In 1967 a new British sportscar company was launched and created headlines due to it being based in the seaside holiday resort of Blackpool, a town usually associated with a ballroom, a very tall tower and donkey rides along the beach.
However, the cars that emerged from the TVR factory soon became a byword for power and performance as personified by the TVR Tuscan V8, a compact car that was powered by a 271bhp, 4.7-litre V8 Ford Mustang Windsor engine. With its lightweight fibreglass bodywork and a very short wheelbase, it was not for the fainthearted or inexperienced driver; it was a brave owner who checked out its claimed top speed of 155mph. It was created mainly for the American market where a V8 was almost essential and during its three-year production life a total of 73 Tuscans were built with a handful made in right-hand drive for the home market. The photograph shows one such Tuscan V8 in action at the Brighton Speed Trials in 1976. Sprints were the ideal event for the car since it was only required to travel in a straight line – but even that required some serious car control. The other problem was getting it off the start line since wheelspin almost always won out over tyre grip due to a surfeit of power. But it created a spectacular sight and sound for the spectators behind the hay bales and the TVR company went on to create some seriously quick automobiles for the true enthusiast for several decades.
From the book ‘Moments in Motorsport’ by Trevor Legate
