TVR Vixen

TVR Vixen
TVR Vixen
	1972 TVR Vixen S4 with non standard wheels
Overview
Manufacturer	TVR
Also called	TVR 1300; TVR 2500
Production	1967–1973; 1029 produced
Assembly	Blackpool
Body and chassis
Class	Sports car
Body style	Coupe
Related	TVR Tuscan V8/V6
Powertrain
Engine	1296 cc Triumph I4 ; 1599 cc Ford Kent I4; 2498 cc Triumph 2.5 I6 ;
Transmission	Ford 4-speed all-synchromesh Manual transmission
Dimensions
Wheelbase	85.5 in (2,172 mm) (S1); 90 in (2,286 mm)
Length	145 in (3,683 mm)
Width	64 in (1,626 mm)
Height	48 in (1,219 mm)
Curb weight	1,624 lb (737 kg)
Chronology
Predecessor	TVR Grantura
Successor	TVR M Series

Last updated February 02, 2024

The TVR Vixen is a hand-built sports car which was produced by TVR in Blackpool, England from 1967 until 1973. Ford-engined in most of its configurations, it succeeded the MGB-engined TVR Grantura 1800S. It is also the basis for the high-performance TVR Tuscan which was available in both V6 and V8 configurations.

Design

The body was made of glass fibre, which was fitted to a tubular-frame chassis.^[3] The chassis was the same as that used in the Mk4 1800S, a model which was discontinued just before Vixen production began. The chassis used double wishbone suspension at both ends, and disc brakes at the front (with drums at the back.)^[1] The car was significantly lighter than mainstream competitors such as the MG MGB GT, and offered correspondingly class leading performance and fuel economy.^[1]

Variants

The Vixen Series 1 was introduced in 1967 as an evolution of the discontinued 1800S. Although it used the same chassis as the outgoing car, the significant change was the use of the 1599 cc Ford Kent engine (as found in the Ford Cortina GT), developing 88 bhp.

^[1] The engine change was necessitated by the problems TVR were having with receiving MG engine deliveries, and also in an effort to lower the price of the car.^[4] To use up remaining supplies, the first twelve Vixens built still received the MGB engine.^[4]

The bodywork was also slightly revised, with the bonnet having a broad flat air intake scoop. The rear of the car with fitted with the round Cortina Mark I tail lamps.^[5]

Total S1 production: 117

The 1968 S2 was built with the longer (90 inch) wheelbase chassis, introduced on the Tuscan V8 but which TVR had now standardized to address complaints about difficulty of ingress.^[4] The bonnet was restyled again, with some early cars having a prominent central bulge, and later cars having twin intake ducts at the front corners of the bonnet. The tail lamps were updated from the round Cortina Mark I style to the newer wraparound Mark II style. Also very significant was the fact that the body was bolted (rather than bonded) to the chassis, meaning that it could be easily removed for repairs.^[5] The interior was improved, with a leather-skinned steering wheel mounted much lower than before. In a further attempt to improve the quality feel, the body was thicker and panel fit was improved. In December 1968, TVR announced that two more models, the S.2 Sport and S.2 Super Sports would be available as standard. These models came with an uprated engine from Speedwell including fully balanced bottom end, ported cylinder head and two twin choke Weber carburettors with the Sports producing 100 bhp and the Super Sports 115 bhp. Both of these models came with seat belts and leather steering wheel as standard with both models designated an S.2.S.^[4]

Total S2 production: 438

The S3 continued to improve the car with a number of detail changes. The heat extraction vents on the flanks behind the front wheels were decorated with "Aeroflow" grilles borrowed from the c-pillars of the Ford Zodiac Mark IV,^[5] and the Ford four-cylinder engine was now in the same tune as in the Ford Capri, producing 92 bhp.^[6] Instead of wire wheels, cast alloy wheels were fitted as standard.

Total S3 production: 165

Finally, the S4 cars were an interim model that used the TVR M Series chassis with the Vixen body shell. Apart from the chassis, there were no significant mechanical or cosmetic changes between the S3 and S4. Twenty-two were built in 1972 and one in 1973.^[5]

Total S4 production: 23

The 1300 model arrived in late 1971 and was built in an attempt to fill an "economy" market segment for sports cars. It was powered by a 1296 cc Standard SC engine from the Triumph Spitfire engine making 63 bhp (47 kW), and its lackluster performance limited its sales success. Top speed was barely 90 mph (145 km/h).^[7] Only fifteen were built, most in 1972. The final six of these cars were built on the M Series chassis, the very last of which was also built with M Series bodywork, although it never received a "1300M" designation.^[6]

Total 1300 production: 15

Not to be confused with the later 2500M, the 2500 (marketed as the Vixen 2500 in the United States) was built between 1971 and 1972, and was designed to take advantage of the fact that the Triumph 2.5L inline-six engine had already been certified for US emissions standards (although only in 105 bhp form.) The final production run of the 2500 (comprising 96 cars) used the M Series chassis with Vixen-style bodywork.

Total 2500 production: 385

Tuscan

A more powerful range of cars was also built using the Tuscan nameplate. These took over after the earlier TVR Griffith and were originally available only with a V8 engine, although later a lower-priced V6-engined alternative appeared. The Tuscan was built from 1967 until 1971.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lotus Seven</span> Motor vehicle

The Lotus Seven is a sports car produced by the British manufacturer Lotus Cars between 1957 and 1972. The Seven is an open-wheel car with two seats and an open top. It was designed by Lotus founder Colin Chapman and has been considered the embodiment of the Lotus philosophy of performance through low weight and simplicity. The original model was highly successful with more than 2,500 cars sold, due to its attraction as a road legal car that could be used for clubman racing.

TVR is a British manufacturer of sports cars. The company manufactures lightweight sports cars with powerful engines and was, at one time, the third-largest specialised sports car manufacturer in the world, offering a diverse range of coupés and convertibles.

Caterham Cars is a British manufacturer of specialist lightweight sports cars established in Caterham, England, with their headquarters in Dartford, England. Their current model, the Caterham 7, originally launched in 1973, is a direct evolution of the Series 3 Lotus Seven designed by Colin Chapman. In the 1990s the company made the Caterham 21, a two-seater soft top alternative to the MGF and Lotus Elise,. A track-only car, the SP/300.R, a joint project with Lola was released for customer testing in 2010 and was scheduled for release in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcos Engineering</span> British sports car manufacturer

Marcos Engineering was a British sports car manufacturer. The name derives from the surnames of founders Jem Marsh and Frank Costin.

The Lotus Esprit is a sports car built by Lotus Cars from 1976 to 2004 at their Hethel, England factory. It has a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout. Together with the Lotus Elise / Exige, it is one of Lotus' most long-lived models.

The Caterham 7 is a super-lightweight sports car produced by Caterham Cars in the United Kingdom. It is based on the Lotus Seven, a lightweight sports car sold in kit and factory-built form by Lotus Cars, from 1957 to 1972.

Lotus Elan is the name of two separate ranges of automobiles produced by Lotus Cars. The first series of cars was produced between 1962 and 1975 as a rear-wheel drive vehicle. The second series was produced between 1989 and 1995 as a front-wheel drive vehicle.

The Ford Essex V6 engine is a 60° V6 engine built between 1966 and 1988 by the Ford Motor Company in the United Kingdom and until 2000 in South Africa although mostly in the Ford engine plant of Dagenham, Essex, which gave the engine its name. It is closely related to the Ford Essex V4 engine produced in displacements of 1.7 L and 2.0 L. Both engines share many parts since the Essex V6 was directly derived from the Essex V4; the 2.0 L Essex V4 and the 3.0 L Essex V6 in fact have exactly the same bore and stroke and share various components. In the same era, the Ford Cologne V6 engine was produced.

The TVR S series is a line of sports cars manufactured by the British company TVR between 1986 and 1994. It was announced at the 1986 British International Motor Show. The car went into production in less than 12 months, with 150 pre-manufacture orders placed at the motor show before the moulds were even made.

The MGB is a two-door sports car manufactured and marketed from 1962 until 1980 by the British Motor Corporation (BMC), later the Austin-Morris division of British Leyland, as a four-cylinder, soft-top sports car. It was announced and its details first published on 19 September 1962. Variants include the MGB GT three-door 2+2 coupé (1965–1980), the six-cylinder sports car and coupé MGC (1967–69), and the eight-cylinder 2+2 coupé, the MGB GT V8 (1973–76).

The TVR Sagaris is a sports car designed and built by the British company TVR in their factory in Blackpool, Lancashire.

The TVR Griffith, later models being referred to as the Griffith 500, is a sports car designed and built by TVR, starting production in 1990, and ending production in 2002. The Griffith name appeared again on a sports car introduced under a revived TVR brand in 2017.

The TVR Grantura is the first production model in a long line of TVR cars. It debuted in 1958 and went through a series of developments leading to the Mark I to Mark IV and 1800S models. The last ones were made in September 1967.

The TVR Griffith 200 was a lightweight fibreglass-body sports car. In the United States, the make was Griffith and the model was Griffith Series 200, whilst the United Kingdom the make was TVR and the model was Griffith 200.

The TVR Tuscan Challenge is a one-make series dedicated to the second incarnation of the TVR Tuscan sports car, and takes place throughout the United Kingdom. Inaugurated in 1989, its high power-to-weight ratio, capability of reaching 190 mph (310 km/h) and loud engine noise, combined with close racing in a field consisting of over 30 cars at its peak, made the series become, at the time, the premier one-make series in the UK with an extensive TV coverage; over the years, many drivers who competed in the series moved on in major championship series and many notable drivers have guest driven in a race. The company underwent management changes in 2005, and the TVR Tuscan Challenge was merged with its owner club's series, which has been reformatted to allow for all TVR models.

The TVR Typhon is a sports car produced by the British company TVR in their factory in Blackpool between 2000 and 2006. It is the fastest production TVR ever built. Only three were ever built. All are currently in England.

The TVR Tasmin is a sports car designed by Oliver Winterbottom (coach) and Ian Jones (chassis) for TVR and built in the United Kingdom by that company from 1980 to 1987. It was the first of TVR's "Wedge"-series which formed the basis of its 1980's model range. The Tasmin/280i was available as a 2-seater coupé, as a 2+2 coupé and as a 2-seater convertible.

The TVR M series is a line of sports cars built by automaker TVR between 1972 and 1979. The series replaced the outgoing TVR Vixen and Tuscan models, and is characterized by a common chassis and shared body style. As with other TVR models before and since, the M-series cars use a front mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout and body-on-frame construction. The bodies themselves were built from glass-reinforced plastic (GRP). The era of the M series is commonly associated with Martin Lilley who, together with his father, took ownership of the company on 30 November 1965.

The TVR Tuscan was a front engine, rear wheel drive sports car built by TVR from 1967 to 1971 in the company's Blackpool, England factory. It was the second car developed by TVR during the Martin Lilley era of the automotive firm.

Eagle Cars Limited was an English company, based in Lancing, West Sussex, originally operated by Allen Breeze, although it has undergone a number of ownership changes since. Originally making a Jeep lookalike called the RV, between 1981 and 1998 they built several iterations of a gull-winged car called the Eagle SS. The SS was based on an American kit car called the Cimbria, and was brought to the UK by Tim Dutton. In 1988 Eagle Cars moved inland, to nearby Storrington.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Autotest: TVR Vixen S2 (1,599 c.c.)". Autocar . 130. Vol. (nbr3828). 26 June 1969. pp. 28–32.
↑ Flammang, James M. (1994). Standard Catalog of Imported Cars, 1946-1990. Iola, WI: Krause Publications, Inc. pp. 617–618. ISBN 0-87341-158-7.
↑ Lawrence, Mike (1991). A to Z of Sports Cars. Bideford, Devon: Bay View Books. pp. 310–312. ISBN 1-870979-81-8.
1 2 3 4 Heseltine, Richard (2001). Specialist Sports Cars: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of a Very British Breed. Haynes Publishing. p. 134. ISBN 1-85960-690-3.
1 2 3 4 Robson, Graham (1993). TVR - Volume 1: Grantura to Taimar. Motor Racing Publications Ltd. ISBN 0-947981-80-2.
1 2 Filby, Peter (July 2012). TVR: A Passion to Succeed. Autocraft Books. ISBN 978-0-9545729-2-1.
↑ Heseltine, p. 135

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Autocar1969-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Autotest: TVR Vixen S2 (1,599 c.c.)". Autocar . 130. Vol. (nbr3828). 26 June 1969. pp. 28–32.

[scimp-2] Flammang, James M. (1994). Standard Catalog of Imported Cars, 1946-1990. Iola, WI: Krause Publications, Inc. pp. 617–618. ISBN 0-87341-158-7.

[A-Z-3] Lawrence, Mike (1991). A to Z of Sports Cars. Bideford, Devon: Bay View Books. pp. 310–312. ISBN 1-870979-81-8.

[hes134-4] 1 2 3 4 Heseltine, Richard (2001). Specialist Sports Cars: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of a Very British Breed. Haynes Publishing. p. 134. ISBN 1-85960-690-3.

[robson-5] 1 2 3 4 Robson, Graham (1993). TVR - Volume 1: Grantura to Taimar. Motor Racing Publications Ltd. ISBN 0-947981-80-2.

[filby-passion-6] 1 2 Filby, Peter (July 2012). TVR: A Passion to Succeed. Autocraft Books. ISBN 978-0-9545729-2-1.

[SSC-7] Heseltine, p. 135

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]