1989 TVR 450 SEAC

Finished in bright red over a grey cloth interior, this 1989-registered 450 SEAC is one of those vehicles that looks like it’s doing 100mph when its standing still.

First registered on 01 August 1989, this 450 SEAC has been cherished throughout its life, with stacks of paperwork backing up the most minor of fettling and routine maintenance. In addition to routine work, a stainless steel exhaust has been fitted to amplify that gorgeous Rover V8 soundtrack, along with the fitting of an uprated Kent camshaft to achieve the iconic ‘lumpy’ V8 idle and increase the power output.

Having purchased the vehicle earlier in 2021 with the intention of long-term ownership, the vendor has enjoyed a few short, spirited drives on some winding country roads, along with having carried out a full inspection and replacing the water pump, making good use of their BMW Master Tech level of engineering expertise.

Now, the vehicle is up for sale simply due to being too noisy, something that all potential buyers should make a note of - if you aren’t on very, very good terms with your neighbours (or live in the middle of nowhere) just beware this is a *very* loud V8 engine. That being said, it sounds absolutely ridiculous in the best way possible, and we love it!

“Wonderfully wedge-y” would be the term best used to describe the 450 SEAC. It makes no apologies for its outlandish styling, and it’s all the better for it.

The bodywork on this example is in excellent condition, shrugging off its age with ease.

The paintwork retains a deep shine and shows no sign of any fading or sun-bleached patches, which are a common issue with any red vehicles of this era. The front bumper has a slight “orange peel” texture to the paintwork, though this should be corrected with a thorough machine polishing.

Underneath the comically-sized arches sit a set of IMAGE split-rim wheels which are in good shape, while the original split-rim OZ Racing wheels are also included with the sale of the vehicle, and can be seen towards the end of the gallery below. While the IMAGE wheels are presentable as they are, the OZ examples are certainly in need of a thorough polishing.

There are a few marks on the bodywork as to be expected from a vehicle of this era, though they are very minor and difficult to spot unless you’re looking for them. The front air dam splitter has the usual peppering of stone chips, while there is a hairline crack above the upper-left corner of the nearside pop-up headlight along with another below the nearside headlight, while there appears to be a trim or rubber missing around the base of the folding soft top on both sides.

Of note is the bonnet, which will not engage correctly on its catch due to being fouled by a windscreen wiper but this can be remedied by simply having the windscreen arm "pulled up" the screen so that the bonnet can close.

The cabin of this 450 SEAC is wonderfully well-preserved, with the seats retaining their snug support, the carpets virtually unmarked and no signs of any major bolster wear or marking to the seat bases and no rips or tears in the fabric.

One of the benefits of this 450 SEAC is the folding soft-top with central ‘targa’ portion, allowing use in all weathers (should you be brave enough) and we’re pleased to report that this is in excellent condition, with no sign of any rips to the material and no discolouration or cracking to the plastic rear window.

The dashboard benefits from additional carbon-fibre detailing along with an upgraded Kenwood stereo unit, while all the instruments, gauges and switchgear appears to work as intended with no faults noted during our short test drive.

Lift up the front-hinged bonnet, and the 4.5-litre Rover-supplied V8 engine is there to see in all its glory. This particular example has been significantly dressed-up with numerous chrome parts, colour-coded leads and colour-matched rocker covers.

The engine and its ancillaries all present in excellent condition, though the vendor notes there is a minor oil weep from the gearbox output seal, while the oil, filters, distributor cap and distributor leads were all changed prior to their ownership, along with the spark plugs having been removed, inspected, cleaned and re-fitted.

During our short test drive, the engine was lumpy on cold start. The vendor says "...these vehicles were designed as a race car and not a normal street car, and are, as such, very lumpy at idle with the Kent cam and high-rate injectors fitted (and the cold start injector) putting even more fuel in when cold - it does as any tuned engine of this type will need some throttle to get it running for the first 20 seconds or so then it will idle nicely."

The vendor states that standstill traffic and slow-moving traffic are no issue at all in their experience, with the twin front fans kicking in as-and-when required, keeping the engine temperatures all within their acceptable range, with no issues regarding oil pressure either.

Underneath the vehicle, the space-frame chassis shows no issues that we could see, with no concerning signs that were noted during our brief visual inspection.

The upgraded stainless-steel exhaust is in excellent condition throughout, and sounds absolutely biblical upon any application of the throttle.

Judging by the extensive history folder supplied with the vehicle, this TVR has been in the hands of some very fastidious owners (10 in total, including the vendor) during its lifetime, with numerous hand-written documents detailing even the most minor of maintenance along with a corresponding date.

In addition to the hand-written documentation, there is a small mountain of invoices and receipts, numerous old MOT certificates, the original TVR owners handbook and two sets of keys

The vehicle had an extensive restoration over several years to include a body off chassis renovation, during this time lots of work was carried out, this includes but is not limited to:

Steering rack rebuild.

New shock absorbers & replacement poly bushes.

New front brake calipers, disc & pads.

Rear inboard E type axle replacement/rebuilt brake calipers discs & pads.

New twin radiator fans that help keep the engine temperature well under control with no problems at all, it will sit in traffic withoiut an issue.

Oil pressure sits nicely at idle without any fluctuations and increases when driven as you would expect.

Lots of aluminium tanks and chrome additions that set the engine bay off a treat.

This is one of the later cars with the one piece rear body mould.

A full wheel alignment has been carried out & a copy is in the cars file.

The most recent MOT exam took place on 13 April 2021, and resulted in a first-time pass with no advisories.

Offering the exceedingly rare opportunity to own a (believed to be) genuine TVR 450 SEAC from 1989, this example is in outstanding condition throughout and would likely only require a full tune before its full potential can be unleashed.

With an extensive history folder present with the vehicle, and taking into account the condition of this 450 SEAC, we estimate it to fetch around £27,000 to £35,000, so be sure to bid early and bid well if you want to be in with a chance of owning this iconic piece of 80’s motoring history.

Viewing is always encouraged, within government guidelines of course. The car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; we are open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.