Thwarted just before the start of sales - TVR Tasmin Turbo
06/20/2012
In 1980, TVR officially presented the Tasmin sports car, wedge-shaped and fast even when stationary, as was the fashion at the beginning of the 1980s. The plastic coupé was powered by a Ford V6 engine, which was also used in the Capri and Granada and produced 160 hp with fuel injection. Two years later, TVR wanted to up the performance ante and developed the TVR Tasmin Turbo, which, like the Ford Capri Turbo, produced a noticeable increase in power with an exhaust supercharger.
The design of the sports car was adapted to the additional power, with a more streamlined front end and a powerful front spoiler. Sales brochures were printed and the car was presented at the NEC Birmingham Motor Show.
But that was it. After a change of ownership, the product strategy was also adapted; instead of turbocharging, the focus was now on a large-volume V8 engine from Rover. The Tasmin Turbo remained a one-off. The sleek car would certainly have been fast enough for sports car buyers, with a top speed of around 250 km/h and acceleration of less than six seconds for the sprint from 0 to 96 km/h , which was quite an achievement at the time.
We have prepared a report on the TVR Tasmin and in particular its more powerful relative, the 350i , which will be published soon.
And, of course, the extremely rare original brochure for the TVR Tasmin Turbo can be found in the Zwischengas archive.
