Follow a 2500M on the road, however, and
it’s not as attractive an overall design as the Triumph. It sits higher - TVR
deliberately raised it to offer more ground clearance and the huge window
dominates the rear aspect. Where the TR6 hunkers down on the road, the TVR
looks a bit top-heavy and on tiptoes.
Swing open the door and you are welcomed by
an almost unremittingly black interior, lifted slightly on this example by the
non-standard wood-rimmed Moto-Lita wheel. It’s compact, with the central
‘backbone’ section of the space- frame chassis hugging your left side, but
stops well short of being claustrophobic. The load area behind the seats is
generous and light, yet is accessible only from inside - not until the Taimar
of 1976 did this line of TVRs get a hatchback. Dead ahead of the driver lie the
speedo and rev counter. There’s a neat row of auxiliary gauges in the center of
the dashboard, comprising fuel level, oil pressure, water temperature and
battery condition. Beneath those are rocker switches for the heater, lights and
suchlike. It’s clean and functional in here, but it could do with a splash of
color to lift the mood.
On the move, however, the visual aspect
improves because the view down the flowing wings is particularly enjoyable.
Reach into the depths of the foot well to turn the ignition key and the ‘six’
fires raucously into life. Like the TR6, the 2500M is a heavy car to maneuver
at low speeds but soon lightens as you start making more serious progress. The
gearlever feels as though it is set quite a long way back - a characteristic
that I initially assumed was due to me (at 5ft 7in) having to sit a long way
forward, but which I was later relieved to find mentioned in contemporary
road-tests.
Whereas the Triumph feels like the sort of
car in which you could embark on a lengthy jaunt, the TVR is harder work,
especially on the Devon back-roads that we’re tackling. It’s louder than the
TR6, for a start, and the ride is very firm. Motor commented on this
during a short test drive of a left-hand-drive example in July 1972, but
qualified it by saying that ‘the wheels felt as though they stayed on the
ground all the time’. Always a bonus, that.
The steering feels very similar to the
set-up in the TR6 but, with the TVR being that much stiffer, initial turn-in is
more direct. Where the Triumph rolls slightly and settles (US-spec cars were
originally fitted with softer suspension), the 2500M just turns and goes.
Another area in which the TVR scores highly is in the way that it stops. The
brakes are the same on both cars, but those on the 2500M offer a more immediate
bite and are far more confidence-inspiring.
But it is the Triumph that feels like the
more complete car, something that is perhaps only to be expected. After all, it
came late in a line of distinguished sports cars from a major manufacturer.
Looking back, though, the two companies were on different trajectories. By the
end of the decade, Triumph would be all but finished as a manufacturer of
sports cars. The TR6 was, in many ways, a last hurrah as the British Leyland
fiasco began to take effect. In contrast, the M-series began a fruitful period
for TVR, finally putting the company on a secure footing and enabling it to
truly flourish.
Triumph’s TR6
TR6
has a better stance than TVR
Steel
wheels, Grille design caused stylists a few headaches, Rear lights were also
fitted to later 2500M
Wood
facing helps to lift dash.
Twin-carb
straight-six
The owner
Christie has owned his US-spec TR6 for 14
years, after being encouraged by his wife Jane, who is the social secretary for
the Devon TR Register.
"It's had a sympathetic restoration
rather than a full rebuild" says Christie, "although it needed new
sills and floors. It was my first TR6 and I did the work myself. My brother had
shipped it across from the US but didn't do anything with it. I converted it to
right-hand drive, and it took only three months to get the car on the road!'
The Christies have taken the Triumph to
France on five occasions, and Peter also owns a 'full-fat' 150bhp
TR6:"This is more drivable and torquey, though - I prefer it!'
Triumph TR6’s specs and price
§
Sold/number built: 1969-1976/94,619
§
Construction: steel chassis, steel body
§
Engine: all-iron, overhead-valve 2498cc
straight-six, twin Stromberg carburettors
§
Max power: 106bhp @ 4900rpm
§
Max torque: 1331b ft @ 3000rpm
§
Transmission: four-speed manual (optional
overdrive), driving rear wheels
§
Suspension: independent, at front by wishbones,
telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar rear semi-trailing arms, lever-arm dampers;
coil springs f/r
§
Steering: rack and pinion
§
Brakes: discs/drums, with servo
§
Length: 12ft ll'^in (3949mm)
§
Width: 5ft lin (1549mm)
§
Height: 4ft 2in (1270mm)
§
Wheelbase: 7ft 4in (2235mm)
§
Weight: 24731b (1122kg)
§
Mpg: 18
§
0-60mph: 9.8 secs
§
Top speed: 106mph
§
Price new: $2,210 (’69)
§
Price now: $12-22,500
TVR 2500M
TVR
2500M
Alloys
were to TVR's own design; RHD 2500M discontinued in'73; Mk2 Cortina lights for
early cars
M-series
had spare relocated to engine bay
The
dark interior is dominated by central 'backbone'
The owner
"It’s great fun to drive," says
Boyd of his 2500M, "but l wanted a soft-top really!" To that end,
he’s searching for a Cobra replica and has the TVR up for sale: "It had
been in storage for a number of years, having had a new chassis in the 1990s,
plus an engine rebuild. The main attraction was that it hadn’t been mucked
about with - it’s still very standard. It was turquoise when l bought it, and
had damage to the driver’s door. When l was repairing it, I kept going further
and further back-and eventually found the original shade of green, so I had it
repainted in that. I did everything myself apart from the re-spray, and have
used it a lot over the past couple of years!’
TVR 2500M’s specs and price
§
Sold/number built: 1972-1977/947
§
Construction: steel space frame chassis, glass fiber
body shell
§
Engine: all-iron, overhead-valve 2498cc
straight-six, twin Stromberg carburettors
§
Max power: 106bhp @ 4900rpm
§
Max torque: 1331b ft @ 3000rpm
§
Transmission: four-speed manual (with optional
overdrive), driving rear wheels
§
Suspension: independent by double wishbones,
coil springs, telescopic dampers; front anti-roll bar
§
Steering: rack and pinion
§
Brakes: discs/drums, with servo
§
Length: 12ft 10in (3912mm)
§
Width 5ft 4in (1626mm)
§
Height: 3ft 11 in (1194mm)
§
Wheelbase: 7ft 6in (2286mm)
§
Weight: 22401b (1016kg)
§
Mpg: 23
§
0-60mph: 9.3 secs
§
Top speed: 109mph
§
Price new: $3,073 (’72)
§
Price now: $15,000
