I can't remember exactly when I became aware of this cars existence but I clearly remember the first time I saw one, well actually I think I heard it first but it was one of those "what the hell's that?" moments. That must have been maybe 6 years ago now and in all honesty at the time it probably wasn't a car I ever thought of owning.

The path to actually picking up my 2000 4 litre Tuscan in Midnight Blu Met to give it the official colour (a Maserati hue which is a dark blue with a hint of purple/aubergine in the sun) is more than a little convoluted. What with all the bad press concerning TVR recently with mixed stories of the factory closing, staff being laid off and rumours flying around the internet about the future of the company, it may not have seemed like the wisest time to buy.

However, seeing it roll out of the garage and get fired up for the first time, thoughts of residuals, factory support and the future of Blackpool's finest soon disappeared as quick as a few litres of optimax! It's a difficult thing to explain to non-car people, but those who have a hint of petrol in their veins will understand: the combination of the looks, the noise and the presence are completely and utterly seductive.

After having played the Autotrader pick a budget and find the most interesting car challenge numerous times before, I set myself a target of £20k which would get me a quick, fun, weekend and evening car.

Once you actually start with a proper firm budget it all becomes a lot harder, options included an E39 M5, not special enough to keep as a 2nd car, Noble M12, not that keen on the styling, especially the interior, E46 M3, same sentiments as the M5, Elise/Exige, not fast enough unless it has Honda or VAG 1.8T power, Caterham, a bit too hardcore for what I would be using it for, VX220/Turbo, a consideration but I could not see past the brand prejudice…

TVR, hmmm yes, TVR indeed. 20k gets you into a higher mileage T350: coupes are nice but always hankered after some wind in the hair, the targa roof panels look like too much of an afterthought to me though. A Tamora: back end's a bit too fussy for my liking, the older Griff and Chimps, were just that, a bit too old and dated to my eyes.

That left the Tuscan, lots of cars under the £20k budget. After spending hours and hours trawling through Pistonheads (www.pistonheads.com) and being aware of the issues the list came down to a must of an engine rebuild and a/c. The colour and trim options are almost endless on these cars and some of them were far too garish for my tastes.

I eventually spotted this Blue one from the Pistonheads Classifieds and after some haggling a deal was done. I ended up driving it away for £16,750 which in my opinion is a hell of a lot of car for the money!

The car was originally ordered at the London Motor Show where the car made its debut and the owner made 6 visits to the factory to pick options and oversee various stages of the build. I bought the car off the 2nd owner, a guy called Mark from Lancs. He was a veteran of a few TVRs who needed a quick sale due to personal circumstances; he had only owned the car since last Oct and done a paltry 2000 miles since. To say he was gutted when I drove it away was somewhat of an understatement; it gave me lots of peace of mind as the buyer as I could tell she had been loved. He had named her but I think I will just refer to it as the hairy arsed Trevor; the curves may be feminine but it's a very masculine car with a heavy clutch and gearbox.

The day I collected it was on the day of England's World Cup opener, the 10th of June 2006, and 30 degrees Centigrade; ideal for a 350 mile drive home in a car known to regularly top unreliability surveys. Thankfully the car came with a/c (seriously don't buy one without) and it kept me comfortable on the drive home. The thought of a TVR without it does not bear thinking about to be honest!

It turned out to be a great cruiser; comfortable, not too loud to be annoying, and returning approximately 28mpg which was surprisingly frugal, the 4 litre engine spinning at ~3200 rpm @ 80ish mph.

The motorway driving out of the way next came showing it off to friends, one of the highlights of any car purchase. Sneaking up to houses unnoticed is never going to happen though; even with the standard factory system including cats the car still rumbles, burbles and pops like a good 'un. Lots of people fit straight through cans and de-cat them but I don't think I will bother, the car's just about perfect, loud enough to get noticed but not overly loud to make ears bleed.

The reaction the car's had, has been almost universally positive; car guys love the noise & the grunt, girls love the looks and the fact the roof comes off. The colour's nice too! People come over to ask what it is at petrol stations, "is it a Ferrari?" nope it's a TVR, "a what?", oh never mind, it's fast!

What makes it fast is TVR's much maligned Speed 6 engine. The one in my car has had a TVR Power engine rebuild and has come with another few months of warranty. It was a preventative rebuild with uprated parts in the top end. The parts list and bottom line on the invoice make interesting reading though…
Engines have had issues primarily with cam followers and varying build quality from suppliers. A good trawl of Pistonheads shows the engine even has its own forum, such has been the discussion regarding it. The engine's much like a race unit, it needs the fluids to be up to temperature before it settles down to a nice idle and takes a good 10 minutes before the engine and gearbox begin to smooth out (anyone considering buying one if the owner jumps in and thrapes it from cold, walk away).

I am struggling to be particularly objective as I am totally immersed in the honeymoon period, but the combination of beautiful weather, a big torquey engine that also likes to rev, a targa panel and rear window that's comes out has reaffirmed why I have loved cars since I can remember.

Next time, how it actually drives and time to get it on a dyno to see how much power it's putting out. Oh and let's see if it will live up to the TVR stereotype; watch this space…