TVR S Series History

Announced in 1986 and on sale from 1987, the S series was Peter Wheeler's first major new car after buying TVR, and it deliberately recalled the marque's curvaceous 1970s roadsters rather than the angular wedge. Built around the familiar tubular chassis and fibreglass body, it undercut rivals on price and sold strongly — about 2,604 were made — restoring the company's commercial health.

Early S1 to S4 cars used Ford's Cologne V6 (2.8 then 2.9 litres). From 1991 the V8S dropped in a 4.0-litre Rover V8 with around 240 bhp, giving the little roadster serious pace and previewing the V8 attack of the Griffith and Chimaera that followed.