TVR 390SE

TVR
	TVR 390SE
390SE
Sales designation:	390SE
Production period:	1984-1986
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Roadster
Engines:	Otto engine : ; 3.9 liters (202 kW)
Length:	4013 mm
Width:	1728 mm
Height:	1205 mm
Wheelbase :	2387 mm
Empty weight :	953-1130 kg
successor	TVR 400SE

The TVR 390SE is an open sports car that was built by TVR in Blackpool ( England ) from 1984 to 1988 . It belongs to the TVR wedge family and is based on the TVR 350i . Its successor is the very similarly designed 400SE , which has a slightly larger engine.

History of origin

1979 TVR introduced as the successor to the successful M-series , the Wedge , a family which (English its unofficial model designation of the wedge shape of their body Wedge ) derived. The only model was initially the Tasmin 280i with a 2.8 liter six-cylinder V-engine from Ford (Cologne). It replaced the previous 3000M. In search of more powerful variants, TVR began developing a turbo version of the Tasmin 280i under the direction of Martin Lilley. Peter Wheeler , owner of TVR from 1982, gave up the Tasmin Turbo early on after two prototypes had been created. Instead, the 350i with an eight-cylinder Rover engine was built above the Tasmin / 280i . With an output of 147 kW (200 hp), the 350i in the roadster version reached a top speed of 219 km / h. On this basis, TVR developed the even more powerful 390SE, which was the first in a series of highly developed special versions of so-called Big Bad Wedges (big bad ways ). The term SE stands for Special Equipment . In 1986 a version with the designation 420SE, enlarged to 4.2 liters, appeared, of which only individual pieces were created.

Model description

The TVR 390i was introduced in October 1984. It has an enlarged rover engine with significantly more power. The development work was carried out by rover tuner Andy Rouse, who had worked for Broadspeed in the 1970s and was involved in the development of the TVR 3000M Turbo. A bore that was enlarged from 88.9 to 93.5 mm (with the same stroke of 71.1 mm) increased its displacement to 3905 cm³. The compression has been increased from 9.75: 1 to 10.5: 1. Together with a few other changes, such as modified cylinder heads with better gas flow, this led to an increase in engine output to 202 kW (275 hp). Andy Rouse made the first 30 engines for the 390SE; then the rival company NCK (North Coventry Kawasaki) received the manufacturing and further development order from Chris Schiele. To cope with the extra power, got the car stronger couplings, a Torsen limited-slip differential , instead of used in the 350i Jaguar - differential and 15-inch wheels with wider tires of Yokohama . The styling of the cars has also been revised; they got a deeper front spoiler and an underbody paneling in the rear. TVR later adopted these changes for the volume models 280i and 350i. In 1985 a series 2 appeared , the most noticeable difference to series 1 being the rounder nose.

The top speed of the 390i was 232 km / h; the car accelerated from 0 to 100 km / h in 5.7 seconds. It exceeded the acceleration values of a Ferrari 308 .

Prices and Production

The TVR marketed the more powerful engine as an option on the 350i. The surcharge on the regular 350i was £ 4,260, bringing the total to the 390i for £ 19,700.

Around 100 vehicles of the 390SE were built between 1984 and 1988. Some sources state that the combined production volume of the 390SE and 420SE was 103 units.

400SE

TVR 400 SE

In 1988 the TVR 400SE replaced the 390SE. It was similar to its predecessor technically and externally. However, the front section was now "a little smoothed": The front bumpers went flush with the front fenders. By slightly increasing the bore, the displacement increased to 3948 cm³. The engine performance did not change as a result; TVR also gave 202 kW (275 PS). The 400SE was the only version of the Wegde series that was sold until 1991; all other variants had already been discontinued in the previous year. By 1991, 242 copies of the 400SE had been built. The 400SE cost £ 24,995 when it was launched; it was £ 9,500 more expensive than TVR's entry-level S2 .

Technical specifications

engine

Engine: Rover V8 tuned by TVR
Displacement: 3905 cm³
Power: 275 bhp (202 kW)
Torque: 366 Nm

transmission

Gearbox: five-speed gearbox ( Borg-Warner T5)

Chassis, chassis and body

Chassis: tubular space frame
Chassis: double wishbone axle front and rear, steering with pinion and rack , hydraulically operated disc brakes on all wheels
Body: glass fiber reinforced plastic (GRP)

Performance

Acceleration, 0–100 km / h: 5.6 s.
Top speed: 230 km / h

mass and weight

Length: 4013 mm
Width: 1728 mm
Height: 1205 mm
Wheelbase: 2387 mm
Empty weight: 953–1130 kg

literature

Giles Chapman: TVR 390SE. In: Motorsport Magazine. Issue 5/1985, p. 80 ff.
Alastair Clements: Blackpool Peers. In: Classic & Sports Car. Issue, history of the TVR brand in 1/2007.
David Culshaw, Peter Horrobin: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895-1975. Veloce Publishing, Dorchester 1997, ISBN 1-874105-93-6 .
Ralph Dodds: TVR. Cars Of The Peter Wheeler Era. The Crowood Press, Ramsbury 2015, ISBN 978-1-84797-997-1 .
John Tipler: TVR. Sutton Publishing, Strout 1998, ISBN 0-7509-1766-0 .
Matthew Vale: TVR 1946-1982. The Trevor Wilkinson and Martin Lilley Years. The Crowood Press, Ramsbury 2017, ISBN 978-1-78500-351-6 .
Oliver Winterbottom: A Life in Car Design: Jaguar, Lotus, TVR. Veloce Publishing, 2017, ISBN 978-1-78711-035-9 .

Web links

Commons : TVR 390SE - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Overview of the TVR Wedges on the website of the TVR Car Club Deutschland eV

Individual evidence

↑ Ralph Dodds: TVR. Cars Of The Peter Wheeler Era. The Crowood Press, Ramsbury 2015, ISBN 978-1-84797-997-1 , p. 28.
↑ ^a ^b ^c Giles Chapman: TVR 390SE . In: Motorsport Magazine. Issue 5/1985, p. 80 ff.
↑ Ralph Dodds: TVR. Cars Of The Peter Wheeler Era. The Crowood Press, Ramsbury 2015, ISBN 978-1-84797-997-1 , pp. 43 f.
↑ Ralph Dodds: TVR. Cars Of The Peter Wheeler Era. The Crowood Press, Ramsbury 2015, ISBN 978-1-84797-997-1 , p. 49.
^ John Tipler: TVR. Sutton Publishing, Strout 1998, ISBN 0-7509-1766-0 , p. 96.
^ John Tipler: TVR. Sutton Publishing, Strout 1998, ISBN 0-7509-1766-0 , p. 98.
^ Rainer W. Schlegelmilch, Hartmut Lehbrink: English sports car . Könemann, Cologne 2001, ISBN 3-8290-7449-2 , p. 399.
↑ The TVR Wedges on the website of the TVR Car Club Deutschland (accessed on March 31, 2019).
^ John Tipler: TVR. Sutton Publishing, Strout 1998, ISBN 0-7509-1766-0 , p. 97.
^ Matthew Vale: TVR 1946-1982. The Trevor Wilkinson and Martin Lilley Years. The Crowood Press, Ramsbury 2017, ISBN 978-1-78500-351-6 , p. 58.

[1] Ralph Dodds: TVR. Cars Of The Peter Wheeler Era. The Crowood Press, Ramsbury 2015, ISBN 978-1-84797-997-1 , p. 28.

[Giles-2] Giles Chapman: TVR 390SE . In: Motorsport Magazine. Issue 5/1985, p. 80 ff.

[3] Ralph Dodds: TVR. Cars Of The Peter Wheeler Era. The Crowood Press, Ramsbury 2015, ISBN 978-1-84797-997-1 , pp. 43 f.

[4] Ralph Dodds: TVR. Cars Of The Peter Wheeler Era. The Crowood Press, Ramsbury 2015, ISBN 978-1-84797-997-1 , p. 49.

[Tipler_96-5] John Tipler: TVR. Sutton Publishing, Strout 1998, ISBN 0-7509-1766-0 , p. 96.

[Tipler_98-6] John Tipler: TVR. Sutton Publishing, Strout 1998, ISBN 0-7509-1766-0 , p. 98.

[7] Rainer W. Schlegelmilch, Hartmut Lehbrink: English sports car . Könemann, Cologne 2001, ISBN 3-8290-7449-2 , p. 399.

[Club_D-8] The TVR Wedges on the website of the TVR Car Club Deutschland (accessed on March 31, 2019).

[9] John Tipler: TVR. Sutton Publishing, Strout 1998, ISBN 0-7509-1766-0 , p. 97.

[10] Matthew Vale: TVR 1946-1982. The Trevor Wilkinson and Martin Lilley Years. The Crowood Press, Ramsbury 2017, ISBN 978-1-78500-351-6 , p. 58.