When this TVR Tasmin caught my eye over at mobile.de, it really did that. The wedge shape is especially pronounced on the coupe version; I saw a related roadster one in Germany last summer and this somehow strikes me even more. The BLACK GOLD colour scheme dials the attention grabbing up a notch, too.
Hold that thought for a moment, though. What do you think when thinking TVR? Rover V8? Cologne V6 even? Not a chance here. The Tasmin 200i is a hyper-rare version of a rare car – under that hood of fairly phallic length lives a Ford Pinto two-litre four.
There it is, so we can get it dealt with. The Pinto engine sits behind the front wheels, making the car essentially a mid-engined car, S2000 style. Even the radiator sits atop the front axle. The TVR also benefits from the lightness of the engine, as the Tasmin 280 weighs 1074 kg and the 200 only 971 kg. It won’t help the car reach 100km/h quicker (9 sec versus 8 sec), as the humble Pinto unit only manages 105hp while the Cologne V6 has all of 160 horses in the doorstop-shaped stable.
The lighter engine also makes the front ride higher than the 280’s nose, but the shape is still bold as ever. It looks like it’s been designed with two rulers, centimeters for the cockpit section and inches for the nose. The top of the windshield is way behind the car’s centre point.
The CRX-esque glasshouse is especially striking, and on the rear panel there’s a window pane. I do imagine the interior is cramped, but there’s no doubt that all-around visibility should be fine. The tail lights are European Ford Granada ones.
The rear hatch is all glass, so care is required when closing it.
I’m adamant the fish-eye lense used makes the cockpit appear airier than it its, but it still looks like a place I’d happily spend time in. And yeah, anything that has such a grippable-looking wheel can’t be all bad. Everything looks pleasantly clean and well kept. I’m also fond of the token wood here and there.
And as a final point of note, the car has pop-up headlights on its wedge-shaped nose. The pods are curiously shaped and seem to be all plastic.
The Tasmin 200i is one of 16 produced cars and the only one in Germany. It is currently for sale in Hamburg for 9900 eur, and appears completely original down to the paint and graphics. Bushings and liquids have been changed, and the rear axle, diff and brakes have been overhauled. The wheels are shod with new tires. It all sounds like it’s mostly seen storage lately, and the 144 673 claimed kilometres back that – it should show 89k miles on the clock. The gauges are of course imperial, as the car is RHD.
So, could you live with 105 hp and a four-pot soundtrack, with a package like this?
See the listing here at mobile.de
[Source: Garage 11/mobile.de]
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