>Date: Thu, 19 May 1994 08:42:40 -0600 (CST)
>From: Tom.Beatty@usask.ca
>Subject: Was GT6, could be TVR!!!! Help!
>Well, in my seemingly endless search for a decent GT6 I stumbled across
>a 1974 TVR Vixen 54,000 miles. Believe it or not, it actually is here in
>Saskatoon. (pretty sure it is the only one in town, and if it is the one I
>have seen, I MUST HAVE IT).
>I would just love to have a TVR, the problem is that I am having a hard time
>convincing the wife that I need to spend 2 to 3,000 $ on a GT6, how could I
>possibly convince her to let me spend just over twice that on a TVR?
>I could put the money together, things would be tight for a while but who
cares.
>Well, the guy is asking $8800 for the car. I plan to go see it this weekend.
>While I have always loved TVR's I know little about them. Is this a reasonable
>price for a 1974? What should I pay particularly close attention too with
TVR's.
>Do they have any major trouble spots? I would really appreciate any input
>on these cars. (It wouldn't hurt if you could give me some tips on how to
>convince my wife its a good idea and that I could not possibly live without it)
>Thanks
>Tom "I could be divorced by the weekend" Beatty
Tom:
IMHO TVRs are wonderful cars, especially if you're after track-car type
performance and dynamics, similar to, though not as refined as, the Lotuses.
They also hold, for some, the added benefit of being very rare. Of all the
TVRs, the Kent-engined Vixen cars are very desirable for their tremendous
handling balance.
I have some questions though about what it is you've found. The Vixen we know
and love went through a number of series, ending in the series IV in the early
seventies. As far as I know, these were never imported into North America,
though at least one found its way over here and now appears in a Vixen
registry. There may, of course, be others, but without double-checking the
numbers, there were only a handful of these produced as the M-series quickly
took over production efforts in Blackpool. The series III production was
completed by '71 or '72, then, along with the series IV, there were a few
hybrid types produced from mixing and matching bits between the newer M-series
and older Vixens as TVR was trying to use up stuff it had lying around. These
hybrids are also rare. M-series production started up and was in full swing by
'73 or '74.
Here're some things to look for, and see these descriptions fit what you've
found. Besides the body with its abruptly truncated rear, or Manx-tail, Ford
Cortina tail lights, lightweight Plexiglas rear windshield, and tiny aluminum
whisker bumpers, the things to check to see where it stands in the line are
does it use round tubing or square tubing in its space-frame backbone chassis?
Does it use a Cortina crossflow engine complete with factory headers? Does the
engine mate up to the ubiquitous Ford four-speed transmission?
If the car has a TR6/gearbox/differential/etc., and either square or round
tubing, it could be one of the Vixen/M hybrids or it could even be an M. In
this period for TVRs, this car could be a number of things.
I might be able to help your marriage as far as the price of the car. It's too
high. Way too high. TVRs are extraordinary cars, but they, like many of the
Lotus road cars, aren't outrageously pricey. Which is either a good thing or a
bad thing depending on your perspective. If you want to own an extraordinary
performance car, they're affordable. If you want to make a killing on
speculating in TVRs, this isn't a good idea. A near 100-point Vixen shouldn't
run more than $6K US, and typically they are much less than this. I bought my
'76 TVR 2500M two years ago from the original owner with 6k original miles for
less than the asking price of the Vixen in question (all right, so I got a good
deal).
I'd be glad to chat with you about the Vixen if you'd like. Either send me a
memo or give me a call any time this weekend.
- Steven Jackson
Steven_Jackson@Lotus.com
hme: (617)646-5323
wrk: (617)693-8386
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