The TVR T440R was one half of a naming puzzle. In 2002, Le Mans rules required two models from the TuscanR project, so the red car became the T400R with a 4.0-litre six and the Fleetwood Brown car became the T440R with a 4.2-litre Speed Six.
TVR T440R at a glance
| Maker | TVR, Blackpool |
|---|---|
| Origin | the TuscanR (T400R) project started in the late 1990s |
| Renamed | 2002, to meet Le Mans FIA rules |
| Engine | 4.2 L TVR Speed Six, straight six |
| Price | £74,995, against £71,995 for the T400R |
| Chassis | steel tubular frame with a full roll cage and carbon fibre monocoque |
| Layout | two-seater, later announced as 2+2 |
| Fuel tank | 51 litres at first, 70 litres for delivered cars |
| Customer car | YC53GBW, registered and delivered in 2003 |
| Badge dropped | 2005, when TVR was sold |
The T440R is described in the English Wikipedia article on the Typhon; this page covers the T440R part of that story.
History of the TVR T440R
In the late 1990s Peter Wheeler began the project that he hoped would take TVR to Le Mans. The car would need modern composites, more rigidity than any previous TVR and a shape stable at 200 mph on the Mulsanne Straight. It started as the TuscanR, also called the T400R after the Tuscan racers it was meant to replace: a two-seater composite race and road car. One road prototype was built in 2001 and shown in purple and silver before being cut up, and its rear lights differed from those of later cars.
Between 2000 and 2004 TVR built seven race cars and six or seven road cars. The road cars had no standard interior, since each was specified by its customer. Shortly after the two homologation cars were built, FIA rules for Le Mans required two models, so in 2002 the red car was rebranded T400R and the Fleetwood Brown car T440R, the latter with a 4.2-litre straight six instead of a 4.0 and named for its proposed output. They were priced at £71,995 and £74,995. The road project offered either a two-seater with a long-range race tank or a 2+2 with a 51-litre tank.
When TVR delivered the first, and only, T440 customer car it announced that all cars would be 2+2 with the longer 70-litre tank, and that the monocoque had been altered for better side-impact protection. At the same time TVR announced the Typhon, late in 2003 briefly called the T550R, a supercharged 4.0-litre T440 with larger brakes and an optional sequential gearbox. The T400R badge was dropped because the Typhon kept the two-model line-up the FIA required. The red T400R appeared briefly with a T440R badge before being restyled in De Walt colours as a Le Mans promotional vehicle, and it is owned by Richard Stanton. The T440R, registered YC53GBW in 2003, was the only customer car delivered. When Peter Wheeler sold TVR in 2005, development of the race cars, the T440 and the Typhon stopped, and the T440R badge was dropped, leaving the Typhon name to cover both naturally aspirated and supercharged cars.
Design and features
- Carbon monocoque: a steel tubular frame with a full roll cage inside a carbon fibre structure.
- 4.2-litre Speed Six: the larger engine that separated it from the T400R.
- Race-derived shape: designed and aero-tested for 200 mph stability.
- Rarity: a single customer car, YC53GBW.
TVR T440R versions
- 2001 TuscanR prototype: the purple and silver road car, later scrapped.
- T400R (2002): the 4.0-litre homologation car at £71,995.
- T440R (2002): the 4.2-litre car at £74,995.
- Typhon (2003): the supercharged 4.0-litre development.
The T440R led directly to the Typhon, and it shares its Speed Six engine family with the Tuscan. More cars are in the TVR collection.
Video: TVR T440R driven by Martin Brundle
Video by Papipt on YouTube.
Sources
- TVR Typhon, English Wikipedia: TuscanR project, renaming, T440R delivery, prices
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