TVR S series: the car that turned TVR around

The TVR S series was the turning point in TVR’s fortunes. Announced at the 1986 British International Motor Show, it was Peter Wheeler’s first major development after buying the company from Martin Lilley, and it took 150 orders before the moulds had even been made.

TVR S series at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the TVR S series.

History of the TVR S series

The S series was announced at the 1986 British International Motor Show and went into production in less than twelve months, with 150 pre-manufacture orders placed at the show before the moulds were made. In total TVR built 2,604 S-series cars, 410 of them V8S models. The design marked a return to a more traditional style, strongly resembling the 1970s M series.

The V6 cars used Ford’s Cologne V6, at 2.8 litres and 160 bhp in the S1 and 2.9 litres and 168 bhp in the S2 to S4. Deliveries of the S began in September 1987, and early cars are often called S1 to distinguish them from later versions. The S2 arrived in 1988 with the 2.9-litre engine, followed by the S3 in 1989 with longer doors, although some late S2s had them too; the S3 also brought a more traditional dashboard with burr walnut veneer. Model names ending in “c” marked cars with a catalytic converter, available only on the S3 and S4, and the S4 was never built without one. Catalysts became standard in Britain in August 1992, on K registrations, with earlier catalysed cars going to export markets with tighter emissions rules.

The V8S arrived in 1991 with a 4.0-litre fuel-injected Rover V8, gas-flowed cylinder heads, a higher-lift camshaft, a compression ratio raised to 10.5:1, a revised manifold, a new engine-management chip and a limited-slip differential, for 240 bhp at 5,250 rpm and 270 lb·ft at 3,000 rpm. Its standard specification included half-hide leather, walnut trim, a mohair hood, OZ alloy wheels, driving lamps, electric windows and electric door mirrors. The V8S can be recognised by the large hump in its bonnet, created for an Italian-specification supercharger but carried over to every car, and by a small vent facing the windscreen where S1 to S3 cars face forward. Its suspension track was slightly wider, and disc brakes were fitted all round. It reached 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and 100 mph in 12.9 seconds. Production ended in 1994.

A special 2-litre V8S was created for Italy, where taxation was based on engine capacity. It used a modified 3.5-litre Rover V8 with a short 40.25 mm stroke, keeping the 88.9 mm bore to give 1,998 cc and an 8.0:1 compression ratio, with Lucas fuel injection and an intercooled Eaton supercharger. Output was 233 PS at 6,200 rpm, with a 232 km/h top speed and 0–100 km/h in 6.5 seconds, plus ventilated front discs and adjustable hydraulic shocks. The TVR Club believes seven were built, and no more than ten.

Design and features

• Back to tradition: a styling link with the 1970s M series.
• Cologne V6: 2.8 and 2.9-litre Ford engines with 160 and 168 bhp.
• V8S: a 4.0-litre Rover V8 with 240 bhp and a distinctive bonnet hump.
• Sales success: 150 orders taken at the launch show alone.

TVR S series versions

• S1 (1987): 2.8-litre V6, now the rarest version.
• S2 (1988): the 2.9-litre engine and a front suspension rework.
• S3 (1989): longer doors and a walnut dashboard.
• S4: built only with a catalytic converter.
• V8S (1991–94): the 240 bhp Rover V8 car, 410 built.
• 2-litre V8S: a supercharged Italian-market special, about seven built.

The S series used an evolution of the M series chassis thinking, and the same frame later appeared under the Griffith. More cars are in the TVR collection.

Sources

• TVR S series, English Wikipedia: models, engines, V8S, Italian 2-litre