Wiegert
Premium
- 13,376
- United Kingdom
1999-2006 TVR Tuscan Speed Six nominated by @Sp3edst3r
Body Style: 2 door targa top/convertible
Engines: 3.6L I6, 4.0L I6, 4.2L I6
Power:
3.6L Mk1: 350 hp
4.0L Mk1: 360 hp
4.0L Mk1 Red Rose: 380 hp
4.0L Mk1 S (pre-2003): 390 hp
4.0L Mk1 S (post-2003): 400 hp
4.0L Mk2 (post-2005): 380 hp
4.0L Mk2 S (post-2005): 400 hp
4.0L Mk2 Convertible (post-2005): 360 hp
4.0L Mk2 Convertible Red Rose (post-2005)
4.2L Mk2 T440R (2003): 440 hp
Torque:
3.6L Mk1: 290 lb-ft
4.0L Mk1: 310 lb-ft
4.0L Mk1 Red Rose: 310 lb-ft
4.0L Mk1 S (pre-2003): 310 lb-ft
4.0L Mk1 S (post-2003): 315 lb-ft
4.0L Mk2 (post-2005): 310 lb-ft
4.0L Mk2 S (post-2005): 315 lb-ft
4.0L Mk2 Convertible (post-2005): 310 lb-ft
4.0L Mk2 Convertible Red Rose (post-2005): 310 lb-ft
4.2L Mk2 T440R (2003): 350 lb-ft
Weight: 1100 kg
Transmission: Borg Warner T5 5-speed manual
Drivetrain: Front-engine, rear wheel drive
Body Style: 2 door targa top/convertible
Engines: 3.6L I6, 4.0L I6, 4.2L I6
Power:
3.6L Mk1: 350 hp
4.0L Mk1: 360 hp
4.0L Mk1 Red Rose: 380 hp
4.0L Mk1 S (pre-2003): 390 hp
4.0L Mk1 S (post-2003): 400 hp
4.0L Mk2 (post-2005): 380 hp
4.0L Mk2 S (post-2005): 400 hp
4.0L Mk2 Convertible (post-2005): 360 hp
4.0L Mk2 Convertible Red Rose (post-2005)
4.2L Mk2 T440R (2003): 440 hp
Torque:
3.6L Mk1: 290 lb-ft
4.0L Mk1: 310 lb-ft
4.0L Mk1 Red Rose: 310 lb-ft
4.0L Mk1 S (pre-2003): 310 lb-ft
4.0L Mk1 S (post-2003): 315 lb-ft
4.0L Mk2 (post-2005): 310 lb-ft
4.0L Mk2 S (post-2005): 315 lb-ft
4.0L Mk2 Convertible (post-2005): 310 lb-ft
4.0L Mk2 Convertible Red Rose (post-2005): 310 lb-ft
4.2L Mk2 T440R (2003): 350 lb-ft
Weight: 1100 kg
Transmission: Borg Warner T5 5-speed manual
Drivetrain: Front-engine, rear wheel drive
The TVR Tuscan Speed Six is in essence a convertible in which two people and their luggage could go on holiday for a month with creature comforts like air conditioning and power steering but without the car weighing much more than 1000kg. It has TVR's own straight six engine and has a novel roof design whereby, despite looking like a fixed head coupe, it is able to stow its roof and rear window in the boot, while still leaving room for luggage. No computers have been used in the styling of the car and TVR's team of stylists, led by Damien McTaggert but with the close involvement of Chairman Peter Wheeler, 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.
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 styling of the car has been very much influenced by the fact that it has a straight six mounted between the front wheels and it is this engine which is the heart of the car. Straight sixes have somewhat gone out of fashion because they cannot be mounted transversely, be it in the front, middle or back of the car. However, TVR's adherence to the true course of sportscar manufacture, i.e. mounting the engines in the front to drive the rear wheels, makes it possible to use this most classic of sportscar engines. However, while one eye has been on the past in terms of the tradition of the layout, the other has been resolutely forward as the engine is very much up to date. Gruelling tests over the last three and a half years have shown its performance and reliability in Tuscan prototypes as well as the Cerbera Speed Six. Furthermore, in its doubled up, twelve cylinder form, the engine has seen competition in the mighty Speed Twelve.
One of the inherent characteristics of a straight six is that it can be perfectly balanced. The all aluminium engine breaks away from the TVR mould in that it has a number of new features. It is the first of TVR's own engines to feature a four valves per cylinder head which gives higher volumetric efficiency at high rpm which helps to give it its sporty nature. Furthermore it has finger followers which allow higher valve accelerations which improve the engine's torque. It also has chain driven twin overhead camshafts for a quiet reliable drive. However, it also features a grade of high quality components and a level of high technology design on a parallel with its eight and twelve cylinder sisters.
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.
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 styling of the car has been very much influenced by the fact that it has a straight six mounted between the front wheels and it is this engine which is the heart of the car. Straight sixes have somewhat gone out of fashion because they cannot be mounted transversely, be it in the front, middle or back of the car. However, TVR's adherence to the true course of sportscar manufacture, i.e. mounting the engines in the front to drive the rear wheels, makes it possible to use this most classic of sportscar engines. However, while one eye has been on the past in terms of the tradition of the layout, the other has been resolutely forward as the engine is very much up to date. Gruelling tests over the last three and a half years have shown its performance and reliability in Tuscan prototypes as well as the Cerbera Speed Six. Furthermore, in its doubled up, twelve cylinder form, the engine has seen competition in the mighty Speed Twelve.
One of the inherent characteristics of a straight six is that it can be perfectly balanced. The all aluminium engine breaks away from the TVR mould in that it has a number of new features. It is the first of TVR's own engines to feature a four valves per cylinder head which gives higher volumetric efficiency at high rpm which helps to give it its sporty nature. Furthermore it has finger followers which allow higher valve accelerations which improve the engine's torque. It also has chain driven twin overhead camshafts for a quiet reliable drive. However, it also features a grade of high quality components and a level of high technology design on a parallel with its eight and twelve cylinder sisters.
