Certainly a more cool and collectible alternative to the S2000, but mind the TVR (un)reliability.
Welcome back to this mini-series on some more left-field options for cars that are certainly worth bringing back home to Malaysia! The Honda S2000 kicked things off with a 9,000 rpm scream, but there are nevertheless more than one way to get that rev-happy roadster fix. And one of the more exciting ways would be to get into the star of today’s article here: the TVR Tamora.
Now with only 356 produced during its four year production run from 2002 to 2006, there is possibly a greater chance of seeing pigs fly than seeing another one of these British roadsters coming the other way in Malaysia. In fact, it is perhaps safe to assume that this will probably be the first time most would have even heard of the existence this obscure TVR. Its obscurity however doesn’t necessarily mean that the Tamora isn’t a good car, with reviews of the period claiming for it to be one of the best handling sports cars out there.
And it is certainly not a slow car by any means. Thanks to this fibreglass-bodied sports car barely tipping the scale at over a tonne and TVR’s own 350 hp 3.6-litre Speed Six V6, the featherweight Tamora could still shame most sports cars today with a century sprint time of 4.2 seconds and a top speed exceeding 270 km/h.
That brutish engine however did unfortunately prove to be the Tamora’s Achilles heel, with horror stories abound on the internet of motors going pop. Being a sports car from an obscure (and since-defunct) British manufacturer too, it is unfortunately also reasonable to expect for other bits and bobs to be similarly temperamental at best and a headache to replace at worse.
Owning and running one of these Tamoras will therefore certainly be a labour of love, especially in Malaysia where there isn’t exactly a TVR specialist round the corner to pamper this petite sports car. To those though who are nevertheless undaunted by this prospect and are looking for what is essentially a Lotus Elise on steroids, simply pop a brave pill and a Tamora could be yours for around £20,000 (RM 110,000) to £30,000 (RM 160,000) from the UK.
If however you really want to appear to have really lost your mind, how about considering spending nearly £15,000 (RM 80,000) on a 15 year old tiny Renault hatchback instead? But then again, you’ll likely have the last laugh while waiting for everyone at the top of the Genting hill climb route, because next up on this mini-series is the critically-acclaimed RenaultSport Clio 182 Trophy.
