The TVR Tuscan Speed Six is a
sports car
A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
which was manufactured by British automobile manufacturer
TVR from 1999 to 2006. The name pays homage to the original
Tuscan which was introduced in 1967.
History
![TVR Tuscan Speed Six IMG 3207](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/TVR_Tuscan_Speed_Six_IMG_3207.jpg)
The Tuscan Speed Six was introduced in 1999 and was available for media demonstration in 2000. The reason being then owner
Peter Wheeler imposing a ban on press reviews of the car. Initially, the Tuscan Speed Six was fitted with the 4.0 litre version of the
TVR Speed Six engine
The TVR Speed Six was the name of a naturally aspirated straight-6 engine manufactured by TVR, and used in several of their cars including the Tuscan, Cerbera, Tamora, T350, Sagaris and Typhon.
The engine's prototypes (referred to as AJ ...
rated at at 7,000 rpm and of torque at 5,250 rpm. Later, a Red Rose pack option raised the power output to bringing with it track focus chassis upgrades as well as an
AP Racing
Brembo S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of automotive brake systems, especially for high-performance cars and motorcycles. Its head office is in Curno, Bergamo, Italy.
History
Brembo was established in Paladina, Italy on January 11, 1961 ...
braking system. The high performance Tuscan S was the top-of-the-line model rated at and had aerodynamic improvements over the base models most notably a rear lip spoiler to improve downforce.
The Tuscan Speed Six underwent a facelift in 2005 and was now called the Tuscan 2. Exterior changes featured a redesigned front grille and headlamps along with more conventional taillamps. Mechanical changes involved revised spring rates, improved steering response and different suspension geometry to make the car easier to drive on public roads. The base models were detuned to and while still retaining the basic weight figure of . The interior was also refreshed and featured a more conventional and ergonomic layout. Production lasted until the closure of TVR in 2006.
Specifications
Engine
Five different
inline-six engine
The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balan ...
options were offered to customers. Four of these were variants of the
naturally aspirated
Naturally may refer to:
;Albums
* ''Naturally!'', an album by Nat Adderley
* ''Naturally'' (Houston Person album)
* ''Naturally'' (J. J. Cale album)
* ''Naturally'' (John Pizzarelli album)
* ''Naturally'' (Sharon Jones album)
* ''Naturally'' ...
4.0 L ''
Speed Six'' fuel fed by
multipoint fuel injection making different amounts of power and torque, depending on the trim level selected. The last was a 3.6 L ''Speed Six'' which produced the same amount of power as the lowest-level 4.0 L engine, although slightly less torque.
*
Bore
Bore or Bores often refer to:
*Boredom
* Drill
Relating to holes
* Boring (manufacturing), a machining process that enlarges a hole
** Bore (engine), the diameter of a cylinder in a piston engine or a steam locomotive
** Bore (wind instruments), ...
x
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
:
:* ;
:*
* Power and torque:
:* 3.6L Mk1: ,
:* 4.0L Mk1: ,
:* 4.0L Mk1 Red Rose: ,
:* 4.0L Mk1 S (pre-2003): at 7,000 rpm at 5,250 rpm
:* 4.0L Mk1 S (post-2003): ,
:* 4.0L Mk2 (post-2005): ,
:* 4.0L Mk2 S (post-2005): ,
:* 4.0L Mk2 Convertible (post-2005): ,
:* 4.0L Mk2 Convertible Red Rose (post-2005): ,
:* 4.2L Mk2 T440R (2003): at 7,600
rpm
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
, at 6,000 rpm.
Chassis
Even though there have been numerous tweaks to the Tuscan's chassis and suspension, the overall size and appearance of the variants remain virtually identical apart from minor aerodynamic aids to the S model in the form of an undertray in the front and a small boot-lid spoiler on the rear.
In October 2005 the "Mk 2" version of the Tuscan was introduced, though in reality this was just a minor facelift. The modifications were restricted to cosmetic changes to the front and rear lights, the
dashboard For business applications, see Dashboard (business).
A dashboard (also called dash, instrument panel (IP), or fascia) is a control panel set within the central console of a vehicle or small aircraft. Usually located directly ahead of the driver ...
, and the spoilers on the S model plus some minor changes to the chassis to improve the handling. At the same time, a new variant a full
soft top
A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers.
A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...
was introduced alongside the original
targa
Targa or TARGA may refer to:
Car racing events
*Targa Adelaide, in Australia
*Targa Canada West, in British Columbia
*Targa Florio, in Sicily, Italy, 1906–1977
*Targa Florio Rally, in Sicily, Italy, from 1978
*Targa High Country, in Victoria, A ...
version.
Performance
* 0–30 mph (48 km/h): 1.72 s
* 0–60 mph (97 km/h): 3.68 s
* 0–100 mph (161 km/h): 8.08 s
* 100–0 mph: 4.15 s
![2001 TVR Tuscan T400R 4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/2001_TVR_Tuscan_T400R_4.0_Front.jpg)
These test results were achieved in a post-2003 Tuscan S without
traction-control or
anti-lock brakes
An anti-lock braking system (ABS) is a safety anti-skid braking system used on aircraft and on land vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. ABS operates by preventing the wheels from locking up during braking, thereby maintainin ...
. TVR's design philosophy holds that such features do not improve either the performance or safety of their vehicles and thus they are not so equipped. TVR rejects the notion that these features, along with
airbag
An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate extremely quickly, then quickly deflate during a collision. It consists of the airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. Th ...
s, are "safety devices" and believes that, based on testing and experience, their cars are safer without these things than with them.
A modified version of the car was used in the
2003 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 71st 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: 71e 24 Heures du Mans, link=no) was a non-championship 24-hour automobile endurance race held for Le Mans Prototype and Grand Touring cars from 14 to 15 June 2003 at the Circuit de la Sarthe close to Le ...
, and again the following year.
References
External links
Official TVR website
{{TVR road car timeline
Tuscan
Sports cars
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Coupés
Cars introduced in 1999
2000s cars
24 Hours of Le Mans race cars