary are there for sound engineering
reasons but the simplicity and elegance of their form enhances the overall
look of the car. For instance, the unusual bonnet arrangement, whereby
the main piece of the bonnet is bolted into the car, is there for the
reasons that it is in most racing cars. It is actually lightly stressed
and means that one is able to duct the airflow very precisely. Furthermore,
it is bolted into place and therefore can be manufactured lighter. One
of the notable features of the car is the way that the shutlines run along
the top of the car so that if you draw them, you draw the shape of the
car. This shows its lines off to the best advantage but also gives a far
bigger boot opening to make the roof much easier to stow in the boot.
While it might be possible to say that the exterior design of the car
is relatively extravagant in concept, TVR has taken a minimalist approach
to the interior. The very highest quality components have been used and
once again, function has determined form. The curved aluminium top to
the dash, for example, actually acts as one of the transverse strengthening
beams for the car. The pedal box, again hand made from extremely high
quality components, is left on show as it would be a shame to hide craftsmanship
like it and it also serves to make individual fittings for customers that
much easier.
The chassis is based on that of the Cerbera but in this case is 8" shorter. This means that it has improved interior room over the Griffith
and Chimaera but as the overall thinking behind it, and indeed the dimensions
stem from the Tuscan Challenge racing car, the balance of the chassis
between ride and handling is as well honed as ever. The other advantage
of basing the chassis on that of TVR's one make race series car is that
there is probably no chassis anywhere in the world that has been so often
and so comprehensively crash tested. Safety has been uppermost in the
designers thoughts throughout the process and the roll cage, door beams
and transverse aluminium tube are evidence of that. The brakes are 294mm
at the front with superb four pot aluminium callipers and are 273mm at
the rear.
The Tuscan S is a development of the old red rose Tuscan but with a number
of significant developments. At the forefront of these is a revision of
the chassis geometry with different kingpin inclination and less bump
steer to specifically set the car up for the 18” wheels which come
as standard on this car. Spring and damper rates are also now stiffer
than they were originally to complement the car’s new chassis and
extra power. The brakes have also been enlarged to 322mm at the front
and 298mm at the rear. They remain cross-drilled and ventilated all round
and the callipers remain the same also.
The engine of the Tuscan S has been further developed to produce 400 bhp
at 7000rpm and 310 ft.lbs of torque at 5250 rpm. The Tuscan S also features
most of the Tuscan’s options list as standard. Among these are air
conditioning, gas discharge main beam headlamps and a DAB stereo, which
receives the latest digital radio broadcasts. It is the first production
car to have one of these fitted as standard.
The Sagaris
The first two Sagaris off the line are on display here at the Birmingham
Show. Production is now ramping up and the first deliveries will be in
July.
The shape of the Sagaris is the result of TVR's motor sport experience |
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The Sagaris is an exciting step on from the T350 on which it is based.
While motorsport was already uppermost in the designers’ minds with
the T350, the styling of the Sagaris is a direct result of the rigorous
demands of the endurance motorsport arena. Racing versions will compete
in categories where modifications to the road car are limited so the road
car carries its aerodynamic advantages as standard. Front splitter and
rear diffuser are built into the bodywork and a great deal of attention
has been paid to the use and venting of the high pressure air in the wheelarches.
The ride height at which road cars have to run limits their aerodynamic
efficiency but as the Sagaris has been designed to sit as low as TVR dares,
the sophisticated aero package will help considerably.
It has a 2” wider track than the T350 and sits 1” lower to
reduce the effective height of the centre of gravity for even greater
grip and stability and has spring rates some three times stiffer than
that of the T350. It is propelled by the mighty 400bhp TVR straight six
engine from the Tuscan S and has very big exhaust cans which exit laterally
forward of the diffuser to reduce back pressure. Because of this an imaginative
solution to a potential heat build up problem has had to be sought which
can be seen just above the diffuser, which has changed since the car was
first seen in December 2003. With an emphasis on lightweight composites
inside, the Sagaris represents the latest in TVR’s thinking on the
road racer theme.
The intention is for race car and road car to be very similar and to be
even quicker than the TVR Tuscan Challenge racers, which are themselves
quite a bit quicker than British Touring Cars. The first racer will be
out testing later this year and at least half a dozen are expected to
be competing in the Carlube TVR Challenge as well as the various National
and International GT series for which they will be eligible in 2005.
The T400R, T440R and Typhon
TVRs have always been fast, as spectacular to drive as they are to look
at. With the Typhon series of cars, those traditional strengths have been
taken to an altogether higher level. Its stunning bodywork is all carbonfibre,
its massively strong chassis uses aluminium honeycomb to greatly improve
its stiffness, and its hugely powerful engine, which is now capable of
putting out 580 bhp, is connected to TVR’s own six speed sequential
gearbox.
Three versions of the car are available – the T400R which has a
400bhp 4 litre engine, the 4.2 litre 440bhp T440R and the new supercharged
version named the Typhon. When first announced, the Typhon was meant to
have only 500bhp but all the tests have shown that the supercharged engine
is still well within its comfort zone pumping out a staggering 585bhp
at 7,000 rpm and 467 lb ft of torque at 5,000 rpm. It has twin intercoolers
and the centrifugal supercharger is driven by a belt off the crankshaft.
It also benefits from sequential injection.
With its carbonfibre bodywork, identical in weight to that of the Le Mans
cars, its power to weight ratio is a quite extraordinary 530bhp per tonne.
60 mph comes up in less than 4 seconds but it is from there to its top
speed of over 215 mph that the Typhon really leaves the competition standing.
To cope with all that power, the car has not just a new chassis, but a
new type of chassis. Designed from the ground up with the aid of sophisticated
CAD/CAM software, the rigidity of the steel chassis is added to significantly
by the race-type rollcage and the use of aluminium honeycomb and carbonfibre
for the floor. Also a first for a roadgoing TVR is to have adjustable
dampers whereby customers will be able to fine-tune the suspension set
up of their cars for road or circuit use.
Aerodynamics have played an increasingly significant role in the design
of TVRs over the last few years and these cars take this to the logical
next level. A lot of attention has been paid to drag and lift with the
result that its coupé shape owes most of its from to the demands
of the aerodynamicists. A phenomenally low drag co-efficient of 0.32 is
the result of all this attention to detail and its virtually flat floor,
front splitter and rear diffuser work together to give it unparalleled
high speed stability.
The interior reflects its race car underpinnings with a distinctly minimalist
style pervading the interior. Unusually, the carbonfibre and aluminium
structure of the car is highly polished and left on show, giving the cabin
a utilitarian but extremely high quality feel. The seats are unique to
the model and are manufactured from carbonfibre but trimmed from the highest
quality Scottish hides.
The T350
The T350 is a brand new coupé based on the running gear of the
universally acclaimed Tamora. The concept is to apply TVR’s expertise
gained in Motorsport to a road car, and both shape and engineering owe
much to its racing programme. It is intended to form the basis of a racing
car for the new GT Cup class of the British GT Championship as well as
for a number of overseas one-make race series. This car is available in
two forms – the T350C, where C stands for coupé, and the
T350T, for targa, which is the version with two removable carbonfibre
panels overhead.
T350 is a brand new coupé based on the running gear of the universally |
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The T350 enjoys the performance its looks promise. It is propelled by
the same 350 bhp version of TVR’s Speed Six engine that has helped
the Tamora to such critical and sales success already. In the case of
the T350, acceleration, top speed and handling have been helped by its
aerodynamically superb shape as well as its lower weight and centre of
gravity. Now in production for five years, the Speed Six is a tried and
tested unit and has performed admirably in the hothouse environment of
GT endurance racing including the Spa 24 hour race in 2002. In all variants,
TVR’s own engine has been designed with responsiveness in mind which
is the reason for it having individual throttle butterflies per cylinder
and a race-type twin plate clutch and small flywheel.
Function dominates form with the T350 and its motorsport application determines
the way the car looks. As a result, every effort has been made to maximise
downforce while minimising drag. The frontal area is very smooth without
a central radiator intake which helps it punch through the air easily
while the sharply cut off tail punctuates the airflow sharply to reduce
drag. The sloping roofline at the back has been very precisely profiled
to ensure that the airflow remains attached to the car in order to negate
lift. Allied to a diffuser under the exhausts and a splitter at the front,
the T350’s shape has been optimised aerodynamically in a way that
is simply impossible with a two-seater convertible.
The interior of the T350 is largely based on that of the Tamora and is
all the better for that. It has the same analogue readout for speed and
engine revs above a switchable multi-function display which gives the
driver the fullest range of information from engine water and oil temperature,
outside air temperature and battery volts to maximum and minimum values
achieved (including maximum speed). With a hatchback above the large luggage
area, an unexpected advantage will also come in terms of plenty of boot
space with easy loading.
The interior of the T350 is largely based on that of the Tamora |
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The T350T is the new targa version of TVR’s latest sportscar, which
has immediately become one of TVR’s fastest selling models. With
its reinforced roof and full safety rollcage, it loses nothing in structural
rigidity to its fixed head sister. This is despite the size of its lift
out panels which run lengthwise down the roof rather than transversely
in order to maximise the sensation of open air motoring while reducing
buffeting to virtually nothing. The panels are made out of carbonfibre
for light weight and consequent ease of handling and they stow simply
behind the seats to minimise their effect on luggage capacity.
The Tamora
The Tamora is based on the Tuscan Speed Six, whose platform
it shares. |
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The Tamora followed the Tuscan in the new generation of TVRs. In the same
way that the Chimaera was engineered to be a more accessible sister to
the Griffith, so the Tamora is based on the Tuscan Speed Six, whose platform
it shares. Having been shown for the first time at the Birmingham Motor
Show in October 2000, the first cars were delivered to customers in early
January 2002.
With more conservative styling than its bigger stablemate and more easily
recognisable TVR styling cues, the Tamora has been designed to be less
extreme and indeed simpler in some aspects. For example, the car is a
full convertible with the roof mechanism being the acclaimed stowable
hardtop design from the Griffith and Chimaera. The covered headlights
and clean lines have echoes of Griffith and Chimaera but are right up
to date.
The engine is a new 3.6 litre version of TVR’s own straight six,
pushing out 350bhp at 7200 rpm and 290 ft. lb. of torque at 5500 rpm which
will give the car extremely brisk performance. Maximum revs is at 8000
rpm. It shares the same dry sump, 24 valve technology as the 4.0 litre
Speed Six engine found in the Cerbera and the Tuscan as well as that found
in the successful Tuscan R racing car. It does, however, sound different
due to an all-new stainless steel and titanium exhaust system. Performance
is on a par with much more exotic machinery with 60 mph coming up in 4.4
seconds and 100 mph in 9.5 with top speed is over 170 mph.
Handling is benign but involving with double wishbones and coil springs
over gas filled shock absorbers and the ride makes it easy to use every
day. Riding on the 16” wheels of the standard Tuscan (18”
wheels are an optional extra), the handling has been fine-tuned so as
to provide a very high level of grip in both wet and dry with a very progressive
breakaway in the end. The steering is an all-new arrangement with electrical
assistance that gives an informative but not intimidating level of feedback.
Brakes are considerable cross drilled and ventilated discs all round (304mm
front and 282mm rear) with four piston callipers at the front and the
front roll cage and door beams are manufactured out of very strong T45
steel. Despite all this hardware, the composite bodywork and weight-saving
construction methods means that this car is the lightest of the current
generation of TVRs at just over 1,000 kg.
It is again the interior where the stylists and engineers have surpassed
themselves with a multi-function digital display, shift lights and two
analogue dials for quick glance down viewing of speed and engine revs.
There are two race-style bucket seats made out of lightweight composites
to hold the driver and passenger in place and a floor mounted pedal box
that is mounted through to the chassis. The window mechanism is of the
Tuscan/Cerbera generation in that the window slides up into the seal as
the door is closed for less wind noise at speed.
The Cerbera
The Cerbera began life in the early summer of 1993 as a styling exercise
by TVR's team of designers, who were very quickly given the go-ahead to
start building full-scale models. They sculpted the car out of full-size
blocks of foam rather than being constrained by the two dimensions of
a paper sketch or the dehumanising aspects of design by computer.
The handsome Cerbera was the first roadgoing TVR to have the Speed Eight engine |
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A handsome Grand Tourer began to take shape and it was easy to see that
the car would be a winner so a running prototype was prepared for the
1993 London Motor Show. Unencumbered by endless committees, TVR was able
to complete the prototype in record time and the Cerbera was unveiled
at the show. It was greeted with tremendous acclaim. Orders flooded in,
a further 276 of them at the 1994 Birmingham Motor Show alone.
Since then, almost every aspect of the car has been improved. Originally,
the Cerbera was designed to be powered by the TVR Power Rover based engines
but it was decided that TVR's own engine, the Speed Eight, would be a
more suitable power plant. The Cerbera was the first roadgoing TVR to
feature the Speed Eight engine.
Although sharing styling cues with the Chimaera, the Cerbera is a completely
new car with new brakes, chassis, suspension and a different construction
method. Introduced in response to overwhelming customer demand for a 2+2,
the Cerbera has seen TVR return to a market sector that it has not inhabited
since 1985. With the Cerbera's interior, TVR have discarded conventional
thinking and have created a dashboard binnacle in which all the instruments
are right in front of the driver. The clock and the fuel gauge, visible
through the steering wheel, and a fresh air vent are situated under the
steering column and are adjustable for reach and rake with it. Mounted
on the steering wheel are controls for the main beam, windscreen washers
and wipers as well as the horn.
The Cerbera is more than a normal 2+2 in that, in terms of the configuration
of its seating arrangement, it would be better described as a 3+1. The
front passenger seat is able to slide forward further than normal, thereby
freeing a substantial amount of extra legroom for the passenger sitting
directly behind. Attention has been paid to the ease of access to the
rear seats which in too many 2 + 2s is unnecessarily difficult. Therefore,
the Cerbera's doors are long enough to make getting into the back seats
much easier.
The Cerbera actually comes with three different engines. The Cerbera Speed
Six was the first car to be fitted with TVR’s own straight six and
has softer suspension and higher profile tyres to give a more comfortable
ride and less road noise in line with its grand touring design. Very much
in the tradition of British sports cars of the sixties but with modern
abilities, the Cerbera Speed Six is a coupe with a very British, very
sporting nature.
The Cerbera 4.2 remains in production for those customers who prefer a
V8 and the Cerbera 4.5 gives a range topping 420bhp and 380 ft lb of torque.
Getting to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, 100 in 8.1 and 150 in 17.9, the Cerbera
4.5 is one of the fastest road cars in existence. With larger brakes,
modified suspension and larger wheels and tyres, the Cerbera 4.5 offers
the handling and braking to match its performance, stopping from 100 mph
in only 3.8 seconds. The 4.5 Cerbera also includes a Hydratrak speed sensitive
differential as standard.
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