1989 TVR Tuscan. Ex-Colin Blower Tuscan Challenge Car

• Purchased in early 1990 by the well-established racing driver, engineer and team owner, the late Colin Blower, to compete in the inaugural season of the TVR Tuscan Challenge
• Mixed results during the early season but managed a win at the final round at Oulton Park
• Subsequently used as a body-off development car to assist Colin to prepare his race cars for the next couple of years culminating in a Championship win in 1992 and runner-up in 1993 and 1994
• We understand that it had been through a full nut and bolt rebuild prior to its sale in 2008
• Fitted with a Quaife Differential, Quaife Gearbox and original TVR-developed 4441cc Rover V8
• Acquired by our vendor around 12 years ago, it has rarely been used since
• Painted in its unusual hue to reflect an association with Royal Purple Oils
• Road registered but still in full race spec and not road legal/no MOT
• Could be prepared for the road but ideal for track days, hill climbs, sprints etc.

Initially intended as a road car to replace the outgoing S-Series, the 4.4-litre, Rover V8-engined 'ES' was unveiled in prototype form at the 1988 Motor Show. The name Tuscan was resurrected and production of the new car was planned for 1989. The mercurial Peter Wheeler, TVR's charismatic owner, decided that to attract public interests and stimulate sales, a one-make race series might be the answer and the TVR Tuscan Challenge was born.

There were literally dozens of one-make championships struggling to find circuits with space on their programmes at this time and, in order to avoid fielding small grids of 10 or 12 cars, it was essential that the new Tuscan Challenge attracted top drivers. Peter Wheeler came up with the brilliant idea of offering the first batch of cars at a discount of ú16,000 for entrants (a lot of money 30 years ago) with a condition that they commit themselves to compete in at least six of the twelve rounds of the championship. Should that fail, the purchaser would agree to pay the discounted amount at the end of the season. So effectively it would be possible to run the car for most of the season and sell it at a decent profit at the end, a concept that inevitably appealed to talented but impecunious racers. Consequently, from the start in 1989, the Tuscan Challenge attracted quick drivers, featured full grids and became popular with the crowds who enjoyed seeing noisy, 'hairy-chested' British sports cars being driven hard with no quarter given. A good number of drivers who cut their teeth in Tuscan between '89 and '94 went on to success in Touring Cars, British GT and Le Mans.

One of these was the late Colin Blower, a Hinkley based engineer, established racing driver and latterly team owner. Colin first entered the Tuscan Challenge in mid-1989, took his first win at the last race in 1990, won the Challenge in 1992 and was runner-up in '93 and '94.

The Tuscan that we are pleased to offer here is his 1990 car. It was a fairly mixed season starting quite badly when an over-enthusiastic Richard Cabburn took him off at the second corner on the first lap of the first race at Oulton Park but things picked up after that with some good results culminating in an outright win in the last round of the season again at Oulton.

From 1991, the car was used as a development chassis, providing set-up information to assist Colin to develop his (and customers) cars during the following seasons. With the car, we understand, is a letter covering that period and detailing how it had been fitted with a Quaife Differential, Qaife Gearbox and more and how the engine and box positions had been adjusted to create better weight distribution. We also understand that prior to Colin selling the car that it