Are you looking for an alternative to an MGB or a TR6 – something you won’t see at every car show? A rare car with common mechanical components that will put its peers to shame on a track? Perhaps this TVR 2500M would do, advertised here on Craigslist for $27,000 and located in Chepachet, Rhode Island. TVR was founded in 1946 by Trevor Wilkinson and Jack Pickard as an engineering and auto service firm. TVR made its first car in 1949 on top of a home-grown chassis. By 1953, the company was ready to launch its “sports saloon,” sold in kit form. The car was engineered for Austin A40 components, but most were customized at the factory for the end user, accepting a variety of motors. Over the next decade, the company was sideswiped by a rotating cast of characters in management, organizational changes, financial troubles, and meager market success. Martin Lilley purchased the company in 1965, trial-and-erroring his way finally to the M series, launched in 1972. Production quality took a leap, and TVR gained a bit of traction. Thanks to T.J. for finding this rare car for us to review!

TVR relied on engines from Austin, Ford, Triumph, and MG before finally tapping the venerable Rover V8 in 1983. It didn’t make its own engine until the early 1990s, when the 4.2 liter Al Melling-designed V8 was installed in the Cerbera, having had a stint or two in TVR race cars before that. But we digress. For the M series, TVR used Triumph’s 2.5 liter straight six, normally found in the TR6 engine bay. The TR6 also donated its brakes, four-speed gearbox, and differential. The chassis was newly engineered, with improved rigidity. The fiberglass-bodied 2500M is quick, reaching 60 mph in less than ten seconds thanks to a 2250-pound curb weight. This example is dressed with three Webers and is said to run and drive well. Note, though, that the space to accommodate that spare tire in the nose of the car is courtesy of making the radiator small – so ensure that its fans are working.

The interiors of most vintage TVRs are odd, sharing that demeanor with many Lotus cars. The wood dash is buried in a shroud of upholstery; the layout is sophomoric. The occupants sit deep into the car, well below the center console. That said, the surfaces here are in fine condition. Left-hand drive is not unusual; the American market was critical to TVR, and the majority of its 1970s production was sold here.

The 2500M could be ordered with a vinyl sunroof, typically supplied by Webasto. By 1976, the quaint Cortina tail lights were replaced by more mundane TR6 units. This tidy example might struggle at the asking price – only the finest examples sell over $20k. What do you think of this rare British coupe?