TVR Sagaris

You know you’re driving something pretty extraordinary when a pedestrian gesticulates at you to slow down - even though you’re actually doing 29mph at the time. The Sagaris is that sort of car – it doesn’t just look fast, it looks ferocious and ever so slightly deranged. You can’t help but love it.

This low-mileage example is about as good as you’ll find, too. In Brilliant Silver with dark grey interior, it has a full TVR service history, mostly with Racing Green. There are some pretty big servicing bills in there – one for just over a grand, another for just under. These aren’t cheap cars to run. It’ll be sold freshly serviced though (Castle Sports Cars used to be a TVR dealer; since the firm’s demise they’ve become a Lotus franchise, but they still handle TVRs).

The Sagaris was the last of the TVR line and better built than earlier cars. The bodywork and alloys are virtually flawless; only some condensation in the rear lights lets it down. Inside it’s classic late TVR, all swoopy shapes and bespoke aluminium switchgear. The leather looks good, there’s air con, which seems to work adequately well, and an Alpine CD player with iPod connector.

On the road it feels as well sorted as any TVR I’ve ever driven. The Sagaris was arguably the most thoroughly developed of all TVRs and this example has a really nice set-up. The steering’s pointy without being overly sensitive, the ride’s firm without being crashy, and though you need to be careful with the power on poor surfaces, on smooth roads you can drive right up to its limits and it always feels like the car’s with you. It’s rapid (if not quite 406bhp rapid) and sounds every bit the hairy-chested classic British sports car. Only the brakes let this one down – a really numb pedal to start with, and after 20 minutes of brisk driving they’d gone a bit rumbly too. 

Thanks to vendor Castle Sports Cars, Stansted, Essex (www.castlesportscars.co.uk)

Extra Info

• ExteriorApart from a couple of tiny stone chips, perfect. And what a great looking car• InteriorSeats lack lateral support, but they were all like that. Overall condition is A1• MechanicalsBrakes should be better - prrobably needs new pads; otherwise terrific• Should I buy it?If you fancy a Sagaris, we doubt you’ll find many betterFOR: Performance, character, and a noiseAGAINST: Numb brakes, poor seats, sizable running costs

Specifications