TVR T440R: Blackpool’s 200mph road-racer

By Simon Hucknall

| 16 Apr 2024

Classic & Sports Car – TVR T440R: Blackpool’s 200mph road-racer

Ambition and optimism.

The latter is a vital ingredient of the former, and in the low-volume car business both need to be in bountiful supply.

Yet it’s important not to overdose on either: just ask any start-up with a ‘groundbreaking’ 200mph-plus concept that never evolved beyond just that, after boring – but essential – realities such as type approval, manufacturing and warranties presented themselves.

And the need for money; lots of it.

The TVR T440R’s swooping, leather-wrapped interior has been carefully recreated

Which is why it’s remarkable that the car we’re in today – a TVR T440R – existed at all.

Sure, TVR was no fledgling brand, but, even so, launching a car that was practically bespoke from the ground up, and capable of 215mph, was still an envelope-pushing programme for its small, budget-stifled development team.

Added to which, almost all of this wünder-car’s componentry – engine, chassis, body, trim – was homespun at the Bristol Avenue plant in Blackpool.

The sensational shape of the TVR T440R screams the hot Tuscan’s intent

And even at the start of this century, its £75,000 price-tag was by far the cheapest way to the double-ton.

From a company whose profits derived from an annual output rarely exceeding 1000 cars, that was no mean feat.

But Peter Wheeler, TVR’s enigmatic boss, had a vision.

Not since 1962, when a factory-entered Grantura raced at Le Mans (completing three laps before retiring), had TVR considered returning to the 24 Hours.

Starting life as a 400bhp, 4-litre T400R, this car is now up to 4.4 litres and c415bhp to put it nearer to T440R specification

There had been other competition successes in the meantime: Prodsport in the ’70s with the 1600M and 3000M; Steve Cole’s Tasmin winning 21 of 24 750 Motor Club Championship races in 1987 (after which the car was banned, due to TVR not building enough road versions); then the Tuscan series in the ’90s, which contributed so much to raising TVR’s profile, while also being a proving ground for Griffith componentry.

Martin Short’s Cerbera Speed Six assault in British GTs and the FIA GT Championship finished off the century.

Le Mans, though, remained the itch Wheeler needed to scratch, and by 2000 its GT1 class was in his sights.

The TVR T440R was repainted in Candy Apple Ruby Pearl

It helped that TVR was riding the crest of a low-volume sports car wave in the late ’90s and early 2000s, providing the impetus and wherewithal to commit to such a daring race programme.

With the Lotus Esprit in its death throes, a hole was emerging in the market for mid-sized, brawny sports cars with c300bhp.

This left the door wide open for TVR to exploit demand, its Tuscan breathing fresh life into a range that in 1999 comprised the aged Griffith and Chimaera, plus the mighty Cerbera.

‘Push harder on the long-travel throttle and it sounds like a steroid-injected Healey 3000 – guttural, raw and wholesome’

So, it was apt that the Tuscan’s already competition-linked moniker should be used for the road car to homologate Wheeler’s GT1 racer.

Development on the Tuscan R began in 1999 as a collaboration between TVR, with John Ravenscroft as chief designer/engineer, and Short’s Rollcentre Racing, already synonymous with on-track success.

While the homologation model’s styling was clearly relatable to the road cars, everything else was completely bespoke, save its Tuscan-sourced wheels and headlights.

The TVR T440R shares its headlights with the Tuscan

That included a light, ultra-stiff carbonfibre body built around a tubular-steel chassis, and underpinned by an aluminium-honeycomb floorpan.

Suspension was by classic double wishbones all round, with coils and gas-filled dampers, and a single anti-roll bar at the front.

To mix it in the GT1 class on the Mulsanne Straight, the Tuscan R needed a 200mph-plus top speed, hence it being the first TVR to spend extensive time in a wind tunnel.

CAD/CAM technology helped produce an exceptional drag coefficient (for a sports car) of just 0.32.

The TVR’s large, flat rear diffuser is the most obvious sign of the work put in to perfecting the aerodynamics

Truth be told, it was the Tuscan R’s aerodynamic prowess, rather than sheer mechanical grunt, that achieved the claimed headline maximum of 215mph.

Mechanically, the R initially used the 3996cc Speed Six straight-six seen in the Tuscan and smaller-capacity versions of the Cerbera.

Power was upped from 380bhp to 400bhp for the first prototype, delivered to the rear wheels via a five-speed Borg-Warner T5 close-ratio gearbox and a limited-slip diff.

Most of the interior controls are located behind the TVR’s three-spoke steering wheel

It was that prototype, registered Y276 XBV and originally purple, that was unveiled (by then painted silver) at the NEC British Motor Show in 2000 to great fanfare.

But it wasn’t long before the realities of productionising a homologation special began to take hold.

The prototype’s rear lights fell foul of type-approval regulations and, since they formed part of the body’s composite moulding, it was decided to cut up the car and build a new one to present for approval, with a revised rear panel.

The TVR T440R has a wonderfully mechanical-feeling gearshift

In the end, two were built, due to the FIA requiring more than one variant: a 4-litre T400R (PN02 ZNG, pictured here), and a 4.2-litre T440R, later registered PL03 BXY – with the numbers in each name indicating proposed power output.

Customers had the choice of either model in two-seater guise, with a long-range fuel tank, or as a 2+2, with a 51-litre tank.

But with just £3000 splitting their list prices (£71,995 and £74,995), the 4-litre was dropped before any had been sold.

Confusingly, ‘our’ car – complete with earlier 4-litre unit – appeared in TVR’s range brochure representing the more powerful 440.

‘To mix it in the GT1 class on the Mulsanne, the Tuscan R needed a 200mph-plus top speed, hence extensive time spent in the wind tunnel’

As you might imagine, TVR’s PR machine – headed by Ben Samuelson, a devout company disciple and never afraid to court controversy – went into overdrive.

Both cars were soon on TV, with Jeremy Clarkson pirouetting around the Top Gear track in ZNG, and Martin Brundle in BXY at Oulton Park for Fifth Gear.

In the midst of all the hype, two challenges remained.

First, the feasibility of producing 25 customer cars to satisfy FIA homologation.

The T440R’s dramatic shape is peak Wheeler-era TVR

If that was ever Wheeler’s aim, it never materialised, and since photographic evidence was needed, it’s likely that ZNG became multiple Tuscan Rs by dint of a range of different camera angles.

In reality, just two T440Rs were built for paying customers: the first, registered YC53 GBW, was a 2+2 bought by Lawrence Tomlinson, who was then in discussion with Wheeler about buying TVR (he failed, but went on to purchase Ginetta two years later); the second, PL03 EHT, fell into Nikolai Smolenski’s ownership after he did acquire TVR from Wheeler in 2004.

It was just before the company’s sale that the second challenge was also resolved.

Big nostrils allow hot air to escape from the TVR T440R’s 4.4-litre ‘six’

With a new variant needed to replace the obsolete T400R, TVR took the Tuscan R to a whole new level with what became known as the T550R, or Typhon.

Powered by a Vortech-supercharged version of the 4-litre Speed Six, one prototype – AF04 BYZ – was produced, this time sending its near-600bhp to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential ’box.

Alas, with the firm’s sale imminent and further development frozen – not to mention cooling problems associated with the blower installation – the project never got off the ground.

The TVR T440R borrowed wheels and headlamps from the Tuscan – everything else was bespoke for the homologation model

After the dust had settled following Smolenski’s takeover, the Typhon name was retained to cover both models, though the only two production Typhons that emerged from Bristol Avenue had standard Tuscan S engines and five-speed ’boxes.

While Wheeler did achieve his GT1 dream – albeit with limited success (see below) – TVR’s future under new ownership was short-lived.

Which makes this car particularly significant, as both Wheeler’s swansong and the zenith of TVR’s production-car ambitions.

Entry to the TVR T440R is by a button under the door mirror

It’s just as well that, after being stripped of its drivetrain and interior, and used as a replica racing car in sponsor DeWalt’s colours to promote the works GT1 team, PN02 ZNG has since been returned to its former glory.

Initially purchased from the factory by TVR specialist Racing Green, it was sold to current owner Richard Billings in 2008.

Richard stored the car until 2014, after which he entrusted a full recommission to its original factory specification – albeit with a few revisions – to marque guru TVR 101.

Today, this TVR T440R has a freshly built Speed Six engine from Dom Trickett at Powers Performance

Boss Stephen ‘Woody’ Woodrow’s history with TVR tracks back almost three decades, starting with a stint with Team Autoskill, which ran the Tuscan Challenge cars.

He remained in the racing arena, looking after Ferraris for QV Motorsport then establishing his own team, Whitton Motorsport.

TVR 101 was formed in 2014, and restoring Richard’s T440R has clearly been a labour of love for Woody and his team.

The TVR T440R’s sculpted front helps the road-racer achieve a drag coefficient of just 0.32Cd

With no original factory records or drawings available, the biggest challenge was recreating PN02 ZNG’s interior after it had been stripped bare and fitted with bucket seats to resemble the GT1 racer.

The door glass had been replaced with fixed Perspex but, remarkably, Woody found a company in Barcelona that was able to remanufacture them at a modest cost.

The T440R’s elaborate doorcards were remade, using those from a surviving Typhon as a template.

As for the rest of the cabin’s trim, says Woody: “I just kept watching the interior shots of Clarkson driving ZNG on YouTube to get a sense of what it looked like when it was new.”

The TVR T440R has a fastback roofline that allows the option of two-seater or 2+2 configuration

Reintroducing ZNG’s drivetrain into what was effectively a rolling chassis was more straightforward.

Engine work was entrusted to Dom Trickett at Powers Performance, who was responsible for TVR’s engines back in the day.

A decision was made to fully optimise the performance, with a freshly built 4.4-litre Speed Six engine replacing the original 4-litre.

The unit was tuned to be more road-friendly and now produces a dyno-supported 415bhp at 6000rpm and 385lb ft of torque, versus the factory’s 2002 claims of 440bhp at 7400rpm and 350lb ft.

The TVR T440R’s rose-jointed suspension is put to work on broken South Downs roads

That just left ZNG’s body, which was repainted in Candy Apple Ruby Pearl, closely mimicking its 2002 hue, and replacement of the suspension’s original fixed Bilstein damper units with adjustable items from Öhlins.

You never forget your first Wheeler TVR – for me it was road testing Tuscans for Autocar, so at least I remember that entering the cabin involves feeling for a button under the door mirror to trigger the latch.

Even today, the T440R’s interior feels shockingly avant-garde, with the exception of its manual handbrake and incongruously basic-looking three-spoke wheel.

Floor-mounted pedals complete the TVR T440R’s road-racer appeal

The exceptional quality of the swathe of leather that adorns everything from the dash to the broad centre console is likely an improvement on what would have emerged from Bristol Avenue 20-plus years ago.

You sit low, facing a chunky, hide-wrapped binnacle that houses a digital display, which you can scroll through to bring up multiple engine and speed readouts – everything, that is, apart from a rev counter, which is replaced by a line of change-up lights running above the display.

Other than a pod atop the dash housing the audio unit, and small, unmarked window buttons set into the twin shafts that connect console to dash, all other controls gather behind the steering wheel, which adjusts for rake but not reach.

Adjustable floor-mounted aluminium pedals complete the picture.

The TVR T440R has a tubular-steel chassis shrouded by a carbonfibre body

Nothing more elaborate than a twist of a key brings the T440R to life with a hearty rumble, but at once the engine feels tractable and untemperamental.

A fairly light clutch and wonderfully mechanical-feeling, medium-throw gearchange make bumbling around at urban speeds surprisingly effortless.

I’m not sure this car’s gearing, combined with its more road-friendly power and torque characteristics, would allow you to see 215mph – it’s tricky to estimate without a rev counter.

Even so, first is tall, with the intermediate ratios closely stacked.

Although 25 customer cars were required to satisfy FIA homologation, just four Tuscan Rs were built including two pre-production cars

You also need to dial in plenty of revs before you start to engage with the meat of this TVR’s performance – and, given how box-fresh the motor is, we’re being circumspect today.

But there’s an elasticity to the way its power is deployed, which can still be enjoyed at medium revs.

Push harder on the long-travel throttle and it sounds like a steroid-injected Healey 3000 – guttural, raw and wholesome as only a big-capacity ‘six’ can be, amplified by the stiff carbon body.

This is, we should not forget, a pretty close copy of a race car.

Unlike the TVR Tuscan, the T440R’s revamped rear end tapers upwards

The touchy-feely directness you’d find in a regular Tuscan’s helm is replaced by something a little less sensitive, which, if you were carving down the Mulsanne at the double-ton, would be welcome.

As we head across gnarled South Downs roads to the coast, the rose-jointed suspension is at times quite punishing, sending loud retorts through the cabin.

Yet find a well-sighted, smooth stretch and you’re rewarded with a level of control and grip – helped by extreme Toyo Proxes tyres – that would confound any regular TVR driver.

The TVR T440R is a homologation special that burned brightly but briefly – the British marque slipped beneath the waves soon after

But it’s the thought that this car is essentially a Le Mans racer with numberplates that really takes your breath away.

The Tuscan R was Wheeler’s final throw of his TVR dice, and I can think of no better tribute to the indelible mark he left on a once maverick brand.

Images: John Bradshaw

Thanks to: Stephen Woodrow, TVR 101; Drew Wheeler Sports & Classics

TVR at Le Mans: Wheeler’s 24-hour dream comes true

Initially campaigned in the British GT Championship for the 2001-’02 season, TVR’s T400Rs made their first appearance at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2003, run by the Racesport Salisbury team, sponsored by DeWalt.

Neither car finished the race, with one crashing and the other retiring due to transmission failure.

Better fortune was to follow in 2004, though, with the Chamberlain-Synergy Motorsport-entered T400Rs (above) coming 21st and 22nd overall, and eighth and ninth in the LM GT class.

Two T400Rs were entered again in the 2005 event, but only the example run by Racesport Peninsula TVR competed in the GT2 class, with an unclassified finish.

Factfile

TVR T440R

Sold/number built 2002-’03/four (pre-production and production cars)
Construction steel tubular chassis, aluminium-honeycomb floor, carbonfibre body
Engine all-alloy, dohc 4397cc ‘six’, electronic fuel injection
Max power 415bhp @ 6000rpm
Max torque 385lb ft @ 6000rpm
Transmission five-speed manual, RWD
Suspension independent, by double wishbones, coil springs, adjustable telescopic dampers f/r; front anti-roll bar
Steering power-assisted rack and pinion
Brakes ventilated front, solid rear discs
Length 14ft 5¼in (4404mm)
Width 6ft ¾in (1850mm)
Height 3ft 11¼in (1200mm)
Wheelbase 8ft 5¼in (2574mm)
Weight 2314lb (1050kg)
Mpg n/a
0-60mph 3.8 secs
Top speed 215mph
Price new £74,995
Price now £240,000*