TVR Sagaris
The TVR Sagaris is a sports car designed and built by the British manufacturer TVR in their factory in Blackpool, Lancashire. Overview. The Sagaris made its debut at the MPH03 Auto Show in 2003. The pre-production model was then shown at the 2004 Birmingham Motor Show. In 2005, the production model was released for public sale at TVR dealerships around the world. Based on the TVR T350, the Sagaris was designed with endurance racing in mind. The multitude of air vents, intake openings, and other features on the bodywork allow the car to be driven for extended  periods of time on race tracks with no modifications required for cooling and ventilation. The final production model came with several variations from the pre-production show models, e.g. the vents on the wings are not cut out, different wing mirrors, location of the fuel filler, and bonnet hinges (along with other variations). As with all the TVRs of the 1990s and early 2000s, the Sagaris ignores the European Union guideline that all new cars should be fitted with ABS and at least front airbags, because Peter Wheeler believed that such devices promote overconfidence and risk the life of a  driver in the event of a rollover—which TVRs are engineered to resist. It also eschews electronic driver's aids (such as traction control or electronic stability control), leading Malcolm Thorne of Classic & Sports Car magazine to observe that although "far less intimidating than you might expect, in the wet it sends a prickle of trepidation down your spine". Thorne nonetheless summed up the TVR as "stunning". The car's name comes from the sagaris, the Greek name of a lightweight battle-axe used by the Scythians, which was feared for its ability to penetrate the armor of their enemies . The car was designed by Graham Browne. Daniel Boardman, the Chief Engineer involved in the Sagaris project, was frustrated with well-known TVR quality issues, such as: water ingress, carpets coming unstuck, and tricky handling. Boardman spent considerable time ensuring the Sagaris was engineered properly from the start. The suspension was designed to eliminate bump-steer, the dampers were tuned with input from the Bilstein and Multimatic, the bonnet was redesigned to work as well as any conventional steel bonnet, and door seals were meticulously checked to ensure no water ingress. Motoring journalist Jeremy Clarkson described the resulting product as  the best TVR ever made. In 2008, TVR unveiled the Sagaris 2, which was designed to replace the original Sagaris. The prototype had minor changes to the original car, including a revised rear fascia and exhaust system, and modifications to the interior. A company called Grex Automotive acquired the forms and tools after TVR's bankruptcy. In 2018, they made the TVR Sagaris available to buy as a kit car. Only ten examples were planned, and the engine and transmission choice were up to the buyers. Specifications. Powerplant Gearbox Suspension Brakes Wheels and tires Chassis/body Performance Racing. TVR had  constructed several lightweight race bodies to compete in the UK and in LMES / Le Mans, but decided to go with the T400Rs as they better represented the current road car range. So in 2004 the bodies were bought by GTF. Some were sold to other Teams (Racesport etc) but 3 were kept and built by GTF, originally at the TVR factory. The team used it's TVR Tuscan Challenge cars as donors and the cars appeared in 2006 in UK competition still running the AJP 4.5L V8 engines and T5 gearboxes. Tim Hood (Black No1) Fred Tonge (Red No2) and  Steve Glynn (Burgundy No3). The cars were very successful, winning many races and Championship such as the TVR European Challenge and the GT Cup Endurance Championship. The combination of the proven and very competitive Tuscan Challenge mechanics with the modern, slippery Sagaris shape (designed for racing from its inception) made the cars very hard to beat, but GTF wanted to step up a class and go for the big boys in GpA Endurance. So from 2008 all new GTF Sagari moved over to the Chevrolet LS engine range with sequential gearboxes from Hollinger or Quaife. Indeed, the yellow Racesport car  above ran the Chevy V8 from new in 2005. As time went on the existing GTFs were upgraded to the new factory specification of Chevrolet LS2 6.8L race engines with dry sump (Developed for GTF by John Eales at JE Developments) or LS7. They are all still competing in UK and European Sprint and Endurance racing. A TVR Sagaris was entered in the 2011 British GT Cup by Team Winstanley, and was driven by Danny Winstanley. The car in racing spec had a standard factory chassis, but was fitted with the upgraded TVR Supersport Speed Six engine. In its first  season, it recorded wins at Oulton Park and Brands Hatch.