TVR Tuscan Challenge 'Racer'

Our TVR

This yellow TVR Tuscan Racer is no longer in our ownership, although it was fabulous while it was.

If you wish to hire a Rover V8 powered car then please enquire about our Griffith.

The Tuscan Racer car was originally built in 1989 and took part in the TVR Tuscan Challenge racing championship before being converted to 'road legal' in 1998.

It has a 4.5 ltr dry sump Rover V8 with quad carbs under the bonnet. We put the car on the dyno after we bought it and the outputs were measured as 413 bhp and 309 lb/ft torque at 7,000 revs.

As the car weighs around a ton, the power to weight ratio is in excess of 400 bhp per ton (compared to, say, an Aston Martin V12 Vantage at 308 bhp/ton).

Inside the car has two Sparco seats (with the driver seat adjustable for leg length) with Luke harnesses to strap yourself in tight. The cockpit is best described as functional, with it's racing history being quite evident.

The car sits on 18" spiders and the suspension is optimized for both track and road use, although still very much on the firm side.

The bodywork isn't bad for an ex-racing car, again it's very much an authentic part of this car's character - you can imagine the swapping of paintwork that went on whilst lapping on the limit alongside other Tuscan Racers.

TVR Tuscan Racer Driving Experience

This former race car has been converted to a 2 seater and is a very potent RHD, rear wheel drive sports car with a 5 speed manual gearbox.

The Sparco bucket seats are a snug fit for holding you in place and the driver's seat does move backwards or forwards to suit the driver's size. The pedals are set close together, so narrow footwear is required.

Due to the race-engineered nature of the car, performance is exhilarating to say the least. Obviously, due care and attention is required if driving 'spiritedly' especially when the track is wet or damp.

The car has an optional hard top but no windows or heater (although the proximity of the engine can be warm) - so you would need to wrap up warm if taking it out when the weather is still fresh.

As with other TVR models, the Racer has no power steering or other driver aids or air bags.

There are disc brakes all round, but no ABS. Therefore care is needed to ensure proper braking distances are allowed for, especially (as before) when wet or damp on the track.

The Tuscan Racer is a unique driving experience - taking a proper race prepared car out on the track is a must for the real enthusiast.

TVR Tuscan Challenge History

The TVR Tuscan Challenge was a one-make series devised by TVR to promote it's racing credentials and market the brand to a wider audience via extensive TV coverage.

The Tuscan car was developed specifically to race in this series and the for the first season in 1989 entrants were charged only £16,000 plus VAT provided they committed to at least 6 of the 12 rounds scheduled for the season.

TVR boss Peter Wheeler 'persuaded' all the TVR dealers to either enter or sponsor a car, so there was a full grid of cars and some very exciting racing

The cars themselves were originally to be developed from the 'S' chassis but the power output from the tuned Rover V8 engines meant that a completely new chassis had to be developed.

In those early years the factory was not only turning out the last of the wedges and the 'S' models but also busy designing the new Griffith and Chimaera models. As a result, despite promises, no road going cars were ever made by TVR.

The Challenge racing was a big success with many well known drivers competing throughout it's history, wrestling with up to 550 bhp per tonne as the car was developed further with TVR's own AJP8 engine.

The racing continues today with three classes of car now included to extend the racing to other TVR models and provide a level playing field amongst like cars.

Visit the Official Championship site.

See some Challenge racing at amgtv and follow the Tuscan Challenge from a driver's point of view at Furious-TVR-Momentum.