TVR Tasmin 280i
Encyclopedia
The TVR Tasmin or TVR 280i is a sports car designed and built by TVR
from 1980 to 1988. It was the first of TVR's "Wedge"-series
which formed the basis of nearly their entire 1980's lineup. It was available as a fixed head coupé, both as a 2-seater and as a 2+2, or as a 2-seater convertible.
, with TVR
engineered rear wishbones. Gearboxes were from the Cortina
and Sierra
. Brakes were discs all round, with the front units from the Granada
. The differential was from the Jaguar XJ-S.
The engine was the Ford 2.8 Cologne V6 with Bosch
fuel injection
producing 160 bhp. An automatic gearbox was available, making it the first TVR
to have this as an option. The styling of the car was by Oliver Winterbottom
who had previously styled the Lotus Elite S2
. Beside the Cologne V6 engine the Tasmin was also available with a 2.0 litre Ford Pinto
. This car, presented in late 1981, was called the Tasmin 200 and was an attempt to make a car cheaper than the standard Tasmin 280i. It was priced at under £10,000, but with an engine producing only about 100 bhp it wasn't a big success. Only 16 Tasmin 200 coupes and 45 convertibles were made in total.
In 1981 a series II car appeared, a vast improvement over the series I. In 1984 the Tasmin name was dropped and the car was renamed TVR 280i, although the name remained in use within the TVR factory. Early 350i's were also referred to as the "Tasmin 350i". TVR's
consistently inconsistent badging policy resulted in the cars appearing as Tasmins, Tasmin 280i's or just plain 280i's as the Tasmin name was dropped.
The 2.8-litre "Cologne" V6 had already been certified for US sales, and thus TVR returned to the US market after a six year hiatus. The Tasmin was the last TVR to be exported to the USA, with the last car brought over in 1987, this being a series II 280i. A number of reasons are cited for TVR's withdrawal from the US. These allegedly include a deteriorating relationship with the import agents and the distribution network, warranty problems and liability insurance premiums rising from $160K to over $1M.
The Tasmin did not start out very strongly, with TVR production reaching a low of 121 in 1982. By 1985, yearly production had increased to 472. In total, 1,167 V6 cars were produced.
Tasmin 280i
Tasmin 200
Transmission
Suspension
Brakes
Chassis/Body
Performance
Tasmin 280i
Weight
Weight: 1074 kg (2,368 lb)
Tasmin 200
Weight
TVR
thumb|right|240px|TVR No.2, the oldest surviving TVR, located at [[Lakeland Motor Museum, Newby Bridge, Cumbria]]TVR was an independent British manufacturer of sports cars. Until 2006 it was based in the English seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, but has since split up into several smaller...
from 1980 to 1988. It was the first of TVR's "Wedge"-series
TVR Wedges
TVR Wedges is a commonly used name for a series of wedge-shaped sports cars built by British specialist sports car manufacturer TVR between 1980 and 1991. There were 2-seat convertibles and 2-seater or 2+2 liftback coupés, with four-, six- and eight-cylinder engines from a variety of manufacturers...
which formed the basis of nearly their entire 1980's lineup. It was available as a fixed head coupé, both as a 2-seater and as a 2+2, or as a 2-seater convertible.
History
The Tasmin was the first production car in the world to have both a bonded windscreen and also to incorporate the aerial in the rear screen heater element. As with all TVRs, the running gear was located in a tubular spaceframe steel chassis which was powder coated for extra corrosion resistance. Much of the running gear was sourced from Fords of the period. The suspension and steering was sourced from the Ford CortinaFord Cortina
As the 1960s dawned, BMC were revelling in the success of their new Mini – the first successful true minicar to be built in Britain in the postwar era...
, with TVR
TVR
thumb|right|240px|TVR No.2, the oldest surviving TVR, located at [[Lakeland Motor Museum, Newby Bridge, Cumbria]]TVR was an independent British manufacturer of sports cars. Until 2006 it was based in the English seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, but has since split up into several smaller...
engineered rear wishbones. Gearboxes were from the Cortina
Ford Cortina
As the 1960s dawned, BMC were revelling in the success of their new Mini – the first successful true minicar to be built in Britain in the postwar era...
and Sierra
Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....
. Brakes were discs all round, with the front units from the Granada
Ford Granada (Europe)
The March 1972 released Granada succeeded the British Ford Zephyr, and the German P7-series as Ford's European executive car offering. At first, lower models in the range were called the Ford Consul, but from 1975 on they were all called Granadas. The car soon became popular for taxi, fleet and...
. The differential was from the Jaguar XJ-S.
The engine was the Ford 2.8 Cologne V6 with Bosch
Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH is a multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components...
fuel injection
Fuel injection
Fuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....
producing 160 bhp. An automatic gearbox was available, making it the first TVR
TVR
thumb|right|240px|TVR No.2, the oldest surviving TVR, located at [[Lakeland Motor Museum, Newby Bridge, Cumbria]]TVR was an independent British manufacturer of sports cars. Until 2006 it was based in the English seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, but has since split up into several smaller...
to have this as an option. The styling of the car was by Oliver Winterbottom
Oliver Winterbottom
Oliver Winterbottom is one of Britain's most famous automotive designers. Winterbottom worked directly with Colin Chapman who appointed him to lead the design and safety engineering projects at Lotus Cars...
who had previously styled the Lotus Elite S2
Lotus Elite
Not to be confused with the Lotus Elise.The Lotus Elite name was used for two vehicles from Lotus Cars.-1957:The first Elite or Lotus Type 14 was an ultra-light two-seater coupé, produced from 1958 to 1963....
. Beside the Cologne V6 engine the Tasmin was also available with a 2.0 litre Ford Pinto
Ford Pinto
The Ford Pinto is a subcompact car produced by the Ford Motor Company for the model years 1971–1980. The car's name derives from the Pinto horse. Initially offered as a two-door sedan, Ford offered "Runabout" hatchback and wagon models the following year, competing in the U.S. market with the AMC...
. This car, presented in late 1981, was called the Tasmin 200 and was an attempt to make a car cheaper than the standard Tasmin 280i. It was priced at under £10,000, but with an engine producing only about 100 bhp it wasn't a big success. Only 16 Tasmin 200 coupes and 45 convertibles were made in total.
In 1981 a series II car appeared, a vast improvement over the series I. In 1984 the Tasmin name was dropped and the car was renamed TVR 280i, although the name remained in use within the TVR factory. Early 350i's were also referred to as the "Tasmin 350i". TVR's
TVR
thumb|right|240px|TVR No.2, the oldest surviving TVR, located at [[Lakeland Motor Museum, Newby Bridge, Cumbria]]TVR was an independent British manufacturer of sports cars. Until 2006 it was based in the English seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, but has since split up into several smaller...
consistently inconsistent badging policy resulted in the cars appearing as Tasmins, Tasmin 280i's or just plain 280i's as the Tasmin name was dropped.
The 2.8-litre "Cologne" V6 had already been certified for US sales, and thus TVR returned to the US market after a six year hiatus. The Tasmin was the last TVR to be exported to the USA, with the last car brought over in 1987, this being a series II 280i. A number of reasons are cited for TVR's withdrawal from the US. These allegedly include a deteriorating relationship with the import agents and the distribution network, warranty problems and liability insurance premiums rising from $160K to over $1M.
The Tasmin did not start out very strongly, with TVR production reaching a low of 121 in 1982. By 1985, yearly production had increased to 472. In total, 1,167 V6 cars were produced.
Specifications
- Engine: Ford Cologne V6
- Engine Capacity: 2792 c.c (2,8 Litres)
- Power Output: 160 bhp (Series 1), 150 bhp (series II)
- Torque Output: 162 lbft
Tasmin 200
- Engine: Ford PintoFord PintoThe Ford Pinto is a subcompact car produced by the Ford Motor Company for the model years 1971–1980. The car's name derives from the Pinto horse. Initially offered as a two-door sedan, Ford offered "Runabout" hatchback and wagon models the following year, competing in the U.S. market with the AMC...
straight 4 - Engine Capacity: 1993 cc (2.0 L)
- Power Output: 101 bhp
- Torque Output: 112 lbft
Transmission
- Tasmin 200, 280i
- Transmission: 4-spd Ford manual manual gearbox, 5-spd Ford manual gearbox, 3-spd Ford automatic gearbox
Suspension
- Front: Double Wishbones
- Rear: Semi trailing arms
Brakes
- Front: Disc brakes
- Rear: Disc brakes
Chassis/Body
- Chassis: Tubular spaceframe steel chassis
- Body: Fibreglass body panels
Performance
Tasmin 280i
- Acceleration 0-60 mi/h: 8.0 seconds, 8.2 seconds (automatic gearbox)
- Top Speed: 130 mi/h (Series 1), 128 mi/h
Weight
Weight: 1074 kg (2,368 lb)
Tasmin 200
- Acceleration 0-60 mi/h : 9.0 seconds
- Top Speed: 110 mi/h
Weight
- Weight: 971 kg (2,141 lb)