These things don’t often end well.
We once pitched a new 266bhp Peugeot RCZ R against a used 503bhp Jaguar XKR – both worth about £30,000 at the time – and the Peugeot came away with a very bloody nose. It was a good car, but simply not good enough against Jaguar's bristling super-coupé. Goliath flattened David and his little sling.
This time, our plucky underdog is the Subaru BRZ – the modestly powered but endlessly exploitable compact coupé. Its opponent streaks in from left field in a cloud of combustive noise: it’s one of Peter-Wheeler-era TVR’s finest, the Tamora-derived T350t (the wee ‘t’ denoting a targa-style top, as opposed to the T350c coupé). Fewer than 500 T350s were built,
Their interiors give the biggest clue to their original RRPs: the TVR cost twice as much new. What isn’t high-quality leather is Alcantara – there’s even hide on the standard-fit roll cage – and surprise and delight are both delivered by the mostly unlabelled aluminium switchgear. Push this, turn that, watch the multi-coloured LEDs light up. It’s a joy. The seats have been reupholstered, but the sterling condition of the entire cabin belies the odometer’s 58,000 miles.
The Subaru’s seats are leather and Alcantara, too, and of decent quality, but the rest is a medley of unattractive plastics – some softish but mostly brittle-feeling. The rock-hard, perforated leather-effect door inserts are a particular lowlight, while the mismatched switches range from rudimentary to passable. It’s best to accept these economies and console yourself that fancier finishes would add weight. The BRZ’s boot is smaller than the T350’s fairly generous, glass-hatched space, but you can drop the Subaru’s one-piece rear seatback panel for extra room.
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bullocks
The TVR has far more charisma?
You gotta be kidding. Not in my book Mr. Richard Webber.
I think your British ego is running amuck.
A mate of mine has a TVR T350 rotting away on his driveway.
He has had the car from new. I should probably tell him it's still worth quite a bit...
(Can plastic cars "rot"?)
Having lived with a new
Having lived with a new Cerbera around 15 years ago,i know what a wonderful thing a TVR can be, and they dont need ear plugs unless some idiot has fitted a daft exhaust. It was great to drive and live with, but expect to spend as much looking after a TVR as the Subaru will lose in value. The truth today is that the TVR is a fantastic weekend toy, the Subaru, a very enjoyable daily driver. Dont buy a TVR if you dont have many thousands sitting in the bank to fix it, but if you do, you will love it if you have any petrol in your blood.