1987 TVR 390SE

This TVR390SE with a 5-speed manual gearbox, was first registered in March 1988 and is believed to have been supplied to a Mr Scott by the wonderfully named Harrogate Horseless Carriages TVR dealership (now known as HHC Sportscars).

Seven years and nearly 25,000 miles later the car was bought by a Mr Rowlinson of Cheam, who owned the car from April 1995 to July 2011 and meticulously recorded everything he did with it and spent on it - petrol included!

The 390SE then spent 3 years with its third owner in the Channel Islands before being re-imported (and VAT paid again) by the fourth owner from Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, who did some recommissioning on the car but subsequently put it off road for the next 5 years.

The current owner, its fifth, used to trade in TVRs back in the ‘90s and believes that he sold a couple of dozen 350i wedges back in the day, so he knows what he’s looking at and what they need doing to them.

As the car had been off the road a while, he had the brake calipers and pads replaced and had some work done to make sure that the engine ran properly. A repaired ECU later and it now apparently “goes like a rocket!”

The exterior of the car is finished in bright red with silver coachlines. We can’t find a specific colour name - that kind of thing is important to some - because it seems that TVR customers back in the ‘80s could choose their own shade of colour for their hand-made car and there were many variations.

However, it’s a pleasing shade and probably the original colour. Whilst the overall look is pretty good, there are a few chips and scuffs in the paint, particularly on vulnerable edges and surfaces like the front valance, corners of the doors, the shoulders where the roof attaches and the underside of the rear aerofoil.

There are also paint runs on the front upper edge of the nose. The bumper seems to have slipped down a little - it probably should be flush with that edge and would cover the runs if it were, but we’ve seen other TVR wedges with bumpers sitting even lower.

The fibreglass body seems in a fairly good condition, with no obvious damage of any significance. There are stone guard panels on the rear wheel arch which might benefit from replacement but generally the body appears tidy.

The black folding roof cover is a bit wrinkled and baggy with wear on the corners of the frame but seems otherwise undamaged and functional. The rear flexi-plastic window is very cloudy and soiled with what looks like algae growth. The front glass windscreen is mostly good but appears to be delaminating in one corner.

The TVR sits on its original 15-inch OZ Racing split rim alloys with chromed hubcaps. The wheels and centres are in a reasonable condition with a little oxidation around the outer fixings and light pitting on the chrome. All are fitted with matching Nankang Toursport tyres dating from 2014 but showing adequate tread.

The interior of the car is in a similar condition to the outside, not perfect but by no means scruffy or untidy. The seats are upholstered in grey leather with red piping and are in a reasonably good condition with a little wear on the driver’s seat that you’d expect.

The dashboard, centre console and glove box are trimmed with wood veneer panels, which were replaced in 2013 but were probably from a donor car rather than new. There are a few scratches and a crack on the glove box panel but the others look ok. However, they appear to be a different wood finish to the narrow strips on the doors.

The steering wheel is a Momo three-spoke sports wheel, trimmed in black leather which is a little scratched but otherwise suits the car well. There is an Alpine radio cassette player in the centre console and speakers to each side behind the seats.

The carpets look very good in grey with red piping and come with matching fitted overmats. With the hood up, the black vinyl headlining immediately above the seats looks in good order but the rear section which is a white fabric is torn and rather tatty.

Under the bonnet, the acoustic lining is sagging slightly and becoming detached in places but appears undamaged. The paintwork around the engine bay looks very strong and generally the mechanicals look clean and tidy and well maintained.

The car starts with what seems like a brief delay and you get a bit of a squeal to begin with, the fan belt needs nipping up a little, but the powerful engine revs well and combined with the stainless exhaust it makes a suitably sporty and rorty noise.

Inside the boot, where again the insulation under the lid is coming unglued and partially detached, the carpets and linings are otherwise in good order and the spare wheel is present and complete with its vinyl cover.

The TVR has a current MOT valid until March 2022, which it passed with no advisories as it did the year before after having been off the road for around 5 years. A shorter gap in testing prior to that was when the car was in the Channel Islands and not subject to UK MOT regulations.

The sizeable history file includes the Owners Handbook, warranty booklets, brochures, TVR Wedge maintenance manual and the Service Schedules and Record Book which shows early maintenance as follows:

Oct 1988 - 6,148 - Harrogate Horseless Carriages TVR

Sep 1989 - 10,887 - a/a

Oct 1990 - 14,559 - a/a

Apr 1995 - 24,830 - Portfield TVR Chichester

There are also numerous invoices from across the car’s lifetime and a meticulously kept log of everything done with and to the car by its second owner. Collectively, these documents validate the current low mileage of 56,300 as genuine.

MOT aside, the most recent invoices from last year are for brake pads and reconditioned calipers, a new K&N air filter and for rough running investigations, which concluded with a repair to the ECU and new spark plugs.

TVR never produced their hand-made cars in huge numbers, but the 390SE was even lower than most with only just over 100 cars built. Depending on which source you consult, there are fewer than a handful still out and about on the UK’s roads today, so they are rather rare cars.

Although rarity is no guarantee of desirability, there is a lot of love for the TVR marque and much like many other performance cars of the ‘80s, these wedges are gaining in interest and consequently in value. Happily their rarity doesn’t extend to parts availability. With TVR happy to use bits and pieces from mainstream manufacturers, you’ll not have a problem keeping it going.

This example isn’t perfect, but it is mechanically good and looks above average for the type and it gives the next owner an opportunity for some light titivation. We think it will sell for between £9,000 and £12,000 but as it’s offered with NO RESERVE, there could be an opportunity to get a whole lot of sports car for not a lot of money.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.