TVR vs 981

[Stark]

So my girlfriend used to own a TVR back in the day and when driving my 981 S - says the TVR handled better and was better to drive.

Surely not.

In my opinion the Porsche,  is one of the best drivers car out there and is unrivalled on many levels.

TVR only sounded good and looked good but I didn't think they did much else apart from break down.

Tell me she's wrong.

[TV8]

Most TVRs are mid engined so why wouldn't they handle? 9 times out of 10 the TVR will have a lot better power to weight ratio and that's always fun!

As for break downs, doesn't the Boxster have a chocolate engine?

One of each could be a good option 

[Gutley]

49 minutes ago, Stark said:

So my girlfriend used to own a TVR back in the day and when driving my 981 S - says the TVR handled better and was better to drive.

Maybe she meant TCR. They handled pretty well?

 

[topradio]

1 hour ago, TV8 said:

Most TVRs are mid engined so why wouldn't they handle? 9 times out of 10 the TVR will have a lot better power to weight ratio and that's always fun!

As for break downs, doesn't the Boxster have a chocolate engine?

One of each could be a good option 

I'm not an expert on TVR's but I can't think of one that has a mid engine layout. In the main they are just muscle cars with a big brutish engine with absolutely no finesse.

Yes a small proportion of early Boxsters suffered from IMS bearing failure but in the main they are highly reliable which is certainly not something that could be said about a TVR.

 

1 hour ago, Stark said:

So my girlfriend used to own a TVR back in the day and when driving my 981 S - says the TVR handled better and was better to drive.

Surely not.

In my opinion the Porsche,  is one of the best drivers car out there and is unrivalled on many levels.

TVR only sounded good and looked good but I didn't think they did much else apart from break down.

Tell me she's wrong.

She's talking b*ll*cks and looking back with rose tinted spectacles.

[Menoporsche]

TVRs are great at cornering. Particularly when you want them to go in a straight line. 

[TV8]

1 hour ago, topradio said:

I'm not an expert on TVR's but I can't think of one that has a mid engine layout. In the main they are just muscle cars with a big brutish engine with absolutely no finesse.

 

clearly not an expert! Most of them from the 90s on have close to 50 50 weight distribution. Finesse comes from the driving, thats what makes them so rewarding to drive

[jimmy p]

No chocolate engine in 981's so far no real issues reported, unlike tvr's reliability!!

[JohnSyn]

1 hour ago, topradio said:

She's talking b*ll*cks and looking back with rose tinted spectacles.

No sitting on the fence then!

I do agree with you, the few times I've been in/drive a TVR it never felt as sorted as the 981 does. But as TV8 says, one of each could be fun!!

 

[Stuart21UK]

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[topradio]

That's very odd. Somebody told me they were mid-engined.

When settling on the specification for the all-new TVR we had certain essential criteria in mind. The new car had to be:

British in every way - True to TVR’s DNA and heritage
V8 - Front-engined with manual transmission & rear wheel drive 
A two seat coupe/convertible - Breathtaking in appearance and performance.

[Menoporsche]

I and others assumed that mid-engined means the engine just in front of the rear wheels.

I have seen someone claim that mid-engined means the engine is anywhere between the two axles. Personally I find that disingenuous, it means maybe 98% of cars on the road are mid-engined and thus makes the category rather pointless.

[TV8]

Mid engine surely means in the middle? The TVR engine is a long-way back from the front, (at least as far as the boxster engine is from the back) and in the case of the V8, its deep into the car, with a big gearbox running literally between the passengers.

I am not going to say they are as sorted to drive as the 987 but TVRs are incredible to drive. They do handle well and have a sense of occasion that is hard to beat, especially when you look at the era of the cars. 

The early speed 6s and AJPs where race engines on the road and the ruin of TVR. Now they are repaired with specialists and come with long warranties. 

Some great owners as well 

[Ernesto]

She's your girlfriend ..........she's absolutely right.. ? 

[Topbox]

 I saw @TV8's TVR the other week at Biggin Hill and the heavy bits are clearly a lot more central than  one might think. Aston Martin adopt a similar design,  many models have 50/50 weight distribution I believe.  While the Boxster does have the engine in the classic mid-engine postion I for one was suprised when I discovered the gear box hanging well aft between the rear wheels. Chatting to TV8, the enthusiasm he has for his TVR and Boxster is a delight. Me." Great car Graham, bet that 5.3 V8 means you have to be a bit careful on roundabouts though?"  Reply. No, not espcially, I have to be careful EVERYWHERE. 

[Menoporsche]

BMW were proud that pretty much all their cars had near 50-50 weight distribution. I won't call them front-engined though!

[TV8]

1 hour ago, Menoporsche said:

BMW were proud that pretty much all their cars had near 50-50 weight distribution. I won't call them front-engined though!

Whys that? Engine location and 50;50 weight distribution are separate things.

A couple of diagrams:

Boxster with the engine in front of the wheels (Some call that middle) with the gear box going towards the back of the car, some times called the rear.

TVR Chassis, with the engine behind the wheels (some might call that middle) and the gearbox continuing between the passengers, most definitely the middle.

[Nobbie]

Whenever I've seen the term mid engined used in the motoring press, it's never been applied to a car with the engine in front of the driver and a prop shaft down the centre of the car, but I suppose literally speaking, that TVR is mid engined.

[Greenman]

The front-mid term does seem to be being used a bit more to describe this layout. Mid engined has always been used to describe the engine behind the driver and in front of the rear wheels. But many of the sportcar brands are now (taking hints from TVR maybe ) moving their front engines further back ( e.g. Ferrari F12, and various Aston Martins), but it doesn't make a very efficient use of space and makes for a long bonnet. 

It most certainly isn't true that 98% of cars could be described like this. Look at any normal front engined car and you can clearly see the engine is in front of or level with the front wheels.

[edc]

Porsche especially in Boxster guise are quite polished in the handling department. That normally means neutral and predictable with good feel. It does mean they are not lairy and not set up to drift anywhere you want. For some people that means they don't handle as well. if you were going to use the phrase 'handles like it's on rails' then it would be for a Boxster for sure. When it comes off the rails it can be harder to catch though  

[That986]

 that's my initial reaction. 

Of the few TVRs I've driven not one has been a patch on the 986 i have now. They're quick but i wouldn't call them planted in a corner and you're always wary after you leave a corner and go to plant the throttle that you don't end up in a fireball from exiting the corner backwards. I wouldn't call the build quality all that great either but that's seems to be different from car to car.

[Greenman]

14 hours ago, Topbox said:

While the Boxster does have the engine in the classic mid-engine postion I for one was suprised when I discovered the gear box hanging well aft between the rear wheels.

Most mid engined cars have this layout otherwise you end up having to raise the engine to get a prop shaft in and despite perhaps better weigh distribution still worse handling due to extra and higher weight.

[TV8]

59 minutes ago, That986 said:

 that's my initial reaction. 

Of the few TVRs I've driven not one has been a patch on the 986 i have now. They're quick but i wouldn't call them planted in a corner and you're always wary after you leave a corner and go to plant the throttle that you don't end up in a fireball from exiting the corner backwards. I wouldn't call the build quality all that great either but that's seems to be different from car to car.

The later T-Cars (Tamora and T350 in particular) have the same chassis but different hubs/angles. I don't really understand why but they are a lot better on any bumps in the road. There is an evolution chassis that someone has designed with more strength, better angles on when the suspension is mid-travel and power coating that likes to stay on and protect the metal from rust.

For sure the Boxster is better in the twists (one of the reasons I bought one!) and if I had to choose one of them to have an accident in, I would also take the Boxster but better to drive, as suggested by the OPs girl friend, is about much more than that, at least to me!

 

[That986]

32 minutes ago, TV8 said:

The later T-Cars (Tamora and T350 in particular) have the same chassis but different hubs/angles. I don't really understand why but they are a lot better on any bumps in the road. There is an evolution chassis that someone has designed with more strength, better angles on when the suspension is mid-travel and power coating that likes to stay on and protect the metal from rust.

For sure the Boxster is better in the twists (one of the reasons I bought one!) and if I had to choose one of them to have an accident in, I would also take the Boxster but better to drive, as suggested by the OPs girl friend, is about much more than that, at least to me!

 

Horses for courses tbh but if someone said "there's a Tamora or a 981 outside, choose one" I wouldn't be taking the kit car.

But then we are asking this question on a Porsche forum..........

[TV8]

26 minutes ago, That986 said:

Horses for courses tbh but if someone said "there's a Tamora or a 981 outside, choose one" I wouldn't be taking the kit car.

But then we are asking this question on a Porsche forum..........

Understand completely. 350BHP per ton with no electronic driving and/or safety aids is not for everyone. 

Ps, they are not a kit car 

[TV8]

Also, there is some serious stuff being put in some of these cars now 500BHP per ton!:

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/tvr/griffith/tvr-griffith--topcats-racing-ls3-conversion-and-restoration/7487145

One enthusiast I know is just finishing a twin turbo LS engined Chimaera! Not a chance of me going anywhere near that car with him. He has already nicknamed it as his "coffin"