Tuscan - New Suspension Set-Up For Tuscan S Announced

The TVR Tuscan Speed Six went into production early in 2000 and since then TVR have built more than 2,000 of them. While many of them have been delivered to TVR's existing customers, a far larger proportion than ever before were from people who decided to transfer their allegiance away from mass manufacturers. Recently TVR have updated the range with two versions – a 3.6 litre car with the engine that is also used in the Tamora and a 390 bhp 4.0 litre car, which is designated Tuscan S.

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 coupé, 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.

As such, the philosophy behind the styling of the car has been that function and form have been combined and the result has been left on show. Many of the features that make this car extraordinary are there for sound engineering reasons but the simplicity and elegance of their form enhances the overall look of the car. For instance, the unusual bonnet arrangement, whereby the main piece of the bonnet is bolted into the car, is there for the reasons that it is in most racing cars. It is actually lightly stressed and means that one is able to duct the airflow very precisely. Furthermore, it is bolted into place and therefore can be manufactured lighter. One of the notable features of the car is the way that the shutlines run along the top of the car so that if you draw them, you draw the shape of the car. This shows its lines off to the best advantage but also gives a far bigger boot opening to make the roof much easier to stow in the boot.

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 original thinking of TVR's team of engineers and designers has also manifested itself in the instrument binnacle, again manufactured in house by TVR. The advantage of this is that it enables one to link it to the engine management system which, combined with a number of other sensors, results in an extremely comprehensive range of instrumentation being available. Most immediately noticeable is the use of aluminium and brass which is a combination not seen in a car for many decades and which gives a sensation of warmth in the car without using walnut. It is also notable that a revcounter is not among the analogue gauges. This goes against the long-standing trend that in sports cars the revcounter should be to the forefront. However, with today's engine management systems and the far wider rev ranges of modern powerplants, it is no longer necessary to monitor the engine speed all the time. Indeed, nowadays, even in racing applications, road speed is far more important. Yet for those who wish it, the graphical LCD display in the middle of the binnacle displays engine speed with just the two salient digits clearly visible, Formula One style.