TVR S
1st registered October 1987
MOT till start of June (car has completed less than 1500 miles since its last MOT)
Tax till end of July
Engine, Gearbox & Differential
Ford 2.9 BOA 24valve Cosworth V6 Conversion – professionally fitted by Dulford TVR in 2010
Engine rebuilt by Dulford TVR in late 2011 – including BOB Camshafts
6 x Jenvey Individual Throttle Bodies on BOA manifold
ITG Foam Filter
Custom converted exhaust manifolds
Heat wrapped downpipes
Uprated High Pressure and Flow Fuel Pump
Custom Full Exhaust System
Gearbox refurbished by Dulford TVR in 2011
Huge Custom Alloy Radiator and Catch Tank
Pacet Electric Fan
Limited Slip Differential – rebuilt by Dulford TVR in 2009
OMEX 710 Series Standalone Ecu, Loom plug & sensors – fitted by Dulford TVR in 2010 (this is the top of the OMEX Ecu range)
Suspension, Wheels & Brakes
Uprated Springs and Shocks fitted in 2008 by Dulford TVR
Hispec 4 Pot Brake Calipers, mintex pads and Larger Discs in 2008 – fitted by Dulford TVR
Rear Disc Conversion in 2008 – fitted by Dulford TVR
Handbrake mechanism rebuilt in 2008 by Dulford TVR
Steering Rack refurbished in 2008 by Dulford TVR
17” TSW Volcano Alloy Wheels with Gunmetal Centres
Yokohama road legal trackday tyres (less than 1500 miles road use only since new)
Interior
Heavy Duty rear braced Roll Hoop – fitted by Dulford TVR in 2007
Mk1 MX5 Leather seat conversion (these have had the foamectomy mod and are the version that have speakers fitted into the headrests – though these are not currently wired in)
Luke 5 Point FIA Approved Harness – fitted by Dulford TVR with uprated mounts in 2007
Chassis
Full body off chassis restoration by Dulford TVR in 2006/7
this was a full job and included work on the following, plus POR15 and powdercoating.
- outriggers replaced
- front subframe
- rear trailing arms
- bushes replaced
- diff mounts
Misc.
Touch Key Immobiliser
Stereo Wiring & Fusion Speakers in place – though no Headunit included.
Battery relocated to the boot for weight distribution
12v Accessory Socket wired in (they never had one from new)
Description
This example of the TVR S is somewhat different from when it left the factory.
From 2006 to 2012 it was in the care of Dulford TVR who completely restored and modified it for its then owner – it seems that every time it came close to completion its owner then decided to have yet more work done. In fact he only got the car back when Dulford TVR finally closed its doors in mid 2012 when the proprietor decided he could no longer run the company due to long term illness.
During the years Dulford had possession of the car they restored the chassis, fitted an engine conversion, discovered the engine needed a rebuild so completed that including uprated camshafts, then fitted that engine with Jenvey ITB’s, rebuilt the gearbox and lsd differential, uprated the suspension and brakes, changed the interior and fitted harnesses and a heavy duty roll over hoop, totally uprated the cooling system, designed and fitted a custom exhaust (specifically for the 24v engine)
In total Dulford TVR had possession of the car for a whopping 6 years and the owner spent over £16,000 with them !!!!! (obviously including parts as well as labour) – during this time the car did no mileage until it was time to run in the engine in 2012 and was located at Dulford TVR’s workshop.
It is fair to say that this car is probably unique in its modifications and the thoroughness with which they have been completed. Pretty much every part was either rebuilt or replaced with a brand new uprated component.
As can be seen the mechanical condition of this car is second to none.
Bodywork is good with no cracks to the fibreglass
Paintwork is good but is original hence not perfect and there are some marks here and there. The car still even has the original and optional TVR S decals
Original and now quite rare wing mirrors still fitted
The hood is good and does not leak - though it is a little tatty in places
The roof panels are also in good working order, the location tangs are in place (you often find these have snapped off) – though again they are a bit tatty on the corners
The carpets are in average condition, but are perfectly useable. The car did have mats fitted over the carpets, but I removed these as twice they caught under the throttle pedal (a common occurrence according to the Steve Heath TVR S Bible)
In the 6 months ive had the car it has never failed to start, and has always run well.
Bad Points (and other niggles)
no car is ever perfect, not even a brand new car such as a BMW etc, and this car does have a few small issues. (well it is a TVR after all)
Several of the instruments are currently not connected up – 2 of these we think are due to Dulford TVR not having completed everything when they finally closed their doors. These instruments are I. rev counter, ii. speedo and iii. oil pressure gauge (though the oil warning light itself is all connected)
I. The rev counter needs a special lead from OMEX to make it work – this is due to the rev counter itself being an analogue one and the output from the ecu being for an electrical one – this lead is a whopping £15 + vat but unfortunately is on back order from OMEX. I have asked them to contact me when they come into stock and is a 5 min job for me to fit when they do arrive (as I have already located the ecu wire and the rev counter wires that it needs to link up to)
ii. Speedo, this is simply a case of connecting up the cable to the gearbox speedo output, when the car had its last oil change the garage noted it hanging down. The car will need to go on a ramp to do this, and I don’t currently have access to one.
iii. Oil Pressure. This one is my fault, when I was wiring in the stereo loom and investigating the rev counter wiring I inadvertently knocked the wiring to the gauge. I currently haven’t had time to sort it out due to the cold and some health issues
All 3 of these are relatively simple jobs and may well be sorted by the time anyone views the car, that depends on my time and health (and whether the rev counter lead arrives)
The hood and roof panels as stated are in good working order, but do need a little tidying up
As per description above, the paint again isn’t absolutely perfect, but it is original – and is more than totally acceptable on a 25 y r old TVR
A set of very nice black leather one piece MX5 seats are fitted to the car – these are fab and give good support and work very nicely. However they are black whereas the rest of the leather (dash, transmission tunnel and door cards) is grey – I always intended on dyeing the seats grey to match, this can be done for around £50 or so via kits available on ebay.
I just don’t currently have the time or space to do this. (a luxury Cardiff Bay flat certainly isn’t the place)
The current ecu mapping is more of a generic all round BOA map for initial useage (most tuners and ecu companies have basic maps for most engines). It all works great, but in my opinion a remapping session could be of benefit as the car is running well within its capabilities and could easily produce more power with some tweaking of the paremeters.
This isn’t really a fault, but it is something I thought should be mentioned.
Hardtop !!!!!
I also have a custom made hard top available as an extra for the car, that would be ideal for either winter or motorsport use.
The TVR mad people on the forums I use have only ever seen 1 of these hard tops before in the entire 25 years the cars have been available, and as such this is an extremely rare thing.
This hardtop will be offered for sale firstly to the new owner of the car, and if they don’t want it (and only then) it will be advertised for sale on the forums. (I implore you however, please do not enquire about the hardtop alone, as I will NOT sell it until after the car itself has gone)
So why am I selling it ?
Well this is a valid question, and one that I’m sure people will ask.
It was built as a fast road / trackday / hillclimb / Sprint car, this means its very uncompromised. Further to this it’s quite a small car inside.
I am 6’5” and am of “a fairly large build” and I have difficulty getting in and out of the car, especially with the roof on. Once in the car I’m able to drive it ok, but am still very confined although interestingly I have no issues with headroom with the roof on – all this wouldn’t be an issue and is something i’d happily live with, but unfortunately I suffer with a disability known as Fibromyalgia with extremely bad back symptoms as well. This means I find it hard to get comfortable in any car, let alone such a small one and as well as this the hard suspension can aggravate my symptoms. I thought I could overcome and deal with the symptoms for a car I adore, but unfortunately and upsettingly I was wrong.
I love TVR’s and this certainly example hasn’t adversely affect these feelings, on the contrary its cemented my love for them (certainly helps that its been totally 100% reliable) Indeed I will be looking for a Chimaera once i’ve sold this car as I tried one at a recent TVR meeting, and whilst its softer and less focused as a drivers car than the 24v S, a Chimaera will suit me better as it “shouldn’t” aggravate my symptoms too much.
Pictures and Video
A full album of pictures (including one of the underside) can be found here
s253.beta.photobucket.com/user/my_stuff_4sale/library/CosworthTVR?
I’m sorry you cant see much in this, but you can hear the car in this short youtube video
Pricing
This is a tough one
Recently standard S’s in average condition have been selling in the £4500 to 5500 range.
Cars with chassis work etc push the prices towards the higher end.
This example however is mechanically excellent, and has the bonus of extensive and expensive modifications (and well sought after ones at that) as well as having the chassis work already done that older TVR’s so often need. This means any new owner should have no worries about rusty outriggers or tired mechanicals.
The actual modifications are more difficult to price – replacement cost would take the car to extortionate proportions. (that someone spent so much on one vehicle, way way beyond its value is testament to how loved it was). Even secondhand values are impressive – the engine, ecu and throttle bodies alone are worth pushing £3000, and a new owner could quite easily put a standard engine back in for less than £500 and sell on the 24v unit with its accessories listed above massively reducing the cost of buying the car, and still having a fast road or trackday car, although personally I feel that would be a sad thing as this is a very very special car.
As such I'm after what I feel is a very reasonable price, one which is less than some people are asking for standard S’s ones with little or no restoration work done to them. This is with the hope the car will remain as one unit and be used as intended.
That price is £6350
1st registered October 1987
MOT till start of June (car has completed less than 1500 miles since its last MOT)
Tax till end of July
Engine, Gearbox & Differential
Ford 2.9 BOA 24valve Cosworth V6 Conversion – professionally fitted by Dulford TVR in 2010
Engine rebuilt by Dulford TVR in late 2011 – including BOB Camshafts
6 x Jenvey Individual Throttle Bodies on BOA manifold
ITG Foam Filter
Custom converted exhaust manifolds
Heat wrapped downpipes
Uprated High Pressure and Flow Fuel Pump
Custom Full Exhaust System
Gearbox refurbished by Dulford TVR in 2011
Huge Custom Alloy Radiator and Catch Tank
Pacet Electric Fan
Limited Slip Differential – rebuilt by Dulford TVR in 2009
OMEX 710 Series Standalone Ecu, Loom plug & sensors – fitted by Dulford TVR in 2010 (this is the top of the OMEX Ecu range)
Suspension, Wheels & Brakes
Uprated Springs and Shocks fitted in 2008 by Dulford TVR
Hispec 4 Pot Brake Calipers, mintex pads and Larger Discs in 2008 – fitted by Dulford TVR
Rear Disc Conversion in 2008 – fitted by Dulford TVR
Handbrake mechanism rebuilt in 2008 by Dulford TVR
Steering Rack refurbished in 2008 by Dulford TVR
17” TSW Volcano Alloy Wheels with Gunmetal Centres
Yokohama road legal trackday tyres (less than 1500 miles road use only since new)
Interior
Heavy Duty rear braced Roll Hoop – fitted by Dulford TVR in 2007
Mk1 MX5 Leather seat conversion (these have had the foamectomy mod and are the version that have speakers fitted into the headrests – though these are not currently wired in)
Luke 5 Point FIA Approved Harness – fitted by Dulford TVR with uprated mounts in 2007
Chassis
Full body off chassis restoration by Dulford TVR in 2006/7
this was a full job and included work on the following, plus POR15 and powdercoating.
- outriggers replaced
- front subframe
- rear trailing arms
- bushes replaced
- diff mounts
Misc.
Touch Key Immobiliser
Stereo Wiring & Fusion Speakers in place – though no Headunit included.
Battery relocated to the boot for weight distribution
12v Accessory Socket wired in (they never had one from new)
Description
This example of the TVR S is somewhat different from when it left the factory.
From 2006 to 2012 it was in the care of Dulford TVR who completely restored and modified it for its then owner – it seems that every time it came close to completion its owner then decided to have yet more work done. In fact he only got the car back when Dulford TVR finally closed its doors in mid 2012 when the proprietor decided he could no longer run the company due to long term illness.
During the years Dulford had possession of the car they restored the chassis, fitted an engine conversion, discovered the engine needed a rebuild so completed that including uprated camshafts, then fitted that engine with Jenvey ITB’s, rebuilt the gearbox and lsd differential, uprated the suspension and brakes, changed the interior and fitted harnesses and a heavy duty roll over hoop, totally uprated the cooling system, designed and fitted a custom exhaust (specifically for the 24v engine)
In total Dulford TVR had possession of the car for a whopping 6 years and the owner spent over £16,000 with them !!!!! (obviously including parts as well as labour) – during this time the car did no mileage until it was time to run in the engine in 2012 and was located at Dulford TVR’s workshop.
It is fair to say that this car is probably unique in its modifications and the thoroughness with which they have been completed. Pretty much every part was either rebuilt or replaced with a brand new uprated component.
As can be seen the mechanical condition of this car is second to none.
Bodywork is good with no cracks to the fibreglass
Paintwork is good but is original hence not perfect and there are some marks here and there. The car still even has the original and optional TVR S decals
Original and now quite rare wing mirrors still fitted
The hood is good and does not leak - though it is a little tatty in places
The roof panels are also in good working order, the location tangs are in place (you often find these have snapped off) – though again they are a bit tatty on the corners
The carpets are in average condition, but are perfectly useable. The car did have mats fitted over the carpets, but I removed these as twice they caught under the throttle pedal (a common occurrence according to the Steve Heath TVR S Bible)
In the 6 months ive had the car it has never failed to start, and has always run well.
Bad Points (and other niggles)
no car is ever perfect, not even a brand new car such as a BMW etc, and this car does have a few small issues. (well it is a TVR after all)
Several of the instruments are currently not connected up – 2 of these we think are due to Dulford TVR not having completed everything when they finally closed their doors. These instruments are I. rev counter, ii. speedo and iii. oil pressure gauge (though the oil warning light itself is all connected)
I. The rev counter needs a special lead from OMEX to make it work – this is due to the rev counter itself being an analogue one and the output from the ecu being for an electrical one – this lead is a whopping £15 + vat but unfortunately is on back order from OMEX. I have asked them to contact me when they come into stock and is a 5 min job for me to fit when they do arrive (as I have already located the ecu wire and the rev counter wires that it needs to link up to)
ii. Speedo, this is simply a case of connecting up the cable to the gearbox speedo output, when the car had its last oil change the garage noted it hanging down. The car will need to go on a ramp to do this, and I don’t currently have access to one.
iii. Oil Pressure. This one is my fault, when I was wiring in the stereo loom and investigating the rev counter wiring I inadvertently knocked the wiring to the gauge. I currently haven’t had time to sort it out due to the cold and some health issues
All 3 of these are relatively simple jobs and may well be sorted by the time anyone views the car, that depends on my time and health (and whether the rev counter lead arrives)
The hood and roof panels as stated are in good working order, but do need a little tidying up
As per description above, the paint again isn’t absolutely perfect, but it is original – and is more than totally acceptable on a 25 y r old TVR
A set of very nice black leather one piece MX5 seats are fitted to the car – these are fab and give good support and work very nicely. However they are black whereas the rest of the leather (dash, transmission tunnel and door cards) is grey – I always intended on dyeing the seats grey to match, this can be done for around £50 or so via kits available on ebay.
I just don’t currently have the time or space to do this. (a luxury Cardiff Bay flat certainly isn’t the place)
The current ecu mapping is more of a generic all round BOA map for initial useage (most tuners and ecu companies have basic maps for most engines). It all works great, but in my opinion a remapping session could be of benefit as the car is running well within its capabilities and could easily produce more power with some tweaking of the paremeters.
This isn’t really a fault, but it is something I thought should be mentioned.
Hardtop !!!!!
I also have a custom made hard top available as an extra for the car, that would be ideal for either winter or motorsport use.
The TVR mad people on the forums I use have only ever seen 1 of these hard tops before in the entire 25 years the cars have been available, and as such this is an extremely rare thing.
This hardtop will be offered for sale firstly to the new owner of the car, and if they don’t want it (and only then) it will be advertised for sale on the forums. (I implore you however, please do not enquire about the hardtop alone, as I will NOT sell it until after the car itself has gone)
So why am I selling it ?
Well this is a valid question, and one that I’m sure people will ask.
It was built as a fast road / trackday / hillclimb / Sprint car, this means its very uncompromised. Further to this it’s quite a small car inside.
I am 6’5” and am of “a fairly large build” and I have difficulty getting in and out of the car, especially with the roof on. Once in the car I’m able to drive it ok, but am still very confined although interestingly I have no issues with headroom with the roof on – all this wouldn’t be an issue and is something i’d happily live with, but unfortunately I suffer with a disability known as Fibromyalgia with extremely bad back symptoms as well. This means I find it hard to get comfortable in any car, let alone such a small one and as well as this the hard suspension can aggravate my symptoms. I thought I could overcome and deal with the symptoms for a car I adore, but unfortunately and upsettingly I was wrong.
I love TVR’s and this certainly example hasn’t adversely affect these feelings, on the contrary its cemented my love for them (certainly helps that its been totally 100% reliable) Indeed I will be looking for a Chimaera once i’ve sold this car as I tried one at a recent TVR meeting, and whilst its softer and less focused as a drivers car than the 24v S, a Chimaera will suit me better as it “shouldn’t” aggravate my symptoms too much.
Pictures and Video
A full album of pictures (including one of the underside) can be found here
s253.beta.photobucket.com/user/my_stuff_4sale/library/CosworthTVR?
I’m sorry you cant see much in this, but you can hear the car in this short youtube video
Pricing
This is a tough one
Recently standard S’s in average condition have been selling in the £4500 to 5500 range.
Cars with chassis work etc push the prices towards the higher end.
This example however is mechanically excellent, and has the bonus of extensive and expensive modifications (and well sought after ones at that) as well as having the chassis work already done that older TVR’s so often need. This means any new owner should have no worries about rusty outriggers or tired mechanicals.
The actual modifications are more difficult to price – replacement cost would take the car to extortionate proportions. (that someone spent so much on one vehicle, way way beyond its value is testament to how loved it was). Even secondhand values are impressive – the engine, ecu and throttle bodies alone are worth pushing £3000, and a new owner could quite easily put a standard engine back in for less than £500 and sell on the 24v unit with its accessories listed above massively reducing the cost of buying the car, and still having a fast road or trackday car, although personally I feel that would be a sad thing as this is a very very special car.
As such I'm after what I feel is a very reasonable price, one which is less than some people are asking for standard S’s ones with little or no restoration work done to them. This is with the hope the car will remain as one unit and be used as intended.
That price is £6350
