1985 TVR 420 SEAC

Car is fitted with a Rover/TVR 4.5lt dry sump V8 not the TVR AJP as listed in the A5 catalogue

• Built as a one-off special by TVR in 1985 with lightweight Kevlar and fibreglass bodywork
• Initially fitted with a 4.2-litre V8 but later developed using a 4.5 Rover/TVR V8
• Raced successfully by TVR Factory driver Steve Cole, 21 class wins out of 24 races
• Comprehensive history file. Extensive spares package including nose mould
• This car is an important part of TVR's racing history

In 1985, TVR Engineering Ltd had been developing a new lightweight body design to be combined with a high-performance V8 engine hoping to take on the competition in the 750 Motor Club Sporting Cars Magazine Road Going sports series and BARC (NW) Sports Saloon Challenge in the production class.

The resulting 420 S.E.A.C. (Special Equipment Aramid Composite) utilised a mixture of kevlar and fibreglass for the bodywork to keep weight down but not at the expense of rigidity. The bodywork had a shortened front end and incorporated a glass cover over the indicators, driving lights and licence plate. Widened front wheel arches bulge over special Compomotive split-rim road wheels front and rear on Bridgestone 225/50 x 15 tyres and flared sill panels run into the extended rear arches, with the back of the vehicle being dominated by a wide aggressive spoiler covering the entire boot lid.

The car first appeared as a race car in 1986 and, during the 1987 season, Steve Cole trounced the opposition amassing a total of 21 class wins (19 outright) from 24 races in the 750 Motor Club Championship. It was banned shortly afterwards when it became clear that TVR hadn't quite built the number of cars that they had claimed on the Homologation paperwork. The car was then used for promotional purposes and the occasional race, including a race in Macau, after which it spent a couple of years in Singapore before returning to the UK in 1990. Subsequently, between 1994 and 2010, it enjoyed occasional outings in Sprints and Track Days before being purchased by our vendor in 2012.

He prepared the car as a show car, refurbishing it completely and returning it to the colour and livery it wore as a factory race car in 1986. It's still fully equipped to go racing and is powered by a Rover/TVR V8 dry sump race engine now taken to 4.5-litres in the configuration of the early TVR Tuscan Challenge cars.

It has solely been used as a display and show car since then, including being on the TVR Car Club stand at the NEC in November 2012.