1973 TVR
2500M

From the owner's personal collection

When it arrived, the cooling issue was confirmed. It ran at over 110 degrees Centigrade on 80 degree (Farenheit) days at highway speeds. Also, although it had a brand new exhaust system when it arrived, it was obnoxiously loud. It sounded more like a NASCAR entry than a British sports car.

The cooling issue was resolved immediately by removing the tiny original radiator and replacing it with a monsterous Griffin aluminum radiator that is typically used on NASCAR-type race cars. When coupled with a 15" fan, the temps remain in check - never over 100 degrees Centigrade regardless of ambient temperatures or driving conditions.

The obnoxious exhaust was replaced with a custom designed dual exhaust system that utilizes two glasspack mufflers per side (placed in series). The result is an exhaust note that - while still fairly loud - sounds more like a Ferrari than a Triumph TR6. While it doesn't sound too loud from the outside, it does sound pretty loud inside. So, most likely a good portion of the interior exhaust noise is due to harmonic vibration of the fiberglass body.

About nine months after getting it home, the tachometer failed. Now, you'd think that with a simple, flat instrument panel, removing it for repair would be a snap. WRONG! Unfortunately, after 30+ years, the wooden instrument panel had apparently swelled enough that there was no way to remove the tach (or speedo) without removing the entire panel and pressing it out. Well, since the panel was off - and since the panel had a small tear in the vinyl - it was time to recover it. Bob opted to do it in a contrasting gray vinyl to help lighten and open up the interior. He also took the opportunity - while the panel was off - to clean up the sloppy wiring under the dash and behind the panel.

OK, so the Instrument panel then looked great in grey and with a properly mounted stereo (there's not enough depth behind the panel, so Bob pulled the bottom of the panel out 5/8"), the original black console cover looked like crap. So a change to gray was in order. But, the original cover was simply a sheet of masonite covered in vinyl that only covered the front half of the transmission tunnel. He opted to fabricate a full-length console that was not only done in gray vinly, but it is composed of three pieces. The main bottom piece is a sheet of masonite with a raised outer edge made of 1/2" plywood. This main piece screws to the transmission tunnel. The front top cover piece attaches to the main piece with Velcro (no unsightly mounting screws). The rear piece opens up to reveal a glove box. This glove box was fabricated by filling the rear portion of a depression that already exists. This leaves a properly sized retangular compartment.

So, how does it drive? From a handling perspective, this car is as close to a track-prepped racer as anything we've driven. We'd even put the handling above 2000 Vette (with the performance suspension) that Bob once owned. Cornering is nimble, flat and predictable. You pay for that great handling with a harsh ride, but it's well worth it. The power is more than adequate, but it would be nice to see what it would do with a V8.

Wait a minute! We actually have one of those in progress! See our V8 TVR M-Series project.

SPECIFICATIONS