2003 TVR T350C

With Iced Titanium coachwork and a two-tone grey leather interior, this 2003 TVR T350C is as timeless as it is classless. In the care of its owner for the past two years, he, like those before him, has maintained it fastidiously, so it’s running beautifully.

It’s also optioned with factory air-conditioning, luggage cover and sun visors, plus uprated dampers, engine mounts, and a sports exhaust. These make it even faster, wonderfully loud but comfortable, too.

Still showing just 34,000 miles and in his care for the past two years, the owner is only selling it because he’s running out of space thanks to the presence of a couple of (rather special) older TVRs…

January 2022 saw the paintwork being lightly refreshed on the bonnet, front panel, and front wings. This cost more than £3,000, so it’s fair to say it was done properly, although given the length of the bonnet, the bill seems pretty reasonable to us…

As you’d expect, the work has left the TVR looking amazing. It’s a great shape anyway, and the Iced Titanium paintwork gives the lines a hewn-from-solid look we love.

We’ve mentioned the long bonnet already, and while the sleek profile hints at the car’s incredible performance, it’s the rear end everyone comments on. As functional as it is brutal, the 304bhp/tonne at its disposal means this is the view most drivers will see most of.

Freshly refurbished, the alloy wheels look stunning. They’re fitted with Toyo Proxes tyres on all four corners too, but then having leafed through the vast quantity of paperwork that comes with the car, that they’ve gone to the trouble and expense of matching the tyres doesn’t surprise us.

Flaws? Well, aside from the usual stonechips and minor marks, the owner points out that it has a couple of minor paint blemishes, one on each rear arch. He’s right, they are minor though.

The design of TVR’s cockpits never fails to impress, even if the quality and condition sometimes lag behind.

Not here though; while it’s true the factory steering wheel might look like a bit of an afterthought, it serves a purpose & we feel adds to the no frills experience. Everything else still looks stunning.

Easter eggs abound, like the hinges for the tailgate, the wonderfully characterful alloy gear knob, and the ornate switchgear - and even the pedals are way cooler than they need to be. This is not a car that treats the interface with its driver lightly.

The two-tone leather seats are in great shape, with only light creasing to their edges and the carpets, which are mid grey and edged in a lighter grey piping, are in a fine condition too.

It’s the same story with the headlining, dashboard, door cards, and boot; all look terrific and show just how well TVR interiors can last if they’re looked after properly.

Work to do is minor. The leather inside the instrument binnacle is marked (#196) and the gear-lever gaiter is a bit worn (#321). That’s not bad though, is it?

The TVR’s service and maintenance history is peerless, comprising:

• 20.02.2004 and 1,138 miles – service at H.L. Gorner Ltd

• 01.12.2004 and 4,340 miles – service at Harrogate Horseless Carriages Ltd

• 08.12.2006 and 11,573 miles – service at Williams of Harrogate plus fresh brake fluid and transmission oil

• 07.12.2007 and 13,750 miles – service at Drivestyle Horseless Carriages

• 10.12.2008 and 14,830 miles – service at Drivestyle Horseless Carriages plus Waxoyl

• 02.08.2010 and 19,689 miles – service at Drivestyle Horseless Carriages plus new rear discs and pads and all four dampers

• 03.02.2011 and 21,046 miles – service at Drivestyle Horseless Carriages

• 09.01.2012 and 21,537 miles – service at Central TVR Ltd

• 28.03.2014 and 21,979 miles – service at Drivestyle Horseless Carriages

• 27.03.2015 and 22,591 miles – service at Drivestyle Horseless Carriages

• 26.04.2016 and 22,853 miles – service at Drivestyle Horseless Carriages

• 28.03.2018 and 23,332 miles – service at Drivestyle Horseless Carriages plus new front brake pads

• 30.07.2020 and 24,147 miles – service at Tony Gilbert Cars Ltd

• 01.10.2020 and 24,836 miles – various jobs by Taylor TVR Ltd including engine mounts, silicon hoses, track rod ends, wiring, and the installation of a swirl and expansion kit

• 08.10.2020 and 24,836 miles – power steering rack refurbished by Taylor TVR Ltd

• 16.06.2021 and 28,324 miles – full service by Taylor TVR Ltd plus valve adjustment, new alternator, clutch master cylinder, ignition coil, and engine oil hoses. Cost: £2,083

• 26.07.2022 – service at Aeon Sportscars Ltd including alloy wheels refurbishment, rear drop link ends, clean underside and repaint plus miscellaneous fettling. Cost: £2,562

• 29.09.2022 – lots of further fettling by Aeon Sportscars Ltd. Slide #411 refers. Cost: £638

Please do take the time to browse the paperwork as we can’t remember seeing a better fettled car.

The engine bay is clean and well presented, and because the underside has been regularly Waxoyl’d and treated, it looks every bit as good as everything else.

As you can hear, it doesn’t so much as burst into life as explode but it does so immediately, runs and drives as it should, and doesn’t show any warning lights. Everything works too, including the air-conditioning, which has recently been serviced.

Having covered around 10,000 miles in it, the owner is well placed to tell us that his pride and joy is “more practical than you think”, “comfortable over long journeys”, “reliable” and, of course, “very fast”.

The TVR’s MoT certificate, which is valid until July 2023, was gained, like so many before, with no advisory points being raised.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clean and the car comes with the book pack, original sales literature and two keys plus a bunch of old MoT certificates and tax discs.

No-one does brutish sportscars better than the Brits, and no-one does it better than TVR. Utterly gorgeous and very rare, the T350C also goes like a scalded rat and handles like a Scalextric car that’s been dipped in honey.

A beguiling blend of contemporary design and old school analogue engineering (the only driver aid is the power steering), the T350 draws a crowd wherever it goes – largely because, while everyone loves the look, no-one actually knows what it is…

The only problem with ‘em is if you buy the wrong one, there are few more beautiful ways to kill your bank balance – or you.

However, if you buy one like this, one that’s been pampered and loved and had the appropriate sums spent on it with the right people, there is no better sight than seeing one of these in your garage.

And, with a guide price of somewhere between £25,000 and £35,000, it’s not going to cost you a fortune, either. Sure, you’ll be able to find cheaper ones but you won’t find better – and value is, after all, what you remember; ‘buy once, cry once’ has never been truer than here.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, 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’.