Hello everyone and welcome to my review section! Here you'll find write-ups of various formats. Feel free to provide suggestions. I have many ideas lined up, but could always use more.
Table of Contents:
Episode 1 - TVR Tuscan vs TVR Tamora vs Lotus Esprit
2002 TVR Tamora vs. 2000 TVR Tuscan Speed 6 vs. 2002 Lotus Esprit V8
Examine the branches of the sports car family tree and you will find that of premium British sports variety. Few other groups in the performance car market prove themselves to be quite as dedicated to the pure thrill of driving. With their extremely light weight and moderately high power, these cars pack quite a potent punch and deliver superb lap times on the track.
Today we will take a look back at the turn of the millennium. As these cars pass the ten year mark, are they showing their age? Let's find out.
2002 Lotus Esprit
Like the 911, the Esprit hasn't changed too much in shape since its inception in the 1970s. The wedge shape is one that remains appealing to this day, and while the Esprit doesn't exactly look modern, it can be argued that its styling has stood the test of time.The Esprit is well known as being a mishmash of automotive parts. Several parts were sourced from Ford, the gearbox is from Renault, but the important bits were all designed by by Lotus. The interior remains fairly conservative, with clear, yet dated looking gauges.
The Lotus is the only MR layout car of this test, as well as the only V8. The Lotus in-house designed 3.5 liter twin-turbocharged V8 had one of the highest HP/Liter figures of its day. As tested, the Lotus had 368 HP and 307 lb/ft of torque. It weighed in at 1380 kg, making it the heaviest car in this roundup. The MR layout lent itself to a rear biased weight distribution - 45/55 to be exact. This translated into a greater propensity for the rear to slide in corners. This can be used to one's advantage in certain situations. In testing, the car had poor grip during elevation changes of the track. Although it was the heaviest car, the brakes seemed to be the most effective out of the three, although oversteer could occur during braking. This wasn't very much of a problem, and only manifested itself when poor driving technique was used. High speed grip was great, and the 5 speed manual was adequate. Exhaust sounds were nice, especially in the lower RPM range, and were punctuated by the sounds emanating from the turbochargers.
The TVR Tamora is a driver's car, with a size comparable to the Mazda Miata and with a very appealing rounded look. The styling does not look dated at all, and is very pleasant. The interior is relatively spartan, with white-faced gauges accompanied by digital readouts of RPM and speed.
The Tamora is powered by a 3.6 liter I6, which as tested produced 353 HP and 296 lb/ft of torque. This produces a meager exhaust tone. This is the lightest car in the group, with a weight of 1060 kg. The car handles very well, and I would expect it to, with a 50/50 weight distribution. There is a bit of understeer which occurs with excessive corner entry speed. Poor throttle control can of course cause oversteer when exiting the apex, but in my experience it was very easy to recover. High speed grip is adequate and the car was very controllable during corner braking. The 5 speed transmission is geared toward mid speed tracks, and it worked to this car's advantage.
The TVR Tuscan is built on the same platform as the Tamora, but has a very distinct feel. The Tuscan catches the eye with its curvaceous bodystyle. Either you love it or you don't. Some may say it's an acquired taste. I happen to like the Tuscan's looks, and admire TVR for creating a truly unique looking car. This attitude of design is continued in the interior of the car, with many ergonomic curves adorning the interior surfaces. The gauges are an interesting design, with the speedometer flanking a digital tachometer. While I realize that TVR was trying a new approach, in my opinion it isn't very functional.
Moving on, the Tuscan is in some ways a step up from the Tamora. The 4 liter I6 emits a much more robust exhaust note than that of the Tamora. As tested, it transferred 368 HP and 315 lb/ft of torque to the rear wheels. The Tuscan tipped the scales at 1100 kg, but it feels like a bigger car than it really is. The car was balanced 50/50 just like the Tamora, however it seemed to have a very minuscule amount of body roll, more than the other two. Any oversteer was easy to correct. The brakes were in my opinion the least effective of the group, however they were not inadequate. The longer wheelbase allowed the car to respond smoothly in bumpy sections of the track.
With the testing complete, it's now time for me to rank these cars. All of them possessed superb driving characteristics and excelled in different areas. I can't say there is a car in this lineup that I am not fond of.
3rd Place:
The Tuscan, although quick, didn't give me the same feeling as the Tamora did. Its minor handling issues turned off a bit of the fun for me. Parts of the car seem to be focusing on cosmetics as opposed to functionality. It's a great car nonetheless. I still think the Tuscan looks great, although the styling is.. controversial to say the least!
2nd Place:
Although it put down slower lap times on the track, The Esprit has many redeeming qualities. It is very fun to drive and encourages one to develop good driving techniques. The styling is timeless and the sound of the turbocharged V8 is great.
1st Place:
The Tamora was the simply most fun to drive out of the three cars. All three are great driver's cars however I feel that the Tamora embodied this characteristic more than all the others and I think the lap times reflected this. You also can't help but mention the car looks damn good from all angles!
I hope you all enjoyed this comparison! Look for more write-ups in the future
-FRJR1992
*Note - All testing (including speed tests) was done with SH tires, and cars were given oil changes. All driver aids were off except for ABS set to 1. Grip loss was set to real. I used a Logitech Driving Force Pro Wheel.*
Enjoyable read as I drive these three cars with some regularity. I think If I were honest I'd put the cars in the very same order, the Esprit and the Tamora just feel good, for some reason the Tuscan felt a bit "Friday afternoon Build" - And the Racing digital Tacho just spoils the cockpit view.
Of course in real life- The Renault Gearbox would have let you down during the standing start acceleration tests in the Esprit. The TVR's Well once you get into them, and manage to turn them on you'll find the lack of ABS and such like a bit of a wake up call at any track. Driving a TVR will put hairs on your eyeballs.
