Club Cobra - Article in March issue of Classic Motorsports

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Article in March issue of Classic Motorsports

Folks,

The March issue of Classic Motorsports has a very interesting article on Ford powered sports cars of the 60's. It's titled "Ford Family Ties" and compares a Cobra slabside (subject of a road trip article in Road & Track, I believe), a Mustang GT350H, a 66 Sunbeam Tiger, and a 67 TVR Tuscan SE V8. What an interesting collection of cars! I think the Cobra chosen for the article is one of the prettiest I've seen. I love the clean design of the slabside. I also like TVRs because I had a friend in a British car club I used to belong to who had two of them (neither with a V8, though). The Tiger really caught my eye, though, because it's more affordable than the others (yeah, I'm cheap). I've always loved crotchety old British sports cars, and one with a real Amurrican V8 is just that much better.

Anybody in the club have any experience wth the TVRs and/or Tigers?

landerso (Cobra wannabee)

Only that the Tiger has a very strange 25 1/2 length Toploader, which makes it quite distinct from the others of that period.

In 1973 a friend of mine at the time had a TVR Vixen S3 model (I think it was and S3). This was a little hardtop coupe in black. It was hot on the inside and noisey. It was also very very twitchy car in the curves with such a short wheelbase. He did eventually spin it around and crushed one of the rear quarter panels. After getting it fixed he proceeded to do that again.... and again.

After the third spin and crunch, he had enough of the TVR (as had his insurance company as they dropped him like a hot potatoe), had it fixed again and then sold it for a Triumph Stag which he liked alot more. The Stag did not spin around itself. Apparently, the TVR just gave NO warning that it was letting go, or so he said.

I personally was only a passenger in the TVR quite a few times and as such compared it mentally to my (then new) 1973 Jensen-Healey which was Lotus powered. The TVR was quicker off the line and much firmer in the ride. The TVR body was sensual as a fastback with curves. Fit and finish on the inside were OK to poor.