A Midlands based race preparation specialist, Classic World Racing (CWR), has just unveiled a racing version of the rare 1968 TVR Tuscan. The race car has been created from original moulds and plans are now well in hand to produce a road going version.
The Tuscan race car was launched at the Race Retro show at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. The audience reaction to the car’s launch was so positive that managing director Mike Luck is close to securing his first order for a road-going version that he has christened the Titan.
“A lot of visitors to the show had heard about the race car and were very interested to see how it would look as a road model. The CWR team have already started work on the modifications required,” he said.
“It all started when I heard about the moulds that had been lying untouched in a barn for 20 years so following a commission from a client to build a classic race car for a series based in Malaysia, we decided to go ahead and build the Tuscan.
“Only around 20 LWB Tuscans were ever made at the time, partly due to supply issues of the 4.7 litre Ford V8 engine,” explained Luck. “So it was great to recreate it and see it come to life stage by stage. Once the team started to build the Tuscan, it struck me what a great little car it is so that’s when we decided to go forward and build our own road going-version. The race car proved very popular at the show and served to highlight our plans for the road car. We plan to have the first car completed by August with a further two finished by the end of September.
“The LWB Tuscan V8 followed in the footsteps of the famous Griffith 400 and we have endeavoured to capture its iconic shape together with a stunning performance within a simple, functional style,” said Luck whose team has over 45 years collective experience in classic car restoration and race preparation.
A key member of the team is ex TVR competition manager Chris Schirle. Schirle worked for the late Peter Wheeler between 1982 and 1987. During that period he was responsible for the successful 450 SEAC Wedge car which ultimately led to the company becoming a major participant in UK motorsport.
The CWR road-going Titan will feature a Chevrolet LS3 V8 engine producing 480bhp and a 5 speed gearbox linked up with an LSD. With a dry weight of around 980kg, the performance will be stunning.
“We believe there is a market for this type of retro looking performance car and I am confident that we can produce a competitively priced, well balanced package that will reflect the heritage and style of the original car whilst respecting and preserving the divide between our version and original examples,” said Luck. “It’s a great advantage to have Chris as a member of the team and I am sure his experience will help us to produce a car that is very exciting to drive.”
Although there is still much development work to be done on the road version, Mike anticipates that it will retail for around £42,500 plus VAT.
