The ever-active TVR Engineering took centre stage at this month’s Earl’s Court MPH ’03 live action show with the launch of not one, but two dramatic new sports cars.
Leading the charge is the Sagaris (main picture). Sharing the same chassis as the T350, Tuscan and Tamora, and with its silhouette loosely based on that of the T350, the Sagaris is aimed at buyers looking for a more aggressive TVR – hence a name derived from the ancient Greek for war axe.
‘It’s not a racing car for the road, but it is the first time we have designed a car with the fact that there will be racing versions in mind,’ said a TVR spokesman. ‘It will be more sporting in nature than the T350 – we need the wider track for the racer – but it also helps the handling and stability of the road car and gives it an incredibly purposeful stance.’
The design team, led by Graham Browne, has integrated a variety of aerodynamic aids, with a Gurney-type rear spoiler, a substantial front splitter, vents in the top of the wheelarches to ease pressure around the front wheels, and side-exiting Tuscan-style carbonfibre exhausts to keep the rear diffuser clean.
There’s also a roof blister to accommodate tall drivers with crash helmets. The Sagaris will hit the track with a new class in the Tuscan Challenge, which will be renamed the TVR Challenge, as well as various GT racing categories.
Power comes from the same 400bhp straight-six as the Tuscan S, and both cars share a £49,995 price tag. Two-year warranty, CD player, power steering, limited-slip differential and gas-discharge headlamps are standard.
Weight is kept down by eschewing standard air-con and employing lightweight cross-woven Vinylester bodywork, which saves 50-60kg over the usual glassfibre.
TVR projects a top speed of around 195mph and 0-60mph in under 4.0sec, while inside there’s a modified version of the T350’s cabin featuring hide and polished carbonfibre trim.
Meanwhile, the second new TVR is also the Blackpool marque’s first supercharged model. The Typhon (pictured right) is the fastest TVR since the ill-fated Speed 12. The Typhon comes from the same mould as the T400 R and T440 R, but the new car’s ubiquitous 4.0-litre TVR straight-six features a centrifugal crank-driven supercharger with twin intercoolers to yield a massive 500bhp.
With a power-to-weight ratio to match the McLaren F1’s 550bhp per tonne, performance should be earth-shattering: insiders predict a top speed of well over 200mph with 60mph taking around 3.4sec.
The Typhon will be priced at £79,995, and both cars go on sale in the spring.
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