May I present to you...the only legal way to own a TVR in the United States!
This, for those of you who have not seen it, is the Widow SPR1, a sports car kit based on an NA Miata (Next add-on for Phil, Alex?). The one in the picture has a Lexus V8 (1UZ if their website serves me right), and therefore has some power to go with its sharp looks. Now, a couple things:
1) YES, its design was inspired by the TVR Tuscan Speed Six and Sagaris. That much is obvious.
2) NO, that doesn’t make me want one any less. Presently, the only TVRs one can legally own here in the United States are 1993 and older (as TVR sold cars here until about 1993), which excludes any and all of the currently desirable models, including my favorite, the Sagaris.
The kit costs $7,000 before shipping to the US. I figure with a nicely upgraded interior, full suspension, tuned 1UZ or LS3 (~400hp), upgraded rear end and transmission, nice sticky tires and lightweight wheels, you’re looking at ~$50k after paint and bodywork. If you were to do all of this, I’d essentially have the US-spec equivalent of a TVR, and I’d be tickled pink, because I love TVRs!
CTzens, thoughts? Would you own an SPR1??
Comments
I’d rather move and have the real deal, personally. Does it have traction control/power steering/ ABS/other unnecessary safety features? Then it isn’t as maaaaaaad as a TVR, and then, it’s just an engine and a bodykit.
Well like all kit cars, they are what you make them - it’s all down to the time and attention of the builder. When I build mine (and I will), it’ll have all the TVR checkboxes - no ABS, no TCS, no PS, and no airbags (early ‘90s Miatas didn’t have any airbags, so no problems when I have my inspections). As for ‘moving and having the real deal’, that sounds great in theory, but when your family, friends, business, and music following are all here in the ‘States, it makes little sense to up and move 3,500 miles across the Atlantic, JUST to pay 40,000 pounds for a car that I could build for a little bit less, AND it would still be LHD. But, I’ll give you this - you can’t shoehorn a Speed Six motor into a Miata, and that, I’ll miss.
nothing in america can compair to a TVR, the closest you can get to a TVR is a dodge viper but the viper is just not as good, i´ve driven both the viper just seems a bit to safe
Out of curiosity, which generation Viper/which TVR did you drive? That’ll play a lot into it, as I know while the Viper is big and heavy, it has gotten progressively better and better with age, as have ALL TVRs. And strange you should say the Viper seems safe - that’s about the opposite of what I hear from everyone else!
Ive driven a 94viper and a 06 and i own a tvr chimaera with a cerbera engine
When you downshift a tvr and step on it its going to spin the wheels so you better be ready, the viper doesnt ig just matches the revs atleast the 06 does the otherone is just not that fast, huge engine no doubt but where does the power go?